This book is about the struggle of quarrymen to organize and combine in the slate quarries and mines of north Wales, and particularly in the giant Penrhyn quarries. It was a battle for survival fought in very distinctive communities, but the struggle witnessed some of the most bitter and dramatic disputes in the history of the British working class. The author is concerned with one basic strand in the history of the quarrying communities of north Wales: the conflict between men and master. An account is given of the central tensions in the slate villages and quarries, tensions which culminated in the desperate pitched battles of the Penrhyn lock-outs of 1896-7 and 1900-3.
` . . . a brilliant book . . . ' (Guardian)
`It raises issues which are relevant to all industrial communities and, for that reason, should be read by all historians of the society and politics of modern Britain . . . ' (British Book News)
`He has written a marvellously exciting book, powerful in social analysis, compelling in descriptive quality . . . it will appeal to all concerned with labour relations and with the dynamics of social conflict.' (Spectator)