Hole, James 1820 - 1895

James Hole was born in London in 1820 and moved to Manchester when he was still young, where he became an active member of the Nechanics' Institution movement. He moved to Leeds in the early 1840s writing a large number of books and articles in journals mainly focussing on improving the life of workers particularly through their education. Subjects covered by his writings included co-operative undertakings, housing and his main passion adult education Hole argued strongly that everyone, and most certainly the working class, had a right to education. He became very involved in adult education and the Mechanics' Institutions in Leeds and Yorkshire holding the post of Honorary Secretary of the Yorkshire Union of Institutes between 1848 and 1857. He returned to London in 1867 where he died in 1895.