Rural Rides

William Cobbett (1762-1835) was an essayist, politician, agriculturalist, journalist, and equestrian traveler. The son of a laborer, Cobbett was self taught. He enlisted in the British Army, then fled to Philadelphia to avoid prosecution for demanding a decent wage for his fellow soldiers.

After several years in exile, Cobbett returned to England where he became politically active, eventually winning a seat in Parliament. In the early 1820s the new MP set out on horseback to make a series o...