A brief history
1833 - Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons of England, Ireland and Wales was established. The society was made up of individual lodges.
1848 - London Order of Operative Bricklayers Society and Manchester Unity of Operative Bricklayers Society were both formed. The Manchester Unity was known by several different titles.
1919 - Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons of England, Ireland and Wales changed its name to the Operative Society of Masons, Quarrymen and Allied Trades of England and Wales
1921 - Operative Society of Masons, Quarrymen and Allied Trades of England and Wales amalgamated with the Manchester Unity of Operatives Bricklayers Society and the London Order of Operative Bricklayers Society to form the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (AUBTW)
1952 - National Builders Labourers and Constructional Workers Society joined the AUBTW
1966 - National Society of Street Masons, Paviours and Roadmakers joined the AUBTW
1969 - Amalgamated Slaters, Tilers and Roofing Operatives Society joined the AUBTW
1971 - AUBTW merged with Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers and Decorators to form the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT)
The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians still exists today. Click here to see their Web site.
Stonemasons' and building trade workers' archives in our collection
Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons of England, Ireland and Wales (TU/STONE)
- Annual audits, 1865-1869, 1873-1881, 1885-1890, 1894-1918
- Fortnightly journals 1912-1913
Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (TU/BUILD)
- Annual reports, 1921-1970
- National conference reports, 1922-1970
- Branch and district records including Hyde branch, Manchester District Committee and Manchester no. 6 branch
Resources about stonemasons and builders unions in the library collection
The journal of the Operative Stone Masons' Society (10 Jan 1912-24 Dec 1913 then 28 Apr 1915-20 Oct 1920 not complete) - Shelfmark: W01 and Periodicals main sequence
Hugh D'Arcy, A bible of discontent: the memoir of Hugh D'Arcy, bricklayer and trade unionist (2013) - Shelfmark: C52b
The strike of the bricklayers at Messrs. Doulton's Buildings at Lambeth, in September, 1876 (ca. 1877) - Shelfmark: J29
Dave Ayre, Reuben Barker, Jim French, Jimmy Graham and Dave Harker, The flying pickets: the 1972 builders' strike and the Shrewsbury trials (2008) - Shelfmark: E75
Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, Women in building: a UCATT policy statement (ca. 1984) - Shelfmark: AF Builder Box 13
National Federation of Building Trades Operatives, The Federation in action (1959) - Shelfmark: AF Builder Box 9
RW Postgate, The builders' history (1923) - Shelfmark: B33
TJ Connelly, The woodworkers 1860-1960 (1960) - Shelfmark: B47
Resources held by the Modern Records Office
Other records are held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick:
Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons of England, Ireland and Wales (MSS.78/OS)
Operative Society of Masons, Quarrymen and Allied Trades of England and Wales (MSS.78/OSM)
Manchester Unity of Operative Bricklayers' Society (MSS.78/MOB)
Operative Bricklayers' Society (MSS.78/OBS)
Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (MSS.78/AU)
