Record Number: 1561

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Evidence of William Edward Hickson to Select Committee on Newspaper stamps: "I formed in the village where I am now living, when I first went there, an evening class of adult labourers, and as I was then very much interested in some very able articles that were being published in the 'Times', I thought I would read them to them in the evening; but I found that we did not get on at all; and upon cross-examination of some of my auditors afterwards, I discovered, to my surprise, that I could not read 20 lines of the leading article of the 'Times' without finding that there were 20 words in it which none of my auditors understood. I remember one passage which not one of the agricultural labourers to whom I was reading understood at all. The editor was speaking of some operation of our fleet in the channel; the word 'operations' puzzled them, the word 'fleet' puzzled them; they did not know what a fleet was, and they had not the slightest idea of what the channel meant."

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1830 and 31 Dec 1849

Country:

England

Time

evening: evening

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

passive reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

William Edward Hickson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Clerk / tradesman / artisan / smallholder

Occupation:

buyer of stock, member of board of guardians, involvement in hand loom enquiry

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

adult labourers in the village

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Title:

The Times

Genre:

Ephemera

Form of Text:

Print: Newspaper

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

reading group

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Source Information:

Record ID:

1561

Source - Manuscript:

Other

Information:

Parliamentary Papers, Select Committee on Newspaper Stamps [Commons] 1851 (facsimile edition, Irish University Press, Shannon, 1969), p. 468

Additional Information:

n/a

Citation:

Parliamentary Papers, Select Committee on Newspaper Stamps [Commons] 1851 (facsimile edition, Irish University Press, Shannon, 1969), p. 468, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=1561, accessed: 24 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

None