John Blackhurst
A table-blade forger, John Blackhurst was born in Sheffield in 1818. He represented fellow workers in trade disputes and was noted for his eloquence. He was the son of Stephen Blackhurst, a shoemaker, who died in 1847 (aged 70) after being run over in Love Lane by a horse and cart (Sheffield Independent, 13 March 1847). Within days of the tragedy, the local press noted that ‘our eloquent townsman left Sheffield for Liverpool to embark for New York’ (Sheffield Independent, 3 April 1847). Bl....
