Steam Engine Makers' Society

The sources below are those of the above union identified as being of potential interest to geneaologists. If you have established a person's membership of a trade union and their period of membership, and also have the relevant information outlined below, it may be worth searching these records for further information.

Membership registers, 1859-1920 (MSS.259/SEM/2/2/1-5)

/1 1859-1893

/2 1894-1907

/3 1909-1916

/4 1915-1918

/5 1919-1920

Need: full name of member and date they entered the Union. Entries, although in an A-Z arrangement by surname in each volume, are not alphabetical within each letter. E.g., within the 'A's Anderson, Atkins and Amery are not in alphabetical order but by date of entry. For this reason a date of entry is essential.

Contain:

Annual Reports, 1878-1919 (MSS.259/SEM/4/1/1-38)

Need: full name of member with precise date of relevant admission/death/superannuation

Contain: lists of those members granted benefits, lists of new, deceased and superannuated members

Monthly Reports, 1907-1918 (MSS.259/SEM/4/2/1-6)

/1 1907 Jan-1908 Dec

/2 1909 Jan-1910 Dec

/3 1911 Jan-1912 Dec

/4 1913 Jan-1914 Dec

/5 1915 Jan-1916 Dec

/6 1917 Jan-1918 Dec

Need: full name of member with precise date of admission, death or exclusion

Contain: lists of prospective candidates and deceased and excluded members

Background Information

The Steam Engine Makers' Society was started in Liverpool on 2 November 1824. It was a mainly northern society. Its original members were fitters, turners, and the erectors of steam engines. That was broadened in 1847 to include millwrights, steam-engine patternmakers, and the makers of tools used in the manufacture of steam engines. It was very similar to the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and Millwrights' Friendly Society. It amalgamated with the Amalgamated Society of Engineers and others to form the Amalgamated Engineering Union in 1920.

Reference: J.B. Jeffreys, The story of the engineers (London, 1945; repr. 1970).

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