‘PM made me an MP’: the social, occupational, and denominational background of the MPs. This appendix provides brief biographical details of those MPs named as Primitive Methodists or as close associates in Church publications during 1874-1932. It focuses on their social and occupational background and their relationship to the Church. Although most were members, usually local preachers or officials, a minority were, at most, hearers – sometimes merely former Sunday School pupils or occasional attendees at Primitive chapels. Omitted are those MPs who were first elected after Methodist Union. However, Primitive politicians active after 1932 identified during the course of this research were Edwin Gooch, Bertie Hazell, the ‘Welsh Primitive Methodist Marxist’ Harold Davies, Eric Ogden, John Beavan, John Ellis, and Ted Willis – all Labour MPs or Peers.1 In addition to the footnoted sources, the information has been derived from Hansard, Debrett’s House of Commons, census returns and BMD records. The term ‘miners’ agent’, or similar, describes a multiplicity of roles and essentially means a paid union official or elected representative of any rank: essentially a Labour Movement activist. The letters LC indicate those who served as local councillors; many of these, such as John Johnson, were mayors or, like Ben Spoor, leaders of their councils.2 Joseph Arch (1826-1919) Norfolk North Western: 1885-1886 and 1892-1900 Liberal Joseph’s father was an agricultural labourer, as was Arch himself before becoming a national agent of the Agricultural Labourers’ Union. For many years, Arch was a PM local preacher but may have reconciled himself to the Anglican Church in later life.3 4 1 PML, 28 Sep, 626, 1922 and 22 Oct, 821, 1931; Hansard, Lords, 12 December 1973 vol 347 cc1228, 15 June 1976 vol 913 cc448, 26 November 1980 vol 415 cc167, 17 January 1979 vol 960 cc1840, Deb 09 July 1990 vol 521 cc55; 2 Correspondents helpfully suggested that J.A. Parkinson, Joshua Ritson and Jack Lawson were Primitives. However, Parkinson, although claimed by the Leader as a Primitive on 22 October 1931, the paper later corrected this. In fact, Parkinson was a United Methodist and, later, a Congregationalist according to The United Methodist for 07 Feb, 62, 1924, 12 Nov, 554, 1931, and DLB, 2, 291-2. Also, according to the DLB, Ritson and Lawson were Wesleyans: DLB, 2. 3 PMM, 1874, 315; 1884, 398-9; Horn, Arch, 211-214. 4 Elliott & Fry - Notables of Britain:https://archive.org/stream/notablesofbritai00londuoft#page/138/mode/2up All pictures were sourced online on 04/06/15. Joseph Batey (1867-1949) Spennymoor: 1922-1942 Labour Joseph’s father was a coal miner, Batey a Durham miners’ agent and, although never a member of the Church, he was a life-long adherent.5 6 Sir James Blindell (1884-1937) Holland with Boston 1929 - 1937 Liberal and National Liberal (LC) Whip 1931 - 1932 Whip 1932 - ? Junior Lord of Treasury 1932 - 1935 James’s father was a wine cellar man. Blindell initially an errand boy but rose to owning a large shoe manufacture. He was an active member of Flottergate (Grimsby) Primitive Methodist Church and a local preacher.7 8 Thomas Burt (1837-1922) Morpeth: 1874-1918 Liberal Parliamentary Secretary 1892 - 1895 Father of the House of Commons 1910 - 1918 Thomas’s father was a coal miner and Burt a Northumberland miners’ agent. His father was a PM local preacher, Burt attended a PM Sunday school at which he taught, but later had ‘a rather detached interest 5 Wearmouth, Twentieth Century, 129-30; PML, 06 Nov, 725, 1924. 6 National Portrait Gallery website: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp66992/joseph-batey 7 MT, 06 Jun, 1929. 8 Grimsby Telegraph, Dec 14, 2013. in Unitarianism’.9 He was never a member of the Connexion although he ‘derived intellectual stimulus, and benefit in other ways’ from his Primitive Methodist upbringing.10 In 1891, a journalist described him as ‘a child of the Primitive Methodist Revival’.11 12 John Cairns MBE (1859-1923) Morpeth: 1918-1923 Labour John’s father was a coal miner and Cairns a Northumberland miners’ agent and a local preacher from an early age.13 Thomas Cape MBE (1868-1947) Workington: 1918-1945 Labour Thomas’s father was a coal miner and Cape a Cumberland miners’ agent. His parents were members of the Connexion and he was a local preacher.14 15 William Carter (1862-1932) Mansfield: 1918-1922 Labour (LC) 9 Watson, Labour Leader, 165. Also: PMM, 1881, 382. 10 Stead, ‘Labour Party’, 570; Burt, Autobiography, 85-8; Satre, Conciliator, 8. 11 Black and White Magazine, Sept 14 1891, 392. 12 Thomas Burt by Dorothy Tennant, Woodhorn Museum and Northumberland Archives: http://artuk.org/discover/artworks/thomas-burt-18371922-56249 13 Aldersgate, 1920, 187-9; PML, 23 Nov, 753,1922; 23 May, 338, 1923. 