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Newcastle upon Tyne, but it is difficult to date the song due to the innumerable mining strikes which have occurred. It is, however, interesting as much as it illustrates the violent hatred felt by the “union” men towards the blacklegs. Ashley
Hutchings: "This is the most modern traditional song on the album, possibly dating from the early part of the 20th Century, and is sometimes sung by singers from Northumberland. I believe it was suggested by Tim."
25:
570:
The song, Blackleg Miner, is thought to originate from the 1844 Miners' Lockout in the North East
Coalfield. The Miners' Association of Great Britain and Ireland (MAGBI), founded in 1841 by Martin Jude, was in dispute over the yearly bonding systems. The union was demanding fortnightly contracts. The
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the very magnitude of the evictions, extending over nearly the whole of the mining districts of
Northumberland and Durham, made it impossible to find house accommodation for a twentieth part of the evicted. Scores of the Seghill families camped out by the roadside between that village and the Avenue
245:
It is strange that a song as powerful and as singable as this should be so rare, yet it has only once been collected, from a man in Bishop
Auckland, County Durham, in 1949. Seghill and Seaton Delaval (presumably the Delaval mentioned in the song) are adjacent mining villages about six miles north of
192:
for a strikebreaker has its origins in coal mining, as strikebreakers would return covered in black coal dust which would give away that they had been working whilst others had been on strike. However, the words of the song indicate the reason for the name. It says "With his moleskin pants". Mine
638:
The song 'Blackleg Miner' was revamped by the folk-rock group
Steeleye Span in 1970, and became part of their repertoire in live performances during the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1984-85 miners' strike the song was used by striking miners in some coalfields to intimidate those who continued to
298:
many folksong-loving conservatives who the previous year would have quite cheerfully sung that quaint old ditty, "Blackleg Miner", were suddenly forced to confront the unpalatable fact that what they had always regarded as a harmless little song about some far-off past events was in reality a
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describes how a rope was often stretched across the entrance to a colliery to catch strikebreakers by the throat and flick them backwards, often causing them to injure themselves through falling. Strikebreakers were often stripped of their clothes and working tools once caught.
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workers from Wales employed in strikebreaking commonly wore pants made from moleskins, which were of course black due to their wet working properties. The coal-mining sector in the UK was always heavily unionised, and mining strikes such as in
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of 1844. Although this was a national lock-out, the language of the song suggests that it refers to the dispute in the north-east coalfield, which lasted roughly 20 weeks. The lockout largely collapsed as a result of "blackleg" labour.
287:"Blackleg Miner" has been unwelcome in areas where most miners worked through the 1984-85 strike, such as Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. However, there has also been an increase in bands covering the song since the strike.
336:. The band's recordings put great stress on the line that threatens death against strikebreakers. The village of Seghill has been modified to "Cleghill" in the second, third and fourth recordings (but not the first).
233:
were appreciated for their directness and militancy by many young people radicalised by the student rebellions of 1968, and the song was often sung at folk music societies. In particular, a 1970 recording by
438:. However, virtually all singers do not rhyme the first two lines of the song. Ewan MacColl (1978) is one of the exceptions, as he attempted to sing the song with Northumbrian pronunciation throughout.
213:, but also gave rise to expressions of solidarity such as sympathy strikes, material assistance such as food, and a feeling of belonging to a proud and powerful community of workers.
326:
277:, and playing it became a political statement in support of the strike. The Steeleye Span recording was often played to intimidate working miners.
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This was not entirely accurate: the song had been released on a number of records of miners' songs in the 1960s and also featured on Ray and
284:) made some uncomfortable with the song's advocacy of violence against strikebreakers. Some folk clubs avoided the song for this reason.
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and that it was now impossible to sing it without that being interpreted as a thunderous declaration of support for the NUM.
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The village of
Seghill, mentioned in the song, was the site of a mass eviction of striking miners during the 1844 lockout.
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lockout in the North East lasted twenty weeks and collapsed largely as a result of the introduction of 'blackleg labour'.
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623:"THE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE MINERS', THE UNION OF DEMOCRATIC MINEWORKERS AND THE 1984-85 MINERS STRIKE: SCABS OR SCAPEGOATS?"
555:"THE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE MINERS', THE UNION OF DEMOCRATIC MINEWORKERS AND THE 1984-85 MINERS STRIKE: SCABS OR SCAPEGOATS?"
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258:. In addition, the song dated from the 1844 strike – much earlier than indicated by Steeleye Span.
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is 3193. The song is one of the most controversial
English folk songs owing to its depiction of violence against
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In
November 2023, Vince Clarke of Erasure released a version of "Blackleg" on his album "Songs Of Silence".
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The song is still performed regularly in setlists by
Steeleye Span. After their initial 1970 recording on
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Across the way they stretch a line/ To catch the throat and break the spine/ Of the dirty blackleg miner
400:
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343:, the Ian Campbell Folk Group, the High Level Ranters, Highland Reign, the Houghton Weavers,
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Violent clashes during the 1980s strike (most notably the attacks on
Michael Fletcher and
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The lyrics describe tactics common for attacking strikebreakers in the 19th century.
