Author: EditorMC

I am a former journalist by trade, turned labour and family historian with a special interest in Chartism. I launched the Chartist Ancestors website since 2003, and am currently a member of the Society for the Study of Labour History executive committee, managing its website and social media in my free time.
Labour history news, SSLH news

Samuel Smiles and working-class politics: a new work from the late Malcolm Chase

A new posthumously published article by the late Malcolm Chase appears in the current issue of the Journal of Victorian Culture thanks to the efforts of his family and friends1. It deals with the champion of working-class self improvement Samuel Smiles, and is made available on open access here. The article is based on papers which were never published, but which Malcolm gave in person, … Continue reading Samuel Smiles and working-class politics: a new work from the late Malcolm Chase

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Bursary reports, Research bursaries

‘Glimpsus Ankli and Veenecki’: catching sight of women workers in First World War aircraft factories

Factory magazines enabled independent researcher Lily Ford to uncover women’s experience in the aircraft factories of the First World War, with the help of an SSLH research bursary. My research uncovers the women behind the scenes in British aviation. It offers a new view of the development of flight in Britain from the 1890s to the 1940s, and looks at areas where women were involved … Continue reading ‘Glimpsus Ankli and Veenecki’: catching sight of women workers in First World War aircraft factories

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Obituaries

Alan Haworth (1948 – 2023)

Family, friends and others who knew and respected Alan Haworth (Lord Haworth) continue to mourn his death on 28 August while on holiday in Iceland. There have been many tributes, including the obituary linked here in the Guardian. I first got to know Alan in the visceral days of 1970s Newham North East Labour Party. It was a difficult time for many people but Alan never lost his … Continue reading Alan Haworth (1948 – 2023)

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Labour history news

Scottish Labour History Society undergraduate essay prize

The Scottish Labour History Society has launched an essay competition for undergraduates. The competion, which comes with a cash first prize of £400 and publication of the winning essay in the journal Scottish Labour History, is open to anyone currently registered for a first degree in Britain or abroad, or to anyone who has completed such a degree no earlier than February  2023. Download the entry … Continue reading Scottish Labour History Society undergraduate essay prize

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Bursary reports, Research bursaries

Maya Adereth (LSE) on trade unions and friendly society benefits in the UK and US at the turn of the 20th century

My PhD thesis asks: when do trade unions come to support universal welfare policies? It pursues the question through a comparison of the British and American labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century. Thanks to the funding from the Society for the Study of Labour History, I was able to make two archival visits which hugely advanced my research. The first was to … Continue reading Maya Adereth (LSE) on trade unions and friendly society benefits in the UK and US at the turn of the 20th century

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Labour history news

The long view: three hundred years of British strikes: contours, legal frameworks, and tactics

Writing in the October 2023 issue of Workers of the World: International Journal on Strikes and Social Conflict, Dr Dave Lyddon explores ‘Three hundred years of British strikes: contours, legal frameworks, and tactics’. The article, which is available open access, is a first attempt to cover the topic over such a long time span.   Read the article in full. Abstract Britain has the longest … Continue reading The long view: three hundred years of British strikes: contours, legal frameworks, and tactics

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
SSLH news

SSLH bursaries: financial support for labour history researchers

Are you supervising a student studying a labour history topic for their dissertation in 2023-24? Or do you know a postgraduate researcher (MA and doctoral) or independent scholar engaged in postgraduate-level research in labour history? A bursary could provide support to fund archive or library research. The Society for the Study of Labour History offers up to £500 for undergraduate (final year) and taught Masters … Continue reading SSLH bursaries: financial support for labour history researchers

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Events

Transfers of socialism between France and Great Britain, and its popular reception, in the long nineteenth century

A one-day conference on ‘Transfers of socialism between France and Great Britain, and its popular reception, in the long nineteenth century’ will take place at the University of Tours, France, 8-9 February 2024. The call for papers is now closed. Please note that the conference proceedings are in French. Programme de la JEJeudi 8 février 2024 14h :J.-J. Tatin (U. Tours) : « Les textes … Continue reading Transfers of socialism between France and Great Britain, and its popular reception, in the long nineteenth century

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Labour history news, SSLH news

A touch of labour history for BBC Union history series

In Union, a major new television series for the BBC, historian Professor David Olusoga examines questions of national identity, social class and inequality, ‘shining a light on our fractured modern society through the lens of the past, exposing the fault lines dividing the UK’, as publicity material for the four-episode series puts it. And in episode three, The Two Nations, he reaches the nineteenth century, … Continue reading A touch of labour history for BBC Union history series

Unknown's avatarEditorMC