| Title | Lockout Rallies |
| Date | July 1913 |
| Location | Yeadon |
| Photo ID | J02 |
| Comment | A crowd outside Yeadon Town Hall, some of them carrying musical instruments. They were drawing attention to the plight of clothing operatives and their families who were enduring great hardship due to a management Lock-out. In the background are the grounds of the Primitive Methodist Chapel. |
A113 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
June 1913: Three photographs showing the demonstration against workers being locked-out of local mills by employers following a request for pay rises.
The Union members involved in the dispute were known as “Lockwoods Lambs”.
Herbert Lockwood had been dismissed from his job because of his Union and political activities.
He became the first paid Organising Secretary, Canvasser and Collector of the Yeadon, Guiseley and District Factory Workers Union, a Justice of the Peace and an Alderman.
When he died in 1928, tributes were paid to him from all over Yorkshire.
The demonstration seen here has men and women marching down Yeadon High Street and turning into Ivegate, the men would later go on a hunger march to parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Ivegate is on the left, in the middle, the shop at the end of the High Street is a chemists, the business of Walter Thomas Moore.
The next shop has the title “London House”, owned by J.Lee and Sons it sold furniture and musical instruments.
Mill owners were benefiting financially from the war-time demand for cloth but mill workers were struggling with low wages.
Finishers, warehousemen and Dyers had been refused a pay rise and came out on strike.
Nunroyd, Leafield, Springfield, Moorfield and Westfield mills posted Lock-out notices so that no one could work.
Strike pay was distributed from Union funds but this ran out after 8 weeks.
Local shopkeepers had done their best to help by allowing credit and donating bones and vegetables for a soup kitchen.
Many families were relying on poor relief and reaching starvation point.
Union members decided to march to other areas and seek help for their families.
They left Yeadon in groups to go to Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, some to Blackpool and Liverpool.
Only in Blackpool did they meet with opposition where Police prevented them from collecting money.
They brought home around £50, workers in some other areas sent voluntary donations direct to Yeadon, £10 being sent by Union members in Burnley.
Little was gained by the workers as they returned to the mills working shorter hours. In this photo a group of marchers are assembled on Henshaw Lane, their banner reads “Yeadon & Guiseley general Lock-out Fund”
A112 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
As above.
B252 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
As above.
E060 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
12th June 1913: Demonstration about a pay dispute which led to local mill owners literally locking the work force out of the mills.
This protest is on the steps of Yeadon Town Hall.
The placards carry different messages:
“Yeadon Guiseley 2,500 Locked Out Factory Operatives”
“Yeadon and Guiseley Workers 2,500 Employers 6”
“Starvation Against Righteousness Which Will Prevail”
“? Attempt To Crush Us”
It was July 24th before an agreement was reached which did not entirely fulfill the expectations of the workers and Union Representatives but was conciliatory enough to settle the dispute.
A179 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
As above.
J01 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
On the steps of Yeadon Town Hall are men who were preparing to walk on a Hunger March to highlight the plight of local clothing operatives during a management Lock-out.
The banner reads “Collecting for the Yeadon and Guiseley General Lock-out Fund. On behalf of 8,000 men women and children. Subscriptions Earnestly Solicited”.
They marched from Yeadon to Blackpool.
Names supplied by Mabel Harrison are Mr Preston, Mr Kirkbright and Mr Jeffries.
Donated by Carlo Harrison.
I372 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
Men had been locked out of the local mills as the result of an industrial dispute.
They were called “Lockwood’s Lambs” after Herbert Lockwood who was the Union Secretary, in July 1913 the men went on a hunger march to Blackpool to raise money for their families who were in dire need.
Donated by Peter Brittle.
J497 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
An image of locked out factory workers on the steps of Yeadon Town Hall, names have been written on the reverse.
Jack Harrison, Ted Harrison – sons.
Joseph Harrison – father.
Tilly Windus, Mr Dixon, Mr Kitson, holding banner.
Carlo Harrison who donated the image adds “My auntie Mabel wrote the names on the back which means that my great grandfather Joseph is on there, my granddad Jack and his brother Ted. I am guessing that Jack is on the far right on the front row, looks like him and he was a small chap”.
J498 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
As above.
A178 – Lockout Rallies, 1913.
Lockout Rallies – 1913
On the Town Hall steps.
Previous Comments:
Re A112
teleg
I Believe the houses on the right behind the marchers were known as the ‘Cropping Shops’, the fields on the right were still there when I was at school in the 30’s, and I believe the row of chimney stacks behind the fields are Harper lane chimneys.
25 June 2013.
Re E060
Goose57
This link takes you to an article about the events.
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/Socialworld/Yeadon.html
It will be a 100 years ago this summer. Are there any events planned to mark what happened?
17 February 2013.
smbork
A year or so ago I sent Carlo a copy my mother Hilda Bailey made from the original diary kept by one of the men on the march. It gives all the details and makes very interesting reading. Perhaps you can see her copy / the notebook via the society. Contact Carlo.
Shirley Bork ( nee Bailey )
08 April 2016.
smbork
Did you ever get the diary I sent? Is it available to be seen?
13 July 2021.
AdminJack609
Hi Shirley, Further to your enquiry re your mother’s diary. The AHS did receive this item which is currently stored in the AHS Archives pending further action to place it on the website. Unfortunately due to COVID the archives have been and are still closed for the time being.
Kind regards,
Jack Brayshaw.
AHS.
15 July 2021.
Consolidated by Jack Brayshaw. 30 September 2021.
Last updated: 29 January 2023 – All images updated.
