Causes for Luddites and then Development of Unions--England’s Distress in 1811-1813
• In 1812 the government probably had reason to be
fearful:
– a large part of the army was overseas, mainly in the
Peninsular with Wellington;
– the country was fighting not only the French but also
the Americans
– England was experiencing the worst trade depression
since the 1760s and people were suffering great hardship.
as evidenced by the Sheffield riots of 1812
• Source:
http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/victorian/history/riots/luddites.htm
l
Causes for Development of Luddites and Unions
• Poverty – Harsh economic times because of
the Napoleonic wars
• Non-enforcement of laws meant to protect
workers
– Minimum wage bill 1808 (decreased
wages)
– Deteriorating working conditions
• Combination Acts – Banned trade unions
• Mechanical Looms and spinners replacing
skilled craftsman
Mills
Working
Conditions in
the Mills
Luddites
 The Luddites were against the use of new
technological machinery which they
believed took jobs away from other people
 They would burn the factories that made
these machines.
 Their group was most notable during the
1810’s
 They caused such a problem for the
government they were ordered to be
arrested on sight
The cause of it all?
The type of instrument
destroyed by Ned Ludd
A stocking frame was a
machine that knitted stocking
or socks.
1812 – Frame-Breaking Act
(capital crime)
What did
the
Luddite
craftsman
want?
The Luddites: 1811-1816
Attacks on the “frames” [power looms].
Ned Ludd [a mythical figure supposed to live in
Sherwood Forest]
Luddites and Luddism
 Workers began breaking into factories at
night and destroying new machines
 Unions had no leader so they claimed to
follow “General Ludd” a made up figure
 Named after Ned Ludd who smashed a
mechanical loom
 “Luddite” now refers to people resisting
technological change
 Breaking into factories became known as
Luddism
The Luddites
took to
smashing
machines that
were
replacing
their job
opportunities
and abilities
to raise
money.
General Ludd
 General Ned Ludd was said to be the leader of the
original Luddites.
 He is said to have gained fame by the 1800’s, and
to have started the movement in the 1810’s.
 Trade unions sent threatening letters employers
and local officials.
 Letters to the factories were signed by Ned Ludd.
 Where the name “Luddites” came from
Mythic Hero?
• Ned Ludd mythical person?
• Ned Ludd was reputed to
live in Sherwood Forest.
• “They said Ned Ludd was an idiot
boy
• That all he could do was wreck and
destroy, and
• He turned to his workmates and
said: Death to Machines
• They tread on our future and they
stamp on our dreams.” -- Robert
Calvert
Riots and battles of the Luddite
rebellion
 Riots
 Nottinhamshire – Nov 1811
 West Riding of Yorkshire – Jan 1812
 Lancashire – March 1813
Luddites smashing looms in a factory during the riots of 1811–16.
The Granger Collection, New York
Sutton’s Mill, Nottinghamshire
Luddite Attacks
 One of the most serious attacks took place at
Rawfolds Mill in Yorkshire.
 William Cartwright owned the mill and had been
using cloth-finishing machinery since 1811
 Local croppers began losing their jobs
 These farmers met at Saint Crispin public house
and decided to try and destroy the cloth-finishing
machinery
 Cartwright suspected trouble and arranged for
the mill to be protected by armed guards
Luddite Attacks cont’d.
 The attack on Rawfolds Mill took place
on April 11, 1812 and was led by George
Mellor
 The Luddites failed to gain entry
 Two croppers were mortally wounded
 Most infamous union raid
 Cartwright became a hero for efforts to
crush Luddite threat
Middleton Guardian Report
"AT LEAST seven people have been killed after a day of Luddite rioting that brought terror
to the poplace of Middleton. Until now the town has been spared the attention of the
followers of the infamous Ned Ludd from Leicestershire, whose resentment of the
coming of the power driven loom has spawned bands of machine wreckers.
It has been feared for some time that Middleton could become the target for these
agitators, for many of the town's loomhouses have fallen silent - the men have gone to
work at the power looms that Daniel Burton has installed at his calico printing mill in
Wood Street.
But no one could have forseen the mayhem that ensued today, 2nd April 1812.
Men armed with clubs, staves and rakes came into the town from all directions. They
congregated at Th' Top o' Middleton, entered the shops and began to fill their pockets
with the goods on the shelves, throwing the flour and sugar about the floor and
generally causing havoc.
 http://www.middletonguardian.co.uk/community/nostalgia/s/409682_1800_to_1900
George Mellor---A Luddite Leader
 Led the revolt against Cartwright
 Was put on trial along with three other
leaders for the killing of William
Horsfall
 Refused to break the Luddite code of
silence when put on trial.
 Was hanged in January 1813.
Luddite Attacks cont’d.
 A week later the Luddites killed William Horsfall,
another large mill owner in the area
 The authorities rounded up over a hundred suspects
 They indicted 64
 Three men were executed for the murder of Horsfall and
another 14 were hung for attack on the Rawfolds Mill.
 In 1812 there were attacks on Lancashire cotton mills.
 On March 20, 1812 the warehouse of William Radcliffe
was attacked in Stockport
Primary Source
 “ Such was the state of that country, and such I have reason to
believe that it to be at this moment. But whilst these
outrages must be admitted to exist to an alarming extent, it
cannot be denied that they have arisen from circumstances
of the most unparalleled distress: the perseverance of these
miserable men in their proceedings, tends to prove that
nothing but absolute want could have driven a large, and
once honest and industrious, body of the people into the
commission of excesses so hazardous to themselves, their
families, and the community. They were not ashamed to beg,
but there was none to relieve them; their own means of
subsistence were cut off, all other employment preoccupied;
and their excesses, however to be deplored and condemned,
can hardly be subject to surprise.”
 Lord Byron
Luddite Attacks cont’d.
 Wheat prices soared in 1812 and workers became
desperate
 There were food riots in Manchester, Oldham, Ashton,
Rochdale, Stockport, and Macclesfield
 On April 20,1812 several thousand men attacked Burton’s
Mill at Middleton.
 Emmanuel Burton had recruited armed guards
 Three members of the crowd were killed by musket fire
 Men returned the next day and set Burton’s house on fire
 The military came back and another seven men were
killed
Burton’s Mill Primary Source
 “ The weaving factory of Mr. Burton and Sons had been
previously threatened in consequence of their mode of
weaving being done by the operation of stream. The factory
was protected by soldiers, so strongly as to be impregnable
to their assault; they then flew to the house of Mr.
Emmanuel Burton, where they wreaked their vengeance by
setting it on fire. On Friday, the 24th of April, a large body of
weavers and mechanics began to assemble together with the
whole of the premises, at Westhoughton. The military rode
at full speed to Westhoughton; and on the arrival were
surprised to find that he premises were entirely destroyed,
while not an individual could be seen to whom attached any
suspicion of having acted a part in this truly dreadful
outrage.”
 Archibald Prince
Luddite Attacks cont’d.
 Three days later Wray and Duncroff’s Mill was set on fire
 The sheriff arrested 12 men suspected of taking part in
the attack
 Four of the accused were executed
 In the summer of 1812 eight men in Lancashire were
sentenced to death and thirteen transported to Australia
for attacks on cotton mills.
 Another fifteen were executed at York
 By 1817 The Luddite movement had ceased to be active in
Britain.
Luddite Song
“Engines of Mischief”
These Engines of mischief were sentenced
to die
By unanimous vote of the Trade.
And Ludd who can all opposition defy
Was the Grand executioner made.
Government Response
 Felt it had to establish control
 Provide good business climate
 Repress and control unruly labor groups
 No attempt to alleviate cause of social disruption
 “The Frame Breakers” by Nicols Fox
Government Reaction
 March 1811: authorities placed 400 special constables to








