THE LABOUR MOVEMENT IN WESTMORLAND

The Lake District, despite its beauty, has masked much poverty and hidden many political surprises. This book tells an unexpected andfascinating story of ordinary people fighting for their beliefs in difficult political surroundings.At the end of the nineteenth century the suffragists thrived, a utopian community was established at Starnthwaite and a Labour countycouncillor had been elected in 1892.The Arts and Crafts Movement, with its socialist practitioners, was influencing the newly built villas of prosperous industrialists in the vicinity.In the 1930s Wordsworth’s peaceful Grasmere was shattered when the British fascists led by Sir Oswald Mosley targeted Westmorland.Yet nearby, a left-wing YHA warden was training volunteers for the International Brigade before they were deployed to Spain.Labour took the lead locally in combating fascism. Some adopted Jewish children from Central Europe. Two prominent Kendal industrialists and war heroes became so concerned that they joined Labour and became councillors. One eventually ended up as a Peer of the Realm and Lord Lieutenant of the County.Keir Hardie and Tom Mann visited the area and the General Strike of 1926 was solidly supported. In 1935, the party ran the only female Parliamentary candidate ever to fight Westmorland.