Mass-Observation Archive

Worktown Collection (1937-40)

Box 11: Municipal Elections

11/A Municipal elections - general material

Letter from Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party to "Dear Friend", ts, 2pp, 4.6.38, enclosing names of of people admitted to the Panel of Municipal Candidates, with details of a meeting to be held at the Spinners Hall on 10th June

"Bolton Wards", ms, 1p, list

Handbill (2), "Why was Charles I. Beheaded?", encouraging people to use their vote

Untitled document, ms, 7pp, THH, about councillors' education

Untitled document, ms, 1p, notes on library figures, propaganda and politics

Untitled document, ms, 1p, notes about newspapers

Untitled document, ms, 1p, references to psychology

"Various notes about Municipal Elections", ts, 1p, 4.11.37, THH, newspaper cutting attached

Untitled document, ms, 1p, reference to Tory and Liberal Election addresses and electors

"Poll-Pools", ms, 2pp, [JS], chart representing polling as a pools coupon with printed chart

11/B Canvassers and election workers

Index cards (20), ms/ts, references to canvassing and elections

Paper folder containing observer accounts

"Tonge Moor By-Election", ms, 2pp, EB

"Halliwell Ward Working Period for the election", 1.11.37, ms, 1p

"AB Ward", ms, 3pp, 23.10.[?], JD, preparing room for polling

"AB", ms, 1p, 24.10.[?], JD, polling room

Chart, ms, 1p, candidates and polling

"Delivering Literature & Canvassing, ms, 1p, 25.-26.10.[?], Great Lever Ward municipal elections

Letter from Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party to "Dear Friend", ts, 1p, informing members of those qualified and not qualified as local or parliamentary electors

Paper folder containing:

Letters

From Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party, to Walter Hood, ts, 2pp, 4.11.37, enclosing account for monies due to the Party and for expenses claims from Mrs Wright and Mr W.J. Allen, candidates

From Ellis Clarke to Tom Harrisson, ts, 1p, 25.11.37, asking for expenses claim

From Ellis Clarke to Tom Harrisson, ts, 1p, 27.11.37, reminding him to submit expenses claim

Index card (1), ms, THH, 6.11.[?], reference to elections

Untitled document, ms, 1p, 1.11.37, list of [expenses]

Invoice Blackshaw, Sykes & Morris to Bolton Labour Party, ts, 1p, 10.37, for cost of canvass cards, £1.3.0

"Public Address Equipment", ts, 1p, list of fees with receipt attached 25.11.37, for 12/6 paid by Walter Hood and signed by Helen Wright

Invoice, The Modern Printing Co, ts, 1p, 22.10.37, for £2.6.0, to JS, for materials supplied

Invoice, The Modern Printing Co, ts, 1p, 25.10.37, for £2.15.6, to JS for materials supplied

Receipts (2) from Town Clerk's Office to THH, 27.11.37 and 30.11.37

Invoice, School Hill Mills, ts, 1p, 11.37, for £1.3.0, receipt attached

Letter from H. Rothwell, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party to "Dear Friend", ts, 1p, 16.12.37, about the Annual Meeting of the Astley Bridge Ward Labour Association

Paper folder containing:

"Name and Address of Canvasser", ms, 1p, 8.12.37

"List of Workers", ms/ts, 11pp, 4.12.-10.12.[37]

Untitled document, ms, 1p, addresses, ages and occupations - [voters], chart

Index card (1), ts/ms, references to letters and leaflets

Untitled document, ts, 1p, 21.1.38, reference to helpers and taxis

Paper folder containing:

Index cards (5), ms, references to cars needed, canvassing and committee rooms

Lists of canvass returns; cars wanted, districts and names and addresses of voters, messages, index cards (9) and blank form "Record of car owners"

Paper folder "Reliability of Official Canvassers", containing:

Untitled document, ms, 1p, details of canvassers, chart,

Index cards (9), ms/ts, references to canvassers and number of voters by street

"Streets which are considered uncanvassable by the L.P.", ms 4pp, WH, details of houses called on and response of occupants

"Chorley Old Rd.", ms, 3pp, WH, attempts to canvass in the road

Paper folder "Reliability of Canvass Return" containing:

Lists of statistical data on canvassing in various streets

Brief note about Hadley, ts, 1p

Letter from Helen Wright to Walter Hood, ms, 1p, about a meeting and her election work

Letter from Stanley to Frank, ms, 1p, 29.3.38, with canvass figures

Index cards (5), ms, canvassing

Letter from R. Radcliffe, secretary, Ashton-under-Lyne Labour Party, ts, 1p, 13.1.[?], about canvassing methods, enclosing a questionnaire

Paper folder "Reports of Canvassing on the beat", containing:

"Labour Party Questionnaire", ms, 2pp, 25.5.37, EB

"Politics", ts, 2pp, 30.10.37, ZB, canvassing

"Methods of Canvassing", ms, 2pp, 29.1.[?], WH

"Canvass", ms, 4pp, 21.4.[?], WH

"Canvassing in East Ward", ms, 1p, 21.6.[?], WH

Misc, ms/ts, 3pp, JHW

Index cards (33), ms/ts, canvassing

11/C Canvassing

Lists of houses and streets canvassed, notes on the reception canvassers received

11/D Electioneering

Observer accounts

"Conversations collected when van was going round St. Michael's and St. Bartholomew's wards, Great Lever", ms, 4pp, 30.10.37, PB (photocopy)

"Open Air Meeting held in support of Tom McColl Labour Candidate", ms, 11pp, 29.4.[?], WH

"The Loud Speaker", ms, 2pp, WH

Untitiled document, ms, 2pp, 30.10.37, PB, overheard comments about the Labour van, (photocopy)

