Charles Gilpin (31 March 1815 – 8 September 1874) was a Quaker, orator, politician, publisher and railway director. Amongst his many causes were the movement to repeal the

Corn Laws The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word ''corn'' in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley. They wer ...

, to establish world peace through the

Peace Society The Peace Society, International Peace Society or London Peace Society originally known as the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, was a pioneering British pacifist organisation that was active from 1816 until the 1930s. H ...

, abolition of the death penalty and the

anti-slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

movement,

enfranchisement Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

by providing freehold land for purchase, liberation of Hungary from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungarian exiles in England, the Poor Law and prison reform, Foreign relations . . . "a thorough

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

" (''Biographical Catalogue'')

Parents and education

He was born at

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

on 31 March 1815, eldest of six surviving sons (there were seven daughters) of James Gilpin (1780–1855) and Mary Gilpin (born Sturge, 1789–1842), a sister of

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

and

Edmund Sturge Edmund Sturge (8 December 1808 – 28 June 1893), was a Quaker businessman and campaigner for liberal causes. Early life Edmund Sturge was born at Olveston, near Bristol, the youngest of the twelve children of Joseph Sturge (1752–1817) and hi ...

. He was educated at

Sidcot School Sidcot School is a British co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils, associated with the Religious Society of Friends. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England. The school is based in the Mendip Hills near the village of ...

from 1824 to 1828. At the age of 13, he organised a mock trial, "with great ability".Review "In the Heart of the Mendips" of ''A Sidcot Pageant'' by Evelyn Roberts by A Neave Brayshaw in ''The Friend'', 14 June 1935, p. 553, col.2 His first job was as a traveller for a Manchester warehouse. During this period he came under the influence of the liberal views of his uncle Joseph and

Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. As a you ...

. By way of their opposition to the

, Gilpin received a training in public speaking so successful that "before he was five-and-twenty, his services were widely sought in favour of many great public movements of the time" (''Times'' obituary).

Marriage and children

He married Anna Crouch (1811–1892), daughter of William Crouch (1768?–1854) of Falmouth, accountant, and Lucretia Crouch (born Anson, 1777–1858). The number, gender and lives of their children is unclear: *A daughter called Anna was born 1 December 1840, married on 21 September 1872 to Richard Pigott and was a beneficiary of Gilpin's Will. *A biographical entry in ''Sidcot School: The Register of Old Scholars'' says Charles Gilpin married Anna Crouch c.1839 at Falmouth and had children named Anne, Louis and Charles.''Sidcot School: The Register of Old Scholars'' by Kathleen and Chris Hall, Sidcot School (2001), p. 20: 1815: Charles Gilpin *Milligan's ''Biographical Dictionary . . .'' says there were two sons and two daughters of the marriage. *An obituary of Charles Gilpin says that an only son died, after a long illness, the sorrow of this loss leading to Gilpin's own death in 1874.Obituary of Charles Gilpin in ''The British Friend'', Vol.32 (1874), p. 306.

Publishing and book-selling

In 1842, Charles Gilpin moved to London and took over the stock of the bookseller's and publisher's business of Edward Fry (1783–1841) moving it from

Houndsditch Houndsditch is a street running through parts of the Portsoken and Bishopsgate Without wards of the City of London; areas which are also a part of the East End of London. The road follows the line of the outside edge of the ditch which once ran ...

to No. 5, Bishopsgate Street Without in the City of London. The business was successful but in 1853, he retired to develop his other business, philanthropic and political interests.

Range of publications

The

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Integrated Catalogue lists 76 titles printed by Charles Gilpin, including works by

Elihu Burritt Elihu Burritt (December 8, 1810March 6, 1879) was an American diplomat, philanthropist and social activist.Arthur Weinberg and Lila Shaffer Weinberg. ''Instead of Violence: Writings by the Great Advocates of Peace and Nonviolence Throughout Histo ...

Henry Clarke Wright Henry Clarke Wright (August 29, 1797 – August 16, 1870) was an American abolitionist, pacifist, anarchist and feminist, for over two decades a controversial figure. Early life Clarke was born in Sharon, Connecticut, to father Seth Wright, a ...

, Jonathan Dymond, Pestalozzi,

George William Alexander George William Alexander (1802–1890) was an English financier and philanthropist. He was the founding treasurer of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839. The American statesman Frederick Douglass said that he "has spent more t ...

Thomas Clarkson Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 – 26 September 1846) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known ...

György Klapka György (Móric) Klapka (german: Georg Klapka; 7 April 182017 May 1892) was a Hungarian general. He was one of the most important Hungarian generals of the Hungarian War of Independence of 1848–1849, politician, member of the Hungarian Parlia ...

