William Abraham (14 June 1842 – 14 May 1922), universally known by his
bardic name
A bardic name (, ) is a pseudonym used in Wales, Cornwall, or Brittany by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement.
The Welsh term bardd ("poet") originally referred to the Welsh poets of the Middle Ages, who ...
, Mabon, was a Welsh trade unionist and
Liberal/Labour politician, and a member of parliament (MP) from 1885 to 1920. Although an MP for 35 years, it was as a trade unionist that Abraham is most well known. Initially a pioneer of trade unionism, who fought to enshrine the principle of workers' representation against the opposition of the coal-owners, he was regarded in later life as a moderate voice believing that disputes should be solved through conciliation rather than industrial action. This drew him into conflict with younger and more militant leaders from the 1890s onwards. Although the defeat of the miners in the
Welsh coal strike of 1898
The Welsh coal strike of 1898 was an industrial dispute involving the colliers of South Wales and Monmouthshire. The strike began as an attempt by the colliers to remove the sliding scale, which determined their wage based on the price of coal. Th ...
was a clear defeat for Mabon's strategy, his prestige was sufficient to ensure that he became the first president of the
South Wales Miners' Federation
The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers.
Forerunners
The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AA ...
which was established in the wake of the dispute. Abraham was noted for his powerful speaking voice, and was a renowned orator in English and
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
.
Early life
Abraham was born in
Cwmafan
Cwmafan ( cy, Cwmafan; ), sometimes known as Cwmavon in English, is a large village and community in the Afan valley in Wales, lying within Neath Port Talbot County Borough. It had a population of 5,603 in 2001, increasing slightly to 5,615 at ...
,
Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Mot ...
, the fourth son of Thomas and Mary Abraham.
[Lloyd (1958), pg 1.] He was educated at Cwmafan
National School but left at a young age, becoming a
tinplate
Tinplate consists of sheets of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to impede rusting. Before the advent of cheap milled steel, the backing metal was wrought iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinplate now is the manufacture ...
r before finding work at the local colliery as a 'door boy'
at the age of ten.
[McCririck (1963) p. 102] In 1864 Abraham, with another eleven Welsh miners, agreed to work in a copper mine in Chile for three years. Sailing to
Valparaiso via
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...
, the ship had to avoid both storms and the Spanish Navy who were attempting to block trade with their rebel colonies in South America.
When they arrived at the mine there was no work and so Abraham returned to the coast and managed to gain working passage on a ship back to Britain. After being away for thirteen months he was fortunate to regain his old job. After a slump in 1869 he was placed on short time, he switched to a tinplate works in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...
.
It was around the 1870s that he became known as a singer and poet, adopting the eisteddfod name Gwilym Mabon, soon Mabon was the title by which he would be best known.
[McCririck (1963) p. 103] Abraham continued working in the mining industry and by 1871 was working at the Caergynydd Pit in
Waunarlwydd
Waunarlwydd ( en, The Lord's Meadow – ''arlwydd'' is a local variant of ''arglwydd'') is a village and community in Swansea, Wales, within the newly formed Waunarlwydd ward in 2021. Wendy Lewis Labour is the first elected councillor for the ...
, near
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...
.
Early trade union history
In 1871 Abraham became a representative for the cause of his fellow miners, when he negotiated for the workers of the Caergynnydd Pit in a dispute with the managers.
[Lewis (1959), pg 166.] During the dispute, Lewis Morgan of the Abergorchy Colliery, who was the
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coal mining, coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fa ...
advocate of the
Amalgamated Association of Miners
The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM) was formed in 1869 in Lancashire, at a time of increasing industrial conflict in the British coalfields.
History
The union was founded by Thomas Halliday and William Pickard, two miners' union agents w ...
, travelled to Waunarlwydd to speak to the miners. Lewis persuaded Abraham to form a Union at the colliery, and Abraham was eventually appointed as the miners' agent for the
Loughor
Loughor () ( cy, Casllwchwr) is a Welsh town in the City and County of Swansea, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community (Wales), ...
District of the A.A.M. in 1872, and represented the district at national conferences in Manchester and Wallsend.
