(Image: Nanny of the Maroons. One of the black resistance leaders in Jamaica from 1725-1740, when thousands of insurgent slaves fought a war in the mountains against the whites)

edwardrushton.org.uk celebrates the life of the Liverpool poet who, at the age of 19, was blinded helping slaves. Founder of the School for the Blind, Rushton’s world was one of press gangs, revolution and oppression.

One of the first people to look afresh at Edward Rushton’s life was the late Bill Hunter. Bill wrote Forgotten Hero in 2002, and you can listen to a recording of it on the website, in instalments.

This week is Track 6: The Sons of Misery. One of the first writings of Rushton on slavery was his West Indian Eclogues. This is a dialogue between Jamaican slaves.