MEMBERS of Bodmin Old Cornwall Society will be holding a bi-centennial birthday celebration for historic Cornishman John Passmore Edwards.

On Friday, March 23, there will be Civic Reception at the Bodmin (Old) Passmore Edwards Library from 1.15pm in recognition and celebration of John Passmore Edwards.

This will be broadcast around the ‘County Town’ by the Town Crier, followed by a Tree Planting by the Mayor in nearby Robartes Street, followed by a short resume of the John Passmore Edwards by the Bodmin Old Cornwall Society, cream tea and cakes.

John Passmore Edwards was born at Blackwater, eight miles from Truro on March 23, 1823, the son of a brewer and market gardener.

Later and during his lifetime as editor of several newspapers, magazines, periodical and pamphlets, including the London Echo, he provided over 72 hospitals, libraries, convalescent home, orphanages, reading rooms, homes for epileptics, scholarships and night schools for the people of London, Devon, and 20 of them here in Cornwall.

Amongst these he gave Liskeard her cottage hospital as a first and unique presentation of its kind as the borough of Liskeard then agreed to both staff and maintain it for the people of Liskeard.

He also gave Liskeard the free library and as a result was the first ever to be honoured with the freedom of the borough of Liskeard, in addition to that of Falmouth, Truro, East and West Ham.

John gave Bodmin, the ‘County Town’, her free library, using Silvanus Trevail of Luxulyan as his architect who had also designed Dobwalls School.

John was at one time Member of Parliament for Salisbury, Wiltshire, but crossed his Liberal Party lines by protesting and condemning Britain’s involvement in the Boar and Crimea wars and her part in the opium trade between India and China.

He represented Britain for several decades in the International Peace Movement, was vigorously against alcohol abuse, capital punishment, flogging within the Army and Navy and gambling.

He would not allow any horse or dog racing tips or reports to be published in any of his newspapers.

Throughout his life he was most active in the Temperance League. Of the 24 libraries that he provided, both the building of and stocking of books, the most popular book loaned throughout the 19th century was: ‘The King’s Son’ on the life of our eccentric Cornish Bible Christian Evangelist, ‘Billy Bray’, associated with Caradon Mines.

At Alston, London, the Librarian was forced to resign when a copy of Thomas Hardy’s book ‘Tess of the D-Ubervilles was found on his shelves, that relating to an unwholesome lifestyle of a married woman.

He once said: “The little I have done belongs to no party, to no country, but to humanity.

“I would as soon assist a Chinaman if he were suffering as I would a Cornishman, much as I love Cornishmen’.

His motto was always: “Do the best for the most.”