Field, Martin

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Field, Martin

Watercolour portrait of Martin Field, printer

from John Sowden's notebooks:

"Mr Field was born in 1881(crossed out) at Kidderminster where his father worked as a woolcomber. The trade was so depressed there that the family came to Bradford in 1837, the woolcombing trade at time being in a flourishing state in the district.

The boy went to the Quaker’s Day School at Eastbrook until he was eleven years of age when he commenced to learn his father’s trade.

At fourteen years of age he was apprenticed to the printing trade, and ultimately succeeded to a printing business in King’s Court, Northgate. For some years he attended the classes at the Mechanics’ Institute. Early in life Mr Field became connected with the Leeds Road Baptist Sunday School and his connection with it as a scholar and teacher lasted 50 years. It was however as a Band of Hope worker that Mr Field was best known and his connection with the Bradford Band of Hope Union dated back to its formation.

In 1857 the first Band of Hope Union in the kingdom was established in Bradford and Mr Field became an active worker in connection with it. He served on the Executive Committee for the Union until 1863 when he was appointed Hon Secretary and fulfilled the duties of the office until 1894. Mr Field was elected a member of the Executive Committee of the United Kingdom Band of Hope Union and in 1894 was made a Vice President. Mr Field was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Yorkshire Band of Hope Union from 1878 to 1895 inclusive and was chairman for several years.

For six years (1882 to 1888) Mr Field was Liberal member of the Bradford School Board and was a member of the Visiting Committee of the Bradford Infirmary. He he was a trustee of the Bradford District of the Rechabites for over twenty years. In politics he was an earnest Liberal. In 1892 he retired from business in favour of his two sons. Mr Field died in 1898. He left a widow and two sons and three daughters."

Year

1889

Creator

John Sowden

Image filename

sowden-57