William Wells Brown William Wells Brown (c. 1814 – November 6, 1884) was a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian in the United States. Born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky, near the town of Mount Sterling, Brown escap ...

, George Copway and

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, , ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the in ...

. He also published a large number of memoirs of the lives of Quakers, including those of

Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...

and

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

. He published the ''Scriptural verse'' of Lovell Squire, his wife's sister's husband. He published ''Aunt Jane’s Verses, for Children ... Illustrated'' in 1851: Aunt Jane was Jane Crewdson. Gilpin published at least two books on the subject of water cure or

hydropathy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

. One, by E.S. Abdy was translated from German, the other was on the waters of

Ben Rhydding Ben Rhydding is a village in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Ilkley urban area and civil parish. The village is situated on a north-facing valley side beneath the Cow and Calf rocks and above and to the south o ...

in West Yorkshire. He published at least two books by the prison reformer Alexander Maconochie. He published the ''Proceedings'' of the second (Paris, 1849) and third (Frankfurt-am-Main, 1850)

International Peace Congress International Peace Congress, or International Congress of the Friends of Peace, was the name of a series of international meetings of representatives from peace societies from throughout the world held in various places in Europe from 1843 to 185 ...

es.

''The Friend''

In 1842, at the request of a weighty Quaker board, he launched and published ''The Friend'', an open-minded evangelical Quaker magazine. The first issue was dated "First-month 1843", under the editorship of

Charles Tylor Charles Tylor (2 November 1816 – 14 March 1902) was an English Quaker author. He was the founding editor of Quaker weekly publication, '' The Friend''.Society of Friends (1902). ''Extracts from the minutes and proceedings of the yearly meeting ...

. In 1849, Gilpin purchased the publication from the board and was its editor from 1852 until 1857. The magazine is still in publication.

Political elections and roles

The Court of Common Council

Gilpin was elected to The Court of Common Council of the City of London in 1848. He was largely instrumental in the abolition of street tolls.

Perth by-election, 1852

Since 1841, the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

constituency had been represented in Parliament by

Fox Maule Fox Maule-Ramsay, 11th Earl of Dalhousie, (22 April 18016 July 1874), known as Fox Maule before 1852, as The Lord Panmure between 1852 and 1860, was a British politician. Ancestry Dalhousie was the eldest son of William Maule, 1st Baron Pa ...

, the heir apparent of his father,

Baron Panmure Baron Panmure, of Brechin and Navar in the County of Forfar, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The barony was created on 10 September 1831 for the Hon. William Maule, longtime Member of Parliament for Forfar. On the death of Wi ...

. He was

Secretary at War The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. Afte ...

from July 1846 to January 1852, when for two or three weeks he was President of the Board of Control (overseeing the British East India Company). In April 1852,''The Times'', Friday, 16 April 1852; p. 8; Issue 21091; col D: "Death of Lord Panmure" he succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Panmure. Fox Maule's appointment to the Board of Control necessitated a by-election.''The Times'', Wednesday 11 February 1852, p. 8, Column C: "Perth election" Gilpin challenged him, supported by local reformers and a meeting to nominate the candidate was held on Monday 9 February 1852. Maule defended his record in Parliament and in Office, "amidst mingled cheers and hisses". Mr. Gilpin was also greeted by cheers and hisses and stated that 150 to 200 electors had invited him to stand as "the Rt Hon Gentleman had not fulfilled his profession of reform". Maule had justified the continuation of the Government Grant to the Catholic Maynooth College. Gilpin said he was against all state funding of religion and would vote against the continuation of the grant. However, when Mr. Maule demanded a poll, despite a show of hands in Gilpin's favour, Gilpin withdrew and Maule was declared returned. Maule's elevation to the House of Lords on the death of his father on 13 April 1852 caused a further by-election in Perth. However, he had already offered to stand for the Forfar constituency. The liberal contestants for Perth were Charles Gilpin and Hon. Arthur Kinnaird and their supporters were almost equally divided between the two candidates. Through the Conservative vote, Gilpin lost to Kinnaird (325 against 225 votes).''The Times'', Saturday, 15 May 1852; p. 8; Issue 21116; col D: "Election Intelligence" (Perth results received by Electric Telegraph). Gilpin did not stand for Parliament at the July 1852 General Election.

MP for Northampton

Charles Gilpin Vanity Fair 18 January 1873

At the general elections 1857,

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final ...

