Thomas Brooks
Encyclopedia
Thomas Judson Brooks, MBE
, JP
(7 July 1880 – 15 February 1958) was a British
coal miner and politician who became a Labour Party
Member of Parliament
. A spiritualist
, his main achievement was to lead the successful campaign to repeal the Witchcraft Act 1735.
near Barnsley
, Yorkshire
, where his father was a farmer. He attended Thurgoland Church School, and on leaving instead of following his father into farming, he became a coal miner at Glass Houghton. Active in the Yorkshire Mine Workers' Association, he became Secretary of his branch of the Union in 1911. He was elected as a Labour Party
candidate to Castleford
Urban District Council in 1914.
for the West Riding of Yorkshire
. In the next year he was elected to the West Riding County Council, on which he remained until 1942 and was elected as a County Alderman
in 1940. He was also Chairman of Trustees for Castleford, Normanton and District Hospital. In 1931 he was awarded Membership of the Order of the British Empire
for services to the local community.
died in May 1942, Brooks won the endorsement of the Yorkshire Miners' Association, and at the Rothwell by-election in August
he was elected unopposed as Labour Member of Parliament
(MP) for Rothwell
. After the end of the war Brooks was appointed to a Committee advising the Speaker on the rebuilding of the Chamber of the House of Commons
, which had been destroyed by German bombs in 1941. He was a firm opponent of capital punishment
.
, as he was an ardent spiritualist himself. He led delegations from the Spiritualists' National Union
to the Home Secretary over what spiritualists believed was heavy-handed policing, and in 1943 obtained a concession that action would only be taken in the most extreme cases of misrepresentation. However, after the prosecution of medium Helen Duncan
in 1944, the Spiritualists decided to campaign for a change in the law.
With Private Member's Bill
s having been suspended during the Second World War and for some years afterwards, it was not until 1950 that an opportunity emerged. Brooks' friend Walter Monslow
won a spot in the annual ballot for Bills, and Brooks persuaded him to introduce a Bill to repeal the Witchcraft Act 1735 and replace it with an Act criminalising deliberate deception. With Brooks' guidance, the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951
was passed unanimously.
Brooks retired from Parliament at the 1951 general election
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(7 July 1880 – 15 February 1958) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
coal miner and politician who became a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
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,...
. A spiritualist
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, his main achievement was to lead the successful campaign to repeal the Witchcraft Act 1735.
Working life
Brooks was born on Eastfield Farm at ThurgolandThurgoland
Thurgoland is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,801. The village has one primary school, the Holy Trinity and a Methodist Chapel. There are four public houses: The Monkey,...
near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, where his father was a farmer. He attended Thurgoland Church School, and on leaving instead of following his father into farming, he became a coal miner at Glass Houghton. Active in the Yorkshire Mine Workers' Association, he became Secretary of his branch of the Union in 1911. He was elected as a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate to Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
Urban District Council in 1914.
Local politics
In 1924 Brooks was appointed Chairman of Wakefield and Pontefract War Pension Committee and made a Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
. In the next year he was elected to the West Riding County Council, on which he remained until 1942 and was elected as a County Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in 1940. He was also Chairman of Trustees for Castleford, Normanton and District Hospital. In 1931 he was awarded Membership of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to the local community.
Election to Parliament
When the Labour MP William LunnWilliam Lunn
William Lunn was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.He was elected at the 1918 general election as Member of Parliament for the newly-created Rothwell constituency in West Yorkshire, and held the seat until he died in office in 1942, aged 69.In 1924, Lunn served in Ramsay...
died in May 1942, Brooks won the endorsement of the Yorkshire Miners' Association, and at the Rothwell by-election in August
Rothwell by-election, 1942
The Rothwell by-election, 1942 was a parliamentary by-election held on 7 August 1942 for the British House of Commons constituency of Rothwell in West Yorkshire....
he was elected unopposed as Labour 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,...
(MP) for Rothwell
Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)
Rothwell was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rothwell area of West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :...
. After the end of the war Brooks was appointed to a Committee advising the Speaker on the rebuilding of the Chamber of the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, which had been destroyed by German bombs in 1941. He was a firm opponent of capital punishment
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom was used from the creation of the state in 1707 until the practice was abolished in the 20th century. The last executions in the United Kingdom, by hanging, took place in 1964, prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder...
.
Spiritualism
Brooks' most pressing issue was that of SpiritualismSpiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, as he was an ardent spiritualist himself. He led delegations from the Spiritualists' National Union
Spiritualists' National Union
The Spiritualists' National Union is a Spiritualist organisation, founded in the United Kingdom in 1901, and is one of the largest spiritualist groups in the world. Its motto is Light, Nature, Truth....
to the Home Secretary over what spiritualists believed was heavy-handed policing, and in 1943 obtained a concession that action would only be taken in the most extreme cases of misrepresentation. However, after the prosecution of medium Helen Duncan
Helen Duncan
Helen Duncan was a Scottish medium best known as the last person to be imprisoned under the British Witchcraft Act of 1735.-Early life:...
in 1944, the Spiritualists decided to campaign for a change in the law.
With Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
s having been suspended during the Second World War and for some years afterwards, it was not until 1950 that an opportunity emerged. Brooks' friend Walter Monslow
Walter Monslow, Baron Monslow
Walter Monslow, Baron Monslow was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.Born in Wrexham, Monslow was elected at 1945 general election as Member of Parliament for Barrow-in-Furness, and held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the general election in March 1966.In June...
won a spot in the annual ballot for Bills, and Brooks persuaded him to introduce a Bill to repeal the Witchcraft Act 1735 and replace it with an Act criminalising deliberate deception. With Brooks' guidance, the Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951
Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951
The Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951 was a law in England and Wales which prohibited a person from claiming to be a psychic, medium, or other spiritualist while attempting to deceive and to make money from the deception . It was repealed on 26 May 2008...
was passed unanimously.
Brooks retired from Parliament at the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
.