Blue plaque for city campaigner

A Leeds-born preacher and anti-slavery campaigner is to be commemorated with the unveiling of a blue plaque near his birthplace in the city.

Richard Oastler fought against child labour in textile mills and his work led to the introduction of the Ten Hour Day Act in 1847.

The Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque will be sited on the Wardrobe Bar close to his birthplace in St Peter's Square.

Tuesday's unveiling is part of a series of Heritage Open Days in Yorkshire.

Reduced hours

Deputy leader of Leeds City Council Andrew Carter will reveal the plaque with the help of children from Fulneck School in Pudsey, where Oastler was educated in the 18th Century.

Oastler's letter to the Leeds Mercury about 'Yorkshire Slavery' in 1830 began the campaign to reduce the working day of factory children to 10 hours.

His campaign was supported by workers and doctors who witnessed the ill-health of factory employees.

The first parliamentary bill limiting factory hours for women and children to 12 hours was passed in 1844, followed three years later by the Ten Hour Day Act in 1847.

Vice chair of the Leeds Civic Trust Lynda Kitching said it was about time Oastler was commemorated in his home town.

"It is strange that this famous campaigner against the exploitation of factory children, who spent most of his early life in Leeds, has a statue in Bradford but is not prominently commemorated in Leeds," she said.