Podcast

03. Joseph Ritson’s Revolution, with Jon Mee

About the Episode

Professor Jon Mee from the University of York joins me in this episode to talk about the cantankerous northern antiquarian Joseph Ritson, the man who is responsible for making Robin Hood a champion of the poor. Ritson was from Stockton-on-Tees and his research into northern verse and song make him an example of early English ethnographer. A vegetarian and radical who adopted the French Revolutionary Calendar, this prickly individual acts as a springboard for Jon to plunge into the world of 1790s English radicalism.

Jon Mee is Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies in the English Department at the University of York.

Subscribe

References

Jon Mee

Alistair Leadbetter

Related Materials

More Episodes

04. Mind your grammar! Barbara Crosbie on Anne Fisher

In this episode, Barbara Crosbie and I talk about why modern English's first female grammarian Anne Fisher was such a trailblazer, and the work Barbara has done to revive interest in this significant northern figure.

05. The Ephemeral Tate Wilkinson, with Gillian Russell

In this episode, I talk with cultural historian Gillian Russell about Wilkinson, York and the ephemerality of eighteenth-century theatre and performance.

06. William Shield: no Geordie Dick Whittington, with Amélie Addison

In this episode Dr Amélie Addison reveals new findings about the prolific musician and composer William Shield.

07. William Newton and the North’s Rural Renaissance, with Richard Pears

Richard Pears and I discuss William Newton, arguably Northern England's first home-grown 'modern' architect.

08. Preach It! Rachel Hammersley on James Murray

In this episode Rachel Hammersley joins me in Newcastle’s Lit and Phil to talk about the Presbyterian preacher and writer James Murray who helped to radicalise the region.

09. Sarah Hodgson a radical type, with Helen Williams

In this episode I am joined by Helen Williams, a specialist in eighteenth-century book history to find out about the Newcastle-born printer, newspaper editor and radical Sarah Hodgson.

10. James Field Stanfield and the Art of Biography, with Declan McCormack

In this episode I look at the actor James Field Stanfield who made Sunderland his home in the 1790s where he promoted the abolition of slavery and founded the town's first subscription library.

01. What is Biographicon?

In this trailer, I introduce myself and the cast of characters that will appear in the upcoming Biographicon podcasts.

02. Psychogeography and Thomas Spence, with Alastair Bonnett

Be warned – you may risk arrest if you listen to this podcast! Join human geographer Alastair Bonnett on a psychogeographic tour of Newcastle upon Tyne seen through the mind of the radical Thomas Spence.