protect
February 1812: Government of Spencer Perceval proposed
that machine- breaking should become a capital offence
Frame Breaking Act: enabled people convicted of machinebreaking to be sentenced to death
Government ordered 12,000 troops to areas where Luddites
were active
Offered pardons to those who renounced oath to “General
Ludd”
Paid spies reported leaders and testified against them
Soldiers broke up Luddite meetings and made arrests
Mellor and 2 other leaders were hung in January 1813 for
the murder of Horsfall
1899: Parliament rejected worker pleas for a minimum
wage law and made trade unions illegal
Government Reaction
 English government planted spies into the Unions to
retrieve names of people leading them.
 They offered rewards to informers.
 Sent several thousand troops into the area.
 Still had little success.
 Parliament passed a law that made machine breaking
illegal.
 The punishment was the death-penalty.
 Luddites were tried and sent to Australia if found
guilty.
The
Luddites
Lord Byron’s Speech againstThe Frame Breaking Act
• Lord Byron, made a passionate speech against the Act in the House of Lords at the end
of February, 1812:
• During the short time I recently passed in Nottingham, not twelve hours elapsed
without some fresh act of violence; and on that day I left the county I was informed
that forty Frames had been broken the preceding evening, as usual, without resistance
and without detection.
Such was the state of that county, and such I have reason to believe it to be at this
moment. But whilst these outrages must be admitted to exist to an alarming extent, it
cannot be denied that they have arisen from circumstances of the most unparalleled
distress: the perseverance of these miserable men in their proceedings, tends to prove
that nothing but absolute want could have driven a large, and once honest and
industrious, body of the people, into the commission of excesses so hazardous to
themselves, their families, and the community.
End of Luddites
 Machines and factories had been
completely destroyed
 Defeat of General Ludd; military force,
trials, and hangings
 1830’s: most hand spinners, weavers,
and croppers had been replaced by
machines
The end of Luddism
 Male workers gained the right to vote
 Trade unions became legal
 49 luddites killed in riots by government forces
 24 were executed
 34 transported to Australia
 More than 20 others given long term prison sentences
The Luddite riots led to many songs that were sung for
years afterwards, and made the Luddites popular heroes
Luddites in Song
General Ludd's Triumph
Tune "Poor Jack"
Chant no more your old rhymes about
bold Robin Hood,(2)
His feats I but little admire
I will sing the Achievements of General
Ludd
Now the Hero of Nottinghamshire
Brave Ludd was to measures of violence
unused
Till his sufferings became so severe
That at last to defend his own Interest
he rous'd(3)
And for the great work did prepare(4)
Now by force unsubdued, and by
threats undismay'd
Death itself can't his ardour
repress
The presence of Armies can't make
him afraid
Nor impede his career of success
Whilst the news of his conquests is
spread far and near
How his Enemies take the alarm
His courage, his fortitude, strikes
them with fear
For they dread his Omnipotent
Arm!
More Songs
• Hunting a Loaf
Good people I pray, now hear what I
say,
And pray do not call it sedition;
For these great men of late they
have cracked my poor pate:
I'm wounded, in a woeful condition.
Chorus
And sing fal lal the diddle i do,
Sing fal the diddle i do,
Sing fal the lal day.
For in Derby it's true and in
Nottingham too,
Poor men to the jail they've been
taking;
They say that Ned Ludd, as I
understood,
A thousand wide frames has been
breaking.
•
"The Cropper's Song"
Come, cropper lads of high renown,
Who love to drink good ale that's brown,
And strike each haughty tyrant down,
With hatchet, pike, and gun!
Oh, the cropper lads for me,
The gallant lads for me,
Who with lusty stroke,
The shear frames broke,
The cropper lads for me!
What though the specials(14) still advance,
And soldiers nightly round us prance;
The croppers lads still lead the dance,
With hatchet, pike, and gun!
Oh, the cropper lads for me,
The gallant lads for me,
Who with lusty stroke
The shear frames broke,
The cropper lads for me!
Luddite Fallacy
• Labor saving technologies increase un-employment by
reducing the demand for labor
• The Fallacy
–
–
–
–
Cost of goods decreases
Demand for goods rises
So more people are hired.
At the macro-economic level, production increases while
keeping workforce levels constant
– Micro-economically, real people are out of a job. Modern day
wisdom says the cure for this is job training
• If the Luddite fallacy were true we would all be out of work
because productivity has been increasing for two centuries
– Alex Tabarrok, economist
Political Consequences of Luddites
• Changed the views of many influential people
– Especially Lord Byron who spoke at the trials of several
luddites, and Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Lieutenant of the West
Riding of Yorkshire.
• Brought rights of workers to the attention of the public
• Began debate about industrialization
• Look at both the positive and negative effects of
industrialization
• Govt. could no longer ignore the plight of workers
• Technology is never neutral
The Making of the English Working Class,
E. P. Thompson
• Luddites were not opposed to new technology
so much as the economic order that arose with
it that destroyed their lively hood
• Research suggests that the frames destroyed
were often those of owners and mills that tried
to cut process and wages, while others were
often left un touched
• The Luddites acted from a sense of self
preservation
What are the similarities between
the Luddites and the WSPU
Suffragettes led by the Pankhursts?
What is a Union?
A continuous association of
wage-earners for the purpose of
maintaining or improving the
conditions of their
employment.
The Trade Unions
 The trade unions were bands of people
of one trade that came together to help
their common good.
 They would strike for better wages and
petition for less hours.
 Use collective bargaining
Unions in the Early
th
18
Century
 Growth of unions in Great Britain was due to industrialization
 Employers began turning to machines so that they wouldn’t have









