Patrick Bartley
Encyclopedia
Patrick Bartley was a British
coal miner
, civil servant
and politician. He served as Labour Party
Member of Parliament
for Chester-le-Street
from 1950 until his early death.
, then in County Durham
. He went to St Joseph's Elementary School in the town, leaving at the age of 14 to become a coalminer. He spent his spare time studying, and in 1930 he was accepted for a two-year course at the Catholic
Workers' College, which was attached to the University of Oxford
.
at his pit. He also became active in politics in the Labour Party
, and in 1934 was elected to Washington Urban District Council. In 1937 he was elected instead to Durham County Council
, on which he served for 12 years. He also acted as agent to Jack Lawson
, the Labour Member of Parliament
for Chester-le-Street
.
Northern Division.
in 1949, Bartley was selected to follow him as Labour candidate for Chester-le-Street. At the 1950 general election
he was elected with a majority even bigger than Lawson's, 24,969. He used his position in Parliament to support nationalisation of the mines, arguing that it had produced a greater sense of communal responsibility than ever before. He also criticised discrimination against Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland
.
During the 1951 general election
campaign, Bartley was forced to go into hospital due to ill health; his campaign was conducted by volunteers. This proved no disadvantage as his majority of 24,879 was one of the highest in the country. In May 1952, Bartley's championing of the case of a constituent denied compassionate leave from the army
to see his dying father was so forceful that the Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
had to step in to defend the Minister involved.
, and he continued to raise detailed issues about the mining industry. However, his health continued to be poor and he was again admitted to hospital in June 1956. Three days after his discharge, he died suddenly.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
coal miner
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
and politician. He served as Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (UK Parliament constituency)
Chester-le-Street was a county constituency centred on the town of Chester-le-Street in County Durham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
from 1950 until his early death.
Mining career
Bartley was born in WashingtonWashington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
, then in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. He went to St Joseph's Elementary School in the town, leaving at the age of 14 to become a coalminer. He spent his spare time studying, and in 1930 he was accepted for a two-year course at the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Workers' College, which was attached to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Politics
From 1933 Bartley was Branch Secretary of the Mineworkers' unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
at his pit. He also became active in politics in the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and in 1934 was elected to Washington Urban District Council. In 1937 he was elected instead to Durham County Council
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, on which he served for 12 years. He also acted as agent to Jack Lawson
Jack Lawson
John James "Jack" Lawson, 1st Baron Lawson PC , was a British trade unionist and a Labour politician. A miner and later Member of Parliament in County Durham, he served in the governments of Ramsay MacDonald and Clement Attlee.-Background:Lawson was born in the port town of Whitehaven, Cumberland,...
, the Labour Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (UK Parliament constituency)
Chester-le-Street was a county constituency centred on the town of Chester-le-Street in County Durham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
.
Civil service
In 1942, Bartley left the coal face to become Assistant Labour Director at the Northern "B" Region of the Ministry of Fuel and Power. When the coal mines were nationalised in 1947, he became Conciliation Officer for the National Coal BoardNational Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
Northern Division.
Election to Parliament
After Jack Lawson received a peeragePeerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
in 1949, Bartley was selected to follow him as Labour candidate for Chester-le-Street. At the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
he was elected with a majority even bigger than Lawson's, 24,969. He used his position in Parliament to support nationalisation of the mines, arguing that it had produced a greater sense of communal responsibility than ever before. He also criticised discrimination against Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
During the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
campaign, Bartley was forced to go into hospital due to ill health; his campaign was conducted by volunteers. This proved no disadvantage as his majority of 24,879 was one of the highest in the country. In May 1952, Bartley's championing of the case of a constituent denied compassionate leave from the army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
to see his dying father was so forceful that the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
had to step in to defend the Minister involved.
Death
Bartley also took up the issue of agricultural land in his constituency which had been lost to mining subsidenceSubsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
, and he continued to raise detailed issues about the mining industry. However, his health continued to be poor and he was again admitted to hospital in June 1956. Three days after his discharge, he died suddenly.