Forster, the clapham sect, and the secular public sphere. The clapham sect and the abolition of the slave trade 5 within the clapham sects united endeavours william wilberforces contribution was outstanding. The clapham sect, as sydney smith nicknamed them, maintained a long struggle against the slave trade, and supported missionary societies and charitable enterprises with princely generosity. Lampooned in their own day as the saints, this group of prominent and wealthy individuals were known as the clapham sect.
Clapham common is shared with the london borough of wandsworth, although lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. The clapham sect and the abolition of the slave trade 4. The clapham sect ebook by stephen tomkins rakuten kobo. The first movement was for the abolition of the slave trade, that is, the capturing of negroes in. Clapham sect the third book in the creek indian family saga begun with swimming with serpents has taken me on a new research adventure. He was influenced by an oxford theologian called isaac milner and changed from being a funloving man to being oppressed by a sense of sin and guilt. Wilberforce thoughts on the clapham sect, arising from. Later 19th century famous as the meeting place of the clapham sect led by william wilberforce.
It not only lived for the most part in one little village. The parish was added to the registrar general london metropolis area in 1844 and consequently it came within the area of responsibility of the metropolitan board of works in 1855. Thomas fowell buxton 17861845, leader of the movement for the abolition of slavery. The clapham sect margaret bryant april 2004 64 pages. Family and friends oxford university press, was published on 15 march, 2012. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Clapham sect synonyms, clapham sect pronunciation, clapham sect translation, english dictionary definition of clapham sect. It was a remarkable fraternityremarkable above all else, perhaps, in its closeness, its af. Clapham sect, group of evangelical christians, prominent in england from about. The clapham sect and the growth of freedom open university set book paperback 1971. It is 220 acres 89 hectares of green space, with three ponds and a victorian bandstand. He attempts to analysis the religious and political lives of william wilberforce and his closeknit friends by selectively and uncharitably picking small quotations from. Tomkins clearly admires the antislavery cause, but he is generally negative about the various efforts to enforce social morality and. For instance, he cites the tolkappiyam in couplets 1126 through 1129 in the third book of the kural text.
In couplet 641, he cites verse 252 of the purananuru. The two of them were leaders in the clapham sect, named for the clapham neighborhood in london, where many christian leaders lived. Clapham circle their campaigns were driven by two irreducibly separate religious motives. The clapham group they challenged the whole moral climate of their times and changed their world. The clapham sect was a group of aristocratic evangelical anglicans, prominent in england from about 1790 to 1830, who. This is the first time their full story has been told in one book. His main role at the clapham sect was to act as treasurer of their various societies, and help bankroll many of their projects. She was friends with samuel johnson and david garrick, and. The clapham sect and the abolition of the slave trade 5. Originally common land for the parishes of battersea and clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the metropolitan commons act 1878. Clapham covers the postcodes of sw4 and parts of sw9 and sw12.
The clapham sect was a group of evangelical christians, prominent in england from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery. For poor law purposes the parish became part of the wandsworth and clapham union in 1836. Milton m klein the book is a complete biography of john thornton 17201790, an english merchant and businessman who was reputed to be the wealthiest man in britain in the eighteenth century and, next to one. In the words of tomkins, the ethos of clapham became the spirit of the age.
Jan 16, 2015 wade issue includes an interview with karen swallow prior, author of an excellent new book about hannah more, william wilberforces partner in pushing for the abolition of slavery and other evangelical goals. Thornton was the son of a noted merchant and philanthropist. The clapham sect was a group of evangelical christians, prominent i. I highly recommend it on the basis of the threeandahalfpage cast of characters alone.
The clapham sect active 1780s through 1830s was comprised of a group of british evangelical social and political activists and philanthropists whose founding generation included william wilberforce, charles grant, granville sharp, zachary macaulay, james stephen, and hannah more. Manuscripts are in the colonial office papers at kew, specifically the collection co 26724. Clapham sect, group of evangelical christians, prominent in england from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and promoted missionary work at home and abroad. The book ends by assessing the long term influence of the clapham sect.
William dealtry 17751847, rector of holy trinity church, clapham, mathematician. Clapham sect the encyclopedia of christian civilization. At one point, introducing another prominent member of the clapham sect, forster asked, who on earth was zachary macaulay. He became a leading member of the clapham sect, an austere, evangelical branch of the church of england, and was a close. Clapham common is a large triangular urban park in clapham, south london.
