The Chartist paper the Northern Star was one of the great working-class papers of the nineteenth century.
It was first published in Leeds as the Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser on 18th November 1837 and lasted until 1852.
A brief but useful history of the development of the paper is here:
https://ncse.ac.uk/headnotes/nss.html
I visit Leeds several times a year and was there earlier this week. I was again struck by the number of plaques on buildings identifying their origin and original occupation. Leeds Civic Trust has done great work here.
When we move from buildings to people and movements however I found less in the way of plaques. There is one on the building the Band of Hope Temperance movement was founded just on the far bank of the Aire near Leeds station. What there is not, as far I can see, is anything to mark the existence of the Northern Star in the City.
The offices of the printer Joshua Hobson were based off Briggate in central Leeds. I can find a reference to a plan to erect a plaque, but no actual plaque.
Its not an unfamiliar for those of us waiting for the erection of a plaque to the black London Chartist William Cuffay in the Strand.
It is reported that a statue of Margaret Thatcher is to be unveiled shortly but when it comes to marking those who challenged the existing order it seems to take quite a bit longer for anything to be done.
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