“Durham Strike (Durham Lockout)”

Description

"In our Durham County I am sorry for to say, That hunger and starvation is increasing every day." The mine is shut down; "the masters have behaved unkind." The miners face great hardship but hope to prevail if others will support them.

Notes

This song refers to the great Durham Coal Strike of 1892. The company wanted to impose a pay cut of 10%. The miners -- who, naturally, were already living on next to nothing -- went on strike. But coal is easy to come by; after two months, the miners were forced to return to work -- and to take an even larger pay cut.

Tommy Armstrong seems to have devoted his energy to mining and labour poetry; the three songs by him listed in _Granger's Index to Poetry_ are "The Oakey Street Evictions," "The Row Between the Cages," and "The Trimdon Grange Explosion."

The Digital Tradition lists this to the tune of "Tramps and Hawkers/Paddy West," but the tune in MacColl/Shuttle is not that though it looks like it might be related. - RBW

Historical references

  • 1892 - the Durham Strike

References

  1. MacColl-Shuttle, p. 14, "The Durham Strike" (1 text, 1 tune)
  2. DT, DURHLOCK*
  3. BI, MacCS014

About

Author: probably Tommy Armstrong (1848-1919)
Earliest date: 1952 (Lloyd, "Come All Ye Bold Miners")
Keywords: mining strike hardtimes
Found in: Britain(England(North))