14 Aldersgate, 1920, 700-1; PML, 06, 725, 1924. 15 They Work for You Parliamentary website: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/16891/thomas_cape/workington William’s father was a brickyard manager and Carter a Nottinghamshire miners’ agent; a life-long Prim, he was a Bible class leader.16 Thomas W. Casey (1869-1949) Sheffield Attercliffe: 1918-1922 Coalition Liberal Both father and son were colliery enginemen. At the time of his election, Casey was a national agent of the Winding and General Engineer’s Society. Born into a PM family, he was a local preacher for 57 years. Hugh Bourne had baptized his mother.17 18 William Crawford (1833-1890) Durham Mid: 1885-1890 Liberal William’s father was a coal miner and Crawford a Durham miners’ agent. Although a local preacher for some years, he was no longer an active member by 1886. Yet Crawford still credited Primitive Methodism as a significant influence on his principles and practice.19 20 Sir George Doughty (1854-1914) Great Grimsby July 13, 1895 - July 22, 1898 Great Grimsby August 2, 1898 - January 15, 1910 Great Grimsby December 3, 1910 - April 27, 1914 Doughty was a Liberal MP who transferred his allegiance to the Liberal Unionists in 1898 over the issue of Home Rule. (LC) 16 Aldersgate, 1920, 102-3. 17 Ibid., 350-1; Wearmouth, Twentieth Century, 150. 18 The Times, 31 Oct, 1922, 16. 19 PMM, 1885, 189; PM, 11Mar, 147-9, 1886. 20 Durham Mining Museum: http://www.dmm.org.uk/whoswho/c909.htm George’s father was the tenant of a dairy farm, while Doughty was initially a builder/carpenter, but later became a merchant, ship owner, and director of the Humber Commercial Dock. Although educated at a Wesleyan day school, he was a PM ‘stalwart in his early days’ and a local preacher.21 In 1906, when some newspapers suggested that he was a member of the Church, the Primitive Methodist Leader was insistent that his association with them had ended ‘some years since’.22 23 Enoch Edwards (1852-1912) Hanley: 1906-1912 A Liberal MP who transferred to Labour in 1909. (LC) Enoch’s father was a quarryman and Edwards a miners’ agent for the Midland Miners’ Federation. He was educated briefly at a PM day school and, later, became a local preacher.24 25 Sir George Edwards OBE (1850-1933) Norfolk Southern: 1920-1922 and 1923-1924 Labour (LC) George’s father was an agricultural labourer and Edwards a national agent of the National Union of Agricultural Workers; he was a long-serving local preacher.26 21 HDM, 27 Apr, 1914, 5. 22 PML, 01 Feb, 1906, 74. 23 BBC Your Paintings: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/sir-george-List O)ne -mp-1895- mayor-of-grimsby-18921893-82241 24 Aldersgate, 1900, 189-91; Wearmouth, Twentieth Century, 154-5. 25 F.W. Pethick-Lawrence and J. Edwards, (eds.), The Reformers’ Yearbook, 1905 (London: Taylor, Garnett and Evans, 1905), 35. 26 Aldersgate, 1921, 256; Edwards, Crow-Scaring, passim. 27 Thomas Davis Fenby (1875-1956) East Bradford: 1924-1929 Liberal (LC) Father and son were blacksmiths/farriers, employing several employees in their own forge. Fenby’s family had been among the earliest converts to Primitive Methodism in the East Riding; he was a local preacher for many years.28 29 Charles Fenwick (1850-1918) Wansbeck: 1885-1918 Liberal Father and son were coal miners; although Fenwick was active in the Northumberland miners’ union, he was still working as a pitman when elected to Parliament. He was a local preacher.30 He told the Aldersgate Magazine in 1906: ‘If my life has been in any degree a success, I owe it all to the providence of God and continued connection with the Primitive Methodist Church’.31 32 27 National Portrait Gallery website: http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw63537/Sir- George-Edwards?LinkID=mp62261&search=sas&sText=George+Edwards&role=sit&rNo=0 28 MG, 10 Sep, 1917, 6; PML, 17 Nov, 733, 1921. 29 The Times, 29 Oct, 1924, 18. 30 Aldersgate, 1918, 666. 31 Ibid., 1906, 313. 32 The Reformers’ Yearbook, 1905, 27. Samuel Finney (1857-1935) Staffordshire North-Western: 1916-1918 Stoke-on-Trent Burslem: 1918-1922 Labour (LC) Samuel’s father was a labourer, Finney a miners’ agent of the Midland Miners’ Federation. He was educated at a PM day school, and became a friend of Enoch Edwards there. They were both long- serving local preachers in the same Circuit.33 34 Joseph Gibbins (1888-1965) Liverpool West Toxteth: 1924-1931 and 1935-1950 Labour Joseph’s father was a labourer, Gibbins a Boilermakers’ Union agent in Liverpool. He appears to have joined the Church in 1921 when Rev. H.J. Taylor was assigned to the Liverpool 1 station for a second time.35 Vernon Hartshorn OBE (1872-1931) Ogmore: 1918-1931 Labour Postmaster General 1924-1924 Lord Privy seal 1930-1931 Vernon’s father was a miner, Hartshorn a South Wales miners’ agent.