Records of the Ilkeston Lodge of the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, CokeWorkers and Kindred Trades, 1942-1953

Scope and Content

The collection comprises:

  • Signed minute book, July 1942-December 1951 (MS 209/1).
  • Correspondence, June 1942-June 1953 (MS 209/2).
  • Boots Cash Chemists invoices, November 1953 (MS 209/3).

From this very incomplete archive, the minute book provides a good but brief documentary insightinto the activities of the Ilkeston Lodge during the 1942 to 1951 period. The remaining materialcomprises chance documentary survivals.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Blastfurnacemen Union was started in Cleveland in the north of England in 1878 when theblastfurnacemen belonging to the Amalgamated Iron Steel Workers of Great Britain decided to begintheir own union. Blastfurnacemen in other parts of the country established independent unions on aregional basis (Derbyshire had a local association by 1892) and the National Federation ofBlastfurnacemen was created to give them a national voice. The Federation remained outside the Ironand Steel Trades Confederation (established in 1917) preferring to unite its component parts in theNational Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades. In 1937, the Unionhad 13,620 Trades Union Congress members and 8,062 Labour Party members.

As a result of a drop in membership, the Union amalgamated with the Iron and Steel TradesConfederation in 1985.

The Blastfurnacemen Union was divided into 'lodges', local branches based on the workplace unit.The dates of the formation and winding up of the Ilkeston Lodge have not been ascertained. The lodgemeetings were held in a variety of clubs and public houses. The statements [invoices] in thiscollection are addressed to the National Union of Blastfurnacemen at the Stanton Ironworks inIlkeston and it may have been here where many of the lodge's members were employed.

Arrangement

The collection has been divided by document type into three series. Within these series, itemshave been arranged chronologically.

Access Information

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers.

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposesonly, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

Separated Material

Conditions Governing Use

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must besought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and SpecialCollections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk).The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but this can be difficult and theresponsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the person wishingto publish.

LANGUAGE: English

Custodial History

The collection was acquired by The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts in July1971.

Related Material

  • University of Wales; Swansea: Records of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation includingrecords of the National Blastfurnacemen Union, 1919-1982. An on-line catalogue is available. SWCC

Geographical Names