to pay craftsmen
People were becoming unemployed or wages were being cut
Craftsmen became extremely angry
Workers revolted by smashing machines
Trade Clubs were formed by workers to bargain for higher wages
Labor Union meetings were banned until 1824 due to fear of an
uprising
Workers benefited from unions through strength and unity
Government prosecuted unions and supported employers
1871: 290,000 people belonged to unions
1901: # of people belonging to unions had risen to 2,000,000
Weapons Used by Employers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
At-will employment
Blacklists
Company unions
Individual bargaining
Injunctions
Laws that limit union
activities
Lockouts
Open shops
Outsourcing
Relocation
Right-to-work laws
Threat of foreign
competition
Welfare capitalism
Yellow-dog contracts
Weapons Used by Unions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boycotts
Check-offs
Closed shops
Collective bargaining
Direct political action
Favorable labor legislation
Feather-bedding
Lobbying
Picketing
Sabotage
Strikes
Union label
Union shops
National Union of Mineworkers
 In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century colliers in
every coal-mining area attempted to form unions
 During this period miners obtained a reputation for
militancy and were accused of being followers of the
revolutionary doctrines of Tom Paine
 In an attempt to avoid the Combination Acts early colliery
unions went under the name of friendly societies
 In the early part of the nineteenth century, there were 21
miner's friendly societies in central Lancashire alone.
in 1831 and 1832 miners in Northumberland and Durham
joined together to gain a reduction in hours and the abolition
of the truck system
Nat’l Union of Mineworkers cont’d.
 In 1842 colliers formed the Miners Association of Great




