Benjamin Pickard

Pickard was born in Kippax near Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire the son of a collier.

He also received religious training as a Wesleyan, becoming a local preacher and was connected with the Lord's Rest Day Association throughout his life.

The result of the combined strike and lockout was the establishment of a Board of Conciliation to address problems arising in the industry and most disputes over the coming years were settled using this machinery.

He organised six international congresses of miners from Britain, Germany, Austria, France and Belgium which were held in Paris, Jolimont near La Louvière, Brussels, Berlin, Aix-la-Chapelle and London.

In 1885 the Yorkshire Miners Association came to an agreement with the Liberal Party allowing the association to nominate the candidate for elections to Parliament for the Normanton division of Yorkshire, a constituency in which more than 60% of the electorate were coal miners.