Thomas Davison (1794 – 1826) was a British
radical
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Politics and ideology Politics
*Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...
journalist and printer-publisher of a series of journals, including ''Medusa'', the ''London Alfred'', the ''Deist's Magazine'', as well as the James Griffin-edited ''Cap of Liberty'' and the Robert Shorter-edited ''Theological Comet''.
Known for his
republican and
Deist views, Davison actively supported
Richard Carlile
Richard Carlile (8 December 1790 – 10 February 1843) was an important agitator for the establishment of universal suffrage and freedom of the press in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Born in Ashburton, Devon, he was the son of a shoemaker wh ...
in his battle with the British establishment of the time, which resulted in Carlile's imprisonment on charges of
blasphemous libel
Blasphemous libel was originally an offence under the common law of England. Today, it is an offence under the common law of Northern Ireland, but has been abolished in England and Wales, and repealed in Canada and New Zealand. It consists of t ...
in October 1819.
Davison's publication of material critical of the
Bible in the ''Deist's Magazine'' resulted in his own prosecution.
[ Robertson, J. M. (2006). ''A History of Free Thought in the Nineteenth Century'', Volume 1. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing Co. p. 63. .
] Found guilty of blasphemy like Carlile after his trial in October 1820, Davison was fined
£100 and imprisoned for two years. Reduced to
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
in his last years, he eked out a living as a
bookseller following his release in 1822.
["Davison, Thomas (1794 - 1826)" (2009). In Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor (Editors), ''Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland'' (p. 163). Gent and London: Academia Press and the British Library. .]
References
Further reading
* Davison, Thomas (1820). ''The Trial of Thomas Davison for Publishing a Blasphemous Libel in the Deists Magazine, Oct. 23rd, 1820''. London.
* Wiener, Joel H. (1979). "Thomas Davison". In Joseph O. Baylen and Norbert J. Gossman (Editors), ''Biographical Dictionary of Modern British Radicals'': Volume One, 1770 - 1830 (p. 114). Hassocks, Sussex: The Harvester Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Thomas
1794 births
1826 deaths
British male journalists
British printers
British prisoners and detainees
British republicans
British deists
People convicted of blasphemy
19th-century British businesspeople