Strike demonstration 1910
Women Slaves of the Forge, Daily Express 1.9.1910
Patience Round's 100th birthday, surrounded by family
100 not out!
At the age of seventy-nine, Patience was the oldest chainmaker to take part in the 1910 strike of the Cradley Heath women chainmakers. The first photograph shows Patience seated, holding a placard, "England's Disgrace! Locked out after 67 years chainmaking." Her name and picture appeared in several newspapers at the time. A cutting from the Daily Express is included here for you to read.
We are grateful to Mrs. Sylvia Shaw, for telling us more about her great-great grandmother. It seems that chainmaking ran in her blood. Patience's father was a chainmaker. Patience was married twice, although very little is known about her first marriage. Her second husband was Thomas Round, born in Mushroom Green, and a miner by trade. He later became a block chain maker. Thomas was stepfather to Patience's four children, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, Darins and Alice. Elizabeth and Mary both became chainmakers, and Alice married a well known local chainmaker, James Joseph Tibbitts.
Patience made chain as an outworker for both Woodhouse's and Hingley's. As you can see from the newspaper cutting, "Her life is wrapped up in the making of chains, and she will talk for hours of the sparks and the wonderful chains she has made during her career." The strike was perhaps the most exciting thing that happened to her. When she first heard Mary Macarthur, a leading figure in the struggle, she is quoted as saying. "These are wonderful times. I never thought that I should live to assert the rights of women. It has been the week of my life - three meetings and such beautiful talking."
Patience was a woman of great stamina. We have included two photographs here of Patience on her hundreth birthday, one surrounded by her family, the other taken just after blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Mrs. Shaw tells us that Patience was taken around Cradley Heath in an open landau (carriage) as a birthday treat. Most people in the district knew her, and she was cheered as she passed by.
Patience died at the age of 103. Mr. Hickton, a funeral director, told the family that when she died, his grandfather performed the funeral at no cost. He said, "She was small in stature, but had the heart of a lion."
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| Updated: | Thu 12 Jul 2007 - 1 |
| Interpretation written by | Barbara Harris |
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