Joshua Toulmin Smith
Encyclopedia
Joshua Toulmin Smith was a British
political theorist, lawyer
and local historian
of Birmingham
.
Born in Birmingham as Joshua Smith, he moved to London
in 1835 and pursued a career in law, studying at Lincoln's Inn
. Smith was not called to the bar until 1849, as he interrupted his legal studies to settle between 1837 and 1842 with his new wife Martha in America where he lectured on philosophy
and phrenology
. Joshua Smith was an incessant writer. In 1839 he gained a diploma of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Copenhagen for his work The Discovery of America by the Northmen in the Tenth Century, while his interest in geology and subsequent papers led to him being offered the position of President of the newly formed Geologists' Association
, which he declined. However, the main focus of his writings for many years was as a proponent of local self-government through traditional institutions, such as the parish
, the vestry
and the ward
, a subject also taken up by his daughter Lucy Toulmin Smith
. After the cholera
epidemic of 1847, Smith's knowledge of law combined with his involvement in his own Highgate neighbourhood led to his demanding better sanitation
and reforms advocating devolution and local responsibility. In 1851 his work Local Self-Government and Centralisation was published and followed in 1854 by The Parish and its Obligations and Powers.
In 1852 Smith refused an offer to stand for the Parliamentary seat of Sheffield
at the UK general election of that year. In 1854, he joined forces with the Revd M. W. Malet and W. J. Evelyn
(MP for Surrey
) to form the Anti-Centralisation Union, which survived until 1857. That same year, he incorporated "Toulmin" into his surname, in reference to his great-grandfather Joshua Toulmin.
In the mid-19th century the radical Local Self-Government movement was prominent among middle class professionals such as Smith who looked back to the Anglo-Saxons as an example of lifestyle and self-government. A vision of the Anglo-Saxons
as symbolic of liberty, freedom and mutual responsibility was promoted and Smith pursued this argument tirelessly. History has proved, he argued, that "local Self-Government did exist in England and was a force to keep in check the most ambitious monarchs". The evidence for this was to be found in medieval documents such as the Domesday Book
(a survey of property in England compiled under the orders of William the Conqueror in 1086). In The Parish, Smith describes the Domesday Book as "a record of the action of the institutions of Local Self-Government of a free people".
Smith's mistrust of Parliament led to the establishment of the Parliamentary Remembrancer (1857–1865), a weekly journal which recorded the actions of Parliamentary sessions for the benefit of local authorities and the general public. However, the Remembrancer was also used to instruct. For example, Smith gave much space and enthusiasm to a project in 1861 to reproduce Domesday Book as individual counties using a new photographic process called photozincography
under the supervision of Sir Henry James at the Ordnance Survey. In the Remembrancer Smith promoted Domesday Book as being the story of free Englishmen in a free England and expressed a desire that every man who cared about the well-being of his country should possess a copy and be familiar with its content. He actively encouraged subscribers and accused gentlemen who did not subscribe to the photo-zincographic Domesday of being unpatriotic and benighted.
The laborious task of conducting the Remembrancer combined with Smith's other responsibilities including his legal practice has been blamed for his deteriorating health. Joshua Toulmin Smith drowned in 1869 at Lancing, West Sussex.
Some letters from Joshua Toulmin Smith to the Birmingham printer William Hodgetts are housed at the University of Birmingham
Special Collections department, situated in the Main Library.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
political theorist, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and local historian
Local history
Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context and it often concentrates on the local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Born in Birmingham as Joshua Smith, he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1835 and pursued a career in law, studying at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. Smith was not called to the bar until 1849, as he interrupted his legal studies to settle between 1837 and 1842 with his new wife Martha in America where he lectured on philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and phrenology
Phrenology
Phrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules...
. Joshua Smith was an incessant writer. In 1839 he gained a diploma of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Copenhagen for his work The Discovery of America by the Northmen in the Tenth Century, while his interest in geology and subsequent papers led to him being offered the position of President of the newly formed Geologists' Association
Geologists' Association
The Geologists' Association is a British association concerned with the study of geology.The GA was founded in 1858. It is a charitable organization for all geologists and earth scientists, whether of professional or amateur status....
