New Moral World

New Moral World
Founder(s)Robert Owen
Founded1834
Ceased publication1845[1]

The New Moral World was an early socialist newspaper in the United Kingdom, once the national official publication of Owenism.[2]

The publication was launched by Robert Owen in November 1834 as the successor to Crisis, and carried the subtitle "A London Weekly Publication. Developing the Principles of the Rational System of Society".[3] Later subtitles included "Manual of Science" and "Gazette of the Universal Community Society of Rational Religionists", while the paper briefly had an alternative title of Millennium.[4]

Following closely the development of Owen's ideas, the newspaper initially advocated general unionism and peaceful revolution, but soon moved to instead advocate the formation of utopian communities. It did this through a mixture of news, comment, letters, poetry, and the publication of policy.[3]

Unlike Crisis, New Moral World was largely sold rather than given away, and therefore had a smaller circulation. The newsagents who sold it typically also sold the Chartist Northern Star.[3] Initially published in London, publication moved to Manchester, Birmingham, then in 1839 to Leeds, where its publication was arranged by Joshua Hobson. In 1842, publication moved back to London, then in 1845 to Harmony Hall in Hampshire.[4] This colony soon collapsed, and Owen sold the newspaper to James Hill, father of Octavia Hill.[5] George Fleming attempted to relaunch the paper as Moral World, but both the original and relaunched versions of the paper had stopped publication by the end of the year.[3]

  1. ^ George J. Barnsby (1 January 1977). The Working Class Movement in the Black Country: 1750 to 1867. Integrated Publishing Services. ISBN 978-0-905679-01-3.
  2. ^ Laurel Brake; Marysa Demoor (2009). Dictionary of Nineteenth-century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland. Academia Press. pp. 444–. ISBN 978-90-382-1340-8.
  3. ^ a b c d Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, Dictionary of Nineteenth-century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland, p.444
  4. ^ a b John Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America, p.282
  5. ^ Gillian Darley, Octavia Hill, pp.27-28