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==Richard Potter MP (1778-1842)== |
==Richard Potter MP (1778-1842)== |
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'''Richard Potter''' (1778-1842) was a radical non-conformist [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] MP for Wigan, and a founding member of the ''[[Little Circle]]''. |
'''Richard Potter''' (1778-1842) was a radical non-conformist [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] MP for Wigan, and a founding member of the ''[[Little Circle]]'' which was key in gaining the [[Reform Act 1832]]. |
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The third and youngest son of cotton merchant John Potter, with older brothers [[Thomas Potter (Mayor of Manchester)|Thomas]] (later [[Lord Mayor of Manchester|first mayor of Manchester]]) and William. John Potter had been a draper in [[Tadcaster]], but sold his shop and used the capital to invest in a cotton business in Cannon Street, Manchester, which made him very rich. All three sons became involved in their fathers business, initially as employees an later, after his death, as partners. |
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==First Little Circle== |
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{{main|Little Circle}} |
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Although rich the Potter family were [[Unitarianism|Unitarians]], who attened [[Cross Street Chapel]], and hence very concerned with the poor. John Potter also became concerned with unfair representation of the people in the [[Houses of Parliament]] for the fast expanding [[Victorian era]] industrialised towns such as Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Salford, and so decided to form a group to change this. |
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Meetings were held at John Potter's home, with its core membership being Unitarian. Group member Archibald Prentice (later editor of the ''[[Manchester Times]]'') called them the "Little Circle", with members including: John Potter and his three sons; [[Joseph Brotherton]] (Non-conformist minister and pioneering [[vegetarian]]); [[John Edward Taylor]] (cotton merchant); [[John Shuttleworth (industrialist)|John Shuttleworth]] (industrialist and municipal reformer); [[Absalom Watkin]] (parliamentary reformer and [[anti Corn Law League|anti corn law campaigner]]); and William Cowdroy Jnr (editor of the ''[[Manchester Gazette]]'').<ref name=spartacus>{{cite web |title=Joseph Brotherton | url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbrotherton.htm | work=Spartacus Schoolnet | publisher= | date= | accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref> |
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<!--- Richard Potter, the youngest son of John Potter, was born in 1778. John Potter had been a draper in Tadcaster, but sold his shop and used the capital to invest in a cotton business in Cannon Street, Manchester. Thomas and his two brothers William and Thomas all worked for their father and eventually became partners in the company. Although fairly rich, John Potter and his sons were Unitarians who had a deep concern for the poor. John Potter held meetings at his home for other liberals in Manchester. Members of the group included John Shuttleworth, John Edward Taylor, Archibald Prentice, Absalom Watkin, Joseph Brotherton and William Cowdray. The group that Prentice called the 'little circle' was strongly influenced by the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and Joseph Priestley. The Potters objected to a system that denied such important industrial cities as Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham, representation in the House of Commons. After the death of John Potter, Thomas and Richard continued with the campaign for reform. In December 1830, Richard and Thomas Potter joined Abasolm Watkin, John Shuttleworth, Mark Philips, William Harvey and William Baxter in a group campaigning for moderate parliamentary reform. They proposed that the seats of rotten boroughs convicted of gross electoral corruption should be transferred to industrial towns. Boroughs such as Penryn and East Retford were targeted but Parliament refused to take action. In 1831 Absalom Watkin was given the task of drawing up the petition asking the government to grant Manchester two Members of Parliament. As a result of the 1832 Reform Act Manchester had its first two Members of Parliament, Mark Philips and Charles Poulett Thompson whereas Richard Potter became M.P. for Wigan. Richard held the seat until 1839. He later unsuccessfully contested Gloucester. Richard Potter died in July, 1842. ---> |
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After members of the group witnessed the [[Peterloo Massacre]] in 1819, and the closure of the liberal ''[[Manchester Observer]]'' by successive police prosecutions,<ref>'Manchester Gazette,' 7 August 1819, quoted in David Ayerst, 'The Guardian,' 1971, p 20</ref> the group decided that the time was right to advance its liberalist agenda. |
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In 1820 Brotherton, Shuttleworth and Thomas Potter founded the Manchester [[Chamber of Commerce]]. In the following year, the group supported John Edward Taylor found the liberal newspaper the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]'', which they all contributed to. Published by law only once a week, Taylor continued to edit the newspaper until his death.<ref name=spartacus/><ref name=odnb>{{cite web |author=Peter Shapely |title=Brotherton, Joseph (1783–1857) | url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3575 | work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=2004 | accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.archiveshub.ac.uk/doc/bioghist/gb0097collmisc0146|title=Richard Potter|publisher=archiveshub.ac.uk|accessdate=2012-02-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Stanley Harrison|title=Poor Men's Guardians: Survey of the Democratic and Working-class Press|publisher=Lawrence & W; 1st Edition edition|date=31 Oct 1974|ISBN=0853153086}}</ref> |
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==Business career== |
