William Parrott
Encyclopedia
William Parrott was a British coalminer, trade union official and Liberal–Labour
(Lib–Lab) politician.
but his parents soon moved to Yorkshire
. Parrott had no formal education and was essentially self-taught. He began work in a brickyard at the age of eight years. Aged nine, he was working in a factory and just before his tenth birthday he started work at Methley
Colliery as a pit-boy. In 1869 he had married Eliza Thompson of Methley and they had a son and three daughters.
Common. From this time onwards he was drawn more and more into trade union work. In 1876 he was elected assistant secretary of the West Yorkshire Miners Association. Held this office until 1881 when the West and South Yorkshire Miners Associations were amalgamated to form the Yorkshire Miners Association of which Parrott was appointed agent, a post he held for 20 years. During this time he attended the first ever international conference of coal miners, held in Brussels
. He became general-secretary of the Yorkshire Miners Association in 1904. Parrott was one of four men who were credited with the establishment of the Yorkshire Miners Association as it existed at the time of his death, the others being Ben Pickard, (Lib-Lab member of Parliament for Normanton from 1885–1904), J Frith and E Cowey.
In January 1894 Parrott was appointed a representative of the Yorkshire Miners at a conciliation board meeting held at Westminster Palace Hotel to settle a dispute over miners’ wages following a report by a committee headed by Lord Rosebery. Parrott remained a member of the miners’ side of the conciliation board until the time of his death. Despite the work of the board, by 1896, Parrott was warning that miners had given their representatives authority to arrange strikes if the latest round of wage increases were not met and if mines were closed and men thrown out of work. He addressed a meeting of miners saying that Yorkshire was fully prepared to meet the emergency, that the men were well-organised and had both the funds and courage necessary. They were as determined as ever to fight for the maintenance and principle of the living wage.
His work for the Miners Association took him into the wider trade union world and in 1899 he was elected auditor to the Standing Orders Committee of the TUC.
School Board for three years and had been an elected member of Barnsley Town Council for nine years. He was however contemplating a Parliamentary career and had been adopted as Liberal
candidate in East Leeds
. However the death of Ben Pickard the sitting Lib–Lab MP for Normanton
in 1904 meant a vacancy and a by-election
. Parrott was selected as candidate and he won the seat
by a majority of 3,946 over his Conservative
opponent. There was no Liberal candidate as since 1885 the Yorkshire Miners Association had had an agreement with the Liberals allowing them nominate the candidate for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. Pickard had held the seat at each election under this arrangement since the 1885 general election
and generally supported the Liberals in Parliament in return. Parrott was a member of the Liberal Party and again generally voted with the Liberals in Parliament.
Parrott made his maiden speech in the House of Commons during the Finance Bill or budget debate on 19 July 1904, in opposition to a coal levy which he feared would lower the wages of miners or put their jobs at risk. There were already thousands of miners only working two days a week thanks to the levy as the coal owners were reducing costs by laying off men to claw back the money lost on the tax. On 18 February 1905, he was a member of a deputation of miners’ representatives to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
, Austen Chamberlain
to urge that the one shilling
duty on export coal should be repealed.
was chosen to succeed Parrott as candidate in the by-election caused by his death. The Liberal Party again honoured their agreement not to stand against the Miners’ candidate and Hall was returned unopposed as MP for Normanton, serving until 1935
.
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) politician.
Early life
Parrott was born at Row Green, a village in SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
but his parents soon moved to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Parrott had no formal education and was essentially self-taught. He began work in a brickyard at the age of eight years. Aged nine, he was working in a factory and just before his tenth birthday he started work at Methley
Methley
Methley is a dispersed village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, south east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is located near Rothwell, Oulton, Woodlesford, Mickletown and Allerton Bywater. It nestles in the triangle formed by Leeds, Castleford and Wakefield, and is between the...
Colliery as a pit-boy. In 1869 he had married Eliza Thompson of Methley and they had a son and three daughters.
Miners Association official
In 1872 he became the first checkweighman elected by the miners of Good Hope Pit, NormantonNormanton, West Yorkshire
Normanton is a town and civil parish within the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is northeast of Wakefield and southwest of Castleford, and at the time of the 2001 Census, the population was 19,949.-History:...
