Robert Kemp Philp

Robert Kemp Philp (1819–1882) was an English journalist, writer, and Chartist.

Early life

Born at Falmouth on 14 June 1819, he was son of Henry Philp (1793–1836) of Falmouth. His grandfather Robert Kemp Philp (1769–1850), a Wesleyan and then Unitarian minister of Falmouth, was one of the earliest supporters of ragged schools and city missions.

Chartist

On leaving school Philp was placed, in 1835, with a printer at Bristol, and then was a newsvendor in Bath, Somerset. For selling a Sunday newspaper, he was fined, and, on refusing to pay, was condemned to the stocks for two hours. He joined the Chartist movement, and edited a paper called The Regenerator, and, with Henry Vincent, The National Vindicator, a Bath weekly newspaper, which appeared from 1838 to 1842. In 1839 Philp began lecturing as a Chartist, of moderate opinions. After the Newport Rising (November 1840) he collected evidence for the defence of John Frost (d. 1877) [q. v.], and was arrested at Newport, Monmouthshire, on suspicion of complicity, but was released on bail. He joined on the executive committee of the Chartists in 1841.

In the spring of 1842 Philp signed the declaration drawn up by Joseph Sturge, and was appointed a delegate to the conference called by Sturge at Birmingham on 27 December 1842. As a result, Philp was ousted from the Chartist committee by the "physical force" group, led by Feargus O'Connor. He was a member of the national convention which sat in London from 12 April 1842, and is credited with having drawn up the monster petition, signed by 3,300,000 persons, and presented on 2 May, in favour of the confirmation of the charter. Philp was a contributor to The Sentinel from its launch on 7 January 1843.