The Berry-bush. Written by J. Field, and sung on Monday July the 8th, 1793 at the Crown and Anchor, Tavern, Strand. At the first general meeting of the London Corresponding Society (1793)

The most significant published result of the London Corresponding Society (LCS) general meeting held on 8 July 1793 was the Address to the nation written by Maurice Margarot and co-signed by Thomas Hardy, as secretary of the Society. The Berry-bush, however, is indicative of the methods used by radicals to communicate their political messages. Meetings of the LCS were generally convivial affairs and singing was an effective means of allowing semi-illiterate members to join in the procedures of the evening. As a form of propaganda, songs — often rehearsed to a popular tune — were also a strategically important part of the radical programme, being less likely as the focus of prosecution than, for example, lectures or debates. The Berry-bush was written by Joseph Field who had joined the LCS in 1792 and served as delegate for Division 18 as well as assistant secretary in early 1793.