Britain and Ireland
In 1880 James Keir Hardie led the first ever strike of
Lanarkshire miners
He also became secretary of the Ayrshire Miners' Union and
later, with the help of another outstanding union leader,
Robert Smillie, helped establish the Scottish Miners'
Federation
In the 1874 General Election two miners, Alexander
MacDonald (Stafford) and Thomas Burt (Morpeth) were
elected to the House of Commons
After the passing of the 1884 Reform Act most miners could
vote in parliamentary elections
Nat’l Union of Mineworkers cont’d.
 Six miners were elected to Parliament from the Liberal Party
 In the summer of 1888 the price of coal began to rise. All over
Britain miners began to talk about the need for a pay increase
 When colliery owners rejected the claims of the Yorkshire
Miners' Association, its leader, Ben Pickard, sent out a
circular inviting all miners "to attend a conference for the
purpose of considering the best means of securing a 10%
advance in wages and of trying to find common ground for
action."
National Union of Agricultural
Workers
 In 1833 a small group of farm laborers in a
village in Dorset called Tolpuddle attempted to
form a branch of the Agricultural Laborers
Union
 Its six leaders were arrested and charged under
the 1797 Unlawful Oaths Act.
 They were found guilty and sentenced to seven
years‘ in Australia
Nat’l Union of Agricultural Workers
cont’d.
 Workers were shocked by the severity of the sentences
 It was not until 1866 that an organized attempt was made to
combine
 At this time the Agricultural Laborers Protection Association
was formed in Kent
 As labor was scarce at that time, the men were able to get
their wages raised.
 Similar organizations were formed in Buckinghamshire,
Herefordshire and Hertfordshire
Nat’l Union of Agricultural Workers
cont’d.
 In March 1872 a meeting was held in Wellsbourne,
Warwickshire
 It was decided to unite these different agricultural
unions.
 The delegates elected Joseph Arch as their leader.
 They established the National Agricultural Laborers’
Union
 Within two years they had over 86,000 members,
 Over one-tenth of the farm work force in Britain
Nat’l Union of Agricultural Workers
cont’d.
 A prolonged strike in 1874 drained the union of funds
 Membership had declined to 4,254 by 1889.
 The successful London Dock Strike inspired the
agricultural workers to try again to develop a strong
union.
 This time they were able to maintain the union's growth
 By 1919 the National Union of Agricultural Workers had
over 100,000 members.
Association of Cotton Spinners
 By 1800 over thirty cotton towns in Lancashire, Cheshire
and Derbyshire had local spinners' friendly societies or
trade clubs
 The first documented society was at Stockport in 1785
 These societies became illegal under the terms of the
1799 and 1800 Combination Acts
 After the repeal of the Combination Acts in 1824 and
1825, spinners had more freedom to form associations of
workers.
 In 1828 John Doherty became leader of the Manchester
Spinners' Union.
Association of Cotton Spinners
 John Doherty organized a meeting of spinners from all over




