Amalgamated Society of Papermakers

Minutes, 1920-38, including some financial records; and reports, 1894-1918, including balance sheets.

The Amalgamated Society of Papermakers came into existence in 1854 as the United Brotherhood of Papermakers, effectively a progressive splinter group of the Original Society of Papermakers. The UBP itself split in 1869 into the United Brotherhood and the Modern Society, the latter being opposed to the system of tramping for work. They reunited as the Amalgamated Society of Papermakers in 1894 and from the beginning of the First World War developed an ever closer relationship firstly with the National Union of Printing and Paper Workers and then with the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding, Machine Ruling and Paper Workers/ National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers. On January 1st 1937 the Amalgamated Society of Papermakers amalgamated with the NUPBPW to form part of the enlarged union's Papermaking Section.

Reference: C.J. Bundock, The Story of the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (Oxford, 1959)

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/ASP

The records of the Amalgamated Society of Papermakers were deposited at the Modern Records Centre in 1994 together with the papers of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades and its other predecessor unions. They form part of the large Graphical, Paper and Media Union collection (MSS.39) of printing trade union records.

National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers; National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers; National Union of Printing and Paper Workers; Original Society of Papermakers