309:'s Deism. The work is notable for the way Jackson promotes Anglican orthodoxy while also praising Paine for his politics and betraying no remorse for his own treason. His trial took place on 23 April 1795, in Dublin and he was found guilty. One week later, on the morning of his sentencing hearing, Jackson stepped into the dock looking terribly ill. He reportedly vomited out of the carriage window on his ride from prison to the courtroom, and when he removed his hat, one observer noted that steam rose from his head. As his lawyers made drawn-out speeches, hoping to avoid judgment on the technicality of an improperly filed indictment, Jackson's condition steadily worsened. He gripped his sides, shuddering and grimacing in pain. The judges ordered that a chair be provided for him and asked that a doctor attend to him. He then collapsed and died. An autopsy found that Jackson had ingested a large quantity of a "metallic poison". This was likely administered by his (then pregnant) second wife, but the inquest pointedly refused to assign blame. The effect of his suicide was that he had not actually been pronounced guilty of treason by the court, so his family could inherit his goods and a pension. No such clemency was shown to Lord Edward Fitzgerald in 1798 who died of his wounds before trial but was found posthumously guilty of high treason. Jackson was survived by his wife, one son, and one daughter.
247:—the actor who had ridiculed him as Dr. Viper in Foote's play a decade earlier. Their goal was to build from the ground up a new theatre in the City of London at Tower Hamlets. Jackson and Palmer persuaded investors to sink more than eighteen thousand pounds into the construction of the Royalty Theatre; however, while there was no law against building a theatre in London, there was a law against operating one without the Lord Chamberlain's authorisation. Jackson and Palmer had no such authorisation, and so the theatre was shut down after just one night. The duped investors initiated legal action, and so Jackson again fled to France in the Spring of 1789, where he arrived on the eve of the revolution. Here he accompanied Colonel Glover following the death of Elizabeth Chudleigh, both Glover and Jackson sought their share of the Duchess's will. It is evident that Jackson continued to operate as a journalist after moving to the continent, writing first for the Morning Star and then the Oracle until the Spring of 1794.
204:, suppressed by the Lord Chamberlain in 1775. When Foote threatened to publish the banned play, Jackson spearheaded a newspaper campaign that accused Foote of being a sodomite (a capital crime). Foote responded by vilifying Jackson in a play called The Capuchin (1776), which was a rehashed version of the banned A Trip to Calais. Jackson was the model for the character, Dr. Viper, the unscrupulous editor of the fictional Scandalous Chronicle. To make the association perfectly clear, the actor playing Viper wore a copy of Jackson's well-known silk coat embroidered with
189:(the self-styled Duchess of Kingston, who was facing trial for bigamy) by one of her lawyers, John Cockayne. Even if Jackson had not met Chudleigh before, he was certainly familiar with her history, for her first (and true) husband was his former employer, Augustus Hervey. Embroiled in scandal over her trial for bigamy, Chudleigh hired Jackson to provide sympathetic press coverage as her private secretary. Jackson soon became a trusted confidante and advisor for the next decade.
33:
243:. Publishing anonymously, Jackson attacked his former allies with his usual vehemence until he was found out in September 1784 and was soundly damned for his apostasy. As a result of this episode, he found himself generally excluded from English politics. Jackson's next appearance in public resulted in yet another scandal. In 1787 he joined forces with "Gentleman"
292:. Rowan, in particular, was tempted by Jackson's talk of French assistance, and persuaded Tone to write up a report for the French, indicating Irish willingness to rise up. Jackson made the fatal mistake of placing Tone's report and other letters in the public mail, where they were seized by the authorities. This seizure led to Jackson's arrest on 28 April 1794.
280:
John
Cockayne, the lawyer who had introduced him to Elizabeth Chudleigh two decades earlier. Jackson revealed his mission to Cockayne, who promptly revealed it to the Prime Minister out of fear of being tried for treason himself. When Jackson left London for Dublin, he was accompanied by Cockayne. In Ireland, they met with several radical
279:
and later in 1793 was commissioned as a spy for the French. Nicholas
Madgett, an Irishman who worked in the Marine Ministry, recruited Jackson to go to England and Ireland to assess the public's inclination towards armed revolution. Jackson arrived in London in early 1794 and became reacquainted with
212:, at which point he commenced proceedings for a libel prosecution against The Public Ledger. Foote's lawyers convinced the then manager of the paper, Thomas Brewman to provide proof that Jackson wrote the libelous paragraphs about Foote, thus saving the paper from prosecution. A
275:(1793). Swept up in the general arrest of British subjects in 1793, Jackson was released from prison on the strength of his radical commitments, including the publication of the anti-English pamphlet. Upon his release from prison, Jackson became inspector of horses for
181:. Under his editorship, this London paper became increasingly strident and oppositional in its politics. Jackson gained notoriety for his bold style of writing and harsh criticisms of public figures. It was in his capacity as the editor of
216:
was issued for
Jackson and he was forced to flee to France in April 1777 to avoid a trial for libel that Foote had initiated. Jackson did not have to stay long in exile because Foote died on 21 October of that same year.