Britain.
The result of the meeting was the formation of the Grand
General Union of Operative Spinners of the United
Kingdom.
Doherty's union only lasted two years and it was not until
1845 that a similar organization was formed.
This time it was a group of spinners in Bolton who created
the Association of Operative Cotton Spinners.
Despite its name, few people joined from outside that part of
Lancashire.
Association of Cotton Spinners
 Other attempts at forming a national union took
place
 In Preston in 1852 the Friendly Association of Hand
Mule Spinners was created.
 This time membership included workers from
Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.
 In 1870 the Amalgamated Association of Operative
Cotton Spinners was established
 This gave the cotton spinning trade a real national
union
National Union of Gasworkers &
General Laborers
 The committee then had responsibility of forming
what became known as the National Union of
Gasworkers & General Laborers.
 Elections were held and Thorne defeated Tillett for
the post of General Secretary of the union.
 Some members of the committee wanted the
union to negotiate a 1 shilling a day increase in
their wages.
 Will Thorne favored a reduction in hours
National Union of Gasworkers &
General Laborers
 In March, 1889, workers from the Beckton Gas Works were
laid off.
 Gas workers from all over London held a protest meeting on
Sunday, 31st March.
 Will Thorne suggested that the gas workers formed their
own union to protect themselves from the power of their
employers
 Will Thorne, Ben Tillett and William Byford formed a three
man committee and that morning they recruited over 800
members.
National Union of Gasworkers &
General Laborers
 Thorne won the argument and began negotiations with
the owners of the Gas Light and Coke Company, Beckton
Gas Works and Nine Elms Gas Works.
 Within a few weeks Thorne had successfully negotiated
an eight hour day in the industry.
 As they previously did twelve hour shifts, this was a great
advert for union power
 The Gasworkers' Union soon had over 20,000 members
Gasworkers & General Laborers:
Primary Source
 Will Thorne, speech at a meeting of gas workers in London (31st March,
1889)
 Let me tell you that you will never get any alteration in Sunday work,
no alteration in any of your conditions or wages, unless you join
together and form a strong trade union. Then you will be able to have
a voice and say how long will work, and how much you will do for a
day's work.
It is easy to break one stick, but when fifty sticks are together in one
bundle it is a much more difficult job. The way you have been treated
in your work for many years is a scandalous, brutal, and inhuman. I
pledge my word that, if you will stand firm and don't waver, within six
months we will claim and win the eight-hour day, a six-day week and
the abolition of the present slave-driving methods in vogue not only
at the Beckton Gas Works, but all over the country.
Gasworkers & General Laborers:
Primary Source
 In his book My Life's Battles Will Thorne explained how he
persuaded his fellow members of the National Union of Gas
Workers & General Laborers to campaign for the eight-hour day
(1925)
 It was proposed to petition the directors of the different
companies in London for an advance of 1s. per day in the wages
of all the workers. I opposed this; I wanted a reduction in the
working hours. "Shorten the hours and prolong your lives," was
my plea. I declared that the eight-hour day would not alone
mean a reduction of four hours a day for the workers then
employed, but that it meant a large number of unemployed
would be absorbed, and so reduce the inhuman competition
that was making men more like beasts than civilized persons.
National Union of Railwaymen
 In 1865 men working on the Great Western Railway
attempted to form a Railway Working Men's Provident
Benefit Society
 It was quickly destroyed when its leaders were sacked by the
company.
 In the next thirty five years there were ten new railway unions
were started but many failed to survive more than a couple of
years.
 The most successful of these was:
 the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) that was
established in 1871
 the Amalgamated Society of Locomotive Engineers and
Firemen (ASLEF) in 1880.
National Union of Railwaymen
 By 1890 the total number of trade unionists on the
railways was about 48,000 out of a total work force of
381,000.
 By 1910 it had increased to 116,000, two-thirds of whom
were in the ASRS and about one-sixth in ASLEF.
 In 1913 the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) was
formed by the amalgamation of the ASRS, the United
Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General
Railway Workers Union
National Union of Railwaymen
 The most important figure in these negotiations was Jimmy




Thomas, the Labor MP for Derby.
Although still a member of the House of Commons,
Thomas was elected General Secretary of the NUR in 1917
Two years later he led a successful railway strike.
When Ramsay MacDonald became Prime Minister after the
1924 General Election, he appointed Thomas as Secretary of
State for the Colonies.
He was expelled from the Labor Party after he joined
MacDonald's National Government in 1931.
Union Cartoon
Transport and General Workers
Union
 July 1910 Ben Tillett and Tom Mann were the leaders of the




Dockers’ Union
Representatives of the 16 unions present at the meeting agreed
and Harry Gosling of the Amalgamated Society of Waterman and
Lighterman was elected president of the new organization.
Gosling argued for futher amalgamation and in June 1913 the
General Laborers’ Union joined the National Transport Workers’
Federation (NTWF)
1922 the 2 men (Gosling & Bevin) were instrumental in
establishing the Transport & General Workers Union (TGWU)
TGWU united nearly 50 organizations into the world’s largest
union.
Political Cartoon
Strikes
 Strike- refusing to continue working until
their demands were met: not being held
liable for financial damages on employers
 Union funds were not legally protected
 Picketing through strike was illegal
 1870’s: British unions had the right to
strike
Bloody Sunday
 The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) organized a meeting for




