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The Durham Miners' Association was founded #OnThisDay in 1869.
Pictured is the first generation of the union’s leaders, among them William Patterson & Thomas Ramsey who spent the following two years walking the length & breadth of the county to build the union. (1/9)
Pictured is the first generation of the union’s leaders, among them William Patterson & Thomas Ramsey who spent the following two years walking the length & breadth of the county to build the union. (1/9)
Within three years of the founding meeting at the Market Tavern, Durham, the DMA had secured the abolition of the detested bond - the system of near slavery that had operated across the coalfield for generations, tying a miner and his family to their colliery owner. (2/9)
By the time @RedhillsDurham opened in 1915 as the great seat of miners' democracy, the small band of trades unionists had grown to more than 150,000. Countless lives had been improved, the DMA was a powerful force of progress & the @DurhamGala was an institution. (3/9)
From Redhills, the mission begun at the Market Tavern continued. Education was provided for the young, and pensions for the old. Homes were built for aged mineworkers faced with eviction on retirement… (4/9)
There were unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs; doctors, hospital care, and sick pay for those who fell ill. The union built sports fields, libraries and reading rooms throughout Durham’s pit villages. (5/9)
With this platform, the people formed bands, choirs & drama groups in welfare halls, and great poets and artists emerged from mining villages. Communities were bonded together, a unique culture flourished & the talents and potential of working people began to be realised. (6/9)
Later Gen Sec John Wilson wrote of the DMA’s founders:“There were giants in those days - brave, hopeful men, who were not to be turned from their purpose by any hindrance. They felt united effort was the breath of life. A united Durham was their battle-cry and inspiration” (7/9)
151 years on from that founding meeting, and with the support of the @HeritageFundNOR, the story continues at @RedhillsDurham Miners Hall…(8/9)
The DMA is restoring and renewing our home as a centre for culture, education and heritage - as a legacy for all those who’ve gone before, and as a platform and inspiration for generations to come.
Give your support – follow @RedhillsDurham (9/9)
Give your support – follow @RedhillsDurham (9/9)
