Lancashire Cotton Operatives and Work, 1900-1950
Modern Economic and Social History Series
General Editor: Derek H. Aldcroft
Titles in this series include:
Studies in the lnterwar European Economy
Derek H. Aldcroft
Disillusionment or New Opportunities? The Changing Nature of Work in Offices, Glasgow 1880-1914
R. Guerriero Wilson
Raleigh and the British Bicycle Industry: An Economic and Business History, 1870-1960
Roger Lloyd-Jones and M. J. Lewis
Battles for the Standard: Bimetallism and the Spread of the Gold Standard, 1870-1914
Edward R. Wilson
The British Footwear Industry
Peter R. Mounfield
Trade Unions and the Economy, 1870-2000
Derek H. Aldcroft and Michael J. Oliver
The British Electronics Industry: Innovation, Markets and Performance, 1930-97
John F. Wilson
The Seaside, Health and the Environment since 1850
John Hassan
Exchange Rate Regimes and Economic Policy in the Twentieth Century
edited by Ross Catterall and Derek H. Aldcroft
The Skilled Compositor, 1850-1914: An Aristocrat among Working Men
Patrick Duffy
Technology, Industrial Conflict and the Development of Technical Education in 19th-century England
Bernard Cronin
Lancashire Cotton Operatives and Work, 19001950
A Social History of Lancashire Cotton Operatives in the Twentieth Century
Alan Fowler
First published 2003 by Ashgate Publishing
Reissued 2018 by Routledge
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Copyright Alan Fowler, 2003
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A LIbrary of Congress record exists under LC control number: 2002018908
ISBN 13: 978-1-138-72558-4 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-315-19181-2 (ebk)
This book is dedicated to
Tom and Sam
Modern Economic and Social History Series General Editor's Preface
Economic and social history has been a flourishing subject of scholarly study during recent decades. Not only has the volume of literature increased enormously but the range of interest in time, space and subject matter has broadened considerably so that today there are many sub-branches of the subject which have developed considerable status in their own right.
One of the aims of this new series is to encourage the publication of scholarly monographs on any aspect of modern economic and social history. The geographical coverage is world-wide and contributions on non-British themes will be especially welcome. While emphasis will be placed on works embodying original research, it is also intended that the series should provide the opportunity to publish studies of a more general and thematic nature which offer a reappraisal or citical analysis of major issues of debate.
Derek H. Aldcroft
Manchester Metropolitan University
Plates
between pages 208 and 209
Tables
This book would not have been possible without the help of a number of people and organisations. First, I wish to thank the Board of Trustees of the British Cotton Growing Association Ltd: Work People's Collection Fund for the award of a grant which enabled me to have a year of study leave. Freed from teaching commitments, I was able to produce the first of many drafts. My second debt is to the Manchester Metropolitan University, especially the Department of Economics and Economic History and the Department of History and Economic History. Over some thirty years I have received support for my research from the University and its predecessor the Manchester Polytechnic.
I am indebted to the librarians and archivists of the Lancashire region. A work of this kind is not possible without the active support and help of those who look after the records of the Lancashire cotton operatives and their trade unions. In particular I wish to thank the staff of the Manchester Metropolitan University Library, the John Rylands University Library of Manchester (Deansgate), the Working Class Movement Library, Salford, the National Museum of Labour History and the Lancashire Record Office. My thanks also to the staff of local collections in Bolton, Burnley, Pendle, Oldham and Tameside.
I owe an enormous personal debt to the many trade union officials who have helped my research over the years and encouraged me to explore the world of the Lancashire textile operatives. These include the Trustees of the Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners, the officials of the Amalgamated Textile Workers Union and the officers and staff of the Burnley, Nelson, Rossendale and District Textile Workers' Union as well as the staff of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation in Brussels, a visit made possible by a grant from the Lipman Miliband Trust. I owe a very special debt of gratitude to Bill Whittaker, the former weavers' officer in Burnley, and Joe Richardson, the last secretary of the Spinners' Amalgamation. I remember especially the dignity and pride in their industry and their membership which shone through numerous conversations.
Over the years I have built up a considerable intellectual debt to a whole range of scholars and I am grateful for their help and encouragement. It is always invidious to pick names out but I should like to thank and acknowledge the help of three individuals in particular. R. S. Fitton (1925-87) awakened my interest in the Lancashire cotton industry and its operatives when I was a student and encouraged me when I was a colleague. Terry Wyke, who I have worked in partnership with over a number of years, is both a colleague and a friend. He, more than anyone else, raised my sights beyond the world of strikes and lockouts to the wider world of the Lancashire cotton operatives. My colleague Derek Aldcroft has commented on every chapter and though the faults of the book remain all mine, he has given generously of his time and considerable knowledge to help me.
The debt to my family is difficult to describe. Lesley has read all the many drafts that have preceded this one and has given of her own knowledge of health and safety in the Lancashire cotton industry. She has generously contributed more to this book than I can ever thank her for; she is also the joint author of . I dedicate this book to our two lads, Tom and Sam, who, as children, rather less patiently sometimes spent their Sundays visiting yet another old mill.