ABSTRACT
Francis Place (1771–1854), a self-educated and self-made man, became one of the most influential radicals of the early nineteenth century. Though he disapproved of political agitation, he collected information and drafted petitions for many radical causes, including the repeal of the anti-trade-union Combination Acts in 1824 and the Reform Bill of 1832. Place’s success as a businessman made him the obvious person for Godwin to approach in early 1810 following the death of Joseph Johnson (see Biographical Glossary), who had previously helped Godwin to manage the troubled Juvenile Library business. After Place and two other businessmen, John Lambert and Elton Hammond, had examined Godwin’s books, the three men clubbed together to borrow money and advance Godwin a loan to clear his debts. This chapter presents an account of Place’s relations with Godwin from the first biography of Place, by the Fabian socialist Graham Wallas.
