The Life and Achievements of Henry Fielding in 18th Century London

TLDR Henry Fielding, a London figure born in Somerset in 1707, became a successful writer, wrote plays and books including the famous Tom Jones, and later became London's chief magistrate. He proposed innovative ideas such as a workhouse for the poor and a police force to catch criminals.

Timestamped Summary

00:00 In this episode, the host and guest discuss the life of Henry Fielding, a London figure born in Somerset in 1707, who became a writer.
04:05 Henry Fielding comes to London, writes plays and books, including a parody of Samuel Richardson's Pamela called Shamela, and eventually writes his masterpiece, Tom Jones, before becoming London's chief magistrate to deal with the city's crime and poverty.
07:53 Henry Fielding becomes the chief magistrate of London and proposes a plan to rehabilitate the poor through a workhouse, but his idea for a police force, employing six highly skilled men to catch criminals, is the one that gains traction.
11:57 The podcast discusses the creation of a gazette called the "public human cry" that contained information about crimes and wanted suspects in 18th century London, and proposes the idea of creating a TV series based on it.
15:47 The podcast discusses the idea of creating a TV series based on the characters and stories of 18th century London, including a blind man who can recognize criminals by their voices and the possibility of Dr. Johnson solving crimes and ghost busting.
20:00 CLR James, a Marxist and Trotskyist, was a pioneering sexologist, obsessed with cricket, and wrote a widely acclaimed book on sport, making him a legitimate choice as a Londoner despite being born in Trinidad.
23:46 CLR James becomes good friends with cricketer Leary Constantine, moves to Nelson in Lancashire, becomes a cricket correspondent and Marxist, writes the famous book "The Black Jacobins" about the Haitian Revolution, meets Trotsky, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo in Mexico, is expelled from the United States, returns to London and Trinidad, and writes his masterpiece "Beyond the Boundary" about cricket and the relationship between the Caribbean and Britain.
27:50 CLR James moves to Brixton and lives above the offices of Race Today, a magazine focused on issues of race and the relationship between immigrants from the Commonwealth and Britain.
31:54 Cricket in Brixton has declined, with the only cricket ground in the borough being the Oval and the facilities being in a terrible state of disrepair, leading to a lack of interest and support for the sport in the area.
Categories: History

Browse more History