British Women Trade Unionists on Strike at Bryant & May, 1888 - Volumes
Volumes
6 volumes in British Women Trade Unionists on Strike at Bryant & May, 1888
Early years
Bryant & May grew from modest roots. The founders, William Bryant and Francis May, worked variously as soap and tea manufacturers and grocers to eventually become the largest British match manufacturers and an important player in both home and export markets, trading in many countries. The documents in this section reflect the progress of their early years, from lone operators to partners in an increasingly important and profitable business.The existence... Read more →
Heyday
In 1884 Bryant and May became a public company which was to expand greatly during the remainder of the nineteenth and early decades of the twentieth centuries. The new company comprised Bryant & May's business and that of two other match manufacturers, Pace & Sons and J.H. Hunt & Co. The business grew quickly, taking over Bell & Black, with their four British factories in 1885. Increased production encouraged a... Read more →
The strike
Bryant & May continued to prosper into 1887: the Bryant sons had renounced the Quaker religion, perceived as a serious barrier to social advancement. Their power and influence had managed to reach the very heart of the Liberal establishment. A statue to William Gladstone, which still stands on the Bow Road today, was built by the firm using compulsary contributions from their workers' wages. However, by 1888, wages had been... Read more →
Aftermath
Despite the company relenting to worker demands in 1888, its label as 'the Phossy Jaw firm' continued to prevail. Ten years after the strike the company were again in the news for under-reporting cases of phosphorous necrosis. Britain were one of the last countries to sign up to the Berne Convention recommendations and the use of white phosphorous was not banned until 1908. Most of the documentation here looks at... Read more →