The book naturally revolves around wilberforce and the abolition of slavery, but its purpose is to examine the many other members of the clapham sect, and the many other causes they involved themselves in. Wealthy clapham businessmen and religious philanthropists, they fought to change the moral climate of their times, and campaigned against the injustices of slavery and the slave trade. The clapham sect had a phenomenal impact on their world, from the abolition of the slave trade to the values of victorian britain. The clapham sect was largely comprised of wealthy, evangelical anglican laymen, of whom the most famous was william wilberforce. The first movement was for the abolition of the slave trade, that is, the capturing of negroes in africa, and shipping them for sale to the west indies. Their efforts ranged across a wide spectrum of issues including slavery, missions, prison reform, public immorality, the needs of the poor. According to the 2001 census clapham and stockwell town centre had a joint population of. How wilberforces circle transformed britain is published on 20 august lion. How wilberforces circle transformed britain, by stephen tomkins.
The members of the clapham sect were profoundly influenced by the dominant intellectual trends of the british enlightenment. At the beginning of the third book, he quotes on the sutras of the tolkappiyam and the iraiyanar agapporul. How wilberforces circle transformed britain is written by stephen tomkins, a modern writer with postmodernist, deconstructionist, and feminist leanings. This book gives a picture of an important religious reform group in action during the period of the french revolution, napoleon, and the industrial revolution. Henry thornton, english economist, banker, and philanthropist who made significant contributions to monetary theory. The book ends by assessing the long term influence of the clapham sect on victorian britain and the empire.
Tomkins book, the clapham sect, should be obligatory reading for anyone interested in this movement. So there were saints in clapham long before the clapham sect. The clapham group 17011800 church history timeline. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The clapham sect was a major force in calling for moral reform and in promoting evangelical family values within society. William wilberforce and his circle of friends cs lewis institute. I have already written about how wilberforces reading of adam smith and the other thinkers of the scottish enlightenment formed the basis of many of his arguments for abolition. Wealthy clapham businessmen and religious philanthropists, they fought to change the moral climate of their times, and campaigned. The clapham sect was a group of evangelical christians, prominent in england from about 1790 to 1830, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and promoted missionary work at home and abroad. By upholding these evangelical values, these women served as role models of the ideal evangelical family. About wilberforce thoughts on the clapham sect, arising. The book links their activities to wider politics as well as describing their houses, their possessions and their relationship with their peers and families. A group of wellheeled and wellplaced englishmen and women had the chance to answer that question at the end of the eighteenth century.
The clapham sect and the abolition of the slave trade 4 from the 1790s onwards, the clapham sect networked both inside and outside parliament to bring about the end of britains involvement in the slave trade. I am tackling the issue of slavery and the antislavery movement in the late 18th and early 19th century. The sect was a major force behind the abolition of slavery. The group centred on the church of john venn, rector of clapham in south london. The clapham sect have been credited with playing a significant part in the development of victorian morality, through their writings, their societies, their influence in parliament, and their example in philanthropy and moral campaigns, especially against slavery.
William wilberforce, member of parliament for the county of york, raised a hitherto unpopular and misjudged party in the public esteem when, in 1797, he. It was the brainchild of the clapham sect and it failed miserablya complicated fiasco which ended in exslaves becoming reenslaved as indentured labourers. The clapham sect and the growth of freedom open university set book ernest marshall howse published by allen and unwin 1976 isbn 10. William wilberforce was complicit in slavery stephen. For such a phenomenally influential group it is astounding that it wasnt until 1952 that the first significant book on the clapham sect a term that was first coined in 1844 to describe this remarkable network of friends and families was published.
W illiam wilberforce, the most celebrated campaigner against the slave trade, was also implicated in slavery and the trade, according to a forthcoming book. How wilberforces circle transformed britain by stephen tomkins isbn. An influential evangelical network whose activity in the early 19th cent. How wilberforces circle transformed britain new edition by stephen tomkins isbn. Clapham sect definition of clapham sect by the free dictionary. William wilberforce and his circle of friends 3 the historian, sir reginald coupland, wrote on the communal strength of the clapham sect. The greatest labours of the clapham sect centred on antislavery campaigns. Members of the clapham sect, and those associated with them, included. This more recent book by stephen tomkins brilliantly describes these characters warts.
Although this book was forgotten for more than 100 years. How wilberforces circle transformed britain new edition by tomkins, stephen isbn. Wade issue includes an interview with karen swallow prior, author of an excellent new book about hannah more, william wilberforces partner in pushing for the abolition of slavery and other evangelical goals. He was more than an eloquent and engaging parliamentary speaker with a melodious voice. He quotes several sanskrit works across his commentary. Good reading about william wilberforce and hannah mores. Clapham was an ancient parish in the county of surrey. Thoughts on the clapham sect, arising from anne stotts book.
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