Barnet Kenyon
Encyclopedia
Barnet Kenyon was a British colliery worker, trade union
official and Lib–Lab
, later Liberal
politician.
, the son of Henry Kenyon and Ann Hanson. He had no formal education and went to work in a local stone quarry at the age of seven and a half. At 13, he walked to Conisbrough
to work in the newly opened Denaby Main pit. At 16, he went to work at Darfield where he was injured by a falling pit prop. From there, he went to Old Oaks, Barnsley when it was reopened after the explosions which had killed 380 men. He moved frequently, working at Ashley Deep Dukinfield, Ince Colliery Wigan and Kiveton Park.From 1876–1906 he worked at the Shireoaks Company’s Southgate Pit from 1880 as check-weighman, a representative elected by coal miners to check the findings of the mine owner's weighman where miners are paid by the weight of coal mined.
and in the nearby village of Clowne
.
.
In 1913, Kenyon was selected by the Derbyshire Miners to succeed James Haslam
, the Labour MP for Chesterfield
since 1906, who had died on 31 July 1913. Once selected however, Kenyon agreed to be adopted also by the local Liberal Association and the question of his party description and affiliation became a divisive issue in the Chesterfield constituency, the Derbyshire Miners' Federation and nationally.
. The controversy over Kenyon’s party affiliation spilled over into the contest but in the end he won easily, topping the poll with a majority of 2,186 over the Unionist
candidate Edward Christie while the socialist John Scurr
received only 583 votes. The result was much better than Kenyon or other commentators had expected and despite all the furore his candidacy had created Kenyon seemed to have been able to appeal to all elements of progressive opinion in the constituency.
and was returned unopposed but his party affiliation was clearly shown as Liberal. It is probable that Kenyon received the ‘Coupon’ at this general election. He is on the list of historian Roy Douglas' as being an official Liberal in receipt of the coupon. It is also known that his nomination papers included the signatures of some local Unionist officials and later press reports described him as a Coalition Liberal. Despite this, Kenyon lent his support to uncouponed candidates elsewhere in Derbyshire, perhaps still hedging his party political bets in anticipation of future election contests. It served him well for the 1922 general election
as he was again returned unopposed. However, at the 1923 election
, Kenyon faced Labour and Conservative opponents he held off the challenge with a comfortable majority of nearly 6,000 votes. At the general election of 1924
he faced only Labour opposition and again emerged as the clear winner with a majority of 4,765 votes
Illness was the reason Kenyon gave for not contesting the 1929 general election
but advancing age must also have been factor; he was now 76.
In addition to being a Member of Parliament, Kenyon was a member of the Chesterfield Board of Guardians
, the Old Age Pension Committee and the Derbyshire Insurance Committee. He was appointed a Trustee of the King's Fund for the Disabled. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
for the County of Derby and was a Member of the Lord Lieutenant’s Committee for the Appointment of Magistrates. He died in Chesterfield.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official and Lib–Lab
Liberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
, later Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Early career
Kenyon was born at South Anston, South YorkshireSouth Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, the son of Henry Kenyon and Ann Hanson. He had no formal education and went to work in a local stone quarry at the age of seven and a half. At 13, he walked to Conisbrough
Conisbrough
Conisbrough is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is located roughly midway between Doncaster and Rotherham, and is built alongside the River Don at...
to work in the newly opened Denaby Main pit. At 16, he went to work at Darfield where he was injured by a falling pit prop. From there, he went to Old Oaks, Barnsley when it was reopened after the explosions which had killed 380 men. He moved frequently, working at Ashley Deep Dukinfield, Ince Colliery Wigan and Kiveton Park.From 1876–1906 he worked at the Shireoaks Company’s Southgate Pit from 1880 as check-weighman, a representative elected by coal miners to check the findings of the mine owner's weighman where miners are paid by the weight of coal mined.
Private life
In 1878, he married Elizabeth Ramsden. They had no children but fostered the four children of his brother George, whose wife, Kezia (née Parker), had died in childbirth. He adopted a son, Ernest, and brought up three other children. In religion, Kenyon was a strict non-conformist, a Primitive Methodist and lay preacher in ChesterfieldChesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
and in the nearby village of Clowne
Clowne
Clowne is a village and civil parish in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England. It forms part of the Bolsover constituency. Clowne lies north east of Chesterfield and south west of Worksop. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Clune...
