Enoch Morrell (1860 – April 1934) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

and politician. Born in

Troed-y-rhiw Troed-y-rhiw (, translation: foot of the slope) is a large community village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Its population at the 2011 census was 5,296. It features the Troed-y-rhiw railway station. Governance The community sh ...

, Morrell left school at the age of ten and began working underground at the Saron Level Colliery. He later became a hewer and, after twenty years underground, was elected as

checkweighman {{Short description, Occupation within mining, especially coal A checkweighman (occasionally checkmeasurer or checkweigher) is a person who is responsible for weighing coal or another mined substance, and thereby determining the payment due to each ...

at Nixon's Navigation Colliery. He joined the

South Wales Miners' Federation The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers. Forerunners The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AA ...

(SWMF), and was elected to its executive, also serving on the conciliation board for the Taff and Cynon district. Morrell was also politically active, and served on the

Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

Urban District Council In England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local gove ...

for four years, during which time he chaired both the health and lighting committees. In 1905, a town council was established in Merthyr. Morrell topped the poll in the Plymouth ward, and was then elected as the first Mayor of Merthyr. He attempted to become the Labour Party candidate in the 1915 Merthyr Tydfil by-election, but in a ballot of SWMF members, he took last place, and so his name did not go forward for consideration. Morrell was elected as full-time agent for the Taff and Cynon District of the SWMF in 1908, and became known as a leading member of the right-wing of the union. He was vice-president of the union by 1922, and in 1924, he was elected as president, serving until his death in 1934. In the 1932 New Year Honors, he was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrell, Enoch 1860 births 1934 deaths Mayors of places in Wales People from Troed-y-rhiw Presidents of British trade unions Welsh trade unionists