Chartist Ancestors
What did your family do in the revolution?

Millions signed the three great Chartist petitions of 1839 to 1848. Thousands were active in those years in the campaign to win the vote, secret ballots, and other democratic rights that we now take for granted.

Chartist Ancestors lists many of those who risked their freedom, and sometimes their lives, because of their participation in the Chartist cause. The names included on the site are drawn from newspapers, court records and books of the time, from later histories and other sources.

I would like to thank the many historians, researchers and the descendents of those associated with Chartism who have helped with this site since it was launched in 2003.

Mark Crail, Editor

How to...
Make the most of your visit to an archive or records office

Research your trade union ancestors

Find Chartist records in the National Archives

© Mark Crail

Variations on Chartism
Chartist Land Company officials

This page names local officials of the Chartist Land Plan, which aimed to resettle industrial workers on smallholdings by collecting small share contributions from Chartists and allocating farms by lot.

Other pages on this site dealing with the Chartist Land Plan
The Chartist Land Plan and names of those allocated land
More about the Land Company and the names of subscribers

Index of Chartist land plan subscribers in 11 Lancashire towns
Ashton-under-Lyne - 1,120 names
Bacup - 500 names
Bolton - 781 names
Bury - 639 names
Colne - 254 names
Oldham - 219 names
Preston - 215 names
Rochdale - 285 names
Salford - 350 names
Stalybridge - 643 names
Wigan - 69 names

The National Land Company never found an adequate legal basis for its activities, and the continuing uncertainty about its status, and in particular its relationship to Feargus O'Connor, led to accusations of financial impropriety as well as of incompetence.

The company never succeeded in shaking off suspicions that its cash went to subsidise O'Connor's publication of the Northern Star newspaper, But it did succeed in developing a local branch structure throughout the country through which revenues were raised and administration conducted.

In an attempt to resolve some of the problems faced by the company, the directors called a conference “to consider the whole question of the company, with a view to its decisive and satisfactory settlement”. Branches were asked to elect delegates and collected three pence from each member to cover expenses.

The conference was to be held at Snig's End on Monday, August 6 1849. The following list of branch secretaries was published in the Northern Star, of July 14, 1849.

Northampton District – William Munday, Silver-street, Secretary. – Peterborough, Wellingborough, Kettering, Coventry, Warwick, Leamington, Stoney Stratford, Newport Pagnel.

Swindon District – David Morrison, 2, Bath-street, Secretary. – Banbury, Minster, Witney, O'Connorville, Newbury, Reading, Devizes, Market Lavington, Salisbury, Oxford.

Sheffield District – George Cavill, 33, Queen-street, Secretary. – Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Warsboro' Common.

Nottingham District – James Sweet, Goose-gate, Secretary. – Nottingham, Newark, Mansfield, Sutton, Carrington, New Radford, East Retford.

Leicester District – Thomas Newton, 36, Fleet-street, Secretary. – Derby, Leicester, Belper, Lougborough, Mount Sorrell, Burrowash.

Manchester District – Wiiliam Foster, Alice-street, Devonshire-street, Hulme, Secretary.

Salford District – Thomas Tomlinson, Church-grove, Pendleton, Secretary. – Salford, Newtonheath, Middleton, Eccles.

Preston District – James Brown, Moor-lane, Secretary. – Preston, Chorley, Clitheroe, Lancaster, Warrington, Birkenhead and Liverpool.

Bolton District – William Pickvance, 18, Duncan-street, Secretary. – Bolton, Bury, Heywood, Radcliffe Bridge, Blackburn, Acrington, Haslingden, Oswaldtwistle.

Teignmouth District – James Edwards, hat manufacturer, Secretary. – Teignmouth, Truro, Totness, Newton Abbott, Exeter.

Tiverton District – Henry Land, Prospect-place, Secretary. – Tiverton, Barnstaple, Bridgewater, South Molton, Cullumpton, Wellington, Taunton.

Bristol District – Charles Clark, St George's, St. Philip's, Secretary. – Bath, Merthyr, Newport, Abergavenny, Monmouth, Glocester, Cirencester, Upton, Lowbands, Snig's End.

Worcester District – James Harding, City Arms, Secretary. Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Pershore, Bromsgrove, Malvern.

Bradford (York) District – Michael Connell, Albion-square, Manchester-road, Secretary. Idle, Otley, Clayton, Bramhope, Keighley.

Hull District – George Barnett, 177 High-street, Secretary. – Leeds, Armley, Selby, York, Scarborough.

Newcastle District – Two members – Mr Forest, Raulway-terrace, Secretary. – Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Windynook, North and South Shields, Carlisle, Sunderland, Durham, Bishopswearmouth, Easington Lane, Thornley, Cockermouth.

Birmingham District – Charles Goodwin, 19, Darwin-street, Secretary. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Bilston, Walsall, smethwick.

Hanley District – Mr Silvester, Tontine-street, Secretary. – Hanley, Longton, Burslem, Crewe, Congleton.

Stockport District – T.Woodhouse, 4, Angel-street, Secretary. – Stockport, Chester, Hyde, Macclesfield.

Ashton District – James Taylor, Turner-lane, Secretary. – Ashton, Staleybridge, Mottram, Glossop, Duckinfield, Mosley, Droylsden.

Burnley District – Henry Smith, Curron-street, Secretary. Burnley, Padiham, Colne, Barrowford, Bacup, Todmorden, Skipton, Hebden-bridge.

Rochdale District – Edward Mitchell, 55 Cheetham-street, Secretary. – Rochdale, Oldham, Hollingwood.

Halifax District – J.S.Anderson, Blackledge, Secretary. – Halifax, Elland, Sowerby, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Little Town, Holmfirth.

Brighton District – George Giles, Victoria-street, Secretary. – Brighton, Chatham, Maidstone, Tunbridge, Crayford, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southamptonm, Gosport, Blandford.

Ipswich District – Mr Gerrard, News Agent, Secretary. – Braintree, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester, Brightlingsea, Norwich, Wisbeach, Lynn, Ely, Brandon, Yarmouth, Cambridge.

SCOTLAND
Glasgow District – Duncan Sherrington, Romford-street, Bridgeton, Secretary. – Greenock, Alexandria, Kilmarnock, Paisley, Campsea, Hamilton-Falkirk, Denny.

Edinburgh District – Mr Cumming, 14, Duncan-street, Secretary. – Georgie Mills, Alloa, Alva, Kirkaldy, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen, Arbroath.

THOMAS CLARK, Cor. Sec ( corresponding secretary – editor )

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