Ben Rushton ‘remained loyal and active to the last’, but in June 1853 his health had been failing for some months. Ernest Jones made an appeal for help for him in the Peoples Paper 18.6.53:

“We remember a few months since, visiting him in his cottage, where still the loom was fixed, and there we saw this aged son of toil weaving the finest and most exquisite textures, at a time of life when he should have been resting in competence on the earnings of the past.”

Before the appeal could take effect, Ben died of jaundice at his house in Friendly Fold. The next edition of the paper was printed with black edges, and a call to all Chartists to attend his funeral.

A record of the event appeared in the Halifax Guardian:

Many years later, Ben Wilson recalled the event in his memoirs, “The Struggles of an Old Chartist,” :

“The death of Benjamin Rushton occurred on the 19th June 1853, at his residence at Friendly, in Ovenden, in his 68th year. He was highly respected by the Chartists of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and was looked upon in this town and neighbourhood as the "grand old man;" he had been a reformer before such as myself were born, and a leader amongst the Chartists since its commencement. He bad been the chairman of some of the greatest demonstrations of his time; was a good speaker, although using rather broad language, but never failed to make an impression upon an audience.

He died poor, as many other reformers have done, and it was decided by the Chartists of Halifax that his funeral expenses should be borne by them, and his funeral to take place on Sunday, June 26th, and be a public one. It was arranged that six of the oldest Chartists should bear him to the grave, and twelve of the younger be conductors, with wands crape-tipped.

We met at Nicholl's Hotel, and marched from there, with Ernest Jones and Mr. Gammage, to the Northgate Hotel fields, which had been engaged purposely, and mounted the platform. Mr. Jones wished the people to join in the procession. The field at an early hour presented a dense mass of human beings, through which it was almost impossible to force a way; we had not much difficulty in forming the procession, as all appeared willing to obey the orders given here. It was led by Ernest Jones and R. Gammage, after them came the public walking six abreast; the hearse, a modern one, was drawn by two horses.

At the entrance of the village the Odd-fellows were waiting at their lodge to the number of 140, and walked in advance. On approaching the house of the deceased patriot they opened out in double line. The sight was magnificent, and whilst waiting the notes of a band of music were heard, and soon came in sight the Bradford procession, led by Chartist veterans, including our old friend, Joseph Alderson. The coffin-a double one, covered with black cloth, and very elegant-was borne from the house at twelve o'clock.

Chartists weep, and let your grief be true,

A nobler patriot country never knew,

The coffin was carried by six veteran Chartists, and the splendid pall by six Odd-fellows. The return to Halifax was then commenced, the distance from the Cemetery being about two miles, and from one end of the route to the other the people lined the streets, particularly in the heart of the town, where the processionists had scarcely room to walk, whilst at the Cemetery the gates were closed after the corpse had entered to prevent the crush of the people. The wish of the departed patriot was that no paid priest should officiate at his funeral. Mr. Gammage spoke at the grave side, and after him a member of the Odd-fellows said a few words, and then Mr. Ernest Jones delivered a long address . . One of the local papers, I believe it was the Guardian, gave the numbers marching in the procession from 6,000 to 10,000, and it took an hour and half to pass through the town. I will not give any numbers myself, but I will say that I saw more people in Halifax that day than I had ever seen before or since, and the public funerals that I have seen in this town have been a mere nothing in comparison to this.” (Benjamin Wilson, ),