(Dipton and Burnopfield Community History Pilot
Project)
JOHN WILKINSON TAYLOR was born on 11th August 1855 at Wearmouth, Sunderland the son of a blacksmith who was also the landlord of "The Jolly Sailor" Tavern. When he was only nine years old he began his working life employed by a newsagent, shortly afterwards at the age of twelve he changed his employment and became apprentice to a blacksmith. Sadly, however when he was fourteen, both his parents died and he was left to face a daunting and uphill struggle.
At this point, because of his uncertain and insecure future, he moved to Annfield Plain in North West Durham where he lived with a married sister and her family. Undaunted by this further upheaval in his life he found employment at Bankfoot Colliery as a blacksmith but later on he forsook the anvil for the time being and began working at the coalface underground. At some stage he returned to work as a mechanic because it is recorded that he had been elected the first secretary of Annfield Plain Lodge of Durham Colliery Mechanics Association, thus beginning a long and distinguished career in the Trade Union Movement.
In 1877 he married Miss Mason of Annfield Plain and moved to Dipton where they set up home at 3 Wesley Terrace, and he obtained employment at the Delight Colliery in the village.
In 1882 his Union activities took on a
new dimension and importance when he was elected to the Executive Committee of the
Mechanics Association and still further in 1897 when he became General Secretary of the
Association, a post which he was to hold until his retirement from the Association in
1923.
Running
in tandem with his Union activities however was a keen and possibly overriding interest in
political affairs because records show that he was one of the founders of the Independent
Labour Party in County Durham. This commitment and dedication to the Labour movement was
emphasised by his election as an Independent Labour Councillor onto Durham County Council
where he represented the Municipal Division of Collierley and Burnopfield from 1895 to
1906. In addition he was also a District Councillor on Annfield Plain Urban Council where
he became its first Chairman on its formation in 1899, serving continuously (except for
his period in Westminster) on the Council until 1933.
At the Parliamentary General Election in January 1906, he was nominated for the Chester le
Street constituency. Significantly for many years, previous candidates, had been attached
to the Liberal Party, John Taylor however, refused to accept the colours of the Liberals
which caused a major controversy at the time. Such action was deemed unacceptable and
consequently he lost that particular political nomination. Undaunted however, he stood as
an independent Labour candidate, being sponsored by the miners and achieved an unexpected
but nevertheless resounding victory for the emerging Labour Movement as a political force,
becoming the first ever Labour member of Parliament for the Chester le Street
Parliamentary Division and the first resident of Dipton to become a Member of Parliament.
The
official result being:
Taylor (Labour) |
8085 |
Shafto (Conservative) |
4985 |
Tebb (Liberal) |
4660 |
Majority |
3100 |
He successfully defended his seat in Westminster in the 1910 General Election and was uncontested in future elections. A remarkable achievement by any standards but for a working class miner an unprecedented event. It is worth recording that at his adoption as the Labour candidate at the 1918 General Election he said that "He was running under the auspices of the National Labour Party and that his political creed might be expressed in a few words. He wanted to make life worth living for the mass of mankind. Unless the monopolists were prevented from exploiting the people the war (meaning the First World War 1914-18) would have been fought in vain. The workers required better conditions in respect to their work, housing and domestic conditions and in respect to their rest and recreation. They wanted a better world as a result of the War, but also better men to live in it"..
It is interesting to record that he was in favour of the fullest measure of Home Rule for Ireland: bearing in mind that it was at this period of time that the question of the petitioning of Ireland was being considered, he could foresee the potential problems that could arise if partitioning took place.
These were the actions and words of a man of principles and vision and a good indication as to why he was unopposed as a parliamentarian until his retirement from Parliament in 1919.
He had the distinction of never being defeated in any Urban Council, County Council or Parliamentary contests.
John Taylor was also a religious person being a staunch Primitive Methodist for over 50 years and dated his commitment to the Primitive Methodists from the age of 19 when he heard an address at a Methodist Chapel on "The Three B's" - "be ambitious, be studious, be prayerful". He was described locally as the Father of Primitive Methodism in Dipton and Burnopfield where he was respected as an eloquent local preacher.
John Taylor served his local community in many other ways, including the following:
He was:-
(i) one of the longest serving magistrates in North West Durham, serving on the Benches of Lanchester, Stanley and Consett.
(ii) a member of the Lanchester Board of Guardians.
(iii) a member of the Dipton Collierley School Board when the Elementary Education Act 1870 was in force. He continued to be a member of the School Board after the Education Act 1902 was passed whereby the responsibility for education passed to the County Council with whom it remains to the present time.
