Encyclopedias: Spartacus Educational: Reform of Parliament: Thomas Cooper

Description: Abstract: Born in Leicester in 1805, he educated himself at home and in 1828 opened his own school in Gainsborough. At one time he had over a hundred pupils but his decision to provide lessons in Latin and Greek rather than concentrating on the basic subjects was upopular with the parents and the school was eventually forced to close. In November 1840 he became a member of the Chartists and later was found guilty of organising the Plug Plot Riots and spent the next two years in Stafford Gaol. By the time he was released from prison he had changed his mind about the morality of using physical force to obtain the vote. He continued to write for newspapers but after joining the Baptist sect in 1856 he spent most of his time as a travelling preacher. He died in 1892.