Originally a miner, he was blacklisted for his union activities and had to earn a living as the landlord of public houses in Newcastle. He led the Northumberland and Durham miners' union in the 1840s. He was also Treasurer of the first national union of miners formed in 1842.
The 1844 strike ended with the pitmen forced to accept owner's terms and
the introduction of a new monthly bond. The union had sustained a near fatal blow but the Durham and Northumberland Miners' Association did not immediately collapse but by 1849 unionism in Durham was again reduced to clandestine meetings on the moors and in back alleys: anywhere away from the watchful eye of the owners and their agents. Martin Jude a miner's representative tried to keep the thread of unionism alive during this difficult period. On 18th September 1858, he organised a mass meeting at Black Fell for the purpose of establishing a county union. Present at this meeting was a Scottish miners leader called Alexander McDonald who was building a new national union and whose objectives were to encourage Parliament to pass legislation regulating the conditions and safety of the miners. The new National Miners' Association was formed of the 9th November 1859.
In 1860 the tireless work of Martin Jude came to fruition when Parliament passed the Mines Act which governed the safety and inspection of mines. In 1861 the Mines Act became law and, with this new approach to unionism, the miners secured the position of a checkweighman from the owners. This job was filled by a union official and was a major step forward as each colliery in the county had one. Sadly, Martin Jude didn't live to see these great achievements. He died a pauper in 1860 in South Shields and was buried in Elswick Cemetery, Newcastle. His tenacity had kept the flame of trade unionism burning and paved the way to a more enlightened era
The 1844 strike ended with the pitmen forced to accept owner's terms and
the introduction of a new monthly bond. The union had sustained a near fatal blow but the Durham and Northumberland Miners' Association did not immediately collapse but by 1849 unionism in Durham was again reduced to clandestine meetings on the moors and in back alleys: anywhere away from the watchful eye of the owners and their agents. Martin Jude a miner's representative tried to keep the thread of unionism alive during this difficult period. On 18th September 1858, he organised a mass meeting at Black Fell for the purpose of establishing a county union. Present at this meeting was a Scottish miners leader called Alexander McDonald who was building a new national union and whose objectives were to encourage Parliament to pass legislation regulating the conditions and safety of the miners. The new National Miners' Association was formed of the 9th November 1859.
In 1860 the tireless work of Martin Jude came to fruition when Parliament passed the Mines Act which governed the safety and inspection of mines. In 1861 the Mines Act became law and, with this new approach to unionism, the miners secured the position of a checkweighman from the owners. This job was filled by a union official and was a major step forward as each colliery in the county had one. Sadly, Martin Jude didn't live to see these great achievements. He died a pauper in 1860 in South Shields and was buried in Elswick Cemetery, Newcastle. His tenacity had kept the flame of trade unionism burning and paved the way to a more enlightened era
Originally a miner, he was blacklisted for his union activities and had to earn a living as the landlord of public houses in Newcastle. He led the Northumberland and Durham miners' union in the 1840s. He was also Treasurer of the first national union of miners formed in 1842.
The 1844 strike ended with the pitmen forced to accept owner's terms and
the introduction of a new monthly bond. The union had sustained a near fatal blow but the Durham and Northumberland Miners' Association did not immediately collapse but by 1849 unionism in Durham was again reduced to clandestine meetings on the moors and in back alleys: anywhere away from the watchful eye of the owners and their agents. Martin Jude a miner's representative tried to keep the thread of unionism alive during this difficult period. On 18th September 1858, he organised a mass meeting at Black Fell for the purpose of establishing a county union. Present at this meeting was a Scottish miners leader called Alexander McDonald who was building a new national union and whose objectives were to encourage Parliament to pass legislation regulating the conditions and safety of the miners. The new National Miners' Association was formed of the 9th November 1859.
In 1860 the tireless work of Martin Jude came to fruition when Parliament passed the Mines Act which governed the safety and inspection of mines. In 1861 the Mines Act became law and, with this new approach to unionism, the miners secured the position of a checkweighman from the owners. This job was filled by a union official and was a major step forward as each colliery in the county had one. Sadly, Martin Jude didn't live to see these great achievements. He died a pauper in 1860 in South Shields and was buried in Elswick Cemetery, Newcastle. His tenacity had kept the flame of trade unionism burning and paved the way to a more enlightened era
The 1844 strike ended with the pitmen forced to accept owner's terms and
the introduction of a new monthly bond. The union had sustained a near fatal blow but the Durham and Northumberland Miners' Association did not immediately collapse but by 1849 unionism in Durham was again reduced to clandestine meetings on the moors and in back alleys: anywhere away from the watchful eye of the owners and their agents. Martin Jude a miner's representative tried to keep the thread of unionism alive during this difficult period. On 18th September 1858, he organised a mass meeting at Black Fell for the purpose of establishing a county union. Present at this meeting was a Scottish miners leader called Alexander McDonald who was building a new national union and whose objectives were to encourage Parliament to pass legislation regulating the conditions and safety of the miners. The new National Miners' Association was formed of the 9th November 1859.
In 1860 the tireless work of Martin Jude came to fruition when Parliament passed the Mines Act which governed the safety and inspection of mines. In 1861 the Mines Act became law and, with this new approach to unionism, the miners secured the position of a checkweighman from the owners. This job was filled by a union official and was a major step forward as each colliery in the county had one. Sadly, Martin Jude didn't live to see these great achievements. He died a pauper in 1860 in South Shields and was buried in Elswick Cemetery, Newcastle. His tenacity had kept the flame of trade unionism burning and paved the way to a more enlightened era
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