In Our Time

John Bull

Jul 28, 2022

Judith Hawley, a Professor of 18th Century Literature, Miles Taylor, a Professor of British History, and Mark Knights, a Professor of History, dive into the iconic figure of John Bull. They explore how this satirical character originated with John Arbuthnot in 1712, reflecting the woes of the English everyman overwhelmed by government taxations. The conversation highlights John Bull's evolution from a tradesman to a symbol of British identity and imperialism, shedding light on satire’s role in political critique and societal shifts across the centuries.

53:46

Creator website

Episode guests

Mark Knights

Miles Taylor

Judith Hawley

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Satire and Politics: Arbuthnot's Era

13min

The Evolution of John Bull: A Cultural Satire

16min

John Bull: The Evolution of an Icon

17min

The Perils of Publishing: Libel Laws and Literary Freedom

2min

Symbolism of Britannia and John Bull

3min

The Role of Propaganda and Historical Narratives in Shaping Society

2min

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origin of this personification of the English everyman and his development as both British and Britain in the following centuries. He first appeared along with Lewis Baboon (French) and Nicholas Frog (Dutch) in 1712 in a pamphlet that satirised the funding of the War of the Spanish Succession. The author was John Arbuthnot (1667-1735), a Scottish doctor and satirist who was part of the circle of Swift and Pope, and his John Bull was the English voter, overwhelmed by taxes that went not so much into the war itself but into the pockets of its financiers. For the next two centuries, Arbuthnot’s John Bull was a gift for cartoonists and satirists, especially when they wanted to ridicule British governments for taking advantage of the people’s patriotism.

The image above is by William Charles, a Scottish engraver who emigrated to the United States, and dates from 1814 during the Anglo-American War of 1812.

With

Judith Hawley Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London

Miles Taylor Professor of British History and Society at Humboldt, University of Berlin

And

Mark Knights Professor of History at the University of Warwick

Producer: Simon Tillotson

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.