William Pickard (10 February 1821 – 21 October 1887) 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 unionist 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 ...

. Born in Aspull Moor in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, Pickard worked at a

colliery Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extra ...

from an early age. He became active in the Wigan District Miners' Union and, despite being

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

, he rose to prominence. He was elected as vice-president of Alexander Macdonald's Miners' National Association (MNA) at its founding conference in 1863, and as agent of the

Wigan Miners' Association The Wigan Miners' Association represented coal miners in parts of Lancashire, in England. The union was established in 1862, as the Wigan Miners' Provident Benefit Society. During the 1860s, it was one of the strongest miners' unions in the UK. ...

in 1864.Joyce Bellamy, "Pickard, William (1821-87)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.I, p.271 Pickard and Thomas Halliday became critical of Macdonald's cautious approach to trade unionism, and founded a new Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM), with Pickard as treasurer. This new association advocated more militant action, including solidarity strikes, but continued to co-operate with the MNA, and even welcomed Macdonald to speak at its conferences.John Saville, "Halliday, Thomas (Tom) (1835-1919)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.III, pp.91-94 The AAM was initially successful, expanding across Great Britain and winning several strikes, which inspired Pickard to stand as a Liberal-Labour candidate in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

at the 1874 UK general election, taking fourth place of five candidates. The AAM was suffering from financial difficulties and so, in 1875, merged back into the MNA. Pickard thereafter withdrew from national trade unionism, but remained agent of the Wigan miners and was prominent in leading rescue efforts and organising compensation after mining accidents. After an explosion in Pearson and Knowles' Moss Pits in which 69 men died, the exploring party including Pickard descended into the downcast shaft where several colliers were found alive and returned to the surface. The coal had caught fire and two more explosions occurred and no more could be done. It was decided that anyone left underground must be dead and the shaft was sealed. . Pickard championed the formation of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Permanent Relief Society in 1872 after a spate of disasters caused great distress and hardship, leaving widows and families destitute. After Pickard's death, the Vicar of Ince related that he had been a witness at every House of Commons Committee from 1860 and given evidence at a Royal Commission. He was present in the aftermath of many of the mining disasters since 1858, only the senior inspector, Joseph Dickinson, had attended more, and frequently had been a member of the first exploring party that descended into the mines after explosions. He was delegated to attend inquiries after disasters in South Wales where he was held in great esteem. Twenty thousand miners contributed to the memorial for Pickard in Wigan Cemetery.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickard, William 1821 births 1887 deaths Trade unionists from the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan People from Wigan