13th February, 1887 in Trafalgar Square to protest against the
policies of the Conservative Government headed by the Marquess
of Salisbury.
The government decided to ban the meeting and the police were
given the orders to stop the marchers entering Trafalgar Square.
The SDF decided to continue with their planned meeting and as a
result the marchers were attacked by the police.
George Barnes was one of those who was badly injured by the
charging police horses.
Some of the protesters were arrested and later two of the leaders
of the march, John Burns and Robert Cunninghame Graham, were
arrested and later sentenced to a six-week prison sentence
Bloody Sunday: Primary Source
 Walter Crane later described what took place on Bloody
Sunday on 13th November 1887.
 I never saw anything more like real warfare in my life -
only the attack was all on one side. The police, in spite
of their numbers, apparently thought they could not
cope with the crowd. They had certainly exasperated
them, and could not disperse them, as after every
charge - and some of these drove the people right
against the shutters in the shops in the Strand - they
returned again.
Bloody Sunday: Primary Source
 J. R. Clynes, Memoirs (1937)
 Angry Labour leaders announced that, on Sunday, November 13th,
1887, Trafalgar Square would be stormed. Squadrons of military, fully
armed, and powerful detachments of police, were drafted there to
resist any such attempt. On the appointed day, workers led by Burns
and others tried to force a way through the armed ranks, to
demonstrate the rights of free speech. Bricks and stones were flung,
iron railings crashed on sabres and bayonets, dozens of workmen
were wounded, and the attack was beaten off. Burns and others were
arrested.
A month or two later, another effort was made to storm the Square,
and a workman was killed. Burns made a speech at the funeral, and
was again arrested. At his trial at the Old Bailey, H. H. Asquith was
Counsel for the Defence. Burns was sentenced to six weeks'
imprisonment; later, he and Asquith were Cabinet Ministers together.
Bloody Sunday: Primary Source
 The Times (14th November, 1887)
 It was no enthusiasm for free speech, no reasoned belief
in the innocence of Mr O'Brien, no serious conviction of
any kind, and no honest purpose that animated these
howling toughs. It was simple love of disorder, hope of
plunder it may be hoped that the magistrates will not
fail to pass exemplary sentences upon those now in
custody who have laboured to the best of their ability to
convert an English Sunday into a carnival of blood.
Bloody Sunday: Primary Source
 In his book, My Days and Dreams, Edward Carpenter
described the events of Bloody Sunday.
 I was in the Square at the time. The crowd was a most good-
humoured, easy going, smiling crowd; but presently it was
transformed. A regiment of mounted police came cantering
up. The order had gone forth that we were to be kept moving.
To keep a crowd moving is I believe a technical term for the
process of riding roughshod in all directions, scattering,
frightening and batoning the people.
I saw my friend Robert Muirhead seized by the collar by a
mounted man and dragged along, apparently towards a police
station, while a bobby on foot aided in the arrest. I jumped to
the rescue and slanged the two constables, for which I got a
whack on the cheek-bone from a baton, but Muirhead was
released.
The Matchgirls
The Matchgirls’ Strike
 In June 1888, Clementina Black gave a speech on
Female Labour at a Fabian Society meeting in
London.
 Annie Besant, a member of the audience, was
horrified when she heard about the pay and
conditions of the women working at the Bryant &
May match factory.
 The next day, Annie Besant went and interviewed
some of the people who worked at Bryant & May.
The Matchgirls’ Strike
 She discovered that the women worked fourteen hours a day




for a wage of less than five shillings a week.
However, they did not always received their full wage because
of a system of fines, ranging from three pence to one shilling,
imposed by the Bryant & May management.
Offences included talking, dropping matches or going to the
toilet without permission.
The women worked from 6.30 am in summer (8.00 in winter)
to 6.00 pm.
If workers were late, they were fined a half-day's pay.
The Matchgirls’ Strike
 Annie Besant also discovered that the health of the women




had been severely affected by the phosphorous that they
used to make the matches.
This caused yellowing of the skin and hair loss and phossy
jaw, a form of bone cancer.
The whole side of the face turned green and then black,
discharging foul-smelling pus and finally death.
Phosphorous was banned in Sweden and the US
The British government refused to follow this example,
arguing that it would be a restraint of free trade.
The Matchgirls’ Strike
 On 23rd June 1888, Annie Besant wrote an article in her




newspaper, The Link.
The article, entitled White Slavery in London, complained
about the way the women at Bryant & May were being
treated.
The company reacted by attempting to force their workers to
sign a statement that they were happy with their working
conditions.
When a group of women refused to sign, the organizers of
the group was sacked.
The response was immediate; 1400 of the women at Bryant &
May went on strike
Matchgirls’: Primary Source
 Annie Besant, The Link (23rd June, 1888)
 Born in slums, driven to work while still children, undersized
because under-fed, oppressed because helpless, flung aside as
soon as worked out, who cares if they die or go on to the streets
provided only that Bryant & May shareholders get their 23 per
cent and Mr. Theodore Bryant can erect statues and buy parks?
Girls are used to carry boxes on their heads until the hair is
rubbed off and the young heads are bald at fifteen years of age?
Country clergymen with shares in Bryant & May's draw down
on your knee your fifteen year old daughter; pass your hand
tenderly over the silky clustering curls, rejoice in the dainty
beauty of the thick, shiny tresses.
The Matchgirls’ Strike
 Annie Besant, William Stead, and Henry Hyde Champion





used their newspapers to call for a boycott of Bryant & May
matches.
The women at the company also decided to form a
Matchgirls' Union and Besant agreed to become its leader.
After three weeks the company announced that it was
willing to re-employ the dismissed women and would also
bring an end to the fines system.
The women accepted the terms and returned in triumph.
The Bryant & May dispute was the first strike by
unorganized workers to gain national publicity.
It was also successful at helped to inspire the formation of
unions all over the country.
Matchgirls’: Primary Source
 The Times (June, 1888)
 The pity is that the matchgirls have not been
suffered to take their own course but have been
egged on to strike by irresponsible advisers. No
effort has been spared by those pests of the
modern industrialized world to bring this
quarrel to a head.
The Matchgirls’ Strike Effects
 In 1891 the Salvation Army opened its own match-factory in Old