, 1865 and February 1874, Gilpin was elected to represent the Northampton constituency

Conspiracy to Murder Bill and atrocities in India

Gilpin opposed the Conspiracy to Murder Bill of 1858, drafted in response to the attempted assassination of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

on 4 January 1858. The plot was hatched in England. The bill sought to increase the penalty for conspiring to murder persons abroad from a misdemeanour to a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

. The failure of the bill led to Palmerston's resignation as Prime Minister and the general election of 1859. He also strongly condemned the massacre during the

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

of hundreds of disarmed Indian sepoys at Ajnala in Punjab on the orders of Frederick Henry Cooper, the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, declaring "one such atrocity as this would do more to excite burning hatred to our power and to our faith, everything multiplied a hundred fold, than the missionaries could eradicate in the next century".

Role in Government

In view of his opposition to the Conspiracy bill, it is surprising that Palmerston offered Gilpin a job in his 1859 Government and that Gilpin accepted, having negotiated that he would not be bound by the party whip. The job was Secretary of the

Poor Law Board The Poor Law Board was established in the United Kingdom in 1847 as a successor body to the Poor Law Commission overseeing the administration of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The new body was headed by a President, and with the Lord President of ...

. This appointment did not please his fellow Quaker, John Bright MP, who remarked "Thou'd better have a rope put around your neck". Gilpin served until 1865.

Beyond publishing and Parliament

Directorships

He was a director of the South Eastern, the Metropolitan, and the Smyrna & Cassaba Railways. He was chairman of the National Freehold Company, Moorgate and the British Land Company from its establishment in 1857 until 1873 and a director of the National Provident Life Assurance Company. 10-BS-3

Kossuth

Gilpin was a friend and supporter of Lajos or Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian Nationalist. "His London residence, was the English home of Louis Kossuth and

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...

As a Quaker

His obituary in ''The Friend'' says: "As a Friend, he took a warm interest in the welfare of the Society. His clear voice was often heard at

Yearly Meeting Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of constituent meetings or churches within a geographical area. The constituent meetings are called Monthly Meetings in ...

he annual gathering of British Quakers. . . our Friend's sphere of action often seemed more political than religious, but we believe the motive power that influenced him was his acceptance of Christianity as a spiritual reality . . . intended for all men". In 1855, he was a member of the Committee of the Friends Temperance Union.

Death and legacy

After a period of illness, he died at his home, 10

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, inclu ...

, LondonDescription of Gilpin's residence at 10 Bedford Square in Riley & Gomme's Survey of London (1914).
/ref> on 8 September 1874. More than 1,000 people attended his funeral at the Friends Burial Ground,

Winchmore Hill Winchmore Hill is a suburb and electoral ward in the Borough of Enfield, North London, in the N21 postal district. With the Winchmore Hill conservation area as a focal point, the district is bounded on the east by Green Lanes (the A105 road ...

. His will left everything to his wife (except 50 guineas to several persons), and after her death, to their daughter, Mrs Anna Crouch Pigott. At the by-election, following his death, Charles George Merewether (Conservative) was elected for the Northampton Constituency, which Gilpin had represented for seventeen years. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964. Although not applied since, the death penalty remained on the statute book for certain other offences until 1998. In 1968, Duke University bought a large quantity of Charles Gilpin's papers, which are now carefully catalogued and available to scholars.

References

Main Sources

*Obituary in ''The Times'', 9 September 1874, p. 7; issue 28103, Column F: "The late Charles Gilpin M.P." * Edward H Milligan '' Biographical dictionary of British Quakers in commerce and industry, 1775–1920'', Sessions of York (2007) . * *''Biographical catalogue of the Friends Institute'' (1888) pp. 279–280: "Charles Gilpin, MP Born 1815-Died 1874 – aged 59 years", quoting ''Illustrated London News'' 12 September 1874 and 19 September 1874.

Notes

External links

* . Note: at 15 January 2010, this list was extremely incomplete. *Photographic images of Charles Gilpin, at the National Portrait Galler
http://www.npgprints.com/image/680712/maull-&%3B-polyblank-charles-gilpin
an
https://archive.org/search.php?query=publisher%3A%22London+%3A+Charles+Gilpin%22
* Books published by Gilpin on the Internet Archive
https://archive.org/search.php?query=publisher%3A%22London+%3A+Charles+Gilpin%22
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilpin, Charles 1815 births 1874 deaths British anti-war activists British anti–death penalty activists British railway entrepreneurs Councilmen and Aldermen of the City of London English Christian pacifists English Quakers English book publishers (people) English philanthropists Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Sidcot School Politicians from Bristol UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 19th-century English businesspeople