The Silksworth Evictions
A County Durham town was at the brunt of a union dispute at the back end of the 19th century- and it wouldn’t be the last time
Throughout history, UK coal miners have often faced the brunt of the authorities. Historically, miners have had active and militant unions that fight for the best conditions and pay for workers and their families.
The National Union of Mineworkers was created following the nationalisation of the coal mining industry in 1945, but over 50 years before workers needed to find their employment protection from other means- and in the County Durham town of Silksworth, the owners of the local colliery took drastic measures to crush those on strike.
In the winter of 1890, miners went out on strike over union membership at the Durham Miners’ Association. Those who wanted to join believed those who refused would get special benefits from mine owners, and on the other hand, those who didn’t want to join accused miners on the other side of using bullying tactics.
The owner of the colliery, Lord Londonderry, also owned the village. He rented homes out to miners, and strike action would have meant a loss of income for him, something he couldn’t live with. To tackle this, he recruited a group of men from Hartlepool to act as bailiffs and forcibly evict striking miners. Upon realising the nature of the job, some of these men left. Despite this, the first of what became known as The Silksworth Evictions took place on February 19, 1891.
Men burst into a small terraced home in the town and kicked out a miner and his family. A large number of people surrounded the property to boo and jeer as the possessions were removed. During the period of evictions, the ‘bailiffs’ were housed in a farm outside the town and given a police escort each day due to how much of a protest was made against their presence.
News of the evictions spread to surrounding villages, and miners came from across the county to support the Silksworth strikers. Other efforts to hinder the evictions included putting bricks in items to make them heavier and putting pepper on curtains to make the bailiffs sneeze.
Each family evicted from their home was one that was left with two choices. They could either find space in already cramped houses of their friends and neighbours, or make use of the makeshift accommodation set up at the local Methodist church, keeping in mind this was winter in the North East of England.
In both instances, the community looked out for each other during hard times in the face of an authority keen on making a statement. This would be repeated throughout the next century and is still taking place up until the present day.
The evictions carried on until March, and throughout this time over 150 eviction notices were served. The miners returned to work, and they were able to return home. It’s impossible to say for sure, but there would have been more than a few miners whose opinions towards being in a union would have changed after what had happened in the past month.
The Silksworth Evictions are a fairly unknown chapter in working-class history, but its pattern is repeated throughout history. Men and women involved in a dangerous industry were thrown out of their homes for wanting to better their lives, and it was something the mine owner despised.
