LCS & other radicals

John Groves of Crown Court, Russel Street, Covent Garden gent was a witness at the trial of Thomas Hardy for treason in November 1794. He said he had been a conveyancer for 22 years and that he first attended the LCS in order to spy on it on 20.1.1794. His first preserved letter as a spy was dated 13.2.1794; in it he said he had introduced himself to Daniel Jones, whitesmith, who was Clerk to a presbyterian meeting in Crown Court and a member of the LCS, in order to be invited to Div 2.

Thomas Galloway bach = (by banns) All Hallows London Wall 26.6.1775 Ann Watson sp. wits John & Margaret Witherspoon. Their children Alexander born 18.3.1776 bapt 14.4.1776 St Edmund Lombard St, Janet born 24.10.1777 bapt 18.11.1777 St Edmund Lombard St, John bapt 13.5.1779 All Hallows London Wall, Thomas bapt 9.1.1785 All Hallows London Wall.

LCS General Committee 21.3.1793 (report from spy Lynam) Dawson Covent garden has one (a roll to get signatures for petition to Parliament.); General Committee 10.10.1793 Dawson has 2 skins for signatures for petition to the King (see Thale). No other evidence Dawson was LCS member.

(James Dawson of Jacksons Alley voted Fox 1780, ratebooks there 1799 to 1819, maybe different person).

James Davidson printer Clare Court, Strand voted Tooke 1790. St Clement Danes rates 1789 to 1794 James Davidson, Clare Court, Strand value £30. Thale is the source for otherwise unreferenced items below. On 11.4.1793 he printed handbills for LCS; a Davidson was in committee of correspondence 21.11.1793; a Davison was delegate of Div 5 on 2.1.1794. In the examination of spy Nodder by the Privy Council 22.5.1794 (Nat Arch TS 11/963) James Davidson of (Rickett?) Court, Covent Garden was claimed to have been sometimes printer for Lambeth Loyal Association.

TS 11/963 examination 22.5.1794 of Frederick Polydore Nodder, for whose spy reports on LCS in April & May 1794 see Thale. Mentioned William Draper who lived somewhere in Clerkenwell and was preacher at London Wall, Draper also mentioned in Hayward's examination 27.5.1794. No other evidence that Draper was sympathetic to reform or the LCS.

Thomas Evans and his wife Janet are well covered by Ian McCalman in his excellent book Radical Underworld. Evans first appeared in LCS records in 1795, first as a delegate from Div 40 and elected to the Exec Cttee 10.9.1795. Alexander Galloway was described as his brother in law (probably by Francis Place but I haven't searched for the exact source yet). Galloway had a sister Janet born 24.10.1777 but I could find no record of her marriage.

From meeting of Div 23 on 11.12.1793 in Brown Bear, Moorfields the spy George Lynam reported that Davis went to a Serjt at the Tower and made a convert of him & several Soldiers. On 20.12.1793 Home Secretary Evan Nepean wrote to Major General Leake that a shoemaker named Davis of 15 Cannon Street had been spreading sedition to soldiers at the Tower. (Thale p.34). He may have been the same as Peter Davey or Davie who testified at the LCS trial of Lynam 13.6.1793 that he had enquired about Lynam's character from a Mr Crab and then proposed him as a member.

Nat Arch TS 11/963 examination of Thomas Hardy, who mentioned Bayley a printer with 5 or 6 journeymen. Hardy answered questions freely but perhaps not honestly, to protect comrades. This could have been Thomas Bayley printer of Petticoat Lane, but no evidence he was sympathetic to LCS, and he was dead 3 years before Hardy's exam.

Nat Arch TS 11/965/3510A (Thale p 149) Hagen of Gravel lane, a baker for the military forces at Plymouth, who was to distribute pamphlets there

John Hagen muffin maker Old Gravel lane Ratcliff Highway SunFire 1782

John Hagen, Land Tax Old Gravel Lane St George in the East 1796 to 1808

E Davenport, printer, 6 George Court, Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell on list of LCS contacts, 2nd edition of report of the LCS general meeting at St George's Fields 29.6.1795, At General Committee 2.6.1795 a Davenport was deputed to absent Div 22 and was nearly voted onto the Exec Cttee. On 6.8.1795 a Davenport elected to Exec Cttee. At General Cttee 13.8.1795 Bustle in place of Davenport became delegate of Div 3. Exec Cttee 27.8.1795 Davidson printer sent letter complaining at Davenport using position on Exec Cttee to underquote him.