James Finlen 1829 - 1889+ : Reformer, orator and 'Fenian'

Abstract

Introduction: This work deals with the life of a largely forgotten working-class man who played a part in bringing about the freedoms and rights which are enjoyed by people today but which were absent in his day. His origins are a little obscure but he seems to be the son of an Irish Catholic couple who had migrated to England but who had disappeared or died in his childhood. We know from his own writing that he became a French polisher by trade from the age of 15, probably as an apprentice. He lived with his sister and they appear together on the 1851 census in London lodging with a George Hoppey and his wife. Hoppey was a master French polisher and a Chartist who played an important part in Finlen's family life and who later adopted his daughter. It was almost certainly Hoppey who introduced Finlen to Chartism, which became his principal motivation in life. Finlen was an autodidact with a special talent in communicating with his working class fellows. He could sing, act, had a prodigious memory, was well-read and kept up to date with current national and world affairs, and was a great orator. He brought the message of Chartism to thousands of workers throughout the country, informing them of their rights and giving them aspirations - workers who were largely illiterate or ill-informed. ...