Catalogue Number
NMLH.1993.244
Object Name
Ceramic Figurine
Title
RICHARD COBDEN
Place
Manchester; Stockport & Lancashire & England & UK
People
Cobden, Richard; Member of Parliament: Stockport
Date
circa 1850
Description
This Staffordshire figure of Richard Cobden dates from around 1850 and was given to the museum by Henry Fry, a keen collector of labour history. Cobden was born in Sussex in 1804, but by 1832 had settled in Manchester as a successful textile merchant. He became the Member of Parliament for Stockport in 1841 and represented Rochdale in 1859. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Anti-Corn Law League in 1839. The Repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 made him a national hero, echoed here by the document in his hand and the 'horn of plenty' by his side. He died in 1865.
