Mortimer Grimshaw ( 1826 – 22 December 1869) was an English political activist,
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
leader and cotton weaver. He briefly attained national fame in the 1850s due to his part in the
Preston strike of 1853–54. A large man whose face was marked by
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
, he was renowned for his oratory, which earned him the nickname of the "Thunderer of Lancashire".
[ ]
The son of a radical public speaker and orator, Grimshaw's early campaigns were centred on the improvement of working conditions for the mill-workers in the village of
Royton
Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Old ...
and enforcement of the
Factory Acts
The Factory Acts were a series of acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to regulate the conditions of industrial employment.
The early Acts concentrated on regulating the hours of work and moral welfare of young children employed ...
. He was an outspoken critic of the
Whig Party and an advocate of the
Chartist movement
Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...
, in particular of their anti-Whig alliance with the
Tory Party
The Tories were a loosely organised political faction and later a political party, in the Parliaments of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. They first emerged during the 1679 Exclusion Crisis, when they opposed ...
. Strikes among mill-workers began to break out during the early 1850s and Grimshaw was one of the leaders, along with George Cowell, of the strike in Preston in 1853. The strikers were fruitless in their demands for a ten per cent wage increase, and Grimshaw found himself with no further role in the workers' unions. He and his fellow conspirators were charged with conspiring to prevent people working in the mills, although the charges were later dropped.
Following the defeat in Preston, Grimshaw emigrated to the United States, where he became a supporter of the
Confederacy. In 1861, he and Cowell attempted to intervene in a strike in
Clitheroe
Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...
but were branded "notorious scoundrels" by the weavers there for their parts in the Preston strike. The following year he joined a small group of Lancashire men who unsuccessfully attempted to rally support for the Confederates in northern England. After a period as a freelance industrial mediator, selling his services to mill owners and working against the unions he had once aligned with, he returned to his job as a
power-loom weaver until his death from
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
in 1869. Grimshaw and his activities were the basis for two of the author
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' characters.
Early life and career
Grimshaw was born in or around
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, located north east of Blackburn and adjacent to the Ribble Valley. Great Harwood is the major conurbation of the 'Three Towns'; the three towns being Great Harwood, Clayton- ...
, Lancashire into a working-class family and baptised at
Church Kirk in 1826.
His father, Thomas, had a reputation as a radical public speaker in the early part of the 19th century. Grimshaw initially worked as a cotton weaver before becoming a full-time activist and agitator. He first came to prominence in the village of
Royton
Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Old ...
, near
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
, in 1852 as a campaigner for the improvement and enforcement of the
Factory Acts
The Factory Acts were a series of acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to regulate the conditions of industrial employment.
The early Acts concentrated on regulating the hours of work and moral welfare of young children employed ...
, to improve the working conditions of those employed in the cotton mills. In the same year he became editor of the anti-
Whig broadsheet, the ''Royton Vindicator''. He criticised the suppression of local political activists and supported the alliance of the
Chartist movement
Chartism was a working-class movement for political reform in the United Kingdom that erupted from 1838 to 1857 and was strongest in 1839, 1842 and 1848. It took its name from the People's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, w ...
with the
Tories
A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
against the Whigs.
[Dutton; King (1981), p. 46]
Mill workers in England became increasingly disenchanted with improper practices by factory owners, long working hours and unsatisfactory conditions. During the early 1850s workers throughout the country began to campaign for higher wages and strikes were held in several towns and cities; brickmakers in
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 ...
struck in January while woollen mill operatives in the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
went on strike two months later. Grimshaw himself was involved in a strike in
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
, where workers were demanding a ten percent wage increase, in March 1853.
Preston strike of 1853–1854
![George Cowell speaking](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/George_Cowell_speaking.jpg)
When cotton weavers in Preston struck in September of that year, again demanding a wage increase of ten percent, he and fellow activist George Cowell became the most prominent leaders at the mass meetings of the workers. Grimshaw would often wear a white hat at meetings in the style of politicians
Henry Hunt and
William Cobbett
William Cobbett (9 March 1763 – 18 June 1835) was an English pamphleteer, journalist, politician, and farmer born in Farnham, Surrey. He was one of an agrarian faction seeking to reform Parliament, abolish "rotten boroughs", restrain foreign ...
.
According to local journalist Charles Hardwick, he was a strong advocate of the liberation of oppressed "factory slaves" but it was noted that his judgement in arguments could often be overpowered by his enthusiasm and emotions. In the seven months that Grimshaw was involved with the Preston strike he travelled throughout Lancashire and Yorkshire, speaking at more than 60 public meetings.
At one meeting in October 1853, he shared the platform with John B. Horsfall and Chartist leader
Ernest Jones
Alfred Ernest Jones (1 January 1879 – 11 February 1958) was a Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst. A lifelong friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud from their first meeting in 1908, he became his official biographer. Jones was the first En ...
