Ebenezer Elliot, The Corn Law Rhymer

Ebenezer Elliott was born at Masbrough, Rotherham (UK) in 1781. Early on, he developed an interest in nature & poetry. While working in a Masbrough iron foundry, he started to get the odd poem published & began a long correspondence with Robert Southey, the eminent poet. In politics & religion, he was a non-conformist who hated injustice & had an interest in the condition of the working man & poor people in general. After going bankrupt in Rotherham, he moved to Sheffield where he did well as an iron & steel merchant. The greatest interest of Elliott's life was in bringing attention to the Corn Laws & getting them repealed. His fierce indignation against the Bread Tax (as he called the Corn Laws) inspired his "Corn Law Rhymes" which made him nationally & internationally famous after their publication in 1831. He died in 1849 & was buried at Darfield Churchyard in the Barnsley area.



William Robertson wrote the following poem about this radical reformer.



LINES TO THE MEMORY OF EBENEZER ELLIOT, THE CORN LAW RHYMER.



'Mong men he stood a hero strong,

A bold, determined foe to wrong,

A wrestler for the right;

Of noble port - his place the van,

When men for freedom fight.



His noble thoughts that seemed in kind

The everlasting hills of mind

No selfish motives stain;

No titled, useless cipher he,

His claims to think unfetter'd, free,

Were muscle, bone, and brain.



Why those by whom all wealth is made

Should toil and moil on stinted bread,

He boldly did examine:

To his strong sense it did seem odd

That man did father it on God,

When man was pinched with famine.

All honour to his daring muse -

In spirit strong, in gems profuse,

And grand without pretence;

Nor tyrant's frown nor threats of hell

The ardour of his soul could quell

And strongly-worded sense.



The sneers of those deem'd highly born

He could repel with with'ring scorn,

And stand erect and free;

While bravest moods pervade his verse

Now rolls sublime or stern or terse,

No nobler man than he.



Nature, not wealth, enobled him,

He stood upon the rainbow's rim

That circles mental power,

Where he the Corn Laws did brand,

And poured his song throughout the land,

The poet of the hour.