Robert Wedderburn (radical)
Robert Wedderburn | |
---|---|
Born | 1762 |
Died | 1835/1836? London, England |
Known for | The Horrors of Slavery, published in 1824 |
Parent(s) | James Wedderburn Rosanna |
Robert Wedderburn (1762 – 1835/1836?) was a British-Jamaican radical and abolitionist of multiracial descent active in early 19th-century London. Wedderburn was born in Kingston, Jamaica, an illegitimate son of an enslaved Black woman, Rosanna, and Scottish sugar planter James Wedderburn. During his life, Robert Wedderburn sought to reconcile his political priorities and religious views.
Influenced by
Biography
Early life
Robert Wedderburn was born in
After Rosanna had given birth to two of Wedderburn's children,
Although born free, Wedderburn was raised in a harsh environment, as his mother was often flogged due to her "violent and rebellious temper". She was eventually re-sold away from her son,[2] who was then raised by his maternal grandmother, a woman known as "Talkee Amy".[4]
To escape the insecurity and abuse of the plantation, Wedderburn signed on with the Royal Navy at the age of 16.[5] On the ships, the quality of food and living conditions were abysmal, and it was during this time that Wedderburn became increasingly opposed to the method of punishments used by the Royal Navy.[5]
Arrival in Britain
Robert Wedderburn arrived in Britain aged 17 and settled down in
Through means that remain unclear (it is possible that he had been an apprentice in Jamaica or had learned while in the Navy), Wedderburn eventually became a journeyman tailor.[7] As he referred to himself as a "flint"[8] tailor, this suggests he was registered in the book of trades and shared values typical of other artisans - including pride in his craft and a belief in economic independence.[9] Unfortunately, the instability of his career made him increasingly susceptible to the effects of a trade recession, inflation and food shortages, and he was soon reduced to part-time mending work on the outskirts of town.[9]
By now married and desperate for money during one of his wife's pregnancies, Wedderburn visited his father's family at
Radicalism and activity
In 1786, Wedderburn stopped to listen to a
Wedderburn was sufficiently well known to be the subject of at least one satirical print by the caricaturist George Cruikshank, who in 1817 published "A Peep into The City of London Tavern" in which Wedderburn is caricatured alongside the social reformer Robert Owen.[12] The central figure in Cruikshank's 1819 print The New Union Club may also be a caricature of Wedderburn. [12]
Politically influenced by Thomas Spence, Wedderburn was an impassioned speaker and became de facto leader of the Spencean Society in 1817 after the nominal leaders were arrested on suspicion of high treason.[2] Wedderburn published fiery periodicals advocating republican revolution, using violence if necessary, to bring about redistribution of property in Britain and the West Indies.[13] In 1824, he published an anti-slavery book entitled The Horrors of Slavery, printed by William Dugdale and possibly coauthored by George Cannon.[14]
To promote his religious message, he opened his own Unitarian chapel in Hopkins Street in Soho, London. After, he began to question Christian tenets.[15] He was later associated with the freethought movement, including popular deists and atheists such as Richard Carlile.[16] He also campaigned for freedom of speech.
Prison
Robert Wedderburn served several prison terms. According to
In 1831, at the age of 68, he was arrested and sent to
Death and legacy
The exact year of his death is unknown, although it appears to have been before official registers of death began to be kept in 1837.[3] He may be the "Robert Wedderborn" who died aged 72 in Bethnal Green and was buried in a non-conformist ceremony on 4 January 1835.[20]
Some have located Wedderburn's deism, radicalism, and secularism within a history of British humanism. The Humanist Heritage website recalls that "Wedderburn and others like him fostered a humanist tradition of rationalism, compassion, and tolerance, suffering the effects of blasphemy laws the like of which humanists continue to fight today."[21]
Descendants
The British Labour politician Bill Wedderburn, Baron Wedderburn of Charlton, was a direct descendant of Robert Wedderburn.[22]
References
- ^ a b c d Robert Wedderburn, The Horrors of Slavery, 1824.
- ^ a b c McCalman (1986), 107.
- ^ a b c d e f Malcolm Chase, "Wedderburn, Robert (1762–1835/6?)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2008, accessed 17 November 2012.
- ^ McCalman (1986), 100–101.
- ^ a b McCalman (1986), 101.
- ^ McCalman (1986), 102.
- ^ McCalman (1986), 103.
- ^ '1764: Chron. in Ann. Reg. 66/2: Journeymen taylors..who, refusing to comply with the masters terms, and the regulations of the magistrate, call themselves Flints, in contradistinction to those who submit, and are in derision stiled by the first Dungs.'"flint, n.". OED Online. September 2013. Oxford University Press. 28 October 2013.
- ^ a b McCalman (1986) 104.
- ^ McCalman (1986), 60.
- ^ James Raffan, Emperor of the North: Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable Story of the Hudson's Bay Company, 2007, p. 52.
- ^ a b Annie Dickinson, rylandscollections.com Retrieved 21 September 2021
- ^ McCalman (1986), 108.
- ISBN 978-0-8147-9456-2.
- ^ The Times (London), Saturday, 26 February 1820; p. 3. Wedderburn was charged with blasphemy for holding a debate at Hopkins-street chapel which referred to "the absurdities" contained in the Bible. In his defence he said "he was the offspring of a slave, and had been neglected by a Christian father. As he was a Christian himself, he thought, when at home, that if he could once get to a Christian country he should be happy; but, on his arrival here, he found the number of sects so great, that his mind was distracted with doubts...."
- ^ A woman describing her husband in court said: "He is one of your Deists, and a follower of Mr. Carlile...and there is another fellow he goes after, a black preacher of the name of Wedderburn..." The Times (London), 12 August 1829; p. 3.
- ^ Peter Linebaugh, Marcus Rediker, The Many-headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden, 2000, p. 288.
- ^ May 1820: Wedderburn was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Dorchester-gaol for blasphemy: The Times (London), 26 February 1820; p. 3.
- ^ New York Evening Star, 6 January 1834.
- ^ "England and Wales, Non-Conformist Record Indexes (RG4-8)", index, FamilySearch; accessed 17 November 2012.
- ^ "Robert Wedderburn". Humanist Heritage. Humanists UK. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Bill McCarthy, "Lord Wedderburn of Charlton obituary", The Guardian, 12 March 2012.
Sources
- Chase, Malcolm (2008) [2004]. "Wedderburn, Robert (1762–1835/6?)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47120. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Hunt, Nadine (2012). "Remembering Africans in diaspora: Robert Wedderburn's 'freedom narrative'". In Ojo, Olatunji; Hunt, Nadine (eds.). Slavery in Africa and the Caribbean: A History of Enslavement and Identity since the 18th Century. London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 175–198. ISBN 9781780761152.
- McCalman, Iain (1986). "Anti-Slavery and Ultra-Radicalism in Early Nineteenth Century England: The Case of Robert Wedderburn". Slavery and Abolition. 7 (2): 99–117. .
- McCalman, Iain (1988). Radical underworld: prophets, revolutionaries, and pornographers in London, 1795-1840. ISBN 0-521-30755-4.