Croxley Green History Project
  • Home
  • Croxley Green Chronicle
    • John Caius
  • Keys to Croxley Green
    • Latin Document
  • A Village Grows
    • A Stroll Down New Road >
      • Introduction
      • Odd Numbers
      • Census Interlude
      • Even Numbers
      • Appendix 1
      • Appendix 2
      • Appendix 3
    • Byewaters Estate
    • Council Houses
    • Cassiobridge Estate
    • Kebbell Housing
    • Durrants Estate
    • Highfield and Windmill Estate
    • Mayfare Estate
    • Nuttfield Estate
    • Parrotts Estate
    • Prefabricated Housing
    • Street Names
  • World Wars
    • War Memorial WW1
    • First World War 1914-1918
    • WWI Soldiers from Croxley
    • WW1 Centenary >
      • Community Club 03-10-2018
      • Celebrations 100 years 1918 -2019
      • Remembrance Day 11-11-2018
      • Residents Photographs 11-11-18
      • All Saints Memorial Doors
      • All Saints Memorial Doors Booklet
      • Peace Picnic 14-07-2019
    • War Memorial WW2
    • Second World War 1939-1945 >
      • Civil Defence
      • Celebrations
      • Rationing
      • Croxley Mill
      • All Saints Rededication
      • Second World War Memories >
        • WW2 Memories - Glenn Kinnear
        • WW2 Memories - Jill Butler
    • WW2 Forces and Croxley Residents
    • WW2 Secrets of Croxley House
    • WW2 Secrets of Redheath House
  • Schooldays / Educators
    • Children at Play
    • Yorke Road School >
      • Yorke Road School History
      • Leukaemia Research
      • Paul O'Reilly Builders
      • Grand Opening
    • Yorke Road Infants School
    • Yorke Road Girls School
    • The Old Boys School Watford Road
    • Harvey Road School
    • Durrants School >
      • Durrants Memories
      • Croxley Song Book
      • Croxley Song Book
      • Physical Education
    • Malvern Way School
    • Little Green School >
      • Little Green School - Architects Journal
    • Rickmansworth School
    • Yorke Mead School
    • Oak House Private School
  • The Institute / Guildhouse
  • The Railway to Croxley Green
  • The Housewifes Choice
  • Celebrating in Style
    • Golden Jubilee Queen Victoria 1887
    • Diamond Jubilee Queen Victoria 1897
    • Coronation Edward VII 1902
    • Coronation George V 1911
    • Silver Jubilee George V 1935
    • Coronation George VI 1937
    • Festival of Britain 1951
    • Coronation Elizabeth II 1953
  • Churches
    • All Saints Church
    • Baptist Church
    • Fuller Way
    • Gospel Hall
    • Little Chapel Chandlers Cross
    • Methodist Church New Road
    • St Bedes
    • St Oswald Church
  • Public Houses
    • The Artichoke
    • The Coach and Horses
    • Duke of York
    • The Fox and Hounds
    • Gladstone Arms
    • George and Dragon
    • The Halfway House
    • The Plough
    • The Red House
    • The Rose
    • The Sportsman
    • The Two Bridges
  • Community Activities
    • Camera Club
    • Church Lads Boys Brigade
    • Croxley Mummers
    • Croxley Week
    • Girls Brigade
    • The Revels >
      • Revels Chronicle
      • Revels Archives
    • Parish Council >
      • Croxley Green Main
      • CGPC Craft Fair
    • Scouts Brownies Guides >
      • Scouting in Croxley Green
      • Scouting Memorabilia
    • Wassail
    • Youth Club
  • Sports
    • John Dickinson Sports >
      • Football Team
      • Ladies Hockey
      • Rifle Club
    • Football
    • National Association of Boys Club
    • Old Boys School >
      • Old Boys Football Club
  • Croxley at Work
    • John Dickinson >
      • Aerial views of the Mill
      • Coal Deliveries
      • Fire Fighters >
        • William Beauchamp (Fire Fighter)
      • The Mill Railway
      • The Mill Employees >
        • Union of the House of Dickinson
      • Mill Photos
      • General Views
      • Delivery Vehicles
      • 1896 Booklet
      • JD Booklet
    • Blacksmiths
    • Coal Deliveries
    • Croxley Commercial College
    • G H Browning Recovery
    • Sand and Gravel
    • The Windmill
    • Watercress Growers
  • Croxley Farms
    • Croxley Hall Farm >
      • Croxley Great Barn
    • Durrants Farm Estate
    • Hollow Tree Farm
    • Killingdown Farm
    • Lovatts Whitegates
    • Stones Orchard >
      • Stones Orchard Excavation
    • Parrotts Farm
  • Census
    • Census 1841
    • Census 1851
    • Census 1861
    • Census 1871
    • Census 1881
    • Census 1891
    • Census 1901
    • Census 1911
    • Census 1921
    • Population
  • Aerial Photos
    • Croxley From Above
  • Local Publications
    • 1896 Booklet
    • 1896 Booklet 1
    • The Croxley Resident Archives
    • The Parish Pump Issue 1 to 26
    • Parish Pump Issue 27 to Current
    • Local Directories
  • Village Views
    • Trees on the Green
  • Croxley Green Society
    • Croxley Festival 1951
  • Local People
    • CanYouSpotAnyone
    • Famous Locals >
      • Charles Fraser Smith
      • Dr Julius Grant
      • Doctor Wright
      • Francis Beckett
      • Frank Curzon
      • John William Beckett
      • Madame Tussauds
      • Nancy Neele
      • Samuel Ingleby Oddie
      • Sir Guy Spencer Calthrop
    • Local Memories
  • Before and After
    • B&W / Recoloured
    • Original / Modern
    • Merged B&W / Colour
  • Contact / Q&A
  • Page Directory
    • Useful Links
    • Copyright
  • Committee