, whose
Labour Parliament Grimshaw was involved in the following year as one of the two delegates from Preston, along with Wallace Beever.
The Labour Parliament was partly a response to a lock-out of around 20,000 mill workers by the employers in Preston; its aim was to organise a levy on wages to support operatives who went on strike or were locked out. Those paying the levy were to elect a committee to buy and look after land and factories and the Parliament would meet on a yearly basis. However, the plan did not gain support among all Chartists and the plans never materialised.
The Preston strike ended in defeat for Grimshaw, Cowell and the operatives and as a result there were no suitable jobs for him in the unions; his characteristics would not have lent themselves to a secretarial role.
In April 1854, Grimshaw spoke at a meeting in
Fulwood advocating for the creation of a new mill town outside Preston, where the factories would be owned by the workers; this idea too was unsuccessful. On 10 August 1854, Grimshaw, Cowell and nine other men were indicted for conspiring to "prevent certain persons working in the mills in
reston.
Although the charges were dropped by the prosecution, the judge presiding implied he would otherwise have felt compelled to pass down a severe sentence and expressed his hope that none of the 11 would engage in such conspiracy again.
Two years later, Grimshaw and Horsfall raised funds to enable them to emigrate and he subsequently spent some time living in the northern United States. Upon his return to England, Grimshaw, Cowell and two other weavers were involved in a dispute between mill-owners and workers in
Clitheroe
Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...
, Lancashire, in 1861. However, due to their lack of success in Preston the group were branded a "gang of notorious scoundrels" by strike leader John O'Neil and were treated with hostility by the gathered crowds of weavers.
Later career
During his time in America, Grimshaw had developed pro-
Confederacy tendencies. In general, there was some support for the Confederacy among people who were affected by the shortage in cotton from America caused by the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, such as traders and mill-owners. On a personal level, Grimshaw was opposed to the growth of capitalism in the United States and described the notions of American freedom and liberty as "farce and humbug". In 1862 he became part of a small group of working-class Lancashire men, all of whom had been involved in various strikes in the 1850s, assembled by Liverpool-based tin plate merchant James Spence. The group held meetings with the intention of rallying support for the Confederates within northern England, particularly in Lancashire and Cheshire. However, when a vote regarding the support of British mediation in America was taken at one meeting in
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
, only 12 out of more than 4,000 workers voted in favour of Grimshaw. The local Weavers' Association consequently declared themselves in favour of Abraham Lincoln and his
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
.
[Dutton; King (1981), p. 207] Ultimately, the group's efforts were handicapped by an inability to maintain activity throughout the duration of the Civil War; by 1864 only two of the original company remained.
By the end of his career, Grimshaw had become a freelance political adventurer, industrial mediator and anti-union agitator selling his services to mill-owners and employers.
In an 1864 letter to
George Wilson, former president of the
Anti-Corn Law League
The Anti-Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected landowners’ interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time ...
during the 1840s, he described himself as "destitute and pennyless " and begged the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
chairman for money or employment. This was the last public record of Grimshaw; he returned to work as a power-loom weaver until his death in
Rishton
Rishton is a town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, about west of Clayton-le-Moors and north east of Blackburn. It was an urban district from about 1894 to 1974. The population at the census of 2011 was 6,625.
History
Its ...
from the lung disease
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
on 22 December 1869. He is buried at
St Bartholomew's Church in Great Harwood.
Legacy
Two of
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' characters were based on Grimshaw.
Dickens travelled to Preston in January 1854 to gather information about the strikes for a piece in his weekly magazine ''
Household Words
''Household Words'' was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s. It took its name from the line in Shakespeare's ''Henry V'': "Familiar in his mouth as household words."
History
During the planning stages, titles origi ...
''. He attended two meetings where union delegates from nearby towns presented money they had raised in support of the striking Preston workers. In the resulting article ''On Strike'', Dickens describes the general good order of the meetings, which was only disturbed by Grimshaw's oratory; in the article he is given the alias "Gruffshaw".
[Slater (2009), p. 370]
Later in 1854, Dickens used Grimshaw as his inspiration for Slackbridge, the "unscrupulous demagogue" from the novel ''
Hard Times''.
Like Grimshaw, Slackbridge is a vocal advocate for better conditions for factory workers in the fictional Coketown; in the story, however, the campaign is successful and the workers unionise rather than going on strike.
In his ''Reader's Guide to Charles Dickens'', critic
Philip Hobsbaum
Philip Dennis Hobsbaum (29 June 1932 – 28 June 2005) was a British teacher, poet and critic.
Life
Hobsbaum was born into a Polish Jewish family in London, and brought up in Bradford, Yorkshire, where he attended Belle Vue Boys' Grammar Sc ...
considers Slackbridge to be a somewhat exaggerated, more sentimental and inflammatory, caricature of Grimshaw.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimshaw, Mortimer
1826 births
1869 deaths
People from Great Harwood
English activists
Date of birth unknown
British weavers
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis deaths in England