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Description: | Bronze statue on tapering square stone pedestal with cornice and moulded base, on stylobate. Inscribed on all sides. Statue is sited in Broadfield Park and is positioned so that it looks out towards Rochdale. The main side of the statue can only be seen with difficulty in the park itself. The granite pedestal rises from two stone steps. Additional Information: John Bright, the son of Jacob Bright, a self-made and successful cotton manufacturer, was born in Rochdale on 16 November, 1811. Jacob was deeply religious and sent John to Quaker schools in Lancashire and Yorkshire. This Quaker education helped to develop in Bright a passionate commitment to political and religious equality. After his formal schooling came to an end, Bright joined the rapidly expanding family business. He also became involved in local politics and joined the campaign to end compulsory tax support of the Anglican Church in Rochdale. In 1839 Bright was invited by Richard Cobden to join the recently established Anti-Corn Law League. Bright agreed and over the next few years campaigned for free trade. Bright was an outstanding orator and he drew large crowds wherever he appeared. The campaign proved an important factor in the eventual repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. Bright used his high standing to campaign for progressive causes. As a Quaker he was opposed to the aggressive foreign policy of Lord Palmerston. Bright joined with Cobden to campaign against the Crimean War (1854-1856). The two men were much abused by the press and some MPs even accused them of treason. The British public shared the government's enthusiasm for the war and in the 1857 General Election, both Bright and Cobden lost their seats in the House of Commons. Five months later Bright won a by-election in Birmingham. He refused to change his view on Britain's foreign policy. Bright was a leading advocate for universal suffrage and the introduction of the secret ballot. When Gladstone became Prime Minister in 1868, as a great admirer of Bright he appointed him as his President of the Board of Trade. Ill-health forced him to retire from the Cabinet in December 1870. Bright returned to government as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1873-74 and again in 1880. On the latter occasion he objected to the Liberal government's foreign policy and when the British fleet attacked Egypt in 1882, he resigned from the Cabinet. John Bright remained MP for Birmingham until his death on 27 March 1889. See also MANCHESTER for Bright (MP for Manchester 1847-1857] | Subjects: | Statue | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Sculptor: Thornycroft, William Hamo | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=7553... | Go to resource |
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