Arthur Scargill archive acquired by the University of Sheffield Library

The archive of Arthur Scargill, activist and former President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1982-2002, has been acquired by the University of Sheffield Library Special Collections, Heritage and Archives. 

Arthur Scargill is known for his roles in the 1972 miners’ strike – in particular the Battle of Saltley Gate – and in the strike of 1984-85, including the Battle for Orgreave which became known worldwide. His archive will eventually be available for research, teaching and learning opportunities for academic colleagues, research groups and community groups, from colleges and schools to those in historical mining communities.

The Arthur Scargill Archive covers his life, from the day he started work at the age of 15 at Woolley Colliery in the North Barnsley area; his life in the Young Communist League; as an NUM Branch Official at his pit, then election as full-time Compensation Agent and President of the NUM Yorkshire Area and eventual election as NUM National President.

The papers also cover his involvement in the Co-operative Movement, the Labour Party, co-founder and President of the International Miners’ Organisation and founder of the Socialist Labour Party.

Scargill’s papers include his advocacy in the Lofthouse Colliery Disaster Public Inquiry (1973); Houghton Main Colliery Disaster Public Inquiry (1975); and his advocacy in the High Court Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (NCB Trustees-v-NUM Trustees, 1984), in which he argued on behalf of the NUM Trustees for the ethical investment of pension funds.

The archive is an invaluable resource covering a period in British history of local, national and international importance. Of particular interest it covers the development of the Plan For Coal, a policy developed following the 1972 and 1974 miners’ strikes, which was signed by the Government, National Coal Board (NCB) and the mining trade unions.

The University of Sheffield has been chosen as a suitable home for this nationally significant collection owing among other reasons to the NUM Headquarters being located in Sheffield between 1983 (the prelude to the 1984-85 strike) and 1994 when the Union relocated to Barnsley as a result of the destruction of the coal mining industry.

Anna Clements, Director of Library Services and University Librarian at the University of Sheffield, said: "Arthur Scargill is well known in history for his roles in the UK miners' strikes, a major event in the history of the British labour movement. We’re delighted that the University of Sheffield Library has been chosen as the home for this new archive, which we hope will provide important teaching and learning resources for a wide audience, from students studying the history of the miners’ strike to academic colleagues and researchers."

The University of Sheffield Library Special Collections, Heritage, and Archives already hold other historically significant political collections, including the The Blunkett Archives, the Winnington Papers and the British Union Collection.

The Arthur Scargill Archive will also complement the University’s collections in trade unionism and employment history, including the National Union of Mineworkers (Yorkshire) Minutes 1925-1992, and archives that relate to the Great Strike of 1984-1985 and Yorkshire miners’ lives. 

A project archivist will catalogue the material, and the University aims to start making sections of the archive available from 2025. It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the collection and the University welcomes enquiries, particularly relating to teaching and research, including the Hossein Farmy scholarship.

Contact lib-special@sheffield.ac.uk for more information.