, which he declined. However, the main focus of his writings for many years was as a proponent of local self-government through traditional institutions, such as the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and the ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
, a subject also taken up by his daughter Lucy Toulmin Smith
Lucy Toulmin Smith
Lucy Toulmin Smith was an Anglo-American antiquarian and librarian, known for her first publication of the York Mystery Plays and other early works.- Life :...
. After the cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic of 1847, Smith's knowledge of law combined with his involvement in his own Highgate neighbourhood led to his demanding better sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
and reforms advocating devolution and local responsibility. In 1851 his work Local Self-Government and Centralisation was published and followed in 1854 by The Parish and its Obligations and Powers.
In 1852 Smith refused an offer to stand for the Parliamentary seat of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
at the UK general election of that year. In 1854, he joined forces with the Revd M. W. Malet and W. J. Evelyn
William John Evelyn
Commonly known as William John Evelyn , a descendant of the diarist and polymath John Evelyn, eldest son of George Evelyn and Mary Jane Massy Dawson...
(MP for Surrey
Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)
Surrey was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832....
) to form the Anti-Centralisation Union, which survived until 1857. That same year, he incorporated "Toulmin" into his surname, in reference to his great-grandfather Joshua Toulmin.
In the mid-19th century the radical Local Self-Government movement was prominent among middle class professionals such as Smith who looked back to the Anglo-Saxons as an example of lifestyle and self-government. A vision of the Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
as symbolic of liberty, freedom and mutual responsibility was promoted and Smith pursued this argument tirelessly. History has proved, he argued, that "local Self-Government did exist in England and was a force to keep in check the most ambitious monarchs". The evidence for this was to be found in medieval documents such as the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(a survey of property in England compiled under the orders of William the Conqueror in 1086). In The Parish, Smith describes the Domesday Book as "a record of the action of the institutions of Local Self-Government of a free people".
Smith's mistrust of Parliament led to the establishment of the Parliamentary Remembrancer (1857–1865), a weekly journal which recorded the actions of Parliamentary sessions for the benefit of local authorities and the general public. However, the Remembrancer was also used to instruct. For example, Smith gave much space and enthusiasm to a project in 1861 to reproduce Domesday Book as individual counties using a new photographic process called photozincography
Photozincography
Photozincography, sometimes referred to as Heliozincography but essentially the same process, known commercially as zinco, is the photographic process developed by Sir Henry James FRS in the mid-nineteenth century....
under the supervision of Sir Henry James at the Ordnance Survey. In the Remembrancer Smith promoted Domesday Book as being the story of free Englishmen in a free England and expressed a desire that every man who cared about the well-being of his country should possess a copy and be familiar with its content. He actively encouraged subscribers and accused gentlemen who did not subscribe to the photo-zincographic Domesday of being unpatriotic and benighted.
The laborious task of conducting the Remembrancer combined with Smith's other responsibilities including his legal practice has been blamed for his deteriorating health. Joshua Toulmin Smith drowned in 1869 at Lancing, West Sussex.
Some letters from Joshua Toulmin Smith to the Birmingham printer William Hodgetts are housed at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
Special Collections department, situated in the Main Library.
Related collections
- 1285-1870: deeds, correspondence and papers, chiefly concerning the Old Crown Inn, DeritendThe Old Crown, BirminghamThe Old Crown a pub in Deritend, is the oldest extant secular building in Birmingham, England. It is Grade II* listed, and claims to date back to circa 1368, retaining its "black and white" timber frame, although almost all of the present building dates from the early 16th century.-History:It is...
are housed at Birmingham: Archives and Heritage Service. - 1836-51: correspondence with George Combe housed at the National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections.
- 1862-67: correspondence with George HolyoakeGeorge HolyoakeGeorge Jacob Holyoake , English secularist and co-operator, was born in Birmingham, England. He coined the term "secularism" in 1851 and the term "jingoism" in 1878.-Owenism:...
housed at the National Co-operative Archive. - 1852-61: letters from F. W. Newman housed at the British Library, Manuscript Collections.
- 1847-1866: letters (31) correspondence with Sir Richard OwenRichard OwenSir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
and William CliftWilliam CliftWilliam Clift, , British naturalist, born at Burcombe, about half a mile from the town of Bodmin in Cornwall, on 14 Feb. 1775, was the youngest of the seven children of Robert Clift, who died a few years later, leaving his wife and family in the depths of poverty.-Education:The boy was sent to...
housed at the Natural History museum.