Cooper , Thomas , 1805-1892 , Chartist and religious lecturer

Thomas Cooper was born in Leicester in 1805. He educated himself in languages, literature history and theology. He became a schoolteacher, preacher and journalist, and espoused radical Chartism whilst living and working in Leicester in the early 1840s. After serving 2 years in prison following Chartist riots in Staffordshire, he supported himself by writing prose and poetry. From 1856 onwards he was a travelling religious lecturer. He died in 1892.