129:
curate. Much is unclear about
Jackson's early life. He was evidently an attractive young man, notable for his popular preaching style and his outspoken opposition politics. He married, but lost his first wife to
300:
Jackson remained in prison for a year before his trial took place. The delays were at his request, allowing him time to assemble a defence and procure witnesses. During his imprisonment, he wrote his last work,
434:
1795. A full report of all the proceedings on the trial of the Rev. William
Jackson at the bar of His Majesty's Court of King's Bench, Ireland, on an indictment for high treason. Collected from the notes of
344:
Bataille, Robert R., ‘Hugh Kelly, William
Jackson, and the Editorship of the "Public Ledger"’ in The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America (1985), vol. 79, no. 4, pp 523-527.
208:. Jackson carried on the literary dispute by publishing two anti-Foote poems, Asmodeus and Sodom and Onan (both 1776). In the end, Foote was acquitted of the charges of sodomy in the
160:
entries on both
Herveys insist that neither ever travelled to Ireland at this time). In that same decade, Jackson moved to London, where he preached at the Tavistock Chapel and
59:
259:
and became involved with the radical
British expatriate set there. He was in attendance at the famous meeting at White's Hotel in November 1792, a gathering that included
200:. A mimic and satirist, Foote earned Chudleigh's enmity by writing a play that capitalised on her legal troubles. Chudleigh exerted enough influence to have the play,
371:
Kinservik, Matthew J. 2006. "The
Politics and Poetics of Sodomy in the Age of George III". British Journal For Eighteenth Century Studies. 29 (2): 219–236.
135:
186:
155:
230:
70:. Chudleigh, Jackson and Foote would all become embroiled in a very public feud, which would see all three face legal trouble for bigamy,
164:. Although Jackson gained some popularity as a preacher, he remained unbeneficed and eventually turned to journalism to support himself.
398:
Werkmeister, Lucyle, ‘Notes for a
Revised Life of William Jackson: A Postscript’ in Notes and Queries (1961), vol. 8, no. 7, pp 266-267.
209:
147:
143:
436:
380:
Werkmeister, Lucyle Thomas. 1963. Jemmie Boswell and the London daily press, 1785–1795. New York: New York Public Library.
362:
Kinservik, Matthew J. 2007. Sex, scandal, and celebrity in late eighteenth-century England. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
518:
281:
151:
86:
407:
Rogers, Rachel, Vectors of Revolution: The British Radical Community in Early Republican Paris, 1792-1794 (2012).
389:
Werkmeister, Lucyle, ‘Notes for a Revised Life of William Jackson’ in Notes and Queries (1961) n.s. 8, pp 43– 47.
513:
484:
289:
94:
273:
An Answer to the Declaration of the King of England Respecting his Motives for Carrying on the Present War
260:
89:
to visit England and Ireland, he was arrested in Dublin following meetings with the United Irish leaders
47:
preacher, journalist, playwright, and radical. He served first as a preacher and private chaplain of the
461:
Nolan, Ruairí, ‘The Trial of Rev. William Jackson' in History Ireland (2023), vol. 31, no. 1, pp 22-25.
508:
503:
353:
Werkmeister, Lucyle Thomas. 1963. The London daily press, 1772–1792. Lincoln: University of Nebraska.
225:
After Foote's death, Jackson returned to England. He resumed his political activities by publishing
244:
139:
256:
177:
161:
134:
in the early 1770s. In the 1760s, Jackson served briefly in some capacity in the household of
85:
and became involved with a sect of Irish radicals. After being chosen for a mission under the
48:
425:
Kleinman, Sylvie, Translation, the French language and the United Irishmen, 1792-1804 (2005).
239:
234:
201:
98:
439:, William Lapp, and John Schoales, Esqrs. barristers at law. Dublin: printed by J. Exshaw.
32:
17:
193:
497:
331:
131:
306:
264:
197:
67:
44:
62:
as her secretary and publicist of sorts once she came under attack for charges of
118:
114:
271:
and in response to the English declaration of war against France, he published
285:
90:
268:
213:
126:
192:
Jackson's chief contribution to Chudleigh's cause came in the form of a
233:. But the following year, he was secretly hired by the Prime Minister,
102:
122:
82:
71:
63:
52:
276:
75:
31:
51:
before moving into journalism, writing for several newspapers in
205:
227:
The Constitutions of the Several Independent States of America
142:. He claims to have travelled to Ireland and resided with
229:
in 1783, with a dedication to the opposition leader, the
255:
During his stay in Paris, Jackson was swept up in the
303:
Observations in Answer to Mr. Paine's Age of Reason
416:Archives Nationales (Paris) F/7/4748.1 (bundle #1)
101:he was tried for treason; however, he committed
267:. Jackson became allied politically with the
8:
81:By the 1790s, Jackson had come to reside in
196:against the popular actor and playwright,
55:across both sides of the political aisle.
