The London Corresponding Society
The London Corresponding Society (LCS) was established in 1792 by Thomas Hardy for promoting the reform of Parliament. Its aims were relatively modest, ___ 31 ___ universal suffrage, annual parliaments, wages for MPs and the freedom to form popular associations. Its membership was drawn mainly from artisans and tradesmen, and its methods were decidedly nonviolent. It wanted to debate, lobby, correspond with like-minded organisations and achieve change through reform ___ 32 ___ bloody revolution.
Nevertheless, from its birth, the LCS attracted Government interest. The extent of this, and the means by which the Government gathered information on the LCS and its membership, are ___ 33 ___ by Government files now lodged in the Public Record Office. They include detailed accounts of Hardy’s trial for high treason following his arrest in 1794. Hardy had the benefit of a trial by jury – a right denied to many after 1794 – and was acquitted.
Trial by jury was a much-prized right in Britain. As John Ashley, the Secretary of the LCS, wrote in a pamphlet in December 1795, ‘Let us remember that we are not YET deprived of trial by jury: The English juries have long been celebrated for their ___ 34 ___ cruel laws.’ There was indeed a great reluctance among the public to punish people for merely expressing their opinions. On the other hand, letters, often anonymous, denouncing people for uttering ___ 35 ___ comments, are also held in the Public Record Office. These evoke the tense tone of the time when fear of betrayal created a paranoid atmosphere.
Dan Cruickshank, BBC History