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135:(as can be deduced from the dialect in the song and the references in it to the
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607:. Overton, Yorkshire, UK: National Coal Mining Museum for England. p. 2.
592:. Overton, Yorkshire, UK: National Coal Mining Museum for England. p. 2.
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work. The song became a political statement for supporters of the strike.
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wrote of the change in attitude to the song after the strike of 1984-5:
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720:"Blackleg Miner by Steeleye Span song statistics | setlist.fm"
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For a period in the 1960s and 1970s, the song's uncompromising
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The song depicts the determined, uncompromising stance against
450:, which is the dialect for an area slightly further north, in
265:, sung when union leaders did not support unofficial strikes.
18:
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have had big impacts on British society. The strikes caused
757:"David Wrench/Black Sheep — Spades & Hoes & Plows"
391:, Jon Boden, Maddy Prior, Andy Wainwright, John Hewitt,
318:, they recorded a second version with their 1986 album
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The song gained another revival during the hard-fought
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adopted by unionized strikers. Some say that the term
163:The song is believed to originate from the miners'
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
540:"Welcome to the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library"
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339:Other artists to have played this song include
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616:
614:
8:
667:Legacies of Ewan MacColl: The Last Interview
693:True and Bold: songs of the Scottish miners
669:. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
480:And aroond the heaps they run a foot race,
478:They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face,
467:Well he takes his tools and doon he gaans
330:and a fourth version on the 2006 release
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
665:Moore, Allan F; Vacca, Giovanni (2014).
494:They grab his duds and his pick as well,
462:With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt,
327:Present – The Very Best of Steeleye Span
628:. University of Nottingham. p. 291
560:. University of Nottingham. p. 289
531:
496:And they hoy them down the pit of hell.
489:To catch the throat and break the spine
485:So, divvint gaan near the Seghill mine.
460:When the blackleg miner creeps to work,
737:Thompson, Richard (February 3, 2016).
430:In the Northumbrian dialect, the word
324:, a third version on the 2002 release
7:
471:There's not a woman in this town-row
47:adding citations to reliable sources
487:Across the way they stretch a line,
261:Ewan MacColl noted a variant named
691:"Historical footnote to the album
505:Divvin't wait till your dying day,
14:
605:Strike, not the end of the story
590:Strike, not the end of the story
503:So join the union while you may.
476:Oh, Delaval is a terrible place.
473:Will look at the blackleg miner.
469:To hew the coal that lies below,
23:
498:Doon ye gaan, and fare ye well,
464:There gaans the blackleg miner!
458:It's in the evening after dark,
241:The album's sleeve notes read:
34:needs additional citations for
1:
621:Amos, David (December 2011).
603:Douglass, David John (2005).
588:Douglass, David John (2005).
553:Amos, David (December 2011).
507:For that may not be far away,
333:Folk Rock Pioneers in Concert
491:Of the dirty blackleg miner.
482:To catch the blackleg miner!
442:is Northumbrian dialect for
256:The Hoot'nanny Show Volume 2
209:both within and between pit
359:, Len Wallace, John Maggs,
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509:You dirty blackleg miner!
500:You dirty blackleg miner!
175:wrote of the situation:
651:Mainly Norfolk page on
586:(1924), pages 36-37 in
290:Scottish folk musician
784:Miners' labor disputes
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315:Hark! The Village Wait
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799:Northumbrian folklore
403:, Settlers Match and
269:Use in 1984–85 strike
238:became very popular.
809:Year of song unknown
759:. Headheritage.co.uk
446:. Some versions say
401:The Dixie Bee-Liners
393:The Inchtabokatables
263:The Blackleg Leaders
43:improve this article
299:venomous attack on
275:strike of the 1980s
819:Songwriter unknown
814:Songs about mining
794:English folk songs
789:19th-century songs
131:, originally from
124:is a 19th-century
824:Trade union songs
804:Mining in England
676:978-1-4094-2430-7
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32:This article
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761:. Retrieved
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699:the original
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562:. Retrieved
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434:rhymes with
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411:, Offa Rex (
405:David Wrench
385:Dick Gaughan
381:Ewan MacColl
369:Louis Killen
365:Sol Invictus
353:Smoky Finish
349:Ryan's Fancy
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321:Back in Line
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41:Please help
36:verification
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440:Divint gaan
409:Black Sheep
375:as well as
357:Clatterbone
301:scab labour
211:communities
173:Thomas Burt
149:Roud number
99:August 2008
778:Categories
763:2011-09-02
724:setlist.fm
705:2016-05-05
526:References
448:dinna gang
395:, Banjax,
207:bitterness
69:newspapers
397:Eric Fish
129:folk song
514:See also
452:Scotland
444:don't go
190:blackleg
137:villages
743:YouTube
632:19 July
564:19 July
225:Revival
165:lockout
159:Origins
147:). Its
141:Seghill
126:English
83:scholar
673:
426:Lyrics
415:&
371:, the
308:Covers
231:lyrics
203:1984-5
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626:(PDF)
558:(PDF)
407:with
180:Head.
90:JSTOR
76:books
671:ISBN
634:2015
566:2015
436:dark
432:work
355:and
201:and
199:1974
195:1926
143:and
62:news
139:of
45:by
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