Cephas Speak (2 April 1873 – 18 December 1958) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader who served as secretary of the

United Textile Factory Workers' Association The United Textile Factory Workers' Association (UTFWA) was a trade union federation in Great Britain. It was active from 1889 until 1975. Objectives The federation was founded in 1889, to represent the various textile workers' unions in polit ...

. Speak grew up in

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

, and began working at a local cotton mill as a loom sweeper when he was ten years old. He became active in the

Burnley Weavers' Association The Burnley and District Weavers', Winders' and Beamers' Association was a trade union representing workers in the cotton industry in the Burnley area of Lancashire, in England. As cotton manufacturing dominated the town's economy, the trade un ...

, and after twenty-five years was employed part-time as the assistant secretary of the Oldham Weavers' Association. After a few months, he left this job to become assistant secretary of the

Bolton Weavers' Association The Bolton and District Weavers', Winders' and Warpers' Association was a trade union representing cotton mill workers in the Bolton area of Lancashire in England. The union was the first in the Lancashire cotton industry to appoint a woman as i ...

, then in 1910, he became the first full-time secretary of the Bolton Weavers. The following year, he was also appointed as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

in Bolton. In 1931, Speak was additionally elected as secretary of the

, serving until 1943. He finally retired from his Bolton Weavers post in 1948, at the age of 77, having held the position for 38 years.

References

1873 births 1958 deaths General secretaries of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association People from Burnley {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub