Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation
Encyclopedia
The Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation (LCMF) was a trade union
which operated on the Lancashire Coalfield
in North West England
.
towards Manchester in protest, but were turned back. When trouble flared, the Home Secretary
ordered troops to be ready to quell the unrest. Long strikes were unsustainable as the miners had no organisation or finances to back them up. The first miners' association was the Brotherly Union Society formed in Pemberton, Wigan in 1794. It was described as a friendly society to avoid prosecution under the Combination Acts and in the early 19th century there were 21 such societies in central Lancashire.
Strikes in the first quarter of the 19th century generally failed to improve mines pay and conditions but in 1830 miners formed the Friendly Society of Coal Mining with headquarters in Bolton. The organisation was based on local branches with delegates attending quarterly meetings. The coal owners were not sympathetic and when the men went on strike to assert their right to organise, William Hulton
issued a pamphlet condemning his workforce who he considered had: "wantonly injured me to the fll limits of your ability, in my purse, and you have much farther wounded my feelings".
The Miners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland was established at a meeting in Wakefield in 1842 and lasted for seven years. It supported the commission headed by Lord Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
and the passing of the Coal Mines Act 1842 which prohibited all females and boys under ten working underground. The association had 100,000 members and was involved in lobbying parliament and preventing persecution by tyrannical employers. The association was initially strongest in Yorkshire and the North-East and held its first public meeting at Kersal in 1843 attended by 150 miners. General-secretary, David Swallow, considered the Lancashire miners to be among the worst paid in the country and attempted to address miners in Westhoughton, but the mineowners, including William Hulton, prevented him from holding a meeting. Lord Francis Edgerton
employed 1,300 workers paying them little more than if they were in the workhouse
. Opposition from the coal owners did not prevent the association recruiting members and 98 lodges were formed in Lancashire and Cheshire by October 1843. Lancashire miners were poorly paid compared with other coalfields and antagonisms arose between the workers and the union.
, secretary of the Ashton-under-Lyne
area, organised a meeting at the old Manchester Town Hall which led to the merger of several district unions on the Lancashire Coalfield
. Not all joined and a further meeting was arranged in Wigan later in the year. The union was plagued with rivalries, between areas and the personalities that emerged in its leadership. In the aftermath of the strike, funds were exhausted and the organisation chaotic. Sam Woods
was elected the miners' agent and needed to unite the districts so that the fledgling union did not disintegrate.
In 1888, the union called a national conference, which led to the formation of the Miners Federation of Great Britain the following year.
Sam Woods
, was elected as a Lib-Lab
MP in the 1892 UK general election. In 1903, the union affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee
, by far the most important miners' union to join at that time. Stephen Walsh was appointed agent of the LCMF in 1901 and, sponsored by the federation, fought for and won the Ince
seat at the 1906 General Election.
Membership rose rapidly, reaching over 70,000 by 1907. In 1913 Thomas Greenall, President and Thomas Ashton, Secretary, laid foundation stones in Bridgeman Place, Bolton
for stone and brick headquarters designed by Bolton architects Bradshaw, Gass & Hope. Women pit workers were admitted as members of the Federation after the first World War though work at collieries was considered an unsuitable job for women.
The Lancashire miners were not considered as militant as their counterparts on other coalfields but were involved in disputes both locally and nationally.
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...
which operated on the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
.
Background
Colliery owners fended off unions until well into the 19th century and trade unionism was slow to take a hold on the Lancashire Coalfield. Wages were poor and employers arbitrarily fined men for minor reasons, disallowed wages on false pretexts and victimised perceived radicals. Bonds were used to enforce discipline. Miners protested about poor wages in 1757 when bread prices rose and some marched from KersalKersal
Kersal is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The centre of Kersal is northwest of Manchester city centre, and north-northwest of Salford's conventional centre at Greengate....
towards Manchester in protest, but were turned back. When trouble flared, the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
ordered troops to be ready to quell the unrest. Long strikes were unsustainable as the miners had no organisation or finances to back them up. The first miners' association was the Brotherly Union Society formed in Pemberton, Wigan in 1794. It was described as a friendly society to avoid prosecution under the Combination Acts and in the early 19th century there were 21 such societies in central Lancashire.
Strikes in the first quarter of the 19th century generally failed to improve mines pay and conditions but in 1830 miners formed the Friendly Society of Coal Mining with headquarters in Bolton. The organisation was based on local branches with delegates attending quarterly meetings. The coal owners were not sympathetic and when the men went on strike to assert their right to organise, William Hulton
William Hulton
William Hulton was an English landowner and magistrate.William Hulton was the son of William Hulton and Jane of Hulton Park, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. He was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford...
issued a pamphlet condemning his workforce who he considered had: "wantonly injured me to the fll limits of your ability, in my purse, and you have much farther wounded my feelings".
