Elliott , Ebenezer , 1781-1849 , poet and merchant x Corn Law Rhymer

Ebenezer Elliott was born in Rotherham in 1781, the son of an iron founder. Between the ages of 16 and 38, he worked in the family business until it failed, leaving him bankrupt. Elliott moved to Sheffield, where he became a successful iron dealer. During this period, Elliott was very interested in politics, and his poems reflect this. He set up the Anti-Corn Law League in Sheffield, and wrote a series of strongly worded rhymes and poems which were then spoken at the thousands of anti-corn law meetings all across the country. Elliott's work came to the attention of Robert Southey and William Wordsworth, who lifted him out of obscurity and made him well-known nationally. A collection of his work was printed as Corn Law Rhymes (Sheffield Mechanics Anti-Tax Society, 1831). Elliott died in 1849.