Ford, East London.
Only using harmless red phosphorus, the workers were soon
producing six million boxes a year.
Whereas Bryant & May paid their workers just over two pence a
gross, the Salvation Army paid their employees twice this amount.
William Booth organised conducted tours of MPs and journalists
round this 'model' factory.
He also took them to the homes of those "sweated workers" who
were working eleven and twelve hours a day producing matches
for companies like Bryant & May.
The bad publicity that the company received forced the company
to reconsider its policy.
In 1901, Gilbert Bartholomew, managing director of Bryant &
May, announced it had stopped used yellow phosphorus.
Combination Acts
 In 1799 and 1780 the prime minister of England, William
Pitt, passed laws that restricted the rights of Unions to
get together and strike for better wages and hours.
 This was obviously highly unpopular and was fought for
many years until it was finally taken back in 1824.
 This led to many strikes that year, so the following year
the government put another combination act in to effect.
 This was a source of anger for groups of peoples who
were like the Luddites.
Combination Acts
 Combination Laws was passed making it illegal for workers




to join together to press their employers for shorter hours or
may pay
As a result trade unions were thus effectively made illegal
The campaign against the Combination Acts was led by the
trade union leader, Francis Place.
The Combination Laws remained in force until they were
repealled in 1824.
This was followed by an outbreak of strikes and as a result the
1825 Combination Act was passed which again imposed
limitations on the right to strike.
Gagging Acts
 The Habeas Corpus Act
 Passed by Parliament in 1679
 It guaranteed that a person detained by the authorities would
have to be brought before a court of law so that the legality of
the detention may be examined.
 In times of social unrest, Parliament had the power to
suspend Habeas Corpus. William Pitt did this in May 1793
during the war with France.
 Parliamentary reformers such as Thomas Hardy and John
Thelwall were imprisoned as a result of this action.
Gagging Acts
 Habeas Corpus was also suspended in January 1817
 This occurred after a missile had been thrown through the
glass window of the Prince Regent's coach on the way to the
opening of Parliament.
 Supporters of parliamentary reform were blamed for this act
of violence
 Lord Liverpool and his government rushed the Gagging Acts
through Parliament.
 These measures banned meetings of over fifty people and
instructed magistrates to arrest everyone suspected of
spreading seditious libel
Gagging Acts
Gagging Acts severely hampered the
campaign for parliamentary reform
Parliament decided to restore Habeas
Corpus in March, 1818, there was a
immediate revival in the demands for
universal suffrage
Six Acts of 1819
 Lord Liverpool and his Tory government responded to the




Peterloo Massace by introducing the Six Acts.
Parliament reassembled on 23rd November, 1819
Lord Sidmouth, the Home Secretary, announced details of
what later became known as the Six Acts.
By December 30, 1819, Parliament had debated and passed
six measures
Parliament hoped these Six Acts would:
 Suppress radical newspapers and meetings
 Reduce the possibility of an armed uprising
Six Acts of 1819
 Training Prevention Act
 A measure which made any person attending a gathering for
the purpose of training or drilling liable to arrest. People found
guilty of this offence could be sent to the penal colony of
Australia for seven years.
 Seizure of Arms Act
 A measure that gave power to local magistrates to search any
property or person for arms.
 Seditious Meetings Prevention Act
 A measure which prohibited the holding of public meetings of
more than fifty people without the consent of a sheriff or
magistrate.
Six Acts of 1819
 The Misdemeanours Act
 A measure that attempted to reduce the delay in the
administration of justice.
 The Basphemous and Seditious Libels Act
 A measure which provided much stronger punishments,
including banishment for publications judged to be
blaspemous or sedtious.
 Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act
 A measure which subjected certain radical publications which
had previously avoided stamp duty by publishing opinion and
not news, to such duty.
Six Acts of 1819
 These measures were opposed by the Whigs
 They believed the Six Acts were a suppression of
popular rights and liberties.
 They warned that it was unreasonable to pass national
laws to deal with problems that only existed in certain
areas.
 The Whigs also warned that these measures would
encourage radicals to become even more rebellious
Six Acts : A Primary Source
 Lord Sidmouth, letter to Lord Liverpool about the introduction of
the proposed Six Acts (1st October, 1819).
 “It is with deep regret that the determination to assemble
Parliament has been so long delayed. The existing means of
stopping the progress, not merely insurrection but rebellion,
have long since proved to be utterly insufficient, but hitherto
my colleagues have remained unconvinced of the imperious
and urgent necessity of advising the adoption of the only
measure, which would of itself, animate the loyal and awe the
disaffected, and by which alone effectual means can be
provided to meet and overcome a danger greater, as I am firmly
and deliberately convinced, than any to which the country has
been exposed since the accession of the present Royal Family to
the throne.”
1867 Masters & Servants Act
 Trade Unions were unhappy with the 1825 Combination Act




that narrowly defined the rights of trade unions as meeting
to bargain over wages and conditions.
Anything outside these limits was liable to prosecution as
criminal conspiracy in restraint of trade.
In 1867 Benjamin Disraeli and his Conservative government
agreed to pass the Masters and Servants Act.
Under the terms of this act strikers could only be prosecuted
for breach of contract
Criminal action could still be brought for what was described
as "aggravated cases".
1871 Trade Union Act
 The head of the Conservative government, Earl of Derby




