Banners of the British Labour Movement

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• 1. Introduction
• 2. Trade union banners
• 3. Women's suffrage banners
• 4. What do banners tell us?
• 5. Find out more
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Introduction

For hundreds of years, organisations that have a marching tradition have made banners in order to identify themselves. This includes trade unions, friendly societies, temperance groups, co-operative societies, Orange orders, suffrage, women's and peace organisations and political parties, but also non-political organisations like churches, chapels and Sunday schools. Political organisations that did not have a tradition of processions, like for instance the Anti Corn Law League or the anti-slavery movement, did not produce banners. Historians can 'read' banners for evidence in much the same way as documents.

The origins of political banners

'Historians can 'read' banners for evidence in much the same way as documents.'

Strangely enough, the origins of nineteenth and twentieth century banners can be traced to a time when organisations were concerned not to be identified. The precursors of trade unions were the trade societies. In the eighteenth century, when industrialisation was beginning to make an impact, trade societies were established to protect the interests of skilled artisans.

Until the repeal of the 1799 Combination Act in 1825, membership of trade societies was illegal. Highly ritualised secret meetings were held in pub rooms where, amongst other items of regalia, textiles demonstrated the trade's ancient and respectable past. One of the few surviving textiles from this period is that of the Loyal United Free Mechanics. It contains elements that became standard in thousands of trade union banners later in the century: Old Testament scenes and Masonic symbols, but also the linked hands of friendship and unity.

Besides trade societies, popular reformist groups from the 1790s used banners, although none survive from this early period. Just one banner from the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 exists today. We know of some 24 surviving banners associated with the Reform Crisis of 1829 - 1832. The plumbers' reform banner probably started as a small wall hanging before being sewn onto a larger fabric with the addition of a painted slogan to celebrate the Reform Act of 1832. Eighteen of the surviving reform banners are Scottish. Banners were used in elections both before and after the Reform Act. We know of 28 surviving election banners that are fairly evenly divided between Whig and Tory. These banners are elaborate constructions, mostly painted on silk and confirm the view that large sums were spent on electioneering. Unfortunately, there are no surviving Chartist banners, even though it is likely thousands were made.

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Published: 2001-05-01