157:Oxford Dictionary of National Biographies
318:
175:In 1772, Jackson became the editor of
58:In the 1770s, he took up the cause of
97:. Charged with being an agent of the
66:. This brought him into contact with
7:
326:Moody, T. W.; Martin, F.X. (2011).
43:(1737 – 30 April 1795) was a noted
144:Barry Maxwell, 1st Earl of Farnham
25:
36:Engraving of Jackson, circa 1800
237:, to support the government in
472:Citizen Lord Edward Fitzgerald
450:Citizen Lord Edward Fitzgerald
305:(1795), which took issue with
1:
146:when Hervey's older brother,
105:before he could be executed.
483:Notes on Jackson's trial by
284:leaders, including Theobald
113:William Jackson was born in
41:The Reverend William Jackson
328:The Course of Irish History
535:
185:that he was introduced to
87:Committee of Public Safety
121:, in 1737. He studied at
27:Irish preacher and writer
290:Archibald Hamilton Rowan
235:William Pitt the Younger
95:Archibald Hamilton Rowan
18:Reverend William Jackson
261:Lord Edward Fitzgerald
251:Radicalism and treason
154:in 1766 (although the
37:
288:, James Reynolds and
257:revolutionary fervour
35:
210:Court of Kings Bench
136:Augustus John Hervey
187:Elizabeth Chudleigh
91:Theobald Wolfe Tone
60:Elizabeth Chudleigh
138:, later the third
38:
519:Irish journalists
470:Stella Tillyard,
448:Stella Tillyard,
221:Return to England
183:The Public Ledger
178:The Public Ledger
170:The Public Ledger
162:St Mary-le-Strand
49:Church of England
16:(Redirected from
526:
488:
485:Jonah Barrington
481:
475:
468:
462:
459:
453:
446:
440:
437:William Ridgeway
432:
426:
423:
417:
414:
408:
405:
399:
396:
390:
387:
381:
378:
372:
369:
363:
360:
354:
351:
345:
342:
336:
335:
323:
240:The Morning Post
231:Duke of Portland
202:A Trip to Calais
99:French Directory
21:
534:
533:
529:
528:
527:
525:
524:
523:
514:United Irishmen
494:
493:
492:
491:
482:
478:
469:
465:
460:
456:
447:
443:
433:
429:
424:
420:
415:
411:
406:
402:
397:
393:
388:
384:
379:
375:
370:
366:
361:
357:
352:
348:
343:
339:
325:
324:
320:
315:
298:
296:Trial and death
253:
223:
173:
152:Lord Lieutenant
140:Earl of Bristol
111:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
532:
530:
522:
521:
516:
511:
506:
496:
495:
490:
489:
476:
463:
454:
441:
427:
418:
409:
400:
391:
382:
373:
364:
355:
346:
337:
317:
316:
314:
311:
297:
294:
252:
249:
222:
219:
194:smear campaign
172:
166:
125:and became an
110:
107:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
531:
520:
517:
515:
512:
510:
507:
505:
502:
501:
499:
486:
480:
477:
473:
467:
464:
458:
455:
451:
445:
442:
438:
431:
428:
422:
419:
413:
410:
404:
401:
395:
392:
386:
383:
377:
374:
368:
365:
359:
356:
350:
347:
341:
338:
333:
332:Mercier Press
329:
322:
319:
312:
310:
308:
304:
295:
293:
291:
287:
283:
278:
274:
270:
266:
262:
258:
250:
248:
246:
242:
241:
236:
232:
228:
220:
218:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
190:
188:
184:
180:
179:
171:
167:
165:
163:
159:
158:
153:
149:
145:
141:
137:
133:
132:breast cancer
128:
124:
120:
116:
108:
106:
104:
100:
96:
92:
88:
84:
79:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
56:
54:
50:
46:
42:
34:
30:
19:
479:
471:
466:
457:
449:
444:
430:
421:
412:
403:
394:
385:
376:
367:
358:
349:
340:
327:
321:
307:Thomas Paine
302:
299:
282:United Irish
272:
265:Thomas Paine
254:
238:
226:
224:
198:Samuel Foote
191:
182:
176:
174:
169:
156:
112:
80:
68:Samuel Foote
57:
40:
39:
29:
509:1795 deaths
504:1737 births
245:John Palmer
150:, was made
119:County Down
115:Newtownards
498:Categories
313:References
286:Wolfe Tone
168:Editor of
109:Early life
269:Jacobins
214:subpoena
127:Anglican
474:, p.297
452:, p.187
103:suicide
148:George
123:Oxford
83:France
72:sodomy
64:bigamy
53:London
277:Meaux
206:frogs
76:libel
45:Irish
263:and
93:and
74:and
500::
330:.
117:,
78:.
487:.
334:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
