ABSTRACT
Many societies broke up altogether, and in many cases the local Trade Clubs which had been drawn together into national associations fell apart again, and maintained a purely local existence. The Builders’ Union divided into separate craft societies, the stonemasons and carpenters forming national craft Unions, whereas the other trades returned to purely local clubs. In 1850—1851 the J.S.E.M. swallowed a number of its smaller rivals, and became the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, with the aim of bringing together all the skilled mechanics in the engineering crafts. This aim was never realised; for many craftsmen preferred to retain separate societies of their own. In the ’fifties Trade Unionism was growing fast in many industries. The next big landmark in Trade Union history is the London building dispute of 1859, in which once more the employers presented the ‘document’ requiring renunciation of Trade Union membership.