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All three Potter brothers became partners in their fathers business, and full owners after his death. While William appears to have been left to run the existing cotton business, Thomas and Richard developed the new "Potters Bizarre" store, and invested in other ventures together as partners, including the ''Manchester Guardian''. This made the pair of them independently rich of the original Potter business. |
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==Second Little Circle== |
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After the death of John Potter, from 1830 Thomas and Richard continued his work by forming a second group of eleven local Manchester business people, that began to meet at the Cannon Street warehouse of Potters trading company.<ref>{{cite book|title=Reform and Respectability: The Making of a Middle-class Liberalism in Early 19th-century Manchester (Chetham Society)|author=Dr Michael J Turner|Carnegie Publishing Ltd|date=15 April 1995|ISBN=1859360246}}</ref> Seven were Unitarians, including five from the Cross Street Chapel: Thomas and Richard Potter; Abasolm Watkin; [[Mark Philips (politician)|Mark Philips]], John Shuttleworth, [[John Benjamin Smith]], and brothers Edward and William Baxter (all cotton merchants); Fenton Atkinson (prominent Manchester attorney); William Harvey; John Edward Taylor.<ref name=CrossStreetChapel>{{cite web|url=http://cross-street-chapel.org.uk/index.php?page=before-the-welfare-state|title=Before the Welfare State|publisher=[[Cross Street Chapel]]|accessdate=2012-02-13}}</ref> |
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The group supported various social reform issues closely but discretely: Taylor survived a trial for libel; Shuttleworth organised the defence of plebian reformers accused of administering an illegal oath.<ref name=CrossStreetChapel/> |
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The group initially proposed that the seats of [[rotten boroughs]] convicted of gross electoral corruption should be transferred to industrial towns, citing and later targetting example boroughs including [[Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)|Penryn]] and [[East Retford (UK Parliament constituency)|East Retford]]. But when Parliament refused to take action, in 1831 Absalom Watkin was given the task of drawing up the petition asking the government to grant Manchester two Members of Parliament. |
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==Political career and later life== |
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As a result Parliament passed the Reform Act 1832, and the group gave Manchester its first two post-reform MPs: Mark Philips and [[Charles Poulett Thomson]].<ref name=CrossStreetChapel/> While his brother William continued to run the Potter family business, and Thomas became more involved in the business life of Manchester, eventually becoming the newly incorporated city boroughs first mayor, Richard moved into a political career. |
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Elected MP for Wigan in 1832, he held the seat until 1839. He then moved to [[Gloucester]], where he unsuccessfully contested the local seat. He died in July, 1842. |
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==Little Circle== |
==Little Circle== |
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Revision as of 19:13, 16 February 2012
Richard Potter was: radical politician; son was merchant who became chairman of Great Western Railway
Richard Potter MP (1778-1842)
Richard Potter (1778-1842) was a radical non-conformist Liberal Party MP for Wigan, and a founding member of the Little Circle which was key in gaining the Reform Act 1832.
The third and youngest son of cotton merchant John Potter, with older brothers Thomas (later first mayor of Manchester) and William. John Potter had been a draper in Tadcaster, but sold his shop and used the capital to invest in a cotton business in Cannon Street, Manchester, which made him very rich. All three sons became involved in their fathers business, initially as employees an later, after his death, as partners.
First Little Circle
Although rich the Potter family were Unitarians, who attened Cross Street Chapel, and hence very concerned with the poor. John Potter also became concerned with unfair representation of the people in the Houses of Parliament for the fast expanding Victorian era industrialised towns such as Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Salford, and so decided to form a group to change this.
In 1815 John Potter formed the first Little Circle, around a core of members of the Cross Street Chapel, and strongly influenced by the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and Joseph Priestley.
Meetings were held at John Potter's home, with its core membership being Unitarian. Group member Archibald Prentice (later editor of the Manchester Times) called them the "Little Circle", with members including: John Potter and his three sons; Joseph Brotherton (Non-conformist minister and pioneering vegetarian); John Edward Taylor (cotton merchant); John Shuttleworth (industrialist and municipal reformer); Absalom Watkin (parliamentary reformer and anti corn law campaigner); and William Cowdroy Jnr (editor of the Manchester Gazette).[1]
After members of the group witnessed the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, and the closure of the liberal Manchester Observer by successive police prosecutions,[2] the group decided that the time was right to advance its liberalist agenda.
In 1820 Brotherton, Shuttleworth and Thomas Potter founded the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. In the following year, the group supported John Edward Taylor found the liberal newspaper the Manchester Guardian, which they all contributed to. Published by law only once a week, Taylor continued to edit the newspaper until his death.[1][3][4][5]
Business career
All three Potter brothers became partners in their fathers business, and full owners after his death. While William appears to have been left to run the existing cotton business, Thomas and Richard developed the new "Potters Bizarre" store, and invested in other ventures together as partners, including the Manchester Guardian. This made the pair of them independently rich of the original Potter business.
