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Charles Cochrane (1807-1855) was an author, philanthropist, campaigner for the poor in the 'hungry 40s' and promoter of schemes for improving sanitation and living standards in London.

Charles Cochrane was born in Madras, the illegitimate son of Basil Cochrane and Lucy Sutton. As such he was part of an influential aristocratic Scottish family known as the 'fighting Cochranes.' Cochrane was involved in a failed business adventure in Columbia in 1824. In 1830 Cochrane pseudo-anonymously published The Journal of a Tour Made by Senor Juan De Vega, the Spanish Minstrel of 1828-29 which recounted Cochranes' tour of Britain and Ireland dressed as a guitar playing 'Spanish Minstrel', 'exploiting somewhat belatedly the sympathy felt for Spanish refugees after the French invasion of 1823'. > The Journal was satirised by Henry Mayhew in his one act play The Wandering Minstrel in 1836. The Journal, which among other things recounts Cochrane's flirtations with local women whilst touring Britain and Ireland, would come back to haunt Cochrane in 1847 when he stood as Chartist approved parliamentary candidate for the seat of Westminster.

Cochrane changed direction and became increasingly concerned with social deprivation that he saw around him in the rapidly expanding free market nightmare which was the London of his time. After the introduction of the new poor laws of the 1830s with the new focus on the intentionally terrifying and punitive workhouse system Cochrane became increasingly concerned with responding in a more sensible and practical way to poverty, deprivation and hunger in London. In 1842 he founded and became President of the National Philanthropic Association and in 1846 he founded the Poor Man's Guardian Society. Cochrane corresponded with Charles Dickens in an attempt to get him to support the society. Dickens was cautious in his response but did pay them a subscription of five guineas. The organisation went on to describe Charles Dickens as a vice-president. Cochrane became an increasingly prominent and controversial figure in London circles with high profile and highly visible campaigns for the poor, advocating the repeal of the corn laws to ameliorate the scarcity of food and promoting job creation schemes as well as improvements in sanitation and public health. The NPA introduced a system of paid street cleaners in Central London and in January 1847 opened a soup kitchen at 40 Leicester Sqaure that operated until 1873  and continued in new premises near Tottenham Court Road until at least 1892.

Cochrane stood as a Chartist approved candidate for Westminster in 1847 but fell short of a victory by the narrow margin of 21 votes.

and, in the last years of his life, campaigner against Sunday trading.

famine, Dickens quote about deporting him, the times for example on cochrane - and finish with the famine