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Home » Industry » Slate industry » Strikes and labour disputes

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  • This is a pamphlet and song relating to the dispute which broke out at the Dinorwic Quarries, Llanberis, in October 1885. During the months leading up to the lock-out, the quarrymen had become increasingly resentful of the quarry managers and allegations of discrimination and favouratism were rife. Matters came to a head on 23 October when the quarrymen were told that all those who had attended a mass meeting ten days earlier would be dismissed from the quarry. As this pamphlet and song maintain, the 2,700 quarrymen who found themselves out of work experienced great hardship during the five-month lock-out which eventually resulted in a bitter defeat for the quarrymen.
Pamphlet and songsheet re. the Dinorwig Quarry lock-out of 1885-6 [image 1 of 4]
  • W. J. Parry of Coetmor, Bethesda, was one of the most prominent leaders of the quarrymen of north Wales during the late nineteenth century. He played an important role in the establishment of the North Wales Quarrymens' Union in 1874 and served as its secretary and president for a number of years. During the bitter strike and lockout at Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda, 1900-03, Parry served as chairman of the Penrhyn Relief Fund which raised funds for the striking quarrymen. In 1903, however, he was accused of slandering his old adversary, Lord Penrhyn, the quarry owner. At the High Court hearing of 10-12 March 1903, Parry was found guilty and fined £500 with costs. He faced further humiliation a few weeks later when Lord Penrhyn brought a bankruptcy injunction against him. This appeal for financial assistance was published on 30 September 1903. See: J. Roose Williams, 'Quarryman's Champion: The Life and Activities of William John Parry of Coetmor' (Denbigh, 1978)
Appeal published by the 'W. J. Parry Penrhyn Libel Fund', 30 September 1903
  • This concert in aid of the Penrhyn quarrymen of Bethesda was held at Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston. During the Penrhyn Quarry strike or lockout of 1900-03, a number of similar fund-raising events were held across the country to assist the families of the strikers. The quarrymen themselves also travelled the country holding their own fund-raising concerts.
Concert Programme in aid of the Penrhyn Quarrymen's Distress Fund, 21 November 1901 [image 1 of 2]
  • The following pages have been selected from the Llanllechid National School Admission Register during the years of the great Penrhyn Quarry dispute of 1901-03. It is seen that a number of children left the area during this period as their families went in search of employment in south Wales. The Register also shows that the children were embroiled in the tensions and divisions which had become evident within the local community during the strike. A number of children were withdrawn from the school by their parents who were unwilling for them to mix with the children of the strike-breakers ('cynffonwrs'), and were sent to the local British School instead.
Pages from Llanllechid National School Admission Register, 1901-03 [front cover, image 1 of 5]
  • The following pages are taken from the Log Book of the Bethesda (Gerlan) National School for the period 1901-03 - the years of the Penrhyn Quarry Dispute. It is seen that a number of children left the area during this period as their families went in search of employment in south Wales. The Log Book also reveals the extent to which the children became embroiled in the tensions and divisions which had become evident within the local community during the strike. Thomas Jervis, the schoolmaster, clearly had little sympathy with the cause of the strikers and this led some parents to move their children to other schools in the district.
Pages from Bethesda (Gerlan) National School Log Book, 1901-1919 [front cover, image 1 of 10]
  • This printed card reads 'Nid oes Bradwr yn y ty hwn' ('There is no traitor in this house'). These cards were issued to the striking quarrymen during the Penrhyn Quarry Strike of 1900-03 and were placed in the windows of their homes. The quarry dispute created a deep division in the community between the strikers and the strike-breakers. The majority of the cards remained in the windows of Bethesda for over two years - when a card was removed from the window it was a sign that another quarryman had returned to work. Based on a description in the Welsh Slate Museum Handbook (National Museum of Wales, 2002), page 43.
Printed card published during the Penrhyn Quarry Strike, 1900-03