John Doherty (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
John Doherty trade unionist, radical
and factory reformer who devoted his life to political and social reform. Born in Buncrana, County Donegal
, Ireland
.
He married his wife, Laura, in 1821 and they had four children.
He died, aged aged 56, of suspected heart disease.
manufacturers. At a time of mass emigration to England and Scotland it seems almost natural that Doherty would follow this path and in 1816 he relocated to Manchester, the home of the cotton industry, possibly in search of higher wages offered to workers with his significant experience.
The General Union of Cotton Spinners was an ambitious project, intending to link the English spinners unions with those of Ireland and Scotland. Doherty realised that a small number of spinners striking would change very little, but bringing an entire industry to a halt would force a rethink in wages and conditions. Perhaps though this was a little too ambitious and in 1831 the union collapsed following six months of strike action. The supposed united front never occurred with the Scottish and Irish spinners refusing to join in and leaving the protest in tatters.
Doherty was also involved with the creation of the National Association for the Protection of Labour but similarly this ambitious project, intended to provide a general union of workers of all trades, was poorly supported and collapsed in 1832.
. Together they set about obtaining fairer working hours and conditions for factory workers and formed the Society for Promoting National Regeneration.
Doherty published The Poor Man’s Advocate and within this told the story of Robert Blincoe
, a former child labourer. This led Doherty to turn his interest to the working conditions of women and children, particularly the exceptionally long days many were expected to work. Doherty set about campaigning for reduced working hours of no more than ten per day, known as the Ten Hours Bill. Parliament finally agreed to these requests as part of the 1847 Factory Acts and Doherty’s relentless work had paid off.
Doherty was also accused of serving a prison sentence after committing a ‘gross assault upon a woman’ following a minor incident with his wife. This was not the case and seems to have been confused either purposely or otherwise with the time Doherty spent in prison following the 1818 strikes and later in 1832 following libel action.
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
and factory reformer who devoted his life to political and social reform. Born in Buncrana, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
He married his wife, Laura, in 1821 and they had four children.
He died, aged aged 56, of suspected heart disease.
Early life
Doherty began his career as a cotton spinner from a very young age, starting as a child worker just ten years old in his home town of Buncrana. He later moved to Larne, a small town just north of Belfast, where he again worked in the booming cotton industry which was benefiting partly from investment of ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
manufacturers. At a time of mass emigration to England and Scotland it seems almost natural that Doherty would follow this path and in 1816 he relocated to Manchester, the home of the cotton industry, possibly in search of higher wages offered to workers with his significant experience.
Doherty and trade unionism
Following Doherty’s relocation to Manchester, it was not long before he was involved with the factory workers growing movement for higher wages and better conditions. In 1818 he was a leading figure in the spinners strike and was imprisoned for two years. Rather than deterring Doherty this merely enhanced his desire to obtain better conditions for himself and his fellow workers and he continued to be an active member of the Manchester Spinners Union following his release. In 1828 Doherty was elected leader of the Manchester Spinners Union and the following year he led the group in a six month strike against a wages reduction. Starvation forced the strikers back into employment and although this was considered to be a failure following low turnout, Doherty remained determined and soon founded the General Union of Cotton Spinners.The General Union of Cotton Spinners was an ambitious project, intending to link the English spinners unions with those of Ireland and Scotland. Doherty realised that a small number of spinners striking would change very little, but bringing an entire industry to a halt would force a rethink in wages and conditions. Perhaps though this was a little too ambitious and in 1831 the union collapsed following six months of strike action. The supposed united front never occurred with the Scottish and Irish spinners refusing to join in and leaving the protest in tatters.
Doherty was also involved with the creation of the National Association for the Protection of Labour but similarly this ambitious project, intended to provide a general union of workers of all trades, was poorly supported and collapsed in 1832.
Doherty the bookseller
From 1832 Doherty took a back seat from the union movement and established himself as a bookseller and printer, working out of Withy Grove in Manchester. Although less involved with the general movement, Doherty continued to publish a radical journal entitled The Voice of the People which focused on the plight of the factory and mill workers and called for reform. In an attempt to spread the word of his causes, Doherty later opened a free reading area within his shop where members of the public were encouraged to relax and read his articles calling for reform.Doherty and the factory reform movement
It is whilst working as a publisher that Doherty’s interest in the factory reform movement peaked and following his release from prison due to slanderous comments made within the aforementioned journal, The Voice of the People, he became involved with fellow radical Robert OwenRobert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
. Together they set about obtaining fairer working hours and conditions for factory workers and formed the Society for Promoting National Regeneration.
Doherty published The Poor Man’s Advocate and within this told the story of Robert Blincoe
Robert Blincoe
Robert Blincoe was an English author and former child labourer. He became famous during the 1830's for his popular autobiography, A Memoir of Robert Blincoe, an account of his childhood spent in a workhouse. However, there are some doubts about whether this detailed observation of Blincoe's early...
, a former child labourer. This led Doherty to turn his interest to the working conditions of women and children, particularly the exceptionally long days many were expected to work. Doherty set about campaigning for reduced working hours of no more than ten per day, known as the Ten Hours Bill. Parliament finally agreed to these requests as part of the 1847 Factory Acts and Doherty’s relentless work had paid off.
Doherty's private life
Numerous accusations regarding John Doherty’s character were made during his career in an attempt to discredit him and the trade union movement he supported. It was suggested that Doherty had initially gained employment in Manchester using a forged certificate of character from Belfast. This was an accusation that Doherty never fully refuted and was used by his opponents to show he was not a trustworthy character, particularly during the ten hours movement debate.Doherty was also accused of serving a prison sentence after committing a ‘gross assault upon a woman’ following a minor incident with his wife. This was not the case and seems to have been confused either purposely or otherwise with the time Doherty spent in prison following the 1818 strikes and later in 1832 following libel action.