Table of Contents

THE DOCUMENTS
Introduction
Editorial method
Early years
Documents concerning the Keelmen's Strike of June-July 1710
Daniel Defoe and the Keelmen
Correspondence and documents concerning the Magistrates' Bill to control the Keelmen's Charity
The strike of the Keelmen of Newcastle in conjunction with those at Sunderland, 1719
Another attempt to revive the Charity
Objections to a proposal by the shipmasters to delay the start of the coal trade
The Keelmen's Strike, May 1738
The Riot of 1740 in Newcastle
The Keelmen's part in the riot
Census of Keelmen after the riot of 1740
The Keelmen's Strike of 1744
The Keelmen's Strike of 1750
The Keelmen's Strike of 1768 and attempts by Thomas Harvey, an attorney, to obtain an Act of Parliament to establish their Society and Charity and limit the keel-load
The Keelmen join in general industrial unrest over the high price of corn but continue their strike on account of a threat to their employment, 1771
Unemployment caused by actions of the shipowners, 1787
A new attempt to establish a Charity for the Keelmen, 1786-8
Adjustment of the Keelmen's wages, 1791-2
Riots by Keelmen at Sunderland
Dispute over the loading of ships by spouts, 1794
The Keelmen strike for higher pay, and the authorities attempt to suppress them, 1809
Documents concerning the impressment of Keelmen, 1803-11
The Keelmen's Strike of 1819, the great Radical Reform meeting that coincided with it, and the alarm of the authorities
The 'Long Stop', 1 October - 6 December 1822
The decay of the Keelmen's Hospital
Bibliography

About the Author

The late JOSEPH M. FEWSTER had an almost life-long interest in the keelmen of Tyneside, culminating in his definitive monograph The Keelmen of Tyneside; Labour Organisation in the North-East Coal Industry, 1600-1830 (2011), to which the present volume provides a valuable supplement.

Reviews

A welcome contribution to the literature.
*INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY*

[I] can only heartily recommend that you buy the book and read it from start to end.
*WEEKLY WORKER*

[A] superb monument to a forgotten group of working people.
*NORTH EAST HISTORY*

[L]ikely to remain, for many years to come, the definitive account of the role of the keelmen in the complex operation of getting coal from pit to ship [...] a fascinating study.which is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the coal trade, working and living conditions in the period and the nefarious dealings of city bosses.
*THE LOCAL HISTORIAN*

A thorough and detailed study of this hardy and resourceful workforce.
*NORTHERN HISTORY*

A handsome volume [and] surely now the standard account of this piece of north-east history.
*NORMAN McCORD, Professor Emeritus of History, Newcastle University*