George Mitchell

George Mitchell (6 February 1827 – 24 January 1901) was a British stonemason, who became prominent in the National Agricultural Labourers' Union. Mitchell was born in Montacute in Somerset and began working when he was five years old, as a crow scarer. He later became a stonemason, following his father's trade, and proved highly successful. In time he moved to London, and began trading in marble, eventually becoming wealthy. Despite his wealth and location, Mitchell remained sympathetic to the agricultural labourers he had worked with in his youth. Initially, he was suspicious of trade unions, but he became enthusiastic after discovering that many of their leaders shared his Methodist faith. As a result, he was enthusiastic when the National Agricultural Labourers' Union (NALU) was established, and in June 1872 he was a founder of its Somerset District. Mitchell wrote numerous letters and pamphlets supportive of the union, usually under the pen name "One From the Plough". In 1874, he wrote The Skeleton at the Plough: or the Poor Farm Labourers of the West, which included his autobiography. In 1877, he organised a mass meeting at Ham Hill, attended by 20,000 people. It became an annual occasion, running until 1892.