Assorted papers relating to the mining industry in the East Midlands and elsewhere; 1852-1945

The collection comprises single items (series MS 649/1), plus a series of loose documents collected into folders by Professor Griffin (series MS 649/2). It predominantly relates to the coal mining industry in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, but also includes references to county Durham, Somerset and Scotland. The collection is miscellaneous, and contains original archival material, printed items, and extracts or transcriptions. There is no exclusive focus to the collection, but there is a predominance of items relating to wage agreements and returns of production from various collieries.

These miscellaneous papers were collected by Professor Alan R. Griffin. In the 1970s he was Area Industrial Relations Officer for the National Coal Board, North Nottinghamshire Area. He was also Honourable Curator of the National Mining Museum, and Special Professor in Industrial History and Relations at the University of Nottingham. Professor Griffin wrote a number of books on the mining industry, including 'The Miners of Nottinghamshire: a history of the Nottinghamshire Miners’ Association, 1881-1914' and 'The Miners of Nottinghamshire: a history of the Nottinghamshire Miners’ Association, 1914-1944' (2 vols, 1955 and 1962); 'Mining in the East Midlands, 1550-1947' (London : Cass, 1971); and 'The Nottinghamshire coalfield, 1881-1981: a century of progress' (Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Moorland Publishing Co. on behalf of the Nottingham Area of the National Union of Mineworkers, c.1981). These items were presumably used by Griffin as sources for his research.

The collection has been arranged into series according to form. Within series, papers are arranged chronologically.

Accessible to all readers.

Copyright in all Finding Aids belongs to the University of Nottingham.

In the Reading Room, King's Meadow Campus: Typescript catalogue, 12 pp.

Online:

Catalogue accessible from the website of Manuscripts and Special Collections, Manuscripts Online Catalogue.

Good

Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections

Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

The collection was given to the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in 1995.