William Rolley (1839 – 1912) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 political activist. Born at Bonsall-in-the-Peak in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, Rolley worked at

Cromford Mill Cromford Mill is the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill, developed by Richard Arkwright in 1771 in Cromford, Derbyshire, England. The mill structure is classified as a Grade I listed building. It is now the centrepiece of the De ...

in his youth. He later undertook a wide variety of jobs, including police officer, engine driver, steelworker, and farrier, and at some point moved to

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. An active trade unionist, Rolley was elected as chairman of the

Sheffield Federated Trades Council The Sheffield Trades and Labour Council, usually known as the Sheffield Trades Council, is a labour organisation uniting trade unionists in Sheffield. Precursors The earliest recorded attempt to found an alliance of trade unions in the city is th ...

when it was reconstituted in 1874, following the

Sheffield Outrages The Sheffield Outrages were a series of explosions and murders by a small group of trade unionist militants carried out in Sheffield, England in the 1860s. Sheffield's early success in steel production had involved long working hours, in condition ...

.J. Mendelson, W. Owen, S. Pollard and V. M. Thornes, ''The Sheffield Trades and Labour Council 1858 - 1958'' This was an influential organisation, and in 1875 it hosted the national

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

(TUC) at the Temperance Hotel in Sheffield, with Rolley elected as

President of the TUC The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the d ...

. He subsequently also served on the

Parliamentary Committee of the TUC A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

. Rolley developed an interest in politics. At the 1874 general election, he supported

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Cons ...

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

when he stood unsuccessfully in

, and some people believed that it was Rolley who had first asked Chamberlain to contest the election in the city. Rolley was elected to the Sheffield School Board in 1876, and in 1883 he was a founder of the Sheffield

Labour Electoral Association {{Short description, Political motive of the Labour Electoral Association The Labour Electoral Association was a political organisation in the United Kingdom which aimed to get working men elected to Parliament. Foundation The issue of political re ...

, which aimed to secure seats for working men at the local and national levels. He hoped to be selected as the Liberal-Labour candidate for Sheffield Attercliffe at the 1885 general election, but was not chosen. He was disappointed by this, and although he supported

Irish Home Rule The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for Devolution, self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1 ...

, he felt that party members were overly critical of Chamberlain for his opposition to the policy. In 1888, Rolley joined the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, stating that "the working classes were likely to get as much from the Tories as from the Liberals". He was made a full-time agent for the party, serving in this post for the remainder of his career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolley, William 1839 births 1912 deaths Conservative Party (UK) officials Trade unionists from Derbyshire Liberal-Labour (UK) politicians Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress People from Bonsall, Derbyshire Presidents of the Trades Union Congress