William Cobbett
(1763-1835)
Died aged c. 72
Wikidata WikipediaWilliam Cobbett (9 March 1763 – 18 June 1835) was an English pamphleteer, journalist, politician, and farmer born in Farnham, Surrey. He was one of an agrarian faction seeking to reform Parliament, abolish "rotten boroughs", restrain foreign activity, and raise wages, with the goal of easing poverty among farm labourers and small land holders. Cobbett backed lower taxes, saving, reversing commons enclosures and resisting the 1821 gold standard. He opposed borough-mongers, sinecurists, bureaucratic "tax-eaters" and stockbrokers. His radicalism furthered the Reform Act 1832 and gained him one of two newly created seats in Parliament for the borough of Oldham. His polemics range from political reform to religion, including Catholic emancipation. His best known book is Rural Rides (1830, in print). He argued against Malthusianism, saying economic betterment could support global population growth.
DbPedia
Commemorated on 2 plaques
The Ostrich or Spital Inn c.1660-1860. William Cobbett (1763-1835) political writer, stayed here during April 1830 and wrote part of his Rural Rides
, Spital in the Street, United Kingdom where they stayed (1830)