Common. From this time onwards he was drawn more and more into trade union work. In 1876 he was elected assistant secretary of the West Yorkshire Miners Association. Held this office until 1881 when the West and South Yorkshire Miners Associations were amalgamated to form the Yorkshire Miners Association of which Parrott was appointed agent, a post he held for 20 years. During this time he attended the first ever international conference of coal miners, held in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He became general-secretary of the Yorkshire Miners Association in 1904. Parrott was one of four men who were credited with the establishment of the Yorkshire Miners Association as it existed at the time of his death, the others being Ben Pickard, (Lib-Lab member of Parliament for Normanton from 1885–1904), J Frith and E Cowey.
In January 1894 Parrott was appointed a representative of the Yorkshire Miners at a conciliation board meeting held at Westminster Palace Hotel to settle a dispute over miners’ wages following a report by a committee headed by Lord Rosebery. Parrott remained a member of the miners’ side of the conciliation board until the time of his death. Despite the work of the board, by 1896, Parrott was warning that miners had given their representatives authority to arrange strikes if the latest round of wage increases were not met and if mines were closed and men thrown out of work. He addressed a meeting of miners saying that Yorkshire was fully prepared to meet the emergency, that the men were well-organised and had both the funds and courage necessary. They were as determined as ever to fight for the maintenance and principle of the living wage.
His work for the Miners Association took him into the wider trade union world and in 1899 he was elected auditor to the Standing Orders Committee of the TUC.
Politics
Parrott had cut his teeth in politics locally and was a member of the BarnsleyBarnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
School Board for three years and had been an elected member of Barnsley Town Council for nine years. He was however contemplating a Parliamentary career and had been adopted as Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate in East Leeds
Leeds East (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds East is a borough 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.-Boundaries:...
. However the death of Ben Pickard the sitting Lib–Lab MP for Normanton
Normanton (UK Parliament constituency)
Normanton was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in 1904 meant a vacancy and a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
. Parrott was selected as candidate and he won the seat
Normanton by-election, 1904
The Normanton by-election, 1904 was held to elect a member to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Vacancy:The death of Benjamin Pickard the sitting Lib-Lab Member of Parliament for Normanton in 1904 meant a vacancy and a by-election in the division...
by a majority of 3,946 over his Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
opponent. There was no Liberal candidate as since 1885 the Yorkshire Miners Association had had an agreement with the Liberals allowing them nominate the candidate for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. Pickard had held the seat at each election under this arrangement since the 1885 general election
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:...
and generally supported the Liberals in Parliament in return. Parrott was a member of the Liberal Party and again generally voted with the Liberals in Parliament.
Parrott made his maiden speech in the House of Commons during the Finance Bill or budget debate on 19 July 1904, in opposition to a coal levy which he feared would lower the wages of miners or put their jobs at risk. There were already thousands of miners only working two days a week thanks to the levy as the coal owners were reducing costs by laying off men to claw back the money lost on the tax. On 18 February 1905, he was a member of a deputation of miners’ representatives to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, Austen Chamberlain
Austen Chamberlain
Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, KG was a British statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and half-brother of Neville Chamberlain.- Early life and career :...
to urge that the one shilling
Shilling (United Kingdom)
The British shilling is an historic British coin from the eras of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the later United Kingdom; also adopted as a Scot denomination upon the 1707 Treaty of Union....
duty on export coal should be repealed.
Death and successor
Parrott died at Barnsley at 10.15 p.m. on 9 February 1905, having been ill in bed for a fortnight before and unconscious for two days. His health had not been good for some time having suffered a paralytic seizure in 1903. His former Yorkshire Miners Association colleague Fred HallFrederick Hall (politician)
Frederick Hall was a Liberal Party then Labour Party politician in England.He was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election in 1905 as a Liberal, following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament , William Parrott. In 1909 his trade union instructed him to take the Labour Party whip...
was chosen to succeed Parrott as candidate in the by-election caused by his death. The Liberal Party again honoured their agreement not to stand against the Miners’ candidate and Hall was returned unopposed as MP for Normanton, serving until 1935
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
.