John Goodwyn Barmby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Goodwyn Barmby
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John Goodwyn Barmby
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| Born | |
| Baptised | 12 November 1820 |
| Died | 18 October 1881 Yoxford, Suffolk, England
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| Spouse(s) |
Catherine Isabella Watkins
(m. 1841; died 1853)Ada Marianne Shepherd
(m. 1861) |
John Goodwyn Barmby (born 1820 – died 1881) was an English thinker during the Victorian era. He was known for his ideas about creating ideal societies, a concept called "utopian socialism."
He and his first wife, Catherine Barmby, were strong supporters of Robert Owen. Owen was a social reformer who believed in creating communities where people shared resources. The Barmbys were also early supporters of feminism, which means they believed in equal rights for women. They wanted women to have the right to vote, which was a key demand of the Chartist movement. The Chartists were a group of working-class people who wanted political changes in Britain.
Early Life and Ideas
John Goodwyn Barmby was born in Yoxford, a town in Suffolk, England. He went to school at Woodbridge School. From 1838 to 1848, he worked as a writer and organizer. He helped set up "communitarian" projects around London. These were groups of people who lived together and shared their belongings and work.
Barmby was often linked to the growth of "socialist" and "utopian" ideas. These ideas aimed to create fairer societies. He even started a utopian community on the Channel Islands. He also wrote letters to other radical thinkers, like Friedrich Engels.
Introducing "Communism"
John Goodwyn Barmby was one of the first people to use the word "communist" in English. He first wrote it down in 1841. He said he first spoke the word in 1840 while in Paris, France. He had gone there to meet people who supported "le communisme" (communism in French).
He introduced Engels to the French communist movement. In 1841, Barmby and Engels started the London Communist Propaganda Society. In the same year, they also founded the Universal Communitarian Association. Barmby started a monthly newspaper called the Communist Chronicle.
Later Life and Unitarianism
By 1843, the Barmbys changed their movement into a "church." This was called the Communist Church. It aimed to offer a deeper spiritual life than other social movements. This church had more than ten groups in the mid-1840s, but it ended in 1849.
After this, Barmby became involved with Unitarianism in 1848. Unitarianism is a type of Christianity that focuses on reason and individual belief. He served as a minister in several places, including Southampton and Lancaster. From 1858 to 1879, he was the minister at Wakefield Unitarian Chapel. He continued to be active in politics and wrote poetry and hymns.
