Section A
Study source one (below) before you answer the question that follows.
This source is from the first-hand account of a radical political activist form the early 19th
century, Samuel Bamford. Bamford was a north-west based writer who took part in
activities such as membership of Hampden Clubs and the 'Peterloo Massacre' of 1819. At
Peterloo he was arrested, charged with treason, and imprisoned for a year. In the following
extract from his book ‘Passages in the Life of a Radical’ (1840-44), he is describing the
activities of a Hampden Club in 1816.
Assess the value of the source for revealing the development of radical activity during the
early 19th century up until 1832, as well as the methods used by government to control
and monitor such activities.
Explain your answer, using the source, the information given about its origin and your
own knowledge about the historical context of the period in question. (20 marks)
Source one is valuable to a large extent for showing how radical activity developed in early
1800s Britain, but its value for illustrating how the government controlled and monitored
this activity is limited due to the fact that the author did not have first-hand experience on
this side, but did as a radical activist. The author’s position as a Hampden Club member adds
credibility to showing how events developed, as these clubs were key to the reformist
movement, however, little value is given to show the government’s controlling and
repressive tactics adopted by Lord Liverpool, thus concluding source one is more useful in
illustrating the developments in activity.
There is a great deal of valuable evidence in source one to show how radical activity
developed during the 1800s. For example, the author states “the labourers read them, and
thenceforward became deliberate and systematic” when referring to “Cobbett’s Books”.