Richard Spurr (1800–1855) was a Cornish

cabinet maker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (s ...

and

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

who was imprisoned for his part in leading the political movement

Chartism 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 ...

Early life

Richard Spurr was born son of Christopher Spurr and Christian Richards in 1800 in

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

, Cornwall, where he became a

and carpenter. He was married on his 21st birthday in

Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

to Ann Mary Babot who was born there in 1803. In 1840, now living in London, he was one of eleven signatories to

Henry Vincent Henry Vincent (10 May 1813 – 29 December 1878) was active in the formation of early Working Men's Associations in Britain, a popular Chartist leader, brilliant and gifted public orator, prospective but ultimately unsuccessful Victorian membe ...

's address on

teetotalism Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or i ...

who described themselves as ''political victims''.

Involvement in the Chartist Movement

He became interested in promoting peoples’ rights whilst operating from premises in Pyder Street,

, and was a leader 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 Cornwall. Possibly he may have been influenced by

William Lovett William Lovett (8 May 1800 – 8 August 1877) was a British activist and leader of the Chartism, Chartist political movement. He was one of the leading London-based artisan Radicals (UK), radicals of his generation. A proponent of the idea tha ...

who, like Richard, was a Cornish

. Spurr was arrested by police with drawn cutlasses on Thursday 16 January 1840 at the Trades' Hall, Bethnal Green whilst addressing an

LDA LDA may refer to: Aviation *Localizer type directional aid, an instrument approach to an airport *Landing distance available, the length of runway that is available for the ground run of an airplane landing Law *Legal document assistant, a non-la ...

meeting of about 700 people "to put their trust in God and keep their powder dry" and sent to

Newgate Gaol Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, th ...

to await trial at the

Central Criminal Court A Central Criminal Court refers to major legal court responsible for trying crimes within a given jurisdiction. Such courts include: *The name by which the Crown Court is known when it sits in the City of London *Central Criminal Court of England ...

. He later represented London at the famous 1840 Manchester Conference. Initially a member of the National Charter Association of Great Britain and Ireland, standing for election to its Executive Committee in May 1841, he became an early member of the

National Association for Promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People The National Association for Promoting the Political and Social Improvement of the People was founded, in Britain, in 1841 by William Lovett in order to put his form of "educational chartism" into practice. This was denounced by the ''Northern Star ...

, founded in 1841 by William Lovett There is much written about Richard Spurr in the newspapers of the day, but also in books including full chapters in and "Crime, Protest and Popular Politics in Southern England 1740-1850".

A new life in Australia

By 1848

Chartists 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 ...

were being hunted down, imprisoned and deported. In 1850, possibly after being tipped off as to his impending arrest, Richard Spurr migrated to Australia together with his wife and children aboard the Trafalgar. According to "Victoria and its Metropolis" Richard Spurr built the first Police Barracks in Melbourne, near his business premises at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street. There is a possibility that he was at

Eureka Stockade The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, which ...

as he was in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

for a while at that time, and the rights being fought for at the Eureka Stockade were very similar to those sought by the

. Many of the leaders at the Eureka Stockade were Chartist members. The nights before the military attack on the stockade there were up 1,500 people there, but dropped to about 150 on the day of the attack.

Death

Richard Spurr died in January 1855 (within 2 months of the Eureka Stockade) and so never saw true democracy introduced to England or Australia. However as a result of the Eureka Stockade democratic reform became a reality in Victoria over the next couple of years. Richard Spurr is buried in the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...

grave # CE 2 1201, where his headstone reads: Writing recently, Richard's descendant Noel Spurr OAM pondered the question as to whether his great great-grandfather may have died of a broken heart, "believing that after half a lifetime of involvement, nothing had changed, that people were killed for nothing".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spurr, Richard 1800 births 1855 deaths British prisoners and detainees Chartists People from Truro