William Cuffay

The life & times of a Chartist leader

Martin Hoyles, Hansib Publications, 284 pages, paperback, £9.99

William Cuffay was one of the leaders of the Chartists, the largest political movement seen in Britain. His grandfather and father were both slaves, and his father managed to gain his freedom and settle in Chatham, Kent.

Cuffay trained as a tailor and moved to London where, in 1834, he was involved in the tailors’ strike for shorter hours. In 1839 he joined the Chartist movement and soon became well known for his oratory and sense of humour.

At the final mass demonstration for the Charter on Kennington Common on 10 April 1848, he protested strongly at the decision to call off the march to the House of Commons to present the petition. He called the national leadership a set of cowardly humbugs.

In August 1848, Cuffay became involved in planning an uprising in London. He was arrested, tried and convicted on the evidence of two police spies of levying war against the Queen and sentenced to transportation for life to Tasmania. There he remained actively involved in politics until he died a pauper in the workhouse.

Cuffay’s reputation during Chartism was immense, but he was subsequently forgotten for over a century. This book aims to restore him to his rightful place as a key figure in British history.

Reviews contributed by the Bookmarks socialist bookshop. Order online at www.bookmarksbookshop.co.uk