Amalgamated Association of Miners explained

Amalgamated Association of Miners
Predecessor:Miners' National Union
Successor:Miners' National Union
Dissolved:24 August 1875
Merged Label:Dissolved
Location Country:United Kingdom

The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM) was formed in 1869 in Lancashire, at a time of increasing industrial conflict in the British coalfields.

History

The union was founded by Thomas Halliday and William Pickard, two miners' union agents who had grown disillusioned with the cautious approach of the Miners' National Union (MNU) of Alexander Macdonald. In contrast, they placed an emphasis on being a centralised union, offering systematic support for local strikes. Founded on 23 August 1869, Halliday served as its president, and he called a national conference for January 1870.[1]

The 1870 conference attracted delegates from Wales and Staffordshire, in addition to Lancashire, and established it as a national organisation. While differing from Macdonald's union, it was happy to collaborate on matters of mutual agreement, and Macdonald spoke at several AAM conferences.

By June 1871, the union had 9,000 members in the Aberdare and Rhondda valleys, and in the same year won a major twelve-week strike in Aberdare and the Rhondda in 1871, cementing its position in South Wales.

A second major strike in South Wales in 1873 was also successful, while miners in Lancashire saw their wages rise greatly without having to take industrial action. However, from mid-1873, mine-owners formed their own organisations to target the union, while a downturn in the industry combined to see the union decline.

In 1874, Halliday sought election as MP for Merthyr Boroughs but although he polled well he was comfortably defeated by the sitting Liberal members, Henry Richard and Richard Fothergill.[2]

The last great industrial battle fought by the AAM was in 1874 but Halliday's hardline stance was rejected by the majority of his followers. Thereafter the AAM went into rapid decline. By 1875, it was bankrupt. It was dissolved at a conference held in Shrewsbury on 24 August, with members advised to join the MNU, and Halliday taking a place on its committee.[3]

In 1877, a new Amalgamated Association of Miners was formed, based on the surviving districts in South Wales. Halliday was again secretary, while William Abraham was president, and Edward Williams of Aberdare was treasurer.[4] Although Halliday devoted three years to the union, it was unsuccessful.

Districts

By the 1873 conference, the union claimed 99,399 members, located in a large number of districts. The union's policy was to admit miners in any unrepresented location as a new district, then in the longer term, to merge small districts together.[5]

District Founded Membership (1873) 1873 delegates
Aberavon ? 819 David Rees
1871 9,600 J. Griffiths, H. Harries, H. Hopkins, J. Jonathan, R. Jones, W. Lewis, W. Medlicott, G. Mills, David Morgan, J. Price, J. Robson, Henry Thomas, J. Thomas, N. Thomas, G. Vatie, W. Whitcombe, D. Williams, M. Williams, G. Woodford
Abersychan 1872 1,582 John Dagger, William Williams
Abertillery 1871 2,736 W. Allsopp, W. Burland, S. Jones, S. Lewis, J. Morgan, A. Phillips
Argoed ? 248 John A. Lloyd
Begelly ? 316 Isaac Thomas
Blackwood ? 239 None
Blaenavon ? 1,016 Thomas Griffiths, Levi Parry
Bristol ? 2,320 G. Bright, J. Burlton, G. Ford, S. Smith, J. Spicer
Brynmawr ? 2,111 Joseph Baugh, James William Fairbanks, Joseph Palmer
Burnley and Church ? 1,460 Thomas Beaumont, Jabez Edwards
Caerphilly ? 462 Thomas Willis
Cannock Chase ? 2,701 J. Edwards, W. Legert, L. Humphreys, George Pickard, J. Southall, E. Townsend
Cwmbran ? 951 Thomas Ephraim, Charles Vaughan
Darran ? 509 None
Farnworth and Kearsley 1869 2,520 J. Brooks, J. Fletcher, G. Gooke, B. Hall, R. Heyes, W. Hobson
1870 4,000 J. Bagott, R. Baker, G. Goode, J. Miles, Timothy Mountjoy, G. Sneensman, J. Thomas
Goginan ? 222 William Evans
Hollingwood ? 212 None
Llantwit and Taff's Well ? 1,265 Francis Edmunds, Daniel Morgan
1872 3,393 William Abraham, W. Evans, D. Harris, J. Hughes, T. Morgan
Maesteg ? 1,213 William Evans
Maesycwmmer ? 102 None
Merthyr and Dowlais ? 4,056 Daniel Evans, Isaac Kernick, John Williams, William Williams
1869 2,010 James Jones, Benjamin Williams
New Tredegar 1871 878 E. Hughes, T. Lloyd
1869 8,800 J. Bayley, J. Berks, William Brown, D. Brunt, T. Clark S. Cumberbatch, E. Ellis, W. Elsby, Moses Foulkes, J. Johnson, J. Kidd, B. Langley, E. Lyons, T. McDermott, H. Oakes, H. Pierce, W. Pugh
North Wales 1871 3,192 Joseph Dodd, David Griffiths, Isaac Roberts, Isaac Llewellyn Thomas, John Evan Thomas, Amos Turley, William Venables
Ogmore 1871 542 None
Oldham ? 1,200 None
Old Tredegar ? 1,943 Richard Davies, Henry Jeffries
Pengam ? 503 George Bolton, Thomas Lawrence
Penmain ? 85 None
1872 2,174 George Carter, T. Curtis, B. Fish, J. Hobs, J. Young
1872 5,141 J. Andrews, G. Coles, D. Davies, E. Evans, J. Francis, Bethuel Heycock, Lewis Morgan, J. Salathil, J. Trucker, E. Williams
Rhymney 1871 1,570 W. Baker, J. D. Thomas, E. Williams
Salop ? 2,663 Edward Brock, Thomas Edwards, Benjamin Garadrell, John Jones, Enoch Potts
1869 5,810 G. Carter, L. E. Coleshill, R. Cotterell, Benjamin Dean, J. Fellows, C. Gething, W. Lloyd, H. Randall, T. Unstone, W. Westwood
St Helens and Haydock ? 2,128 Richard Marsh
Swansea Vale ? 2,150 David Edwards, John Stephens
Tamworth ? 1,124 John Albrighton, Josiah Baybould
1869 3,260 J. Adams, Henry Barnes, J. Foy, Thomas Griffiths, H. Rust, J. Wadeley, S. Wilding
1872 2,500 Andrew Sharp, James Simpson
1862 6,856 J. Colinson, H. Highton, W. Higson, T. Oakes, G. Silcock
Worsley ? 800 George Seddon, Joseph Smith

Sources

Notes and References

  1. John Saville, "Halliday, Thomas (Tom) (1835-1919)", Dictionary of Labour Biography, vol.III, pp.91-94
  2. Pretty. Morgan (Dai o'r Nant). 501.
  3. News: Miners' conference at Shrewsbury . Cardiff Times . 28 August 1875.
  4. News: Formation of a new colliers' union . Cardiff Times . 11 August 1877.
  5. News: Amalgamated Association of Miners . Cardiff Times . 11 October 1873.