Amesbury Women in the Early Labor Movement

Washington Hall on Market Street, where women factory workers met to discuss their possible actions during the 1852 Derby Strike. (Photo from 1925 pamphlet.)

The story of the 1852 Derby Strike in the factories of the Salisbury Manufacturing Company in what is now downtown Amesbury is fairly well known to local historians. On June 1 of that year, about 100 male workers (called “operatives”) purposely violated a new work rule established by company’s manager, John Derby. This rule forbade workers to leave their work stations or the mill property during their 15-minute morning and afternoon breaks. The men who defied Derby’s order were fired immediately. They were eventually replaced by other workers – some Irish immigrants, so technically the strike was a failure for the operatives.

In researching the details of the Derby Strike through newspaper reports and other documents, ACM volunteer Tom Murphy uncovered new details about female factory workers involved in this historical local labor dispute. His report, “The Female Operatives and the Derby Strike: Their Story,” adds a new perspective on the male-oriented telling of the conflict.

When the men went on strike, 225 women were working in the mills. These female operatives did not participate in the rule violation that caused the men to be fired, and continued to work after the June 1 firings. But the women did take action and met at Washington Hall on Market Street to decide on a response to the conflict between the male workers and management. One action they considered: leaving their jobs in support of the fired male workers. The story is a fascinating view into the world of work in 19th-century Amesbury.

Read “The Female Operatives and the Derby Strike” on the ACM website.