pp viii134 1989 hardback
ISBN 070831029X
This is the first fulllength biography of John Bryn Roberts, Liberal MP and controversial County Court judge. Born in 1843, Roberts entered the legal profession and in 1885 was elected to represent the Eifion constituency in Caernarfonshire. He was an upholder of the oldstyle Gladstonian Liberalism, often disagreeing with parliamentary colleagues, including Lloyd George, over such issues as home rule, social reform, imperialism and war. Appointed as a County Court judge in 1906, he found himself at the centre of the industrial relations of the south Wales coalfield. His rulings on cases involving the Workmen's Compensation Acts brought him enemies within the South Wales Miners' Federation and gained him a reputation as a union smasher of the boss class. Jack Eaton refutes this claim. He focuses on the turbulent period between 1906 and 1918 and offers detailed analysis of selected cases. This biography will appeal both to readers interested in the history of the Liberal Party and to those studying industrial relations and legal matters in the early twentieth century.
`Eaton does an excellent job reflecting on what Roberts' career tells the historian about the judicial process.' (Albion)