There is a very strange story about Thomas Paine, the Rights of Man radical writer, and his, kind of, connection to Salford...
Back in November 1819, William Cobbett brought Paine's bones to Salford after he'd dug them up from their original resting place in New York. However the Manchester authorities at the time refused them entry with Peterloo still fresh in their minds. And then the bones disappeared...
To commemorate this weird event, and to refresh people's minds about the great radical philosopher, the Working Class Movement Library (WCML) has teamed up with Walk The Plank to hold a procession from the Library to the People's History Museum in Manchester on Saturday 30th November.
The procession will start from the Library at 4pm, complete a giant illuminated Bones of Paine puppet and accompanied by a live street band and dancing skeleton puppets.
The parade then stops at Bexley Square at 4:20pm for a vocal performance that will include the songs written during workshops held at the WCML with writer Louise Wallwein; then at New Bailey at 5pm for another vocal performance, before the it finally reaches the People's History Museum in Manchester to be welcomed by a colourful performance from Colibri Mexican Folkdance at 5:15pm.
Before the procession begins, the Working Class Movement Library is launching its new exhibition (between 2pm and 4pm) titled Thomas Paine: Citizen of the world, which tells the story of Paine's adventurous and eventful life, his narrow escapes from death and his involvement in both the American and French Revolutions.
"We're excited to be working with the people of Salford and Walk the Plank on telling this bizarre but important story, which offers a local angle on a character who had a significant impact on history internationally" says Lynette Cawthra, WCML Manager "Recounting the story within the context of events such as Peterloo helps give this unusual tale a relevance to a modern audience. We hope that our Bones of Paine events will get everyone talking about the extraordinary Thomas Paine in a fun and engaging way that inspires curiosity."
Meanwhile, on Wednesday 4th December at the Library there's a talk on Paine at 2pm, and then at 6:30pm a public reading of Paine's Common Sense by American Studies students from the University of Manchester.
Bones of Paine Procession
Saturday 30th November 4pm-6pm
Begins at Salford Working Class Movement Library
For more details see the Working Class Movement Library website – click here
And the Walk The Plank website – click here
For more background see previous Salford Star article - click here
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
(3).jpeg)
.png)
(1).JPG)
