William Chilton (printer)
Encyclopedia
William Chilton was a printer, Owenite Socialist
, evolutionist, and co-founder with Charles Southwell
of The Oracle of Reason
, which claimed to be the world's first avowedly atheist
journal.
, the son of William and Mary Ann Chilton, Chilton's first occupation was that of bricklayer, before becoming a compositor
and reader
for the local Bristol Mercury.. He remained with the Bristol Mercury until his death, and according to Adrian Desmond (2004) his campaigning and propagandist activities had to be "squeezed around his 10-hour working day as a compositor. He would camp in his works for weeks on end..."
On 26 September 1843, Chilton married Mary Ann Morris. They had two daughters: Kate (born in 1846), and Lucy (born in 1848).
Chilton died at the young age of forty , and was buried in Bristol on 2 June 1855.
and John Field in 1841. It lasted until 1843. It was an aggressive and deliberately confrontational journal from the outset . Southwell, as editor, was imprisoned for twelve months after just a handful of issues, and was replaced by George Jacob Holyoake
. When Holyoake was gaoled in August 1842, Thomas Paterson took over. William Chilton became editor in June 1843 after Thomas Paterson's arrest. Although considered to be the firmest atheist of the group, Chilton was a more cautious editor and he was never prosecuted. After the closure of the Oracle, Chilton joined Holyoake at Holyoake's The Movement, a weekly journal which was much more moderate in approach than the Oracle.
According to Holyoake,
Owenism
Owenism is the utopian socialist philosophy of 19th century social reformer Robert Owen and his followers and successors, who are known as Owenites....
, evolutionist, and co-founder with Charles Southwell
Charles Southwell
Charles Southwell was a radical English journalist and freethinker.-Early life:Charles Southwell was born in London, the youngest of 33 children in a poor family. His father, William, was a piano maker who had married three times. His mother, Fanny , was William's ex-servant, and at least three...
of The Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason, or Philosophy Vindicated was the first avowedly atheistic periodical to be published in Britain . It was founded by Charles Southwell, William Chilton and John Field in 1841 , and lasted until 1843.-History:...
, which claimed to be the world's first avowedly atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
journal.
Life
Born in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, the son of William and Mary Ann Chilton, Chilton's first occupation was that of bricklayer, before becoming a compositor
Compositing
Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called "chroma key", "blue screen", "green screen" and other names. Today,...
and reader
Publisher's reader
A publisher's reader or first reader is a person paid by a publisher or book club to read manuscripts from the slush pile, and to advise their employers as to quality and marketability of the work. They can exercise considerable influence over the offerings of the publishers for whom they worked,...
for the local Bristol Mercury.. He remained with the Bristol Mercury until his death, and according to Adrian Desmond (2004) his campaigning and propagandist activities had to be "squeezed around his 10-hour working day as a compositor. He would camp in his works for weeks on end..."
On 26 September 1843, Chilton married Mary Ann Morris. They had two daughters: Kate (born in 1846), and Lucy (born in 1848).
Chilton died at the young age of forty , and was buried in Bristol on 2 June 1855.
The Oracle of Reason
The Oracle of Reason was founded by Chilton, Charles SouthwellCharles Southwell
Charles Southwell was a radical English journalist and freethinker.-Early life:Charles Southwell was born in London, the youngest of 33 children in a poor family. His father, William, was a piano maker who had married three times. His mother, Fanny , was William's ex-servant, and at least three...
and John Field in 1841. It lasted until 1843. It was an aggressive and deliberately confrontational journal from the outset . Southwell, as editor, was imprisoned for twelve months after just a handful of issues, and was replaced by George Jacob Holyoake
George Holyoake
George 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:...
. When Holyoake was gaoled in August 1842, Thomas Paterson took over. William Chilton became editor in June 1843 after Thomas Paterson's arrest. Although considered to be the firmest atheist of the group, Chilton was a more cautious editor and he was never prosecuted. After the closure of the Oracle, Chilton joined Holyoake at Holyoake's The Movement, a weekly journal which was much more moderate in approach than the Oracle.
According to Holyoake,
Chilton was a cogent, solid writer, ready for any risk, and the only absolute atheist I have known. His articles in the Oracle on the "Theory of Regular Gradation" preceded by twelve years the articles on Evolution by Herbert Spencer in the Leader, when "regular gradation" began to receive the name of evolution.