"Founded in 1960, the Society for the Study of Labour History (SSLH) is the UK’s principal organisation dedicated to the study of labour history. Membership is open to everyone who would like to learn more about labour history and heritage whether on a professional or amateur basis. The SSLH publishes the journal the Labour History Review, organises regular conferences and actively promotes the preservation of historical resources connected to the labour movement."
News Feed
The News Feed is where all new content added to the website in all sections is listed chronologically. You can also access the RSS feed here, if you subscribe to it you can get automatic updates form our site. What is an RSS Feed?
Scottish Labour History Society
"Welcome to the website of the Scottish Labour History Society. We are an independent organisation unaffiliated with any political party, but have enjoyed strong practical, moral and financial support from the broader trade union, labour and co-operative movement for over half a century. We aim to strengthen these links, and we welcome new members and affiliates who can help us to: Promote labour and working class history; form and run regional labour history groups and workshops; expand our […]
North West Labour History Society
The North West Labour History Society was formed in 1973 to promote and popularise the knowledge and study of all aspects of labour history in the north west of England. Members and contributors to our journal include Trade Unionists, academics, students – ordinary people with a passion for our history. Our aims include the following: bringing together those interested in the history of the working class and its organisations, unions, co-operative societies or political bodies publishing an […]
North-East Labour History Society
"Founded in 1967, the North East Labour History Society is Britain's oldest regional labour history society. It is dedicated to the study of working people's history in the region, particularly during the modern period. We have a committee drawn up from labour historians and activists in the region. We encourage an atmosphere of debate and discussion on both historical and contemporary issues."
The Crimes of Walter Virgo and the “Blakeney Gang”
In the Forest of Dean towards the end of the nineteenth century the ‘Blakeney Outrages’ of the 1890s led to Walter Virgo and the “Blakeney Gang” being accused of acts of poisoning, maiming, stealing, poaching, midnight raids, dynamiting, arson and murder. However, their story cannot be understood without placing their actions in the historical context of the struggle for the customary right to common which in the past involved the use of direct action and political violence. A consideration of […]
Archive.org & Openlibrary.org
These are two related initiative that can be a great help when trying to do a little research form the comfort of ones own computer. Archive.org contains the Wayback Machine which archives snap shot of websites. You can thus see pages on websites as they used to be. However, archive.org also contains free and complete copies of many books that are out of copyright and in the public domain. Openlibrary.org aims to get "One web page for every book ever published". You can search for the details of […]
Alsatia
The idea is simple enough: to investigate the area of London known as Alsatia, and other similar ‘outlaw’ areas, their history, context and meanings. There are many tantalising references, but nothing substantial on the subject, so it offers challenges and rewards. Of course, I could just do some searching, some reading, and perhaps write an article or suchlike. But keeping track of all the fragments, questions and resonances requires some organization, and that in turn requires some tools. ... […]
A Family Who Had Rather Live By Their Wits Than Their Work
Bristol and the Labour Unrest of 1910-14
1910 saw a renewed outbreak of industrial strife as significant sections of the trade union rank-and-file began to express their frustration at the lack of progress made in their struggle for better working conditions and a new social order. Strikes reached levels not seen since the ‘new unionism’ upsurge of 1889-92. Worker unrest combined with clashes over Home Rule for Ireland and the militant tactics of suffrage campaigners added to the problems of the ruling class who, confronted by these […]
How the Sex Pistols warned us about the Jimmy Savile generation…
Over the last year or so we have been bombarded with allegations and cases of sexual abuse involving Radio DJ's, TV producers, Comedians, TV personalities and pop stars who were all at their height of fame in the 1970s. Amongst the alleged perpetrators were Dave Lee Travis, Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris, Stewart Hall, Garry Glitter, Freddie Starr, Jim Davidson, Max Clifford and Jimmy Tarbuck. Nearly 600 victims of sexual abuse have come forward as part of the Operation Yew Tree investigation, which […]