The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Miners' Association was an early union representing

coal miner Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use c ...

s in parts of the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The union was founded around the turn of 1863 and 1864 by two miners: William Ball, and one other who died shortly after establishing the union. The union attracted hostility from mine owners, and members risked victimisation, so it initially operated secretively. Most of its early members had previously been part of a short-lived union established in 1844, but by 1866, the new union had only 300 members.Alan R. Griffin, ''The Miners of Nottinghamshire'', vol.I, pp.11-24 The union affiliated to the

Miners' National Union The Miners' National Union (MNU) was a trade union which represented miners in Great Britain. History The union was founded in November 1863 at a five-day long conference at the People's Hall in Leeds. It was originally known as the National Ass ...

(MNU), and in 1866, it sent William Brown to the area as a full-time organiser, intending to operate publicly and attract new members. He was enormously successful, bringing membership up to 7,000 within a year. He worked with local

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

preachers, who led hymn-singing at union meetings, and also organised co-operation with the neighbouring

South Yorkshire Miners' Association The South Yorkshire Miners' Association (SYMA) was an early British trade union representing coal miners in the southern West Riding of Yorkshire and northern Derbyshire. The union was founded in 1858 at the White Bear Inn in Barnsley in respo ...

(SYMA). In response to the newly confident union, mineowners in

Staveley Staveley may refer to: Places * Staveley, Cumbria, village in the former county of Westmorland and now in Cumbria, England ** Staveley railway station * Staveley-in-Cartmel, village formerly in Lancashire, now in Cumbria, England * Staveley, D ...

sacked 500 workers for union membership, out of a total workforce of 1,800 in the town. Owners in

Hucknall Hucknall, formerly Hucknall Torkard, is a market town in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies 7 miles north of Nottingham, 7 miles south-east of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 9 miles from Mansfield and 10 miles south of Sutton-in ...

and Kimberley then

locked out Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

miners, and the three areas brought in strikebreakers from across Britain. The union counterclaimed for a working day of less than 12 hours, and when being paid by the ton, for this to be based on 21 cwt, not 28 cwt. The dispute continued into 1867, with the local union receiving support from the MNU, the

Organised Trades Association The Notts Trades Council, formally known as the Nottinghamshire Nottingham and Mansfield Trades Council, brings together trade unionists in Nottinghamshire, in England. Forerunners In 1861, a group of employers in Nottingham established a local Cha ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

and the

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

, but by the summer, funds were running low, and most of the strikers had either agreed to leave the union, or had moved away to find work elsewhere. At the start of the year, the union remained strong in south Derbyshire, but in February, owners started a lock-out there. Union members remained solid for over a year, but when union funds ran out in March 1868, they had to admit defeat. By the end of 1868, union membership was down to under 500, mostly based at

Cinderhill Cinderhill is an area in the City of Nottingham. It is located roughly from the City Centre, and surrounding areas include Bulwell to the north, Aspley and Broxtowe to the south, Basford to the east and Nuthall to the west. Cinderhill lies w ...

. Remaining members in south Derbyshire split away to form their own district of the MNU. From 1870, membership of the union began to slowly increase, and William Peach became its new secretary. In 1873, an early conciliation board was set up with the Butterley Company in an attempt to avoid industrial action, but this was unable to resolve various matters, leading to a strike in 1874 and another in 1875. The second strike was again defeated, and the union became moribund, remaining members in Derbyshire joining the SYMA. Although inactive, the union remained in existence until around 1880, when the new

Nottinghamshire Miners' Association The Nottinghamshire Miners' Association was a trade union representing coal miners in Nottinghamshire, England. A Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Miners' Association was founded in the 1860s, but became moribund by the 1870s, although some bran ...

and

Derbyshire Miners' Association The Derbyshire Miners' Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1880 to represent coal miners in northern Derbyshire, as a split from the South Yorkshire Miners' Association. Although it initially aimed t ...

were founded.

References

{{Authority control Trade unions established in 1863 Trade unions disestablished in the 1880s Trade unions based in Derbyshire Mining trade unions