Very interesting.
Daniel O’Connell (1775 - 1847) was an Irish politician, popularly known as “The Liberator” and the acknowledged leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century.
In 1823 he founded the Catholic Association, a formidable and powerful agitation society which, despite English restrictive measures, became a great national force. The pressure on Parliament was brought to a head by O’Connell’s election in 1828 to a seat in the House of Commons (permitted by the repeal of the Test Act), despite his inability as a Catholic to take the oaths required to sit in Parliament.
Ultimately, he failed in his declared objective for Ireland: the repeal of the Act of Union 1800 and the restoration of an Irish Parliament.
Regarding buttons, this letter was published in “Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser", Dublin, Ireland, on Monday, October 12, 1840 (originally addressed to the editor of the “Morning Post” in London:
“SIR – I have lately been at Dublin, and in conversation with another button-maker I made some remarks on Mr O’Connell’s Repeal button, which he sells for threepence, which every Repealer, on entering his name as such, or signifying his intention of being a Repealer, pays to Mr O’Connell.
I said to my brother button-maker, “Do you not think that that button could be made and sold cheaper?” “Yes,” says brother button-maker, “but I dare not put Daniel O’Connell’s name on the button except by his permission.” “Well,” I said, “I should be glad to sell twelve for a penny, as they are only brass washed over with gilding, and with the words ‘Daniel O’Connell’ and ‘Repeal’ upon each.”
Now, I do complain that Mr O’Connell should so far obstruct free trade as to hinder us, button-makers, from making the most of a Repeal button.
If Mr O’Connell sell four million of the button at threepence each, the total would produce fifty thousand pounds – the cost would be 1,075l [one thousand and seventy five pounds] 8s [eight shillings] 6d [six pence].
The profits, therefore to Daniel O’Connell, which I suppose go into this private pocket, must be 48,924l [forty eight thousand nine hundred and twenty four pounds] 11s [eleven shillings] 6d [six pence].
Is this dupery to be borne? Yours etc.
A Birmingham Button-maker
Birmingham, October 9 [1840]
The image on the button is of O'Connell himself. I believe Hammond Turner & Sons of Birmingham later made these repeal buttons, but I don’t know who the original producer was. [#Edit: possibly John Woodhouse of Dublin]