"National Government Cinema Van", ts, 5pp, 20.9.[?], BB, Government propaganda van, (photocopy)

Untitled document, ts, 2pp, 3 songs about Harding to be sung to the tunes of "The big, bad wolf"; "Burlington Bertie", and any other tune, (photocopy)

"Great Lever", ts, 7pp, about the Great Lever experiment - electioneering

"G. Lever. Elections", ts, 3pp, electioneering, (photocopy)

11/E Election addresses, leaflets and notes

Paper folder "Opinion on Election Address", containing:

"Giving out C.P. Leaflets", ms, 23.2.[?], WH

"Election Addresses", ms, 5pp, 25.5.[?], WH

"Differences in election addresses", ts, 1p

Posters (2) "No Surrender to Hitler and Mussolini"

Index cards (19), ts/ms, references to the election, propaganda, etc

Polling cards (11), Great Lever Ward Municipal Elections

Leaflets, handbills and cards with details of the candidates

11/F Meanings of words used in municipal election

Paper folder "Class Meaning of Words" containing:

"Talk in general", ts, 1p, 19.7.40, BA, memo on conversation

"Difficult words for the Ordinary Person in Daily Dispatch Monday Aug. 15th", ms, 3pp, 16.8.38, WH, alphabetical list

Untitled document, ms, 2pp, list of words, [BR]

"Difficult words for the ordinary person to understand Daily Express Thurday Aug. 18th", 2pp, WH, alphabetical list

Paper folder containing:

Extract from book, ts, 1p, election address etc

"Difficult words for ordinary person in Election Addresses", ms, 14pp, 12.8.38, WH, Labour McColl's By-election 4.5.37; William Hadley, 1.11.37; Allen & Wright, 1.11.37; Eastwood & Hitchen, 1.11.37; Sam Lomax, 1.11.37, Tonge; Sam Lomax, By-election, Astley Bridge, 4.38; T. Bentley, 14.12.37, Tonge By-election; Conservative, Frank Young, 4.5.37, By-election, Great Lever; West Ward Municipal By-election 27.5.37; Holt, 1.11.37; Chadderton, 14.12.37 Tonge By-election; Henry Harding, 1.11.37; Liberal, Holland, 4.5.37; Stanley Porter, 1.11.37

"Difficult words used in Election Addresses", ms, 2pp, 12.8.[?], WH, alphabetical list

Untitled document, ms, 2pp, 12.8.[?], THH, list of number of times words used

11/G Poster survey - municipal elections

Paper folder containing:

"Poster Survey", ms, 15pp, people looking, not looking

Index cards (4), ms/ts

11/H Vote counting/scrutineering

Paper folder "Scrutineering, vote counting" containing Observer accounts:

"Vote Counting in Town Hall", ts, 5pp, 2.11.37, THH

"The Count at D Room Town Hall Bolton - By-election Tong", ms, 6pp, 14.12.[?], WH

"Tonge Bye-Election Scrutineering", ms/ts, 8pp, 14.12.[?], THH

Index cards (2), ts/ms

Extract from book, ts, 5pp, about elections

Index cards (6), ms/ts, WH/FHC

Postcard from Helen Wright to Walter Hood, ms, 19.11.37, about financial help

Letter from Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party, to THH, ts, 1p, 20.10.37, enclosing Counting Agent's form

Two counting agents forms, Darcy Lever-cum-Breightmet Ward, 1.11.37 and West Ward, 1.11.28

Letter from W. Geere, W.H. Sisson and J. Vickers, committee members, Bolton Labour Party, ts, 1p, 9.5.38, about a debt owing to the late Alderman Samuel Davies' estate

11/I Labour Party post mortem discussions on elections

Letter from Helen Wright to Tom Harrisson, ms, 1p, 2.11.37, reference to election material given to Walter Hood

Observer accounts

"Some Aftermaths of the Election", ts, 2pp, 2.11.37, THH

"Municipal Elections", ts, 2pp, 3.11.37, THH

"West Ward Fun and Games", 3pp, 4.11.37, THH

"McColl's Speech in John Brown Street after the Election result", ms, 4pp, 5.4.[?], WH

"Faulkner's Talk after his defeat in the John Brown Social Club", ms, 5pp, 27.5.[?], WH

"Hadley - re election etc", ms, 4pp, 10.11[?], WH

"Joe - [Pays] Gives a receipt", ms, 3pp, 11.11.[?], WH, receipt for the Town Clerk for monies received and about rumours relating to Joe and an incident involving other observers

"West Ward Labour Club", ms, 2pp, 11.11.37, EB, visit to the club

"Conversation with Carol Cooper", ts. 1p, 6.2.38, FHC, reference to polling

Letter from Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party, to "Dear Friend", ts, 1p, thanking voters for their support, incorporating 5 point questionnaire

Paper folder "Attempts to remedy causes of failure", containing:

Untitled document, ms, 1p, numbers of voters and non-voters and note of number of votes for various candidates, ms, 1p, 1.11.37, WH, chart

Letter from Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party, "Dear Friend", ts, 1p, about a conference to be held on 4th June to discuss the election failure

"Meeting Labour party - re position in West Ward", ms, 11pp, 4.6.[?], WH

Letter from Ellis Clarke, Secretary, Bolton Labour Party, to "Dear Friend", ts, 3pp, 31.12.37, about a re-organisation sub-committee meeting, incorporating proposals for change

Paper folder containing:

"Cross polling", ts, 3pp, analysis of voting patterns

Untitled document, ms, 4pp, statistical data

Paper folder "The Agent", containing:

"Great Lever", ts, 2pp, October, THH, the election