John Batchelor 'The Friend of Freedom'

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Batchelor, although born in Newport (in 1820), became a prominent Cardiff figure, having moved there in his early twenties. He set up business as a timber merchant and, later, slate merchant and also played a key role in establishing the Mount Stuart Dry Dock.

He was an active Liberal politician and served as a Liberal Councillor and, later, Mayor of Cardiff, in addition to being Chairman of the Cardiff School Board. He also campaigned against slavery.

However, John Batchelor's political activity brought him into conflict with the Bute family (John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute), who had significant land-holdings in Cardiff, including Cardiff Castle, and had built much of the docks. The Butes supported the Tory party and many believed that their conspiring led to the collapse of Batchelor's shipbuilding business.

John Batchelor died in 1883 and a fund was established to erect a statue in his memory. Following his death in 1883, a subscription fund was opened to establish a memorial in his honour. However, a petition of 1,200 names was also started by his opponents, to campaign against the statue.

The statue, created by the sculptor James Milo Griffith, was finally unveiled on 16 October 1886 and stands in The Hayes, Cardiff.