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Picture source: Hania Franek

The Roebuck was situated on Tyrrel Street.

Source: John Yeadon

In 1822 Martha Midgley, the landlady, was threatened with the loss of her licence for allowing Catholics to hold a Mass in one of the rooms in the pub, the first public Mass in Bradford since the middle of the 16th century. The Roebuck was the headquarters for the Unionists in 1825 who organised the strike by 20,000 woolcombers and worsted weavers. After five months the strikers were defeated and forced back to work.

Hania Franek (August 2018)

In the late 1830s the pub was run by Peter (Fat) Bussey a leading Chartist. This was a radical working class political movement demanding universal suffrage (male). He left in a hurry for New York in 1840 where he set up a boarding house frequented by other exiles. The Roebuck was a meeting place for Bradford radicals at this time.

Stephen Pursey (December 2020)

Peter Bussey (1805-1869) Known as “Fat Peter”, due to his size, Peter Bussey was a publican (in 1837) at the Roebuck Sunbridge Bradford. He became the Secretary of The Grand National Consolidated Trade Unions in 1836. He was born in Bedale but came to Bradford apprenticed to a cabinet maker, but by 1835 he was a wool comber. He was also involved in many political societies, mainly the Bradford Political Union (that became the local Chartist society as part of the Great Northern Union) in the town and known to Joshua Hobson (see next slide) and openly hostile to the Whigs for not reforming. He met with Feargus O’Connor in January 1836. He shared the same view of physical force. He believed: “…of the right of the people to have arms in their possession. Let those who cannot purchase a rifle get a musket. Those who cannot get a musket let them buy a brace of pistols, and those who cannot buy pistols must get a pike – aye, a pike, with a shaft eight feet long, and a spear 15 inches long at the end of it”. At the time, Bradford was one of the most militant centres of Chartism. Bussey was an ardent advocate of physical force. “His manners are somewhat rough, and his address blunt”, was a contemporary description. Hartshead Moor The popularity of this moor (also known as Peep Green) is that it was equidistant from most West Riding towns and huge meetings were held here: 15th October 1838 where around 30,000 people attended with Feargus O’Connor and Peter Bussey making fiery speeches. They met here again again on 21st May 1839 with around 250,000 – thought to be the greatest political rally in Britain. They heard Feargus O’Connor (again) and Todmorden’s John Fielden make speeches. These were peaceful demonstrations, led with people behind brass bands and carrying banners. The event opened and closed with prayers and no alcohol was sold. At the latter the audience were told that they would have the Charter, 'peaceably if they could, and forcibly if they must’. But the Chartists were also split: Owenites (named after Robert Owen) were only seeking social reform (a form of Co-operatism) and not political reform. Then there was Richard Oastler campaigning against the Poor Law Act and those campaigning against the Corn Laws. The great national demonstration took started on Monday 12th August 1839 and lasted three days– around 10,000 people came to hear Peter Bussey make a speech in Bradford. All demonstrations passed peacefully. Although a silent meeting in Sheffield in September 1839 the Dragoons were brought in and this erupted into a riot and ended when “pistols were fired”. There was panic amongst the crowd when the Dragoons turned-off the gas lamps and then started a fight between the opposing sides. But when in work, people simply didn’t have the time to be involved in politics and so the period 1838-1841 was largely peaceful – apart from the November 1839 Newport Rising that it was actually dangerous! Newport Rising This was meant to be part of a national rebellion that failed to materialise – Peter Bussey was one of 12 national to organisers: he was responsible for Yorkshire. It seems that organisation was inept and that Chartists were unwilling to become part of an armed rebellion. The last Chartist activity for years was in Bradford on the night of 26th January 1840 where the Bradford Observer reported: “…a number of men from the adjacent country, armed to the teeth at the dead hour of night…” but nothing occurred – although the night watchman was taken prisoner. However, it got them very excited and ended with two groups of patrols shooting at each other! Bussey fled to America, amid accusations both that he had lost his nerve and had run off with the local Chartist movement’s funds.

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