Regency popular and periodical press

Popular culture during the Regency spanned a wide spectrum of pastimes and entertainments, from radical politics and religion to bare-knuckle fighting and gambling. As the gap between the elite and the working class widened into a yawning gulf, some of these activities came under attack. The moral reform promoted by middle-class campaigners aimed to eradicate certain traditional customs, resulting in the licensing of coffeehouses, taverns and alehouses and the repression of debating societies. However the level of participation in popular culture was far greater than first appears, with high and low sharing many common leisure pursuits and interests.