The Miners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland was established at a meeting in Wakefield in 1842 and lasted for seven years. It supported the commission headed by Lord Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury KG , styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was an English politician and philanthropist, one of the best-known of the Victorian era and one of the main proponents of Christian Zionism.-Youth:He was born in London and known informally as Lord Ashley...
and the passing of the Coal Mines Act 1842 which prohibited all females and boys under ten working underground. The association had 100,000 members and was involved in lobbying parliament and preventing persecution by tyrannical employers. The association was initially strongest in Yorkshire and the North-East and held its first public meeting at Kersal in 1843 attended by 150 miners. General-secretary, David Swallow, considered the Lancashire miners to be among the worst paid in the country and attempted to address miners in Westhoughton, but the mineowners, including William Hulton, prevented him from holding a meeting. Lord Francis Edgerton
Bridgewater Collieries
Bridgewater Collieries originated from the coal mines on the Manchester Coalfield in Worsley in the historic county of Lancashire owned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater in the second half of the 18th century. After the Duke's death in 1803 his estate was managed by the Bridgewater...
employed 1,300 workers paying them little more than if they were in the workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
. Opposition from the coal owners did not prevent the association recruiting members and 98 lodges were formed in Lancashire and Cheshire by October 1843. Lancashire miners were poorly paid compared with other coalfields and antagonisms arose between the workers and the union.
The federation
The federation was founded in 1881 in the aftermath of a bitter seven-week strike that was frequently violent. Thomas AshtonThomas Ashton (trade unionist)
Thomas Ashton was a British trade unionist.Born in Openshaw, Ashton worked as a coal miner from the age of 12, and in 1865 became secretary of the Bradford and Clayton miners' lodge. This dissolved two years later, but Ashton re-established it in 1873, facing victimisation, but also being elected...
, secretary of the Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
area, organised a meeting at the old Manchester Town Hall which led to the merger of several district unions on the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
. Not all joined and a further meeting was arranged in Wigan later in the year. The union was plagued with rivalries, between areas and the personalities that emerged in its leadership. In the aftermath of the strike, funds were exhausted and the organisation chaotic. Sam Woods
Sam Woods
Sam Woods was a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the 1890s.Born at Peasley Cross in St Helens, Woods began working in coal mining at the age of seven...
was elected the miners' agent and needed to unite the districts so that the fledgling union did not disintegrate.
In 1888, the union called a national conference, which led to the formation of the Miners Federation of Great Britain the following year.
Sam Woods
Sam Woods
Sam Woods was a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the 1890s.Born at Peasley Cross in St Helens, Woods began working in coal mining at the age of seven...
, was elected as a 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...
MP in the 1892 UK general election. In 1903, the union affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee
Labour Representation Committee
Labour Representation Committee may refer to:* Labour Representation Committee, the original name of the British Labour Party* Labour Representation Committee , a 21st century pressure group within the British Labour Party...
, by far the most important miners' union to join at that time. Stephen Walsh was appointed agent of the LCMF in 1901 and, sponsored by the federation, fought for and won the Ince
Ince (UK Parliament constituency)
Ince was a parliamentary constituency in England which elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Ince-in-Makerfield and other towns south of Wigan....
seat at the 1906 General Election.
Membership rose rapidly, reaching over 70,000 by 1907. In 1913 Thomas Greenall, President and Thomas Ashton, Secretary, laid foundation stones in Bridgeman Place, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
for stone and brick headquarters designed by Bolton architects Bradshaw, Gass & Hope. Women pit workers were admitted as members of the Federation after the first World War though work at collieries was considered an unsuitable job for women.
The Lancashire miners were not considered as militant as their counterparts on other coalfields but were involved in disputes both locally and nationally.
Post nationalisation
After the formation of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1945, the LCMF became its Lancashire area which subsequently merged with the Cumberland area to form the North West area.General Secretaries
- 1881: Thomas AshtonThomas Ashton (trade unionist)Thomas Ashton was a British trade unionist.Born in Openshaw, Ashton worked as a coal miner from the age of 12, and in 1865 became secretary of the Bradford and Clayton miners' lodge. This dissolved two years later, but Ashton re-established it in 1873, facing victimisation, but also being elected...
- 1919: Post vacant?
- 1927: Peter Pemberton
Presidents
- 1881: Thomas Aspinwall
- 1908: Thomas Greenall
- 192x: Stephen Walsh
- 1929: John McGurk