Alice Mann - The Radical Woman Who Beat The Establishment

Born in Hunslet in 1791, Alice Mann and her husband James - a cropper who lost his work to a machine - were reputed to have been in the 1812 food riots (with one of them possibly playing the role of Lady Ludd).

But that was a taste of the future.

In 1819, they opened a radical bookshop on Briggate, a place one newspaper claimed "appears to be the head quarters of sedition".

In 1832, James became a victim of the cholera outbreak.With nine children to feed, Alice carried on, working with another bookseller and printer, Joshua Hobson. in 1834, Alice received a seven day sentence in the House of Correction for selling unstamped newspapers, and breaking the law.

Two years later, she faced similar charges, but when the authorities offered to drop them if she stopped selling the papers, she refused - it was the only way to support her family.

The result was six month behind bars in York Castle.On her release, she kept selling books, but now also became a jobbing printer (and seller of patent medicines!), putting out the Leeds Times.

From 1842 she became the printer for Leeds Council, an interesting turnabout, especially as she kept putting out more radical and political literature.

Although she was probably involved with the Leeds Chartists, no direct links have ever been found.

She died in 1865, leaving 3000, a very handsome sum.Alice Mann ran her own business and kept it going, thriving even, after her husband died, something unusual for a woman to do.

She was also a rarity for the time, a woman involved in the dangerous world of radical politics, so committed she was willing to pay the heavy price of prison.

A remarkable woman, and one who deserves to be far better known as Leeds looks back over 400 years.Part of the Leeds Libraries' Leeds400 programmeWant to know more about Leeds Libraries Local Studies resources, articles, events, and workshops? Subscribe here [https://s7umw.mjt.lu/wgt/s7umw/0svx/form?c=0d8dc434]for our monthly newsletter and have all our news direct to your inbox.