If you want to find out about the life of an ancestor who was active in the labour movement or was a union member, this handbook will be a fascinating introduction to the subject. Mark Crail provides a graphic and authoritative account of the history of the labour movement in Britain from the early nineteenth century to the modern day. He gives a vivid insight into the key stages in the development of labour relations ? the battles fought by labour movement pioneers, the formation of the first unions, the influence of Chartism and the early socialist societies, the rise of the Labour Party and other left wing groups, and the impact of organized labour on workers' lives as ordinary people gradually won the right to vote over the course of 200 years. At the same time he describes in detail the various books, museums, archives, websites and other resources that researchers can use to explore labour history for themselves and to uncover the careers and experience of their ancestors. A mass of information is available relating to individuals and to labour history in general, and this handbook is an invaluable guide to it. Tracing Your Labour Movement Ancestors should be essential reading for anyone who wishes to learn about the origins and development of the labour movement and the role of individuals within it. AUTHOR: Mark Crail is a researcher and writer specializing in employment issues, industrial relations and the trade union and labour movement. He runs both the Chartist Ancestors and Trade Union Ancestors websites, and has written for the Ancestors and Your Family Tree magazines. A member of the National Union of Journalists since 1980, he formerly worked as a reporter for the Labour movement weekly Tribune, edited the journal of the Confederation of Health Service Employees, and now works in a senior editorial role for the XpertHR website. ILLUSTRATIONS 40 illustrations *
