Richard Otley Chartist And Poet

[duckweed]

Has anyone any idea where this friend of Ebenezer Elliott lived. What he did besides writing poetry or any biography at all. I have never heard of him before. He was apparently arrested with Holberry but was acquitted.

[Edmund]

In July and September 1839 Otley was elected a Chartist delegate.

In September 1842 he was arrested in Manchester, one of 11 Chartist leaders arrested for “conspiracy” He was a tea-dealer at the time. At his trial at Lancaster in March 1843 he was found guilty, though it went to appeal.

In December 1847 there was a campaign to stop him taking up his elected position as Town Councillor

At the 1851 census he lived at 112 Carver street, Bookseller aged 53 born in Doncaster. He later had a shop on South Street (Moor) and was in trouble for having illicit tobacco on sale.

He died on 24^th March 1870 aged 74

[SteveHB]

From the street directories.

Otley Richard, 4 South st., tobacconist & newspaper agent. (1847).

Otley Richard, news agent, stationer, & tea, coffee, tobacco, &c. dealer.4 South street; house 110 Carver street. (1849 & 1852).

Otley Richard, news agent, stationer, and tea and tobacco, &c. dlr. 4 South street, and 26 Wellington street. (1856).

Otley Richard, tobacconist & news agent, 4 South st. Moor. (1862).

[duckweed]

I have found pamphlets that he wrote but as yet no poems. Also there is a letter from Montgomery to him but tells me very little about the man. He was arrested with Holberry and his testimony is quoted as proof that Holberry was framed. He happily was acquitted but have yet to find our why. I know he stood as a councillor but was disqualified due to not having sufficient property to qualify.

[Edmund]

Some reading for anyone interested:

Otley's Book of Essays 1828

Coopers Journal see pages 339 354 356 377 393 409 427

[vox]

Letter from Ebenezer Elliott to Richard Otley, May 1841

=======================

"Richard Otley was a Sheffield man who was both a poet & a Chartist. Elliott was known to be an admirer of Otley’s poetry but as we shall see not of his politics. Otley lived at Ecclesall where he earned his living as a newsagent."

(Source, Notes on the letter to Otley)

[vox]

Essays on the nature, causes and effects of national antipathies - Richard Otley

(Sheffield 1828)

Google Books

[vox]

Not held in high regard according to this extract from OUR SHEFFIELD BARDS, Henry Attwell

"But, Otley! dost thou own the sounding name
Of“ Poet,” and its brilliant honors claim?
Perhaps, when we say plainly thou’rt no bard,
Nor ever canst be, thou will take it hard,
Because thou hast vented thy venal spleen
In numbers ranging from nine to thirteen,
Where some few couplets ring, as though by chance,
While vulgar terms its ugliness enhance.
No hard e’er ventured calumnies so rash,
No poet ever penn'd such soulless trash."

====================

[Guest Otley]

Richard Otley (chartist etc) was my great, great, great uncle. My brother has his portrait in his dining room. He was indeed held in Manchester prison for one night in 1842. The trial held from 1st March 1843 at Nisi Prius Court, Lancaster is recorded in a book entitled Historic Political Trials-"The Trial of Feargus O'Connor and fifty eight others"-on a charge of Sedition, Conspiracy, Tumult and Riot. I have a copy of this book in which RO plays a fairly prominent part. I found the book originally through my local library and subsequently purchased a couple of sh copies.

You ask specifically where he was living at his time of death. His last years were spent in the household, in Sheffield, of his daughter and son in law- Mr and Mrs Fox. At present all my ancestry records are with my brother who is doing some wider research. Once I have these records back I, should you wish, will be able to give you further information including the address you require.

RO's younger brother, Thomas, from whom we descend must have been a rather different character he being the proprietor of Britannia metal household goods business in Sheffield of some success.

Not only did RO have a tobacco shop but from that South Street premises he also ran Otley's Circulating Library. I have a book with the library's stamp in it.

Bill Otley, Bath. 14/8/14.

[duckweed]

Fascinating. I'd love to hear any information you have on him. I feel he has been overlooked and shouldn't be.

[RichardB]

Holberry was arrested at midnight 11th January 1840 (the "planned uprising was 12th January and the trail was being reported on by 21st March), whereas Otley was arrested with George Harney on 29th September 1842 and charged with conpriracy at Manchester. (With Thanks to Dunsbyowl).

Has anyone any idea where this friend of Ebenezer Elliott lived. What he did besides writing poetry or any biography at all. I have never heard of him before. He was apparently arrested with Holberry but was acquitted.

[RichardB]

Both Richard and Thomas were at one time Britannia metal manufacturers;

Richard Otley and Thomas Otley, Britannia metal manufacturers, Union Place (White's 1833)

and both of them again in White's 1837 at Truro Place, Trafalgar Street.

RO's younger brother, Thomas, from whom we descend must have been a rather different character he being the proprietor of Britannia metal household goods business in Sheffield of some success.

.

[RichardB]

Richard Otley, tea dealer and tobacconist, 14 South Street (1841 Rodgers)

Newspaper agent & tobacconist, 4 South Street (1846 Slaters)

Newsagent, stationer & tea, coffee, tobacco &c. dealer, 4 South Street, h. 110 Carver Street (White's Directories of 1849 and 1852)

House and saleshop, 26 Wellington Street & 4 South Street (1855 Burgess Roll)

Richard died 24th March 1870, aged 74 (last bit Thanks to Duckweed).

[RichardB]

Bankrupt 1838 along with Thomas.

[RichardB]

9th March 1843. Conclusion of the trial, at Lancaster, of Richard Otley.

Source

[anitamo]

Looking to contact anyone with more information on the Otley family. My late husband was a direct descendant of Thomas Otley...he was also called Thomas. My children are very interested to find out more of their ancestors. They were very excited to read about Richard's involvement with the Chartists and also his writings. We have sent For a couple of his books, amazingly available through a well know online company.

[Andrew Ashfield]

There is quite a thorough biography by Stephen Roberts in Dictionary of Labour Biography XV.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Dictionary_of_Labour_Biography/rKnNDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=richard+otley,+dictionary+of+labour+biography&pg=PA199&printsec=frontcover

and a shorter life in

https://jacksonbibliography.library.utoronto.ca/intro