At the core of the bitterness in the Radcliffe article is the import of the strike breakers - the 'blacklegs'. The 1844 Northumberland and Durham miners' strike is when the 'Blackleg Miner' song is first heard.
'Blackleg' is the name given to the strikebreakers imported by the mine owners from the Cornish tin mines who wore black moleskin trousers. They would be paid more and be given better conditions than the Northumberland miners they were replacing.
AND the Northumberland men would often find themselves and their family kicked out of their pit house and living in a tent somewhere!
Just to add icing on the cake the blacklegs were just not up to the job of coal hewing, being quite ineffective compared to the Northumberland miners. So the mine owners got less production for a higher wage bill. Their goal was of course to crush the indigenous labour, keep them in their place, so a worthwhile investment to them.
Last edited by Coquet; 11-12-2013 at 11:34 PM.
Reason: spelling
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