The Rossendale Weavers', Winders' and Beamers' Association was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing cotton industry workers in the

Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England: Places *Rossendale Valley, a river valley *Borough of Rossendale, a local government district *Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency) Rossendale was a United King ...

area of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

in England. The union was founded in 1873, and affiliated to the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in 1877. It left this "First Amalgamation" in 1880 and remained unaffiliated until 1892, when it belatedly joined the

Amalgamated Weavers' Association The Amalgamated Weavers' Association, often known as the Weavers' Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Initially, it operated in competition with the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in part of its area, ...

. By the 1890s, the union had more than 1,500 members, and this continued to grow, reaching 2,800 in 1907 before falling back a little to 2,000 by 1920. Thereafter, it declined in line with employment in the Lancashire textile trade, falling to only 1,020 in 1960. That year, the Haslingden Weavers' Association merged in, the union relocating its office to

Haslingden Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels' or 'valley growing with hazels'. At the time of the 2011 census the town (including Helmshore) had a population of 15,9 ...

, and renamed itself as the Rossendale Valley Textile Workers' Association, membership recovering to 2,555. In 1977, the union merged into the Burnley, Nelson and District Textile Workers' Union, which accordingly renamed itself as the

Burnley, Nelson, Rossendale and District Textile Workers' Union The Burnley, Nelson, Rossendale and District Textile Workers' Union (BNRDTWU) was a trade union representing cotton industry workers in the Burnley and Nelson areas of Lancashire in England. The union was formed in 1966 with the merger of the ...

General Secretaries

:J. Wright :1890s: John Farron :1926: Albert Lomax :1960: Mary Abbott

References

{{UTFWA Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Borough of Rossendale Cotton industry trade unions 1873 establishments in the United Kingdom 1977 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Rawtenstall Trade unions established in 1873 Trade unions disestablished in 1977 Trade unions based in Lancashire