Samuel Bamford
Samuel Bamford (
1788—
1872),
English Labour
politician, was born at Miston, near
Middleton,
Lancashire, on the 28th of February
1788. He was opposed to physical force movements and did all he could to restrain the violent resistance to trade oppression which was so common; yet through attending and speaking at the meeting (
1819) at
Peterloo,
Manchester, which was intended to be a peaceful gathering to petition for Parliamentary reform and a repeal of the
Corn Law but ended in a massacre, he was arrested for a breach of the law, convicted and sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment. He was the author of several widely popular poems (principally in the Lancashire dialect) showing sympathy with the conditions of his class, and his
Passages in the Life of a Radical (
1840—
1844) is an authoritative history of the condition of the working classes in the years succeeding the
battle of Waterloo. He died at Harpurhey on the 13th of April
1872, and was given a public funeral, attended by thousands.