James Elmslie Duncan | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1822-03-07)7 March 1822 London, England |
| Died | 21 May 1854(1854-05-21) (aged 32) London, England |
| Other names | James Elmzlie Duncan |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1844–1851 |
James Elmslie Duncan[note 1] (7 March 1822 – 21 May 1854), was an EnglishChartist poet, editor, writer, and activist for social and moral reform, as well asvegetarianism andtemperance. He was also aphrenologist andshorthand tutor.[2]
Duncan was born inLondon in 1822. He edited theMorning Star and laterThe Sunbeam, contributed to various publications, and wrote the praisedDefence of a Vegetable Diet. Duncan was active in the Chartist movement, facing police intervention and arrest in 1848. His literary works includedFlowers and Fruits and the novelEdward Noble. Despite his fervent activism, he was criticised by contemporaries for his eccentricity and perceived mental instability. After being declared insane in 1851, Duncan was admitted toColney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, where he died fromepilepsy in 1854 at the age of 32.
James Elmslie Duncan was born inLondon on 7 March 1822 and christened atAll Hallows-on-the-Wall on 2 June 1822;[1]: 15 he identified as a "Londoner of Birth, Scottish by Parentage, Divinarian in principle".[3] Duncan was the second son of James Duncan and his wife Ann.[1]: 15 His father was a merchant and accountant born in Scotland and based inWapping.[3]
Duncan edited theMorning StarorHerald of Progress from December 1844 to January 1847 inWhitechapel and later editedThe Sunbeam. TheMorning Star was an organ forJ. A. Etzler, leader of the Tropical Emigration Society, featuring frequent articles on tropical vegetable products and foods. Duncan's contributions included a sketch of the Scottish poetWilliam Thom.The Sunbeam, intended as a bi-monthly penny magazine, had only one known issue in 1846 and featured excerpts from Duncan's collectionFlowers and Fruits and his novelEdward Noble.[3]
A strong advocate forvegetarianism, Duncan wroteDefence of a Vegetable Diet around 1843, with a second edition in 1844. His work was praised byCleave's Gazette and theMirror, and extracts were published in theCheltenham Free Press.Flowers and Fruits received positive reviews fromLloyd's Newspaper, describing it as "a very respectable little collection for a mental feast." His novelEdward Noble, the Utopian; or the Dawning Glories of the Age of Love, included idealised characters as vegetarians and communists, featuring notable figures likeOwen, Etzler, andCobden. However, its completion remains unclear, with only two parts known by March 1848.[3]
In 1844, Duncan taughtPitman shorthand atTower Hill, and joined the Phonographic Corresponding Society. He produced the periodicalSunbeam and delivered lectures, including one in December 1846 titled On the Signs of the Times. His poetry was referenced in theReasoner's 1847 review ofH. S. Sutton'sThe Evangel of Love.[3]
Duncan's involvement inChartist activities escalated in March 1848 when he recited "Tocsin against Tyranny" at a celebration of theFrench Revolution, earning enthusiastic applause. After a police intervention at a Chartist meeting inBethnal Green, where Duncan was injured, he dedicated a poem to "The Murdered Chartist". In late May, he addressed a large crowd inClerkenwell Green, where his declaration of being ateetotaler and vegetarian elicited mixed reactions.[3]
The Times reported his charges for creating a nuisance in theStrand. In late July 1848, he was arrested inUpper East Smithfield on his return from a meeting of Chartists, socialists, repealers and sympathisers, for carrying a pocket pistol, claiming it was for self-protection due to past police violence. On December 15, 1848, he was discharged after being charged with obstructing a public thoroughfare by selling Chartist publications.[3]
George Holyoake criticized Duncan's "professional eccentricity", dismissing his literary efforts as "wretched trash".Thomas Frost's memoirs described Duncan as a youth of ardent temperament, likely mentally unbalanced. In June 1851, Duncan's father took him to court for stealing from the business. Leading an "idle life", he nearly ruined the business by taking money for personal use. A struggle in the courtroom led the magistrate to conclude he was insane, resulting in a stay in theworkhouse as a preliminary step before being admitted to anasylum.[3]
Duncan was admitted toColney Hatch Lunatic Asylum in July 1851; his condition was described as "moral insanity accompanied withepilepsy".[1]: 226 He died after experiencing a series of epileptic seizures on 21 May 1854, at the age of 32.[1]: 229
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
