William Abraham (Welsh politician)
Encyclopedia
William "Mabon" Abraham was a Welsh
trade union
ist and 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. He was a moderate voice believing that disputes should be solved through dialogue, which drew him into conflicts with younger and more hard-line political figures. Abraham was noted for his powerful speaking voice, and was a renowned orator in English and Welsh
.
, Glamorgan
in 1842, the fourth son of Thomas and Mary Abraham. He was educated at Cwmafan National School but left at a young age, becoming a tinplater before finding work at the local coal mine as a 'door boy' at the age of ten. In 1864 Abraham, with another eleven Welsh miners, agreed to work in a copper mine in Chile for three years. Sailing to Valparaiso
via the Horn, 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
.
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. Abraham continued working in the mining industry and by 1871 was working at the Caergynydd Pit in Waunarlwydd
, near Swansea
.
advocate of the Amalgamated Association of Miners, 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
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. The miner's were forced back to work and the A.A.M. became bankrupt and was dissolved. 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, 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
in 1877 only 30 people attended. Abraham continued speaking to the miners, and by April 1877, at a meeting in Llwynypia
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
.
Abraham was elected at the 1885 general election
as the Liberal–Labour
(Lib–Lab) MP for the new Rhondda
constituency in Wales
, one of twelve Lib–Lab MPs elected that year. In 1898 he was one of the chief negotiators on behalf of the colliers in the Welsh coal strike of 1898
, and although the miners were unsuccessful in their action it saw the creation of the South Wales Miners' Federation
of which Abraham became president.
After his re-election at the January 1910 general election, he and most other Lib–Lab MPs from the Miners' Federation of Great Britain 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.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and Labour politician, and a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) from 1885 to 1920. Although an MP for 35 years, it was as a trade unionist that Abraham is most well known. He was a moderate voice believing that disputes should be solved through dialogue, which drew him into conflicts with younger and more hard-line political figures. Abraham was noted for his powerful speaking voice, and was a renowned orator in English and Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
.
Early life
Abraham was born in CwmafanCwmafan
Cwmafan is a large village and community in the Afan valley in Wales, lying within Neath Port Talbot County Borough. It has a population of 5,603. In many ways it is a suburb of the nearby town of Port Talbot which is less than to the south, but it is separated from the town by the local...
, Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
in 1842, the fourth son of Thomas and Mary Abraham. He was educated at Cwmafan National School but left at a young age, becoming a tinplater before finding work at the local coal mine as a 'door boy' at the age of ten. In 1864 Abraham, with another eleven Welsh miners, agreed to work in a copper mine in Chile for three years. Sailing to Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
via the Horn, 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
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
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. Abraham continued working in the mining industry and by 1871 was working at the Caergynydd Pit in Waunarlwydd
Waunarlwydd
Waunarlwydd is a village near Swansea, Wales, falling within the Cockett ward.A mostly residential area, the pronunciation of Waunarlwydd is approximately like "Wine are Lloyd" in English...
, near Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
Early unionist 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. During the dispute, Lewis Morgan of the Abergorchy Colliery, who was the RhonddaRhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
advocate of the Amalgamated Association of Miners, 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
Loughor is a town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community council called Llwchwr....
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. The miner's were forced back to work and the A.A.M. became bankrupt and was dissolved. 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, 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
Pentre is a village and community, near Treorchy in 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 Pentre is named after a large farm that dominated the area before the...
in 1877 only 30 people attended. Abraham continued speaking to the miners, and by April 1877, at a meeting in Llwynypia
Llwynypia
Llwynypia , is a village 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 between 1860 and 1920 with the sinking of several coal mines after the discovery of large coal deposits...
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
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
.
Parliamentary career
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
as the Liberal–Labour
Liberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
(Lib–Lab) MP for the new Rhondda
Rhondda (UK Parliament constituency)
Rhondda is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, one of twelve Lib–Lab MPs elected that year. In 1898 he was one of the chief negotiators on behalf of the colliers in the Welsh coal strike of 1898
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...
, and although the miners were unsuccessful in their action it saw the creation of the South Wales Miners' Federation
South Wales Miners' Federation
The South Wales Miners' Federation , nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for miners in South Wales.The union was founded on 24 October 1898, following the defeat of the South Wales miners' strike of 1898...
of which Abraham became president.
After his re-election at the January 1910 general election, he and most other Lib–Lab MPs from the Miners' Federation of Great Britain joined the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
He held the Rhondda seat until its abolition at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
, when he was elected for the new Rhondda West
Rhondda West (UK Parliament constituency)
Rhondda West was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rhondda district of Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system...
constituency. He resigned his seat in 1920, and died two years later aged 79.