Thomas Allsop papers

Collection

Identifier: A.A44

Staff Only

Biographical/Historical note

Thomas Allsop (1795-1880) was a stockbroker and author. He was an intimate friend of Charles Lamb and other literary personages of the period. Allsop made the acquaintance of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1818, and became his ardent disciple. On the poet's death Allsop published the Letters, Conversations and Recollections of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (London, 1836).

Allsop was involved in many political and social reform movements. He sympathized with Felice Orsini and was charged by the government of having knowingly purchased shells to be used by Orsini in an assassination attempt upon Napoleon III. Allsop was not brought to trial, however. George Jacob Holyoake wrote of Allsop in the Dictionary of National Biography : "By reason of his friendships, his social position, and his boldness, he was one of the unseen forces of revolution in his day".

Scope and Contents

Allsop's correspondents include: Annie Besant, Charles Bradlaugh, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, George Jacob Holyoake, Charles Lamb, Joseph Mazzinni, Robert Owen, and others.

The one Samuel Taylor Coleridge letter (January 8, 1819) was written originally for a young woman and later given to Thomas Allsop. The letter is Coleridge's advice on love and marriage. The manuscript copy differs in several respects from the version printed in Coleridge's Collected Letters (Volume IV, no. 1169). Also included is a copy of Coleridge's will.

The letters of Annie Besant (7 letters) and Charles Bradlaugh (5 letters), co-editor and editor of the National Reformer, include references to the difficulties they encountered in their efforts to publish in 1877, Charles Knowlton's Fruits of Philosophy, a pamphlet advocating birth control.

The George Jacob Holyoake letters (14 letters written between June 7, 1858 and October 14, 1876) deal with the charges brought against Allsop that he purchased the shells in the assassination attempt on Napoleon III. Other topics discussed are the work of Robert Owen, Holyoake's own activities and news of Holyoake's and Allsop's mutual friends.

Also included are two letters to Allsop from the Italian patriot Joseph Mazzini. In the letter of July 10, 1860, Mazzini justifies his actions and describes his difficulties within the movement to unify Italy.

Among the topics discussed in the six letters from Robert Owen written between November 11, 1833 and September 7, 1858 is his work on behalf of the working classes.

Creator

Allsop, Thomas, 1795-1880 (Person)
Besant, Annie, 1847-1933 (Person)
Bradlaugh, Charles, 1833-1891 (Person)
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834 (Person)
Mazzini, Giuseppe, 1805-1872 (Person)
Owen, Robert Dale, 1801-1877 (Person)

Dates

Creation: 1815-1880

Language of Materials

English

Extent

1 box(es)

Access

The Thomas Allsop Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Emily Driscoll, June 4, 1968 and May 25, 1971.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Thomas Allsop Papers, A.A44, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester