(1763–1835)
an English political journalist who became a leader of the movement towards modern democracy in Britain. He published most of his work in his own magazine Political Register , which in addition contained summaries of debates in Parliament and later developed into the modern Hansard . His frequent attacks on authority often got him into trouble, including two years in prison. He was the son of a farmer and he is best known today for his book Rural Rides (1830) which describes life in the English countryside and the conditions of poor farm workers before the Reform Act of 1832.