Second Little Circle
After the death of John Potter, from 1830 Thomas and Richard continued his work by forming a second group of eleven local Manchester business people, that began to meet at the Cannon Street warehouse of Potters trading company.[6] Seven were Unitarians, including five from the Cross Street Chapel: Thomas and Richard Potter; Abasolm Watkin; Mark Philips, John Shuttleworth, John Benjamin Smith, and brothers Edward and William Baxter (all cotton merchants); Fenton Atkinson (prominent Manchester attorney); William Harvey; John Edward Taylor.[7]
The group supported various social reform issues closely but discretely: Taylor survived a trial for libel; Shuttleworth organised the defence of plebian reformers accused of administering an illegal oath.[7]
The group initially proposed that the seats of rotten boroughs convicted of gross electoral corruption should be transferred to industrial towns, citing and later targetting example boroughs including Penryn and East Retford. But when Parliament refused to take action, in 1831 Absalom Watkin was given the task of drawing up the petition asking the government to grant Manchester two Members of Parliament.
Political career and later life
As a result Parliament passed the Reform Act 1832, and the group gave Manchester its first two post-reform MPs: Mark Philips and Charles Poulett Thomson.[7] While his brother William continued to run the Potter family business, and Thomas became more involved in the business life of Manchester, eventually becoming the newly incorporated city boroughs first mayor, Richard moved into a political career.
Elected MP for Wigan in 1832, he held the seat until 1839. He then moved to Gloucester, where he unsuccessfully contested the local seat. He died in July, 1842.
Little Circle
The Little Circle were a Manchester-based political and social reform group, that met from the 1800's onwards to reform political representaion and gain social reform in the United Kingdom.
First Little Circle
The first group was formed by cotton merchant John Potter. The group was strongly influenced by the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and Joseph Priestley, objecting to a poltical representation system that denied booming industrial cities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester proportionate representation in the House of Commons.
Meetings were held at John Potter's home, with its core membership being members of the Unitarian church. Group member Archibald Prentice later called them the "Little Circle", with members including: John Potter and his three sons Thomas, Richard and X; John Shuttleworth; John Edward Taylor; Absalom Watkin; Joseph Brotherton and William Cowdray.
Second Little Circle
After the death of John Potter, a second group of eleven local Manchester business people began to meet at the Cannon Street warehouse of Potters trading company,[8] Seven were Unitarians, including five from the Cross Street Chapel: Thomas and Richard Potter; Abasolm Watkin; John Shuttleworth and brothers Edward and William Baxter (cotton merchants); John Edward Taylor (first Editor of the "Manchester Guardian"); Fenton Atkinson (prominent Manchester attorney); William Harvey; Mark Philips.[7] Discrete, the group supported various social reform issues closely by discretely: Taylor survived a trial for libel; Shuttleworth organised the defence of plebian reformers accused of administering an illegal oath.
The group initially proposed that the seats of rotten boroughs convicted of gross electoral corruption should be transferred to industrial towns, citing and later targetting example boroughs including Penryn and East Retford. But when Parliament refused to take action, in 1831 Absalom Watkin was given the task of drawing up the petition asking the government to grant Manchester two Members of Parliament. As a result Parliament passed the 1832 Reform Act 1832, and the group gave Manchester its first two post-reform MPs: Mark Philips and Charles Poulett Thompson.
Legacy
By the time of the passing of the Reform Act 1832, Manchester had become a Borough and many social reforms had come to fruition. The group had also established themselves in society, with:[7]
- Richard Potter became MP for Wigan
- Thomas Potter became the first Mayor of Manchester on its incorporation. Ten out of the first 28 Mayors of Manchester were associated with Cross Street Chapel.[7]
- Benjamin Smith became successively MP for Stirling and Stockport
Member of Parliament
Richard Potter became MP for Wigan.
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References
- ^ a b "Joseph Brotherton". Spartacus Schoolnet. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
- ^ 'Manchester Gazette,' 7 August 1819, quoted in David Ayerst, 'The Guardian,' 1971, p 20
- ^ Peter Shapely (2004). "Brotherton, Joseph (1783–1857)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
- ^ "Richard Potter". archiveshub.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ^ Stanley Harrison (31 Oct 1974). Poor Men's Guardians: Survey of the Democratic and Working-class Press. Lawrence & W; 1st Edition edition. ISBN 0853153086.
- ^ Dr Michael J Turner (15 April 1995). Reform and Respectability: The Making of a Middle-class Liberalism in Early 19th-century Manchester (Chetham Society). ISBN 1859360246.
{{cite book}}: Text "Carnegie Publishing Ltd" ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f "Before the Welfare State". Cross Street Chapel. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ^ Dr Michael J Turner (15 April 1995). Reform and Respectability: The Making of a Middle-class Liberalism in Early 19th-century Manchester (Chetham Society). ISBN 1859360246.
{{cite book}}: Text "Carnegie Publishing Ltd" ignored (help) - ^ "Richard Potter". archiveshub.ac.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ^ "Chairman of the GWR". greatwestern.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-13.