Records of the Executive Committee of the Nottingham Branch of the Independent Labour Party, 1927-1931

The collection comprises:

• Minute book, July 1927-April 1931 (MS 443/1).
• Embroidered political banner of heavy fabric measuring 1.75m x 1.35m and of unknown date bearing the words 'Nottingham Independent Labour Party' and 'Liberty Equality Fraternity' (MS 443/2).

The period covered by this collection is one of significance in the history of British socialism as it follows the General Strike of 1926, and includes Labour's second term in office and the depression in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The minutes, however, relate mainly to local matters concerning organising events and liaison with other branches.

The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was founded at a conference held in Bradford in January 1893 to promote a socialist commonwealth by collective ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange. The ILP was involved in setting up the Labour Representation Committee in 1900 which later became the Labour Party. The ILP separated from the Labour Party in 1931 and today it exists as a publishing organisation under the title Independent Labour Publications.

The Nottingham Independent Labour Party was one of the first regional branches of the ILP to be set, only half a year after the first, in Bradford, in 1891. Three representatives of the Nottingham ILP attended the 1893 Bradford conference and by July 1894, the branch was well established with around 700 members. The Party attracted unionised industrial workers from a variety of Nottingham's industries but on the whole failed to attract Nottinghamshire miners. The branch was active as a political party, and in organising lecture programmes and social events. In 1929 for example, it established a Guild of Youth, arranged a regular panel of speakers for street corner meetings, and won first prize for their dray depicting 'Family Allowances' in a May Day competition.

The date when the branch was wound up is not known. Its head office during the period covered by the minute book in this collection was at Hardie House, Stanford Street.

No arrangement has been necessary.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers.

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

• Other collections listed through the National Register of Archives.

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but this can be difficult and the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the person wishing to publish.

LANGUAGE: English

The minute book in this collection was acquired by The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts in July 1971 and the banner was acquired in 1988.

• London School of Economics; British Library of Political and Economic Science: records of the Independent Labour Party nationally, 1855 (c)-1975 (c). BLPES/ILP&COLL MISC 0702