KNOBSTICKS

[Stanley]

Anyone who has looked in any detail at the history of labour disputes in the textile industry will have come across the use of the word 'knobsticks' to describe strike-breakers. I am quite convinced that the name derives from the cudgels the strike breakers carried to defend themselves against the strikers but it was nice to come across confirmation of this fact in Jack Nadin's book, 'East Lancashire Mining Memories. Philip Entwistle, a Cliviger miner (on page 52) describes how stables were converted to cottages to accommodate Cornish strike breakers at Lower Damfield in Cliviger. He said it was always known as 'Knobstick's Row' because of the stout sticks they used for defence. He was close enough in time to the events to be regarded as a good witness. Good confirmation of the term.