The Charter - The Union of the House of Dickinson

The Reason for the Charter
The Trade Unions evolved over a number of decades particularly from the mid 1800’s and were originally called Labour Unions. These organisations were set up to act as an intermediary between its members and the businesses that employed them. The main purpose of Labour Unions  was to give workers the power to negotiate for more favourable working conditions. This would include a fair weekly wage, a good working environment, hours of work and security benefits that was intended to be achieved through collective bargaining.
 
 Since the Industrial Revolution, individual employers were often more concerned with building an empire for themselves than looking after their employees. Many employers however, were very supportive of their workers and their families and provided many opportunities outside the working environment. John Dickinson was increasingly mindful of the welfare of his mill employees, especially as the firm prospered and grew. In many areas, housing was provided as well as social and educational opportunities.
During WW1, the John Dickinson board had promoted a good working relationship with the remaining workforce who continued to keep production going whilst hundreds of thousands of young men were losing their lives abroad.
The Representation of the People Act of 1918 enfranchised all men over 21 and those women over 30 who had some property rights. The election on Saturday, 14 December 1918 following the Armistice,  was supposedly to bring about a better future for all, and the Government encouraged all workers to join a union.
 
 R. H. Ling, manager of the Hemel Hempstead mills  and then Croxley mill when Charles Barton- Smith retired in 1918, encouraged the workforce to join the National Union of Printing and Paper Workers. Changes to working conditions followed but the 1920s saw great economic turmoil especially in the coal industry , wages were being cut and hours increased, which led to the miners withdrawing their labour.
 
 In  May 1926 , The Trades Union Congress (T.U.C.) called on their members to  support  the miners and the General Strike began on 3rd May.  All  local John Dickinson mills  shut down and production ceased.  A notice was issued to the mill workers on the 7th  May that anyone, either union or non union men, wishing to return to work in the mills would have protection against picketing at the gates.
 
On the 8th May the Directors of the mills met to discuss a way to resolve this. R.H. Ling put forward a proposal he had already been considering  for some while about setting up a Union of the House of Dickinson. The T.U.C. called off the strike on the 12th May (although the coal miners continued), and the following day the proposal was put to the workers at a meeting at Apsley mill.
Enrolment forms were issued to all the Dickinson mills and terms agreed. At one of these meetings it was proposed that there should be a slogan, and a Croxley Green resident remembers her father suggesting ‘A Light to the End of the Road’. This was adopted and by the end of the year the Charter was fully accepted.
 
 
The copy which follows is an updated version printed in 1949.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
CGHP are proud to be included on the Imperial War Museum "Mapping the Centenary" project website. You can see other projects HERE and our project HERE
© Ross Humphries
Clicking on a photo will open it in a new window to hopefully be viewable more easily​
Please contact us should you wish to contribute or have images you would like to share. Contact HERE
Picture
© Croxley Green History Project 2012        Legal | Privacy

If you have any questions or comments please use the contact page