Place, Francis, 1771-1854

British reformer.

Epithet: of Add MS 37949

Francis Place was born in 1771 in London, England and was a tailor by trade. Through his activities as a lobbyist for labor reform and as a labor organizer, Place became an influential radical political reformer in London. He was active in the affairs of trade clubs and was acquainted with the leading political thinkers of his day, particularly Jeremy Bentham and James Mill. Place died in London in 1854.

Francis Place was a London tailor and radical politician whose activities spanned a number of years. Between 1794 and 1797 he was active in the famous Corresponding Society and from 1801 his shop in Charing Cross was long a center for reform-minded politicians. A close friend of Bentham, he was prominent in the setting up of the London Mechanics' Institution, 1823, and was active in radical causes like efforts for a free press, the repeal of the Combination Laws, the reform agitation of 1831-32 and the drafting of the People's Charter.

He is particularly important to historians on account of the exhaustive collection which he left, containing newspaper cuttings, copies of his own letters and letters from his numerous correspondents.

Francis Place was a London tailor and radical politician whose activities spanned a number of years. Between 1794 and 1797 he was active in the famous Corresponding Society and from 1801 his shop in Charing Cross was long a center for reform-minded politicians. A close friend of Bentham, he was prominent in the setting up of the London Mechanics' Institution, 1823, and was active in radical causes like efforts for a free press, the repeal of the Combination Laws, the reform agitation of 1831-32 and the drafting of the People's Charter.

He is particularly important to historians on account of the exhaustive collection which he left, containing newspaper cuttings, copies of his own letters and letters from his numerous correspondents.