Edward Carpenter
by Jessica Smith, Creative Arts Archivist
- Edward Carpenter
- Writing and Works
- Carpenter and Sixsmith
- Carpenter Collections at the University of Manchester
- Discussion Points
- Additional resources
Edward Carpenter
Edward Carpenter, (1844–1929), campaigner for LGBTQ+ equality and socialist writer, came from Brighton and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1869 and became a curate, but experienced an increasing sense of alienation both from his religious duties and from what he saw as the hypocrisy of polite Victorian society.
He found solace in reading and writing poetry, and in 1874 he took the first step in a lifelong revolt against the conventional society he found so stifling. He relinquished his orders and became a lecturer in astronomy, joining the staff of the University Extension Movement, which aimed to take learning to women and working-class men, groups to whom it was traditionally denied.
For several years he had been strongly influenced by the writings of Walt Whitman, whom he had visited in New Jersey in 1877. He also attracted to the ideal of living a simple outdoor life on the land, and through the 1880s Carpenter became more actively involved in socialism: he had contacts in the Social Democratic Federation and the Fabian movement, he became a member of the Socialist League, and in 1886 he was active in setting up the Society of Sheffield Socialists. He campaigned for prison reform, the abolition of vivisection and cruel sports, and similar causes.
By this time he had also come to embrace and openly acknowledge his sexuality. During 1886 he had a brief relationship with George Hukin, who was employed in the Sheffield razor trade. This was followed by a relationship with George Merrill, also from a working-class Sheffield family, first met Carpenter in 1889 or 1890, and moved into his Millthorpe home in 1898; he remained Carpenter’s partner until his death in 1928. Carpenter did much to raise awareness and promote the acceptance of gay men which remained a taboo subject, most notably in his book of essays, The Intermediate Sex (1908) which included the piece, ‘Homogenic love, and its place in a free society’. Carpenter’s work influenced Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, E. M. Forster, and D. H. Lawrence.
Writing & Works
The same year saw the publication of the first volume of Towards Democracy, Carpenter’s long free-verse poem which appeared in four parts during the years 1883–1902. The work expresses Carpenter’s ideas on cosmic consciousness, spiritual democracy and the importance of free expression of personality. Much influenced by Whitman (whom Carpenter visited in America in 1877 and 1884), the poem also reflects Carpenter’s interest in eastern religion and the Bhagavadgita.
Carpenter’s published work consists of poems, essays, reviews and short stories, reflecting the many concerns and progressive causes which were close to Carpenter’s heart. His writings encompass such topics as socialism, the labour movement, anarchism, syndicalism, imperialism, social reform, prison reform, capital punishment, women’s suffrage, the Boer and First World Wars, animal rights, pollution and the environment, health and the human body, sexuality, literature, science and religion.
He had many well-known friends and acquaintances and Millthorpe became a Mecca for socialists, humanitarians, intellectuals and writers, from Britain and abroad. Despite his numerous publications and various lecture tours, Carpenter preferred to live a life of simplicity and retirement at Millthorpe. He never achieved widespread fame himself, although he had a profound personal influence on many people; E.M. Forster commented that he gave to others the valuable gift of “life itself, the transference of vitality, the sense of peacefulness and power” (Edward Carpenter: In Appreciation ed. Gilbert Beith (1931), p. 81).
Carpenter & Sixsmith
Carpenter’s friendship with C.F. Sixsmith began in the early 1890s on Carpenter’s second visit to Bolton, where he gave a talk at the Labour Church. The men were correspondents for over 40 years, and Sixsmith was a regular visitor to Millthorpe; he accompanied Carpenter and Merrill on various holidays in Britain and on the Continent. Sixsmith clearly placed great value on his friendship with Carpenter and admired his work; he gave various talks on Carpenter’s life and poetry in his local area. After Carpenter’s death he contributed a chapter to the commemorative volume edited by Gilbert Beith, Edward Carpenter: In Appreciation (1930), drafts of which are included in the collection.
Carpenter Collections at the University of Manchester
C.F. Sixsmith Edward Carpenter Collection — an important resource for studies of Carpenter and his work, and documents one of his lesser-known friendships. It is principally comprised of correspondence, containing letters and postcards written by Carpenter to Charles Sixsmith over a 33 year period, which cover topics ranging from personal and family matters to socialism and Carpenter’s works.
Edward Carpenter Papers and Labour Movement Correspondence — which contains letters and postcards addressed to Richard Hawkin, relating to the Labour Movement in the early 20th century.
C.F. Sixsmith Collection of Printed and Photographic Material — which contains Sixsmith’s collection of printed material relating to the life and work of Carpenter, and consists of periodicals, cuttings, pamphlets and some typescript papers.
Discussion Points
What does Edward Carpenter’s work tell us about the reception of queer campaigners in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
What can the manuscripts and letters in the collection tell us about Carpenter’s creative process?
Additional Resources
Edward Carpenter — Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Images reproduced with the permission of The John Rylands University Librarian and Director of the University of Manchester Library. All images used on this page are licenced via CC-BY-NC-SA, for further information about each image, please follow the link in the caption description.
