Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1891-1897 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
3 volumes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in Birmingham, 1845; no formal education; worked as a newspaper boy at Euston Station then took a job as a porter and collector for a wholesale publishing company; moved to Sunderland and apprenticed to Dawson Brothers, ship owners; served time in the East India trade, visiting Persia, Arabia, Ceylon, India and Abyssinia by sea and earned himself a 'Chief Mate's' certificate.
Bedford left shortly after and established the first teetotal public house in London which was a commercial success; toured the country lecturing on temperance and the business of teetotal public house keeping and published several essays on the subject. Bedford also became a tailor, teaching himself cutting and other skills and established tailor's shops in Bethnal Green Road and Hackney Road. Bedford was also heavily involved with trade-unionism, serving as President of both the General Railway Workers Union and the Society of Firewood Choppers. Died 1904.
Repository
Archival history
GB 0372 BEDFORD 1891-1897 Fonds 3 volumes Bedford , James , 1845-1904 , trade unionist
Born in Birmingham, 1845; no formal education; worked as a newspaper boy at Euston Station then took a job as a porter and collector for a wholesale publishing company; moved to Sunderland and apprenticed to Dawson Brothers, ship owners; served time in the East India trade, visiting Persia, Arabia, Ceylon, India and Abyssinia by sea and earned himself a 'Chief Mate's' certificate.
Bedford left shortly after and established the first teetotal public house in London which was a commercial success; toured the country lecturing on temperance and the business of teetotal public house keeping and published several essays on the subject. Bedford also became a tailor, teaching himself cutting and other skills and established tailor's shops in Bethnal Green Road and Hackney Road. Bedford was also heavily involved with trade-unionism, serving as President of both the General Railway Workers Union and the Society of Firewood Choppers. Died 1904.
No further information available at present.
Three scrapbooks containing press cuttings, correspondence, manuscripts and printed material, 1891-1897, regarding Bedford's experiences as Labour candidate for Norwich in the 1892 General Election, his presidency of the General Railway Workers Union, work on the Bethnal Green Board of Guardians and accusations of corruption levelled at him by labour colleagues and trade unionists (1891-1897).
No further arrangement at present.
OPEN
Documents cannot be photocopied at present. Digital photography (without flash) is permitted for research purposes on completion of the Library's Copyright Declaration form and with respect to current UK copyright law.
English
No further finding aid available.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Stefan Dickers, 12 July 2005. Bedford , James , 1845-1904 , trade unionist Bethnal Green Board of Guardians Elections Electoral systems England Europe General Railway Workers Union Internal politics Labour relations Norfolk Norwich Parliamentary elections Trade unions UK Western Europe London
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
No further information available at present.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Three scrapbooks containing press cuttings, correspondence, manuscripts and printed material, 1891-1897, regarding Bedford's experiences as Labour candidate for Norwich in the 1892 General Election, his presidency of the General Railway Workers Union, work on the Bethnal Green Board of Guardians and accusations of corruption levelled at him by labour colleagues and trade unionists (1891-1897).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
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No further arrangement at present.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
OPEN
Conditions governing reproduction
Documents cannot be photocopied at present. Digital photography (without flash) is permitted for research purposes on completion of the Library's Copyright Declaration form and with respect to current UK copyright law.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
No further finding aid available.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Alternative identifier(s)
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Description identifier
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Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English