Choppington Man Who Became Prime Minister

Choppington Man Who Became Prime Minister

A Prime Minister, three M.P.s and a newspaper editor are only three of the sons to fame who have originated from the small colliery village of Choppington.
The man who must possess one of the most romantic careers and who became Prime Minister of Queensland, Australia, was Thomas Glassey, an Irishman from Belfast, who came to Choppington as a very young man. He became a coal hewer and was a born organiser. It was recorded that he was the inseparable companion of Thomas Burt, the first miner to enter Parliament.
Glassey, together with several other local Irishmen, formed an Orange Lodge. Glassey’s resolute character is emphasised by the tale that at meetings of the lodge, which were held in the Queens Head, the chairman's mallet, a formidable looking instrument, could be converted into a dagger. If a blow of the mallet upon the table was not sufficient to bring the meeting to order, it was said that the mallet handle could be unscrewed, revealing the dagger blade.
The Orangemen were said, however, to be “very fine fellows” who held annual processions through the small village of Choppington, carrying banners and it was never necessary for the chairman of the meeting to display the dagger in order to control the meeting.
Glassey, who supported Burt in his first contest, strongly advocated the emancipation of the workers and took a keen interest in politics. He joined the Radical School with characters like Dr. James Trotter, Henry Saddler, William Locke, Robert Lawther and Robert Elliot, the well known pit-man’s poet, who penned a poem to commemorate Burt’s success in entering Parliament.
Glassey emigrated in 1879 and ultimately became Prime Minister in the country of his choice, Australia.
First of the three local M.P.s from Choppington was Thomas Burt, who was elected in 1874.
He was an extraordinary example of the way that a man born in a humble mining community could rise to fame and power.
He raised himself from the position of a miner to a man of eminence in the world of politics.
Despite the fact that Thomas Burt only received a smattering of knowledge at the colliery village schools, he had an eager thirst for education and studied much
In 1865 he was appointed general secretary of the Northumberland Miners Association, while in the year 1889 he was also made president of the national organisation.
When Burt retired he was succeeded by John Cairns and eventually by Mr. Ebby Edwards, who was born at Red Row, Bedlington, but who, as a boy, went to school at Choppington. Mr. Edwards went on to take up the position of general secretary of the Miners Federation of Great Britain.
From pit-man to newspaper editor is the romantic story of the life of a native of Choppington, Mr. John Bell. He worked at Choppington High Pit and during that time he took lessons in shorthand from a local teacher. During his working hours he used to chalk shorthand messages on the tubs, and to his surprise he one day discovered that one of his workmates in another part of the mine could correspond with him in that manner.
Subsequently, Mr. Bell aroused the interest of a gentleman called Mr. Joseph Cowan. Mr. Bell had an adventurous career during which he was Paris correspondent for the Morning Post and many other leading newspapers, before becoming editor of a London daily newspaper.
Among the many others who gained advancement in the same community were Mr. Charles Thompson, a railway clerk who went to South Africa and became transport manager for the South African Docks and Railway Co. Mr. William Hall and Mr. John Gibbison, two engineers; and Mr. A. V. Murray, who was elected vice-president of the Methodist Conference.