ABSTRACT
By the opening of the twentieth century the Nottinghamshire Miners’ Association had settled down into a humdrum existence. All colliery owners in the county gave it full recognition. Its full-time officials were recognized as persons of importance. Membership was gradually rising and its income was assured. In 1900, it became a landowner when its new offices, together with three adjacent houses for its officials, were opened.1 The total worth of the Union at the end of June 1900 at £63,156, equalled £3 8s. 2d. for each of its 18,520 members. Only £7 2s. 1d. had been spent on strike pay during the twelve months ending 30th June 1900 compared with £8,545 during the previous twelve months.2 The Association had become firmly established, moderate and respectable. The period covered in this chapter saw the Association take hesitant leftward steps, becoming affiliated, through the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, to the Labour Party. Towards the end of the period, a militant wing became articulate and achieved considerable support among the rank-and-file, particularly in the Mansfield area.
