At an early age he became an Owenite lecturer, and in 1841 was the last person convicted for blasphemy in a public lecture, though this had no theological character and the incriminating words were merely a reply to a question addressed to him from the body of the meeting. Holyoake coined the term "jingoism" in a letter to the Daily News on 13 March, 1878, referring to the use of the phrase "by Jingo" in a recent belligerently patriotic song.