.
Miners' Federation official
Kenyon was clearly a popular figure with his fellow coal miners. He helped to found the Derbyshire Miners Association in 1880, and from 1896 until 1906 he was President of the Derbyshire Miners' Federation. He was afterwards sssistant secretary, a paid position, and by January 1912 he had become the Federation's Secretary. During unrest in the coal field during that month, he called publicly for any industrial action the miners might take to be directed towards the coal owners, who, according to Kenyon, were making fabulous profits and not aimed at the public or other industries who would resent indiscriminate strike action. By July 1913, Kenyon was Treasurer of the Federation.Politics
The best description of Kenyon's politics is Lib–Lab. There had always been close ties between the Liberal Party and organised labour and much overlap between them in terms of beliefs, political thought and personnel. In the late 19th and early 20th century many candidates were described as Lib–Labs but it was hard for working men to get adopted as Liberal candidates by Liberal Associations dominated by middle-class and professional men and this was a principal reason for the founding in 1900 of the Labour Representation Committee, the organisation which later became the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
In 1913, Kenyon was selected by the Derbyshire Miners to succeed James Haslam
James Haslam
James Haslam was a British politician, representing Chesterfield as an MP from 1906 to 1913Before entering Parliament in 1906, Haslam had served as a leading official of the Derbyshire Miners’ Association since its inception some 30 years earlier...
, the Labour MP for Chesterfield
Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Chesterfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a marginal seat between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The best-known MP was Tony Benn from 1984 to 2001...
since 1906, who had died on 31 July 1913. Once selected however, Kenyon agreed to be adopted also by the local Liberal Association and the question of his party description and affiliation became a divisive issue in the Chesterfield constituency, the Derbyshire Miners' Federation and nationally.
Chesterfield by-election, 1913
Haslam's death resulted in a by-election in ChesterfieldChesterfield by-election, 1913
The Chesterfield by-election, 1913 was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Chesterfield in Derbyshire on 20 August 1913. The seat became vacant following the death of the constituency's Labour Member of Parliament James Haslam.-The result:The result was a win by the...
. The controversy over Kenyon’s party affiliation spilled over into the contest but in the end he won easily, topping the poll with a majority of 2,186 over the Unionist
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate Edward Christie while the socialist John Scurr
John Scurr
John Scurr , born John Rennie, was an English Labour Party politician and trade union official who served as Member of Parliament for Mile End from 1923 to 1931....
received only 583 votes. The result was much better than Kenyon or other commentators had expected and despite all the furore his candidacy had created Kenyon seemed to have been able to appeal to all elements of progressive opinion in the constituency.
Political career
On 25 November 1918, The Times noted that Barnet Kenyon had been selected to fight Chesterfield, describing him as the Labour candidate. In the event Kenyon had no competition at the 1918 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
and was returned unopposed but his party affiliation was clearly shown as Liberal. It is probable that Kenyon received the ‘Coupon’ at this general election. He is on the list of historian Roy Douglas' as being an official Liberal in receipt of the coupon. It is also known that his nomination papers included the signatures of some local Unionist officials and later press reports described him as a Coalition Liberal. Despite this, Kenyon lent his support to uncouponed candidates elsewhere in Derbyshire, perhaps still hedging his party political bets in anticipation of future election contests. It served him well for the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
as he was again returned unopposed. However, at the 1923 election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Kenyon faced Labour and Conservative opponents he held off the challenge with a comfortable majority of nearly 6,000 votes. At the general election of 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
he faced only Labour opposition and again emerged as the clear winner with a majority of 4,765 votes
Illness was the reason Kenyon gave for not contesting the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
but advancing age must also have been factor; he was now 76.
In addition to being a Member of Parliament, Kenyon was a member of the Chesterfield Board of Guardians
Board of Guardians
Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...
, the Old Age Pension Committee and the Derbyshire Insurance Committee. He was appointed a Trustee of the King's Fund for the Disabled. He also served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for the County of Derby and was a Member of the Lord Lieutenant’s Committee for the Appointment of Magistrates. He died in Chesterfield.