ABSTRACT
Durham County today, both in Parliament and local government, is dominated by the Labour Party. Durham is indeed a stronghold of Labour. But it was not always so. At the turn of the century, Durham miners, forming one of the strongest and best organised working-class electorates in the country, were staunchly Liberal. One in three men employed in any occupation in the geographical County were miners, so the miners Liberal allegiance strongly influenced the political complexion of the area. There were various reasons for this strong link with Liberalism. Hostility to landlords enjoying unearned mining royalties ensured few vestlges of support for Conservatism. The strength of Methodism in the coalfield from the mid-nineteenth century also helped to ally miners to Liberalism. The deteriorating industrial situation in mining and sharpened conflict after 1918 also brought firmer support for Labour from mining areas, and growing allegiance from newly enfranchised voters.
