Matilda Roalfe
Matilda Roalfe | |
---|---|
Born | 1813 |
Died | 1880 |
Other names | Matilda Sanderson |
Occupation(s) | Bookseller and publisher |
Criminal charges | Blasphemy and selling prohibited books |
Spouse | Walter Sanderson |
Children | 2 |
Matilda Roalfe (1813-1880)
Bookshop and Publishing Company
Roalfe moved from London to Edinburgh to run a bookshop, The Atheistical Depot, and publishing company Matilda Roalfe & Company, at 105 Nicolson Street. The previous owner of the shop had been imprisoned.[3] Upon opening, she issued a circular proclaiming "I neither hope nor fear anything from authority, and am resolved to supply the public with works of a controversial and philosophical character, whether such works do or do not bring into contempt the Holy Scriptures and the Christian religion."[4]
Author
Together with Charles Southwell, she wrote I am a Christian (1839).
She wrote and published Law breaking justified (1844), a 16-page booklet on the subject of blasphemy.[5]
Together with Thomas Paterson and Thomas Finlay, she wrote "The Trial of Thomas Paterson, for Blasphemy, Before the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, with the Whole of His Bold and Effective Defence. Also, the Trials of Thomas Finlay and Miss Matilda Roalfe (for Blasphemy), in the Sheriffs' Court. With Notes and a Special Dissertation on Blasphemy Prosecution in General, by the Secretary of the Anti-Persecution Union", published by Henry Hetherington, London and Edinburgh (1844)[6]
Roalfe began a magazine in 1844 called "The Plebian" with William Baker.[1]
Imprisonment
Roalfe was a prisoner in Calton Jail, Edinburgh, following her trial for the publication and sale of prohibited
Personal life
She married Walter Sanderson and lived in Galashiels. They had two daughters.[1]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-20869-0.
- ISBN 9780674270237.
- ^ a b c Holyoake, George Jacob (1892). Sixty years of an agitator's life. Cornell University Library. London, T. F. Unwin.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87975-136-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link - ^ Roalfe, Matilda. "Law breaking justified". Europeana.eu. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ "The trial of Thomas Paterson, for blasphemy, before the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, with the whole of his bold and effective defence". Open Library. Open Library.org. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ a b Thomas Finlay, Scotland High court of justiciary (1844). "The Man Paterson.": God Versus Paterson. The Extraordinary Bow-street Police Report ... University of Michigan. G. Clarke.