Matchgirls 130th Anniversary Memorial Walk

THE WALK

The aim of the Matchgirls 130th Anniversary Memorial Walk is to celebrate the victory of the Matchgirls over Bryant and May in 1888, commonly known as the Matchgirls Strike, which helped lay the foundations of modern day Trade Unionism.

The 2.5 mile walk will take us from Mile End to Bouverie Street to retrace, as best as possible, the steps taken by the Matchgirls the day after they walked out on strike. So, don those Victorian outfits (more information on dress ideas to follow) and join us for a commemoration of this landmark event. There will be an after-walk event in the Fleet Street area and more detail will be posted about this as the event takes shape. For now, hold the date!

Time: assemble from 12:00 to leave at 13:00

Meeting Point: Outside the Tower Hamlets Mission

End Point: Bouverie Street

After Event: Details to follow

BACKGROUND

In the summer of 1888 there was undoubtedly a high degree of unrest within the workforce at the Bryant and May match factory in Bow, London, due to the low wages, long hours, appalling working conditions and the unfair fines system.

At a meeting of The Fabian Society, a stark contrast was highlighted between the high dividends enjoyed by the Bryant and May shareholders and the ‘starvation’ wages of their employees, Annie Besant then went to speak to some of the girls outside the factory to get a first-hand account of the conditions under which they worked. The result was an article, ‘White Slavery in London’, published in her weekly magazine, The Link, on 23rd June. Outraged, the Bryant and May Management threatened Ms Besant with a libel action and ordered the girls to sign a statement refuting the claims made in the article. They refused. Varying accounts report the dismissal of one, two or three girls; Bryant & May saying it was due to disobeying orders but the girls were adamant that it was due to their refusal to sign the document.

On 5th July 1888, 1400 girls and women walked out of the Bryant and May match factory in Bow, London and the next day some 200 of them marched from Mile End to Bouverie Street, Annie Besant’s office, to ask for her support. While Annie wasn’t an advocate of strike action, she did agree to help them organise a Strike Committee.

"We’d ‘ave come out before only we wasn't agreed"

"You stood up for us and we wasn't going back on you"

A Strike Committee was formed and rallied support from the Press, some MPs, the London Trades Council and Toynbee Hall. The London Trades Council, along the Strike Committee of eight Matchgirls, met with the Bryant & May Directors to put their case. By 17th July, the demands were met and terms agreed in principle so the Strike Committee put the proposals to the rest of the girls and they enthusiastically approved and returned to work. The inaugural meeting of the new Union of Women Match Makers took place at Stepney Meeting Hall on 27th July and 12 women were elected, pictured above. One of them, Sarah Chapman, my Great Grandmother, (standing second from the left, next to Herbert Burrows) became the first TUC delegate for the Union.

FAQs

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Your answer goes here