decided to set up a Royal Commission on Trade Unions in
1867
George Potter, a writer for the Bee-Hive, called for a working
man to be included
The government rejected the idea of a working man but they
did ask Frederic Harrison to serve on the commission.
Harrison was a very useful member of the commission
He preparing union witnesses by telling them in advance
what questions would be asked and rescued the from difficult
situations during their cross-examination
1871 Trade Union Act
 Robert Applegarth, the general secretary of the
Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, was chosen
as a union observer of the proceedings.
 Applegarth checked the various accusations of the employers
and provided information to the two pro-union members of
the Royal Commission
 Applegarth also appeared as a witness
 It was generally accepted that he was the most impressive of
all the trade unionists who gave evidence before the
commission.
1871 Trade Union Act
 The three Union Leaders at the commission refused to sign the
Majority Report that was hostile to trade unions
 Instead they produced a Minority Report where he argued that
trade unions should be given privileged legal status.
 Harrison suggested several changes to the law:
 (1) Persons combining should not be liable for indictment for
conspiracy unless their actions would be criminal if committed by a
single person
 (2) The common law doctrine of restraint of trade in its application to
trade associations should be repealed
 (3) That all legislation dealing with specifically with the activities of
employers or workmen should be repealed
 (4) That all trade unions should receive full and positive protection
for their funds and other property.
1871 Trade Union Act
 The Trade Union Congress campaigned to have the Minority




Report accepted by the new Liberal government.
This campaign was successful and the 1871 Trade Union Act
was based largely on the Minority Report.
This act secured the legal status of trade unions.
As a result of this legislation no trade union could be
regarded as criminal because "in restraint of trade"; trade
union funds were protected.
Although trade unions were victorious with the Trade Union
Act they were less fortunate with the Criminal Law
Amendment Act passed the same day that made picketing
illegal
1875 Conspiracy & Protection of
Property Act
 After the 1874 General Election, Benjamin Disraeli and the




Conservative Party formed the government.
As promised, Disraeli passed new legislation concerning trade
unions.
The Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act established the
principle that a trade union could not be prosecuted for an act
which would be legal if performed by an individual.
For example, it was not illegal for an individual to stop work,
therefore a union could not be prosecuted if it organized a
strike.
Under this act peaceful picketing was allowed to take place
during industrial disputes
1880 Employer’s Liability Act
 The Employers' Liability Act extended protection to
workers concerning accidents caused by the negligence of
managers, superintendents, and foremen.
 Railway companies were also made liable when their
employees were injured through the negligence of
signalmen, drivers, and pointsmen.
 However, the act did not protect employees against
accidents caused by fellow workers
1906 Trades Disputes Act
 In 1901 the Taff Vale Railway Company sued the




Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants for losses during
a strike.
As a result of the case the union was fined £23,000.
Up until this time it was assumed that unions could not be
sued for acts carried out by their members.
This court ruling exposed trade unions to being sued every
time it was involved in an industrial dispute.
After the 1906 General Election the Liberal Government
passed the 1906 Trades Disputes Act which removed trade
union liability for damage by strike action
1906 Trades Disputes Act: Primary
Source
 J. R. Clynes, Memoirs (1937)
 Early in 1901 the Taff Vale Railway Company sued the
Railwaymen's Union for fantastic damages because of the
action of Union men in a trade dispute. After a case, which was
conducted on lines which amazed every Labour man in the
country, the House of Lords gave a final decision against the
Union, which was mulcted of "3,000 damages, and incurred
expenses amounting to a further £19,000. Other capitalists were
not slow to realize the significance of this judgment! Trade
Unions were sued on the most absurd grounds; the Taff Vale
decision was quoted as a precedent; and Labour lost action
after action.
Year(s)
Event(s)
1799-1800
Combination Laws: Outlawed unions and strikes.
1867
Disraeli Reform Act: Suffrage for workers.
1875
Repeal of the Combination laws; unions and strikes legalized. Union membership grew as a result.
1900
Labour Party: Founded by bringing together different groups representing trade unions, etc.
1901
Taft Vale Decision: House of Lords ruled that unions would have to pay financial damages caused
by strikes (such as loss of income to employers), which threatened to end Britain’s unions.
After 1901
Labour Party: Worked for workers’ rights. (Other major British political parties were Liberals and
Conservatives.)
1906
Trade Disputes Act: Protected union funds from the Taft Vale court decision. Achieved by Liberal
and Labour parties working together.
1909
Osborne Judgment: Banned trade unions from donating funds to political parties. Hurt the
Labour party because poorer, working class party members could not provide salaries to party’s
elected representatives.
1911
Parliament Act: Stopped the House of Lords from vetoing laws passed by the House of Commons.
Paid members of parliament an annual salary.
1920s
Labour Party: Surpassed the Liberal party in power.
1940s-1950s
Social security: Labour party government brought increased social programs, including socialized
medicine, along with government control of several industries (electricity, steel, television).