Joseph Burgess Research

 

Joseph Burgess was born in Failsworth, Lancashire. He was the third of six children. He was one of the founding members of the labour party and was my great, great granddad.

His family background played a major part in his career. Through the social and economic situation of his family, he became aware of the wide gap between rich and poor. The family had much in common with many others who experienced the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Joseph's great grandfather migrated from Derbyshire to Failsworth, a district of Oldham bordering Manchester. They were attracted to Manchester because it was a place of golden promise where opportunities for work were abundant as industry in the area expanded. There was money to be made also in less skilled jobs. Joseph's paternal grandfather, also called Joseph, worked as a navvy and so did his brothers. Eventually, he progressed from labouring to a more skilful job of operating a coal barge between one of Oldham's coal mines and Manchester. 

When Joseph left the textile industry, he earned his living through writing for newspapers, editing newspapers, and lecturing for the socialist movement. Joseph's nemesis as a socialist activist occurred with the First World War which began in August 1914. At the time he was the editor for the Bradford Pioneer, the newspaper of the Bradford ILP, President of the Bradford ILP and President of the Bradford Branch of the Church Socialist League.