Charles Hadfield (1821–1884) was a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

. Hadfield, the son of Charles and Anne Hadfield, was born in

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, 14 October 1821, and being taken to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

when only one year old, was brought up to the trade of a house-painter and decorator, becoming specially skilled in graining, and able to imitate the grain of the oak with great perfection. At an early age he wrote verses in the ''

Manchester Times The ''Manchester Times'' was a weekly newspaper published in Manchester, England, from 1828 to 1922. It was known for its free trade radicalism. From 1828 to 1847, the newspaper was edited by Archibald Prentice, a political radical and advocate ...

'', and his tastes soon led him to adopt literature as a profession. In 1861 he edited a monthly paper in connection with trades unions, called ''Weekly Wages'', of which only five numbers appeared. He then, in 1861, accepted an offer of Joseph Cowen, M.P., to join the staff of the ''Newcastle Chronicle'', and to act as lecturing agent for the Northern Reform Union. Returning to Manchester in January 1862, he became connected with the commercial department of the ''

Manchester Examiner and Times The ''Manchester Examiner'' was a newspaper based in Manchester, England, that was founded around 1845–1846. Initially intended as an organ to promote the idea of Manchester Liberalism, a decline in its later years led to a takeover by a group w ...

''. After this he was employed as a writer for the ''

Manchester City News ''Manchester City News'' was a weekly local newspaper founded in Manchester, England. Published every Saturday, the first edition went on sale on 2 January 1864, priced at one penny. The newspaper was circulated not only in Manchester and neighbo ...

'', and subsequently edited that paper from 1865 to 1867, and remained connected with it as a contributor for two or three years longer. He next went to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, where for a short time he was on the staff of the ''Glasgow Herald'', and then took the editorship and management of the ''Warrington Examiner'' and other papers connected with it, including the ''Mid-Cheshire Examiner''. After several years in this position he was presented with a testimonial. Finally in 1880 he was editor of the ''Salford Weekly News'', in which position he remained to the beginning of 1883. As a journalist his strength lay in his great knowledge of the habits, the wants, and the aspirations of the working classes, and on these subjects his writings were always thoughtful and suggestive. From 22 December 1867 to 4 July 1868 he contributed to the ''Free Lance'', and from 25 July 1868 to 28 October 1871 to ''The Sphinx'', two Manchester literary, artistic, and humorous journals. He was an advocate of the Manchester Fine Art Gallery, and took part in securing the Saturday half-holiday, and in providing public baths and washhouses. After his retirement he was confined to his room by ill-health, and died at 3 Chester Road, Stretford, 4 June 1884. He was the author of two prize essays: #''The Best Means of Enlarging the Usefulness of Mechanics' Institutions'', 1850. 2. and #''Suggestions for Improving the Homes of the Working Classes'', about 1857. On 24 December 1843 he married Emily Frances, daughter of John Pontey and Mary Ann Kemp.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadfield, Charles 1821 births 1884 deaths People from Glossop English male journalists House painters 19th-century British journalists 19th-century English male writers