The National Secular Society's history
- Throughout history, different religious and political traditions have considered the relationship between individuals' personal conscience and ideology, between the divine and the secular. What today we might call the balance of freedom of and from religion.Following a collaborative archival project between Bishopsgate Institute and the Conway Hall Ethical Society, the National Secular Society's historical archives are now available to the public at Conway Hall.
- Our archives
- Our first 150 years (1866 2016)
- Thomas Paine
- Richard Carlile
- George Jacob Holyoake
- Reform in the 1800s
- Chartism
- Charles Bradlaugh
- Founding the NSS
- Fruits of Philosophy trial
- Bradlaugh's struggle to enter Parliament
- Foote, the Freethinker and 'blasphemy'
- Annie Besant
- Passing the gavel
- Chapman Cohen
- Notable NSS Presidents since Chapman Cohen
- Disestablishment in Wales
- Social liberalism
- Blasphemy laws abolished
- 2010 Papal visit
- Terry Sanderson
- Spartacus Educational
- Find out more.
- The NSS's history pages have a wealth of resources on the development and key milestones in British secularism.
