John Fielden
Encyclopedia
John Fielden also known as Honest John Fielden, was a British social reformer and benefactor. He was the third son of Joshua Fielden, and began working in his father's mill at the age of 9. With his brothers, he expanded the family cotton business at Todmorden
to become a wealthy businessman. In 1811, he married Ann Grindrod of Rochdale, and they had 7 children called Jane (1814), Samuel (1816), Mary (1817), Ann (1819), John (1822), Joshua (1827) and Ellen (1829). In 18??, he married Elizabeth Dearden. In turn, a Quaker, Methodist, and Unitarian
Methodist, he was a Radical Member of Parliament
for Oldham
from 1832 to 1847, first elected alongside William Cobbett
with whom he had been a key figure in the campaign leading to the Reform Act 1832
.
In 1829, Fielden Brothers introduced the power loom to the Calder Valley.
Fielden fought for shorter working hours, promoting the Ten Hours Act also known as the 1847 Factory Act. He also protested against the new Poor Law
. In 1833, he seconded a resolution to remove Sir Robert Peel from the Privy Council.
In 1832, he published his The Mischiefs and Iniquities of Paper Money, and, in 1836, a pamphlet The Curse of the Factory System of which the preamble reads:
Following local riots, the government sent a group to investigate whether he had incited, encouraged or supported the rioters. He is buried at Todmorden Unitarian Chapel. During the Cotton famine
of the 1860s, his family paid unemployed workers to build roads and buildings in the Todmorden
district.
Todmorden
Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....
to become a wealthy businessman. In 1811, he married Ann Grindrod of Rochdale, and they had 7 children called Jane (1814), Samuel (1816), Mary (1817), Ann (1819), John (1822), Joshua (1827) and Ellen (1829). In 18??, he married Elizabeth Dearden. In turn, a Quaker, Methodist, and Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
Methodist, he was a Radical Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Oldham
Oldham (UK Parliament constituency)
Oldham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham, England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1832 to 1847, first elected alongside William Cobbett
William Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
with whom he had been a key figure in the campaign leading to the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
.
In 1829, Fielden Brothers introduced the power loom to the Calder Valley.
Fielden fought for shorter working hours, promoting the Ten Hours Act also known as the 1847 Factory Act. He also protested against the new Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
. In 1833, he seconded a resolution to remove Sir Robert Peel from the Privy Council.
In 1832, he published his The Mischiefs and Iniquities of Paper Money, and, in 1836, a pamphlet The Curse of the Factory System of which the preamble reads:
"A Short Account of the Origin of Factory Cruelties; of the Attempts to Protect the Children by Law; of Their Present Sufferings; Our Duty Towards Them; Injustice of Mr Thomson's Bill; the Folly of the Political Economists; a Warning Against Sending the Children of the South into the Factories of the North"
Following local riots, the government sent a group to investigate whether he had incited, encouraged or supported the rioters. He is buried at Todmorden Unitarian Chapel. During the Cotton famine
Cotton famine
The Lancashire Cotton Famine, also known as The Cotton Famine or the Cotton Panic , was a depression in the textile industry of North West England, brought about by the interruption of baled cotton imports caused by the American Civil War. The boom years of 1859 and 1860 had produced more woven...
of the 1860s, his family paid unemployed workers to build roads and buildings in the Todmorden
Todmorden
Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....
district.