Kinsley Evictions 1905 Hemsworth history mining dispute photographs - Pickles

Kinsley Evictions 1905
Three month of evictions, three and a half years' strike

by Pat & Rennie Pickles

Softback.

99 pages, illustrated.

Comprehensive illustrated history of this pivotal event in British labour history. Sparked by a bitter wage dispute at the Hemsworth (Fitzwilliam) Colliery, over 100 striking miners and their families were forcibly evicted from their company-owned homes in Kinsley by police between August and October 1905.

The community and early Labour movement rallied to support the displaced families with tented camps in Outwood. 57 children of the evicted miners were sheltered in the ballroom of the Kinsley Hotel by its landlord, Thomas Elstone. Political leaders like Keir Hardie and the Independent Labour Party (ILP) championed their cause, drawing national attention to the plight of workers living in tied, colliery-owned housing. 

The strike and picketing continued until the dispute was ultimately settled in November 1907. 

Condition: Very Good.