Despite helping to enroll 8,000 miners into the A.A.M. for his district, funds for the union were severely stretched after a series on strikes during the early to mid-1870s. In 1875, during another strike, the (mine) Owners' Association, discovering the A.A.M. was low on funds, ruthlessly switched a 10 percent wage cut to a 15 percent cut. Only the anthracite district remained loyal to Mabon.
The miners were forced back to work and the A.A.M. became bankrupt and was dissolved.
[Lewis (1959), pg 165.] This left Abraham as the only miners' agent in the entire South Wales area, as the other agents were forced to find other forms of employment.
Abraham left Waunarlwydd and travelled to the Rhondda, a rapidly growing mining area, and in 1877 joined the
Cambrian Miners' Association
The Cambrian Miners' Association, also known as the Rhondda District Miners' Association, was an early trade union representing coal miners in the Rhondda Valley, in Wales.
The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM) began recruiting members ...
, one of the few union wings of the A.A.M. to survive the parent union's collapse. Despite now being a prominent unionist, the spirit of the miners' within the Rhondda Valley was so low, that when he first addressed a meeing in
Pentre
Pentre is a village, community and electoral ward near Treorchy in the Rhondda valley, falling within the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village's name is taken from the Welsh word Pentref, which translates as homestead, though ...
in 1877 only 30 people attended.
Abraham continued speaking to the miners, and by April 1877, at a meeting in
Llwynypia
Llwynypia ( cy, Llwynypia ) is a village and community (and electoral ward) in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. Before 1850 a lightly populated rural farming area, Llwynypia experienced a population boom betwee ...
it was agreed that the union should be rebuilt and contributions should be made to a District Fund. The Cambrian Miners' Association was reorganised and with Abraham as leader the membership grew from nothing in 1877 to 14,000 members in 1885, making it the largest of the seven district in the
South Wales coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, espe ...
.
[Lewis (1959), pg 167.]
Parliamentary career
In 1874 Abraham was briefly mentioned as a possible candidate in the
Carmarthen Boroughs constituency in opposition to
Arthur Stepney and
Charles Nevill, although there was no real prospect of him standing. During a fiercely contrasted election, it was alleged, however, that Abraham was 'specially retained to influence and prejudice the colliers and other men against Mr Nevill.' These efforts were in vain, however, as Nevill won the election.
Abraham was elected at the
1885 general election as the
Liberal–Labour (Lib–Lab) MP for the new
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coal mining, coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fa ...
constituency in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, one of twelve Lib–Lab MPs elected that year. However, following his election, Abraham did not seek to develop a power-base beyond the Liberal association which was dominated by those who had opposed him in 1885. Although he championed the cause of labour he believed that it could be accommodated within the Liberal programme.
In 1898 he was one of the chief negotiators on behalf of the colliers in the
Welsh coal strike of 1898
The Welsh coal strike of 1898 was an industrial dispute involving the colliers of South Wales and Monmouthshire. The strike began as an attempt by the colliers to remove the sliding scale, which determined their wage based on the price of coal. Th ...
, and although the miners were unsuccessful in their action it saw the creation of the
South Wales Miners' Federation
The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers.
Forerunners
The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AA ...
of which Abraham became president.
Before his re-election at the
January 1910 general election
The January 1910 United Kingdom general election was held from 15 January to 10 February 1910. The government called the election in the midst of a constitutional crisis caused by the rejection of the People's Budget by the Conservative-dominat ...
, he and most other Lib–Lab MPs from the
Miners' Federation of Great Britain
The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in Engla ...
joined the
Labour Party.
He held the Rhondda seat until its abolition at the
1918 general election, when he was elected for the new
Rhondda West constituency. He resigned his seat in 1920, and died two years later aged 79.
Notes
References
Sources
Books and Journals
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham, William
1842 births
1922 deaths
British trade union leaders
Miners' Federation of Great Britain-sponsored MPs
People from Neath Port Talbot
Welsh miners
Welsh trade unionists
Welsh Labour Party MPs
Liberal-Labour (UK) MPs
UK MPs 1885–1886
UK MPs 1886–1892
UK MPs 1892–1895
UK MPs 1895–1900
UK MPs 1900–1906
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