THE SPIRIT of a man who championed traditional rural England and its values during the onset of the Industrial Revolution will be riding into Basingstoke next month.

Political reformer and pamphleteer William Cobbett, who back in the late 1700s was the proprietor of the most widely read newspaper in the United States, The Porcupine Gazette, will return as students at Queen Mary’s College perform a play at Central Studio on December 7, 8 and 9.

The play, Papa Porcupine, written by Open University and University of Surrey English literature lecturer Rosemary Wisbey is quite a story. It will be directed with song and dancing by Anne Higgins, who is a production arts lecturer at Queen Mary’s College.

The son of a pub landlord in nearby Farnham, William Cobbett rose from his humble beginnings to work in London as a lawyer’s clerk before enlisting in the army and being posted to New Brunswick, in Canada.

Rising quickly through the ranks to become a sergeant major, he was only too aware of how corrupt and unjust military life was, and on his return to England, he was pretty vocal about it.

He soon had to flee to France, eventually making his way to Philadelphia in 1791, where he also found a degree of corruption, and published his views under the name of Peter Porcupine.

However, after being sued for libel, he returned bankrupt to England in 1800. Here he set up a newspaper called Political Register, through which he campaigned for social and political reform and produced a journal called Cobbett’s Parliamentary Debate in 1802, which was the first structured attempt to record the proceedings of Parliament.

The Political Register got Cobbett into trouble and he was sent to prison when he was found guilty for treasonable libel for objecting to the flogging of soldiers With a circulation of 40,000 and costing 2d, the publication was considered to be the main newspaper read by the working class, which many in authority saw as a threat to their status because of the radical views.

Cobbett was subsequently to flee England again in 1817, making his way to the United States for a second time.

On his return to England, he arrived just after the Peterloo Massacre and joined other radicals in attacking the Government.

However, Cobbett is perhaps best known today for his book Rural Rides, written in the early 1820s when profound changes in agricultural practices was politically a hot potato.

Concerned that farming England was being destroyed, and known for being a radical anti-Corn Law campaigner, Cobbbett had great sympathy for the farming communities, that would have centred around towns like Basingstoke, and he became synonymous with fair play and justice.

He went on a series of journeys by horseback through the South East of England and also the Midlands, and wrote about what he saw.

Taking the view of the farmer, his records proved to be an invaluable record of the countryside in the early 19th century and featured places such as Whitchurch, Odiham, Kingsclere and the village of Burghclere.

While directing the play, Anne Higgins said she learned a lot about the great man who later in life was elected as an MP on several occasions – and she feels that he is someone from history who has been neglected.

She said: “I think it’s good that you have a local playwright writing about William Cobbett, as a lot of people are not aware of him.

“He was such a phenomenal influence and he had quite a significant impact on the workers of this country.

“The play is not a two-dimensional portrayal of this local hero which is why I quite like it. I think he was a little bit harsh on his family who gave up a lot for him.

“The play shows that in order for someone who is so driven to get where they want to get to, there are some sacrifices that have to be made along the way.”

Anne said performing arts students at Queen Mary’s College have enjoyed learning about William Cobbett, including Yasmin Davey- Corrigan, who designed the Papa Porcupine poster.

With tickets for December 8 already sold out, places are still available for Monday, December 7 and Wednesday, December 9.

Tickets, which cost £4.90 with £3.90 for concessions, can be booked by calling the Central Studio Box office on 01256 418318.