Author: Cooper, James
Biography:
COOPER, James (fl 1824)
Many men with this name lived in and around Birmingham at the time Grief and Hope was published and it has not been possible to identify the author with any certainty. Likely he was a non-conformist. More is known about the subject of his poem, John Smith (1790-1824), who became known as the Demerara Martyr. He was born in Northamptonshire and, after moving to London, became a member of Tonbridge Chapel, an Independent chapel, where he was ordained in 1816 prior to moving with his wife to Demerara where he took up work for the London Missionary Society. The Demerara landowners objected to Smith preaching among the slaves, baptising them, and teaching them to read. In 1823 he was imprisoned for promoting rebellion among the slaves, court-martialled, and found guilty. Smith was sentenced to be hanged but his already poor health was exacerbated by conditions in the prison where he was being held and he died from illness on 6 Feb. 1824. His case received extensive coverage in Britain and was the subject of debate in the House of Commons. (Edwin Angel Wallbridge, The Demerara Martyr [1848]) SR