Dispute – July 17th – Retreat of the Staffordshire Men

July 1885

Retreat of the Staffordshire Men.

About a thousand people assembled on the Mexborough bank of the river Don on Sunday night about nine o´clock. Facing them on the other side of the river was one hundred and fifty Staffordshire men.

The spokesman of the latter party said they had come to a resolution. They were very sorry to take the bread out of the mouths of the workmen, but when they first came from Staffordshire they did not know what the dispute was.

The resolution was that they leave work as many as possible could on Monday and the remainder on Wednesday, that was, if they could get fair play.

They intended to go back. It was their duty to stop two hundred Staffordshire men who were to arrive today ( Monday ) from Stoke.

Two men then left the colliery premises and were shortly afterwards followed by thirty others.

The arrangement was come to that the Denaby Main men and the strangers meet each other on the Don bridge on Monday to discuss the situation, the Denaby Main men and the Staffordshire men agreeing that there should be no treachery.

Whilst the Staffordshire men were talking an endeavour was made to drown the voices of the speakers by the noise from the colliery engines.