Books etc, Commentary

Book review: Sheffield and the heavy spring trade

Quentin Outram reviews John Austin’s The Sheffield Heavy Spring Trade: 1829-2025. Sheffield, 2026, pp. 192, p/b. ISBN 978 10369 32701. Heavy springs are the springs you used to find and still find on railway trucks, carriages, and locomotives, lorries, busses, and cars. They are not the kind of springs you find in watch and clock mechanisms, jewellery, folding knives, upholstery and mattresses. There are two main types … Continue reading Book review: Sheffield and the heavy spring trade

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Books etc, Events

Book launch: Mary Quaile, Manchester trade union organiser

A new biography of Manchester Irishwoman and trade union organiser, Mary Quaile, will be launched on Saturday 8th August in Manchester. Bernadette Hyland and Michael Herbert’s new book: ‘To her the trade union movement was her life’ – Mary Quaile: Manchester Irishwoman and trade union organiser of women workers traces the story of Mary’s life and work. The book begins with her arrival in England … Continue reading Book launch: Mary Quaile, Manchester trade union organiser

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Documents & objects, Labour history news

Exceptionally rare Peterloo commemorative jug discovered

The People’s History Museum has acquired a unique Peterloo commemorative jug, which will be on display from 1 August 2026 until 3 January 2027. The finding will be of interest to labour historians, and historians of protest and working class history more generally, as objects connected to the Peterloo Massacre are few and far between. On 16 August 1819, yeomanry charged into a crowd of … Continue reading Exceptionally rare Peterloo commemorative jug discovered

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Labour history news, SSLH news

Update: Bibliography on the 1926 General Strike

To mark the one hundredth anniversary of the 1926 General Strike and mining lockout, Dave Lyddon and Quentin Outram are revising the Historical Studies in Industrial Relations (HSIR) bibliography of the strike. Thanks to all who responded to our previous request for possible entries. This is an expanded version, including many new entries from contemporary periodicals. As before, please contact Dave Lyddon or Quentin Outram, … Continue reading Update: Bibliography on the 1926 General Strike

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Labour History Review

Labour History Review Volume 91 (2026), issue 2

Labour History Review Volume 91 (2026), Issue 2 has now been published. The journal appears both in hard copy and online formats. In this issue . . . Lewis James Willcox, ‘Class, Community, and the Labour Unrest in Rural Scotland: Establishing the Scottish Farm Servants’ Union’, pp 1-19. Read more: Kevin Morgan, ‘Out of the Shadow of Bevin and Mann: A.A. Purcell and the General … Continue reading Labour History Review Volume 91 (2026), issue 2

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Events, Labour history news

On the Line: 100 years of strikes and solidarity (Guided Tours)

The People’s History Museum has announced a series of guided tours of its new exhibition, ‘On the Line: 100 years of strikes and solidarity’, led by curator, Mark Wilson. Marking the centenary of the 1926 strike, the exhibition opened at PHM in Manchester on Saturday 21 March and runs until Monday 2 November 2026, taking visitors on a journey through the hundred years of turbulent … Continue reading On the Line: 100 years of strikes and solidarity (Guided Tours)

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Events, Labour history news

Robert Rumble Conference 2026 Report

On the 14 May 2026, the inaugural Robert Rumble Conference brought together almost one hundred participants to explore the life, work, and legacy of Robert Rumble and the Poor Man’s Improvement and Land Settlement Association (PMILSA) at the Grace Baptist Church, May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica. Organised as part of the Jamaica–Wales Alliance and Learning Links International “Building Bridges of Friendship” programme, the event focused on … Continue reading Robert Rumble Conference 2026 Report

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
Books etc, Labour history news

Loose Cannons: a graphic tale of forgotten humanists

A new graphic novel running through the lives and ideas of humanists, both well known and unjustly forgotten, has just been announced. Paul Fitzgerald (Polyp), a Manchester-based illustrator and cartoonist, and Madeleine Goodall, a researcher and writer on humanist history, proposed book sets out to recover ‘unjustly forgotten freethinking humanists’ and bring them back into popular history. In recent years, Polyp has produced a range … Continue reading Loose Cannons: a graphic tale of forgotten humanists

Unknown's avatargregorybillam
SSLH news

Video: John Goodridge on the struggles of labouring-class poets

Professor John Goodridge delivers the Society for the Study of Labour History’s annual John Halstead Memorial Lecture, titled, ‘Reading by glow worm: the struggles of labouring-class poets’. The event took place at the John Rylands Library, Manchester on Saturday 13 June 2026. Professor Goodridge is President of the John Clare Society. He was introduced by Dr Mike Mecham, Chair of the John Clare Society and … Continue reading Video: John Goodridge on the struggles of labouring-class poets

Unknown's avatarEditorMC
Advice & reference, SSLH news, Topic guides

Sources for the history of the 1926 General Strike

To mark the centenary of the 1926 General Strike and lock-out, the Society for the Study of Labour History has produced a new subject guide on the 1926 General Strike. Compiled by the Society’s Archives and Resources Committee, the guide provides an overview of key collections held at institutions that are members of the SSLH’s ARC. The fact sheet includes details of the main archives … Continue reading Sources for the history of the 1926 General Strike

Unknown's avatargregorybillam