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The strike

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The strike

Collection: British Women Trade Unionists on Strike at Bryant & May, 1888    Volumes    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 forced down to levels lower than they had been ten years previous. This was to become clear to the wider world following the investigative journalism of Annie Besant. Her notorious article, 'White Slavery in London' in The Link (included in this section) epitomised the angst being generated against the firm, and encouraged a boycott of all B&M products. The strike of 1888 was not the first by Bryant & May's matchwomen, but it was the first to end in victory, and the formation of the largest union of women and girls in the country.Documents to be found herein include balance sheet ledgers showing the impact of the strike on company performance; press cuttings and correspondence relating to the sweating system and Bryant & May in particular; various pages from Besant's The Link; B&M shareholder meeting minutes, 'The Recent Strike' and various other company papers relating to the strike.
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Letters from Clara E. Collet to Gilbert Bartholemew

D/B/BRY/1/2/563. Letters from Clara E. Collet, Torrington Square to Gilbert Bartholemew requesting information and permission to visit Fairfield Works for her projected account on working women in East London, 1889.

Date:1889-1889
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-08
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/563

Wage rates

D/B/BRY/1/2/559. Letter from Clark, Nickolls & Coombs Ltd., Confectionary Works, Hackney Wick, setting out rates of pay, 1888.

Date:1888-1888
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-07
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/559

Private letter book

D/B/BRY/1/2/686. MS letters, many of which refer to the strike, 1888-1890.

Date:1888-1890
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-06
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/686

'The Recent Strike'

D/B/BRY/1/2/561. TS minutes of shareholders' meeting entitled 'The Recent Strike'; further press cuttings relating to the strike, 1888.

Date:1888-1888
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-05
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/561

Press cuttings relating to the strike

D/B/BRY/1/2/560. Various press cuttings from The Link relating to the stike, including Annie Besant's famous 'White Slavery in London' article.

Date:1888-1888
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-04
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/560

The sweating system

D/B/BRY/1/2/558. Papers, correspondence and press cuttings concerning Sweating Commission and the sweating system, 1888.

Date:1888-1888
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-03
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/558

Cassell's Journal correspondence

D/B/BRY/1/2/567. Correspondence from Cassell's to B&M including a proof of an article intended for publication relating to match manufacturing, 1887-1888.

Date:1887-1888
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-02
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/567

Balance sheet and trading accounts, 1886-1893

D/B/BRY/1/2/107. These accounts appear to show B&M losses, particularly during the strike year, including costs for legal fees.

Date:1886-1893
Contributor:C L R James Library, Hackney
Identifier:72993c-01
Archive Reference(s):D/B/BRY/1/2/107
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