William Pickard (10 February 1821 – 21 October 1887) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

. Born in Aspull Moor in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, Pickard worked at a

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

from an early age. He became active in the Wigan District Miners' Union and, despite being

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

, he rose to prominence. He was elected as vice-president of Alexander Macdonald's

Miners' National Association The Miners' National Union (MNU) was a trade union which represented miners in Great Britain. History The union was founded in November 1863 at a five-day long conference at the People's Hall in Leeds. It was originally known as the National Ass ...

(MNA) at its founding conference in 1863, and as agent of the

Wigan Miners' Association The Wigan Miners' Association represented coal miners in parts of Lancashire, in England. The union was established in 1862, as the Wigan Miners' Provident Benefit Society. During the 1860s, it was one of the strongest miners' unions in the UK. ...

in 1864.Joyce Bellamy, "Pickard, William (1821-87)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.I, p.271 Pickard and

Thomas Halliday Thomas Halliday may refer to: * Thomas Halliday (cricketer) (1904–1977), English cricketer * Thomas Halliday (engraver) (c. 1780–c. 1854), English coin and medal engraver * Thomas Halliday (trade unionist) (1835–1919), English trade unionis ...

became critical of Macdonald's cautious approach to trade unionism, and founded a new

Amalgamated Association of Miners The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM) was formed in 1869 in Lancashire, at a time of increasing industrial conflict in the British coalfields. History The union was founded by Thomas Halliday and William Pickard, two miners' union agents who ...

(AAM), with Pickard as treasurer. This new association advocated more militant action, including solidarity strikes, but continued to co-operate with the MNA, and even welcomed Macdonald to speak at its conferences.John Saville, "Halliday, Thomas (Tom) (1835-1919)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.III, pp.91-94 The AAM was initially successful, expanding across Great Britain and winning several strikes, which inspired Pickard to stand as a Liberal-Labour candidate in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

at the 1874 UK general election, taking fourth place of five candidates. The AAM was suffering from financial difficulties and so, in 1875, merged back into the MNA. Pickard thereafter withdrew from national trade unionism, but remained agent of the Wigan miners and was prominent in leading rescue efforts and organising compensation after mining accidents. After an explosion in Pearson and Knowles' Moss Pits in which 69 men died, the exploring party including Pickard descended into the downcast shaft where several colliers were found alive and returned to the surface. The coal had caught fire and two more explosions occurred and no more could be done. It was decided that anyone left underground must be dead and the shaft was sealed. . Pickard championed the formation of the

Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Permanent Relief Society The Lancashire and Cheshire Miners Permanent Relief Society (LCMPRS) was a form of friendly society started in 1872 to provide financial assistance to miners who were unable to work after being injured in industrial accidents in collieries on the L ...

in 1872 after a spate of disasters caused great distress and hardship, leaving widows and families destitute. After Pickard's death, the Vicar of Ince related that he had been a witness at every House of Commons Committee from 1860 and given evidence at a Royal Commission. He was present in the aftermath of many of the mining disasters since 1858, only the senior inspector, Joseph Dickinson, had attended more, and frequently had been a member of the first exploring party that descended into the mines after explosions. He was delegated to attend inquiries after disasters in South Wales where he was held in great esteem. Twenty thousand miners contributed to the memorial for Pickard in Wigan Cemetery.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickard, William 1821 births 1887 deaths Trade unionists from the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan People from Wigan