National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners and Kindred Trades (the National Association of Blastfurnacemen before 1892)

Records of the Federation as a whole:

Rules, 1905 and 1918; photocopy of executive committee minutes, 1916-1921; reports of annual conferences, 1897-1920.

Records of constituent associations:

Cleveland and Durham Blastfurnacemen and Cokemen's Association: rules, 1912-1913; executive committee minutes, 1908-1915; quarterly and special council meeting minutes, 1906-1919; minutes of committee and general meetings of unidentified lodge [possibly Consett], [1872]-1883; Minutes of meetings of Ormesby lodge, 1918-1930 (continues after April 1921 as a lodge of the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades). Cumberland and Lancashire District: minutes of executive and council meetings, 1890-1913; Eastern Midland Association/District: signed minutes of quarterly council meetings, 1915-1921; printed minutes of executive committee, 1918-1919.

The Federation was formed in 1887 with the coming together of blastfurnacemen's associations in Cleveland and Cumberland. By 1892, when it had a membership of about 8,000, it also covered Durham, Lancashire, North and South Staffordshire and Scotland. Its membership spread to Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire in 1903, the East Midlands and South Wales between 1904 and 1908, and North Lincolnshire in 1909. By 1918 its membership was 25,200.

The records suggest that the local associations which belonged to the federation functioned largely as autonomous units. In April 1921 they formally amalgamated to form the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades.

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

Link to full catalogue: https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/NFB

Records with references prefixed MSS.36 were deposited by the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation in 1990 and 2003. Accession 597 was deposited in 2007 by Community, the successor trade union.

Archive of the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades, which includes records of the National Federation and its constituent associations.