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Economic League Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: PE 21

Scope and Contents

A collection of journals and leaflets mostly published by the Economic League between 1961 and 1963.

For further details of this collection please see the finding aid/box list in the External Documents section below.

Dates

  • Creation: 1961 - 1963

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Available to all researchers, by appointment.

Biographical / Historical

The Economic