William Cobbett, Rural Rides

Picture of William Cobbett

William Cobbett was born in 1763, the son of a farmer and innkeeper. He was in the army between 1784 and 1791, but blowing the whistle on military corruption forced him to flee to America. There he began his career as a journalist, publishing 12 volumes of attacks on American democracy and becoming known as Peter Porcupine. He returned to England in 1800 and began publishing a weekly newsletter, the Political Register in 1802. He saw himself as a champion of traditional rural society against the transformation due to the Industrial Revolution. Philosophically deeply conservative, he was active in grassroots radicalism and supported labourers' riots in 1830, leading to him being tried for sedition but aquitted. He was elected to Parliament in 1832 but died in 1835.

The following sections are available:
Oct. 30th to Nov. 8th, 1821: London to Gloucester
Nov. 9th to 21st, 1821: Gloucester to Berghclere
Dec. 4th to 5th, 1821: Kentish Journal
Dec. 10th to 24th, 1821: Norfolk and Suffolk Journal
Jan. 2nd, 1822: Sussex Journal
Jan. 8th to 11th, 1822: Sussex Journal
Jan. 21st to 22nd, 1822: Huntingdon Journal
June 19th to 24th, 1822: Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Sept. 25th to 29th, 1822: Kensington to Uphusband
Oct. 7th Oct to Nov. 30th, 1822: Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex
May 5th to 7th, 1823: Kensington to Worth
July 30th to Aug. 2nd, 1823: Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire
Aug. 5th to 10th, 1823: Hampshire and Surrey
Aug. 30th to Sept. 1st, 1823: Sussex and Kent
Sept. 3rd to 6th, 1823: From Dover to the Wen
Oct. 19th to 21st, 1825: Across Surrey
Oct. 23rd to 27th, 1825: Chilworth to Winchester
Oct. 31st, 1825: Winchester to Burghclere
Nov. 7th to 11th, 1825: Burghclere to Petersfield
Nov. 12th to 20th, 1825: Petersfield to Kensington
Aug. 24th to 28th, 1826: Burghclere to Petersfield
Aug. 28th to 30th, 1826: Down the valley of the Avon in Wiltshire
Aug. 31st Aug to Sept. 4th, 1826: Salisbury to Highworth
Sept. 6th to 11th, 1826: Highworth to Malmsbury
Sept. 12th to 27th, 1826: Malmsbury to Worcestershire
Sept. 29th to Oct. 2nd, 1826: Ryall to Burghclere
Oct. 11th to 16th, 1826: Burghclere to Lyndhurst
Oct. 18th, 1826: Lyndhurst to Godalming
Oct. 18th to 26th, 1826: Weston to Kensington