John Hurford Stone
Encyclopedia
John Hurford Stone was a British radical political reformer and publisher who spent much of his life in France.
Stone was born in Taunton
, Somerset
. After the death of his father, he went to live with his uncle, William Hurford, who was a coal merchant, in London. Together with his younger brother, William, he took over his uncle's business upon his death.
Stone became friends with Joseph Priestley
as a member of Richard Price's
church in Hackney
; these associations also radicalized him. He was a member of the London Revolution Society and in February of 1792 he offered to help Talleyrand secure British neutrality in the European wars involving France
. He and his wife moved to Paris in April to open a sal ammoniac factory and established himself as part of the British expatriate community, including Helen Maria Williams
with whom he had a subsequent long love affair. Stone, while saddened by the September Massacres
, believed they were necessary for the revolutionary to succeed and he and other expatriates celebrated French military victories. In addition to his factory, Stone established a printing house, Imprimerie Anglaise, which printed Joel Barlow's
epic, The Vision of Columbus.
Like many other Britons living in France at the time, Stone and his wife were arrested after the decree of 9 October 1793, but they were released on 30 October. During the reign of terror
, Stone paid 12,000 franc
s to help Stéphanie de Genlis's
husband escape from prison, but she later refused to pay this debt back. In April of 1794 Stone was denounced as agent of William Pitt
and he and his wife were arrested again, but let go on the condition that they leave the country. They fled to Switzerland, where Helen Maria Williams was staying. In June, he was allowed back into France to obtain a divorce. Throughout these troubled years, Stone continued to write openly to his brother William, who was tried for treason (unsuccssfully) in January of 1796 on the basis of the letters. Their contents made a return to Britain impossible for Stone. After the terror, Stone and Williams returned to Paris together. In 1798, William Cobbett
published letters Stone had written to Priestley, forcing Priestley to denounce his friend's statements.
Stone's printing business published works by Thomas Paine
, Thomas Jefferson
, and Constantin Volney, among other. He was bankrupted in 1812 by the high cost of printing the 30-volume Voyage de Humboldt et de Bonpland.
Stone died in 1818 and was buried in Paris
' Père Lachaise Cemetery
.
Stone was born in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. After the death of his father, he went to live with his uncle, William Hurford, who was a coal merchant, in London. Together with his younger brother, William, he took over his uncle's business upon his death.
Stone became friends with Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
as a member of Richard Price's
Richard Price
Richard Price was a British moral philosopher and preacher in the tradition of English Dissenters, and a political pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the American Revolution. He fostered connections between a large number of people, including writers of the...
church in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
; these associations also radicalized him. He was a member of the London Revolution Society and in February of 1792 he offered to help Talleyrand secure British neutrality in the European wars involving France
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. He and his wife moved to Paris in April to open a sal ammoniac factory and established himself as part of the British expatriate community, including Helen Maria Williams
Helen Maria Williams
Helen Maria Williams was a British novelist, poet, and translator of French-language works. A religious dissenter, she was a supporter of abolitionism and of the ideals of the French Revolution; she was imprisoned in Paris during the Reign of Terror, but nonetheless spent much of the rest of her...
with whom he had a subsequent long love affair. Stone, while saddened by the September Massacres
September Massacres
The September Massacres were a wave of mob violence which overtook Paris in late summer 1792, during the French Revolution. By the time it had subsided, half the prison population of Paris had been executed: some 1,200 trapped prisoners, including many women and young boys...
, believed they were necessary for the revolutionary to succeed and he and other expatriates celebrated French military victories. In addition to his factory, Stone established a printing house, Imprimerie Anglaise, which printed Joel Barlow's
Joel Barlow
Joel Barlow was an American poet, diplomat and politician. In his own time, Barlow was well-known for the epic Vision of Columbus. Modern readers may be more familiar with "The Hasty Pudding"...
epic, The Vision of Columbus.
Like many other Britons living in France at the time, Stone and his wife were arrested after the decree of 9 October 1793, but they were released on 30 October. During the reign of terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, Stone paid 12,000 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s to help Stéphanie de Genlis's
Stéphanie Félicité Ducrest de St-Albin, comtesse de Genlis
Madame de Genlis, full name Stéphanie Félicité Ducrest de St-Aubin, comtesse de Genlis, or Madame Brûlart, was a French writer, harpist and educator.-Biography:...
husband escape from prison, but she later refused to pay this debt back. In April of 1794 Stone was denounced as agent of William Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
and he and his wife were arrested again, but let go on the condition that they leave the country. They fled to Switzerland, where Helen Maria Williams was staying. In June, he was allowed back into France to obtain a divorce. Throughout these troubled years, Stone continued to write openly to his brother William, who was tried for treason (unsuccssfully) in January of 1796 on the basis of the letters. Their contents made a return to Britain impossible for Stone. After the terror, Stone and Williams returned to Paris together. In 1798, William Cobbett
William Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
published letters Stone had written to Priestley, forcing Priestley to denounce his friend's statements.
Stone's printing business published works by Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, and Constantin Volney, among other. He was bankrupted in 1812 by the high cost of printing the 30-volume Voyage de Humboldt et de Bonpland.
Stone died in 1818 and was buried in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
' Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the...
.