Born in Basford, Nottinghamshire, Martin moved with his family to Staveley in Derbyshire when he was nine, and began working in the Speedwell Colliery, initially as a door-trapper, then later as a driver.
In 1864, he joined the Primitive Methodists, and two years later, became a preacher in his spare time, remaining active in the church for the rest of his life.
[1] Martin attended night school and became an active trade unionist, working with William Brown to try to form a union of Derbyshire miners.
When the Derbyshire Miners' Association formed in 1880, he transferred his allegiance, and was secretary of the branch at Ireland.
[1] Suffering poor health, Martin left his union posts in 1917, living out his final years in a nursing home in nearby Sheffield.