While walking in Linthorpe Cemetary I noticed this large obelisk erected to commemorate Thomas Carlton.

It includes the interesting inscription ‘Erected by the blast furnacemen in recognition of deceased in the service as their secretary, more especially in assiting to secure shorter hours of toil’

A little digging in the newspaper archives uncovered these details from his obituary on January 6th 1899.

Thomas Carlton was the Secretary of the Cleveland and South Durham Branch of the National Federation of Blast-furnacemen. Originally from Lincolnshire he moved to Cleveland in 1871 and worked in the ironstone mines, presumably at Upleatham Mine as he was president of the Marske Institute when it opened in 1875.

He helped secure an 8 hour working day for blast furnacemen at Ormesby, Seaton Carew and Carlton Ironworks (reduced from 12 hours) around 1894.

The picture from the Flickr Photostream of Bolckow shows a banner featuring the same portrait.