Freethinker Research
Originally 4/10/2024
I have begun combing through materials I have accumulated in years of off-and-on research into freethinkers such as Charles Bradlaugh, Charles Knowlton, and Robert Dale Owen. Some of the most complete sources of information about someone like Bradlaugh (founder of the National Secular Society in Britain, controversial orator, MP) come from published sources like the three biographies written about him. Two came out in his lifetime (a libel and then a defense) and the most complete was a two-volume book written by his daughter Hypatia shortly after his death. In addition to these, which each have a distinct objective and perspective, there is an extensive “Bradlaugh Collection” of documents that in the 1970s were catalogued by the historian Edward Royle and then published as a set of about two dozen microfilm reels. For a while, I was getting them via interlibrary loan, one at a time, and scanning them. I have a half dozen. I’m half tempted to try to get through the rest, while I still have ILL access. That would mean in the next year, since I’ll be working at St. Paul College and their librarian is said to be quite helpful.
The microfilms are filled with scraps like the one above, which is a handwritten note made by someone (I imagine Hypatia) doing research on the Bradlaugh family. The source is apparently parish records from the village of Brandeston in (I think) Norfolk. It includes birth and death dates family members, including Charles Bradlaugh’s grandparents, James and Mary, and his father (also named Charles). I’ll note down some of these, as background data that will inform my understanding of the Bradlaugh family, whether or not they make it into my narrative. One item that immediately strikes me as interesting and relevant is the birth-year of Charles Bradlaugh senior, 1811. This means he was twenty-two when his eldest son, Charles, was born. It also means he was only 41 when he died in 1852, after having disowned his namesake and thrown him out of the family home in 1849. Other information on adjacent pages expands the story a bit. Charles Bradlaugh junior had six younger siblings born between 1835 and 1848; two died in their first year of life. This data, when combined with knowledge of where the Bradlaughs lived and how much Charles senior earned as a lawyer’s clerk, may help me gain a better understanding of the family’s situation.
I’m going to continue reading through this info I’ve collected — and I’ll collect more. I’ll post the results on the new blog and as they develop into a more complete picture, I will probably begin considering what type of book to turn it all into. I’ll discuss that process over here as well. Stay tuned.
Tags: #Bradlaugh, #Knowlton, #RDOwen