Thomas Spence was born in Newcastle in 1750. Spence was the leading English revolutionary of his day, with an unbudgeable committment to individual and press freedom and the common ownership of the land.
His tracts, such as The Rights of Man (Spence was, perhaps, the first to use the phrase) and The Rights of Infants, along with his utopian visions of 'Crusonia' and 'Spensonia', were the most far-reaching radical statements of the period. Spence was born in poverty and died the same way, after long periods of imprisonment, in 1814.
Although sometimes hailed as England's 'first modern socialist', Spence is not easily corralled by later ideologies. He was a mortal enemy of tyranny and what he called 'giantism' of all kinds.
A Memorial for Spence
Unveiled on the 260th anniversary of his birth
21st June 2010
In bright sunshine a good crowd turned up to see the unveiling of the memorial plaque, sited at the bottom of Broad Garth, on Newcastle's Quayside. Keith Armstrong and the Thomas Spence Trust have been campaigning for years to get a permanent commemoration for Spence in his home city. They deserve the thanks of all those who care about Spence and the English radical tradition.
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below: Keith Armstrong offering some stirring words in praise of Spence and Gary Miller, singing Spencean songs.
Blogs on the Spence memorial events:
http://keithyboyarmstrong.blogspot.com/
http://zine-it-yourself.blogspot.com/2010/06/thomas-spence-on-midsummers-day.html
Thomas Spence's original 1775 pamphlet found
Spence's key statement was delivered to the Newcastle Philosophical Society in 1775. Spence was kicked out of the Society for printing his speech and selling it on the streets of Newcastle.
For many years the only edition that was thought to survive of Spence's lecture was from 1793, titled 'Rights of Man'. Dr David Gardner-Medwin recently discovered the orginal pamphlet at the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society (founded 1793). We now know it was originally titled 'Property in Land Every One's Right'. This is a significant discovery and will be welcomed by everyone with an interest in British political history.
(with thanks to the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society)
new publications
A new paperback edition Malcolm Chase's important study of Spence's ideas and impact, The People's Farm: English Radical Agrarianism 1775-1840 is due for publication later this year (Breviary Stuff Publications, London)
A brief summary, by Alastair Bonnett, of the differences between the newly discovered edition of 'Property in Land Every One's Right' and later editions (published as 'The Rights of Man') can be found in Labour History Review, 74, 1, 2009, pp.134-136.
Ian Robson's interview with Alastair Bonnett on Thomas Spence appeared in The Journal July 13th 2010, titled 'Shedding light on life of unsung local hero'. It can be found at: http://www.journallive.co.uk/lifestyle-news/newcastle-features/2010/07/13/shedding-light-on-life-of-unsung-hero-thomas-spence-61634-26838256/
'Paine, Spence, Chartism and 'the Real Rights of Man', by Malcolm Chase [The 2008 Eric Paine Memorial Lecture], The Journal of Radical History of the Thomas Paine Society, 2008, volume 9, issue 3, pp. 1-14
Links
The best links for Spence are on the Spartacus Schoolnet
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRspence.htm
Three Spence texts not included on this site can be found at:
http://www.ditext.com/spence/dickinson.html
The texts are:
The Constitution of a Perfect Commonwealth
The Restorer of Society to its Natural State
The Important Trial of Thomas Spence
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Spence
http://online.unn.ac.uk/faculties/art/humanities/cns/m-spence2.html
http://www.historyhome.co.uk/c-eight/people/spence.htm
Links on The Society of Speancean Philanthropists:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRspencean.htm
http://randomsounds.tripod.com/id3.html
Link to the Thomas Paine Society:
http://www.thomaspainesocietyuk.org.uk/index.htm
Full edition of Paine's The Rights of Man :
http://www.ushistory.org/Paine/rights/singlehtml.htm
North East History Links:
http://www.northeastlabourhistory.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
http://157.228.32.93/web/projects/nebibliog/ahome/
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Thomas Spence.co.uk has been founded to help ensure that the name and ambitions of Thomas Spence live on. We do not exist to venerate Thomas Spence. We welcome debate and contributions from readers on Spence's legacy and why it matters today.
Our e-mail address
contact@thomas-spence-society.co.uk
Our banner line 'Hear me! ye oppressors!' is taken from the dialogue beween 'Woman' and 'Aristocracy' in Spence's 'The Rights of Infants' (1796). The full text can be found elsewhere on this site: see 'The Rights of Infants'.
This site has been constructed and written by Alastair Bonnett
Last modified: July 2010
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Spence token
'T. Spence. 7 MONTHS IN IMPRISONMENT FOR HIGH TREASON. 1794
