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Societies: Birmingham Political Union Offices Great Charles Street
- Thread starter JayC
- Start date
Radiorails
master brummie
Maybe a search with the full name (whatever it is) might be useful.
Birmingham Political Union founded at the end of 1829 and led by Thomas Attwood. It focussed on extending suffrage rights to the working classes. It had a large membership of middle and working classes and is best known for a meeting on 16 May 1832, said to be attended by 200,000 people, which was immortalised in a well known painting by Benjamin Haydon.
I have never come across this painting before. Any idea where it is held? I often wonder why we were taught so little about our local history in Birmingham.
I've just been searching for what you have on the Birmingham Political Union, and found this thread. In belated answer to Tinpot's question:
I have that same picture in my copy of the The Collected Essays of Asa Briggs, captioned "The Gathering of the Unions" on New Hall Hill, 7 May 1832. This turns out to be an engraving by Henry Harris ("Drawn on Stone from Sketches taken during the Three succeſsive Meetings in May 1832"), of which various prints exist. The British Museum have a copy, as do the Working Class Movement Library in Salford and others, though I can't tell if it's currently on display anywhere.
www.wcml.org.uk
The Benjamin Haydon oil painting is perhaps this one:
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Political_Union)
The source below relates that Haydon was unable to raise the subscription for the full work, so only the above sketch was completed. It shows the Rev. Hugh Hutton leading the opening prayers on the meeting of 16 May 1832, celebrating the recall of Earl Grey as Prime Minister, with Thomas Attwood at the reverend's side preparing to address the crowd.
https://www.barricades.ac.uk/items/show/71
It sounds like Birmingham Museum has the original.
I have that same picture in my copy of the The Collected Essays of Asa Briggs, captioned "The Gathering of the Unions" on New Hall Hill, 7 May 1832. This turns out to be an engraving by Henry Harris ("Drawn on Stone from Sketches taken during the Three succeſsive Meetings in May 1832"), of which various prints exist. The British Museum have a copy, as do the Working Class Movement Library in Salford and others, though I can't tell if it's currently on display anywhere.
Blog
www.wcml.org.uk
The Benjamin Haydon oil painting is perhaps this one:
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Political_Union)
The source below relates that Haydon was unable to raise the subscription for the full work, so only the above sketch was completed. It shows the Rev. Hugh Hutton leading the opening prayers on the meeting of 16 May 1832, celebrating the recall of Earl Grey as Prime Minister, with Thomas Attwood at the reverend's side preparing to address the crowd.
https://www.barricades.ac.uk/items/show/71
It sounds like Birmingham Museum has the original.
Thanks for your response ed.s. Massive turnout for these meetings. Hard to imagine these days even though the population is much higher.TinpotI've just been searching for what you have on the Birmingham Political Union, and found this thread. In belated answer to Tinpot's question:
I have that same picture in my copy of the The Collected Essays of Asa Briggs, captioned "The Gathering of the Unions" on New Hall Hill, 7 May 1832. This turns out to be an engraving by Henry Harris ("Drawn on Stone from Sketches taken during the Three succeſsive Meetings in May 1832"), of which various prints exist. The British Museum have a copy, as do the Working Class Movement Library in Salford and others, though I can't tell if it's currently on display anywhere.
Blog
The Benjamin Haydon oil painting is perhaps this one:
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Political_Union)
The source below relates that Haydon was unable to raise the subscription for the full work, so only the above sketch was completed. It shows the Rev. Hugh Hutton leading the opening prayers on the meeting of 16 May 1832, celebrating the recall of Earl Grey as Prime Minister, with Thomas Attwood at the reverend's side preparing to address the crowd.
https://www.barricades.ac.uk/items/show/71
It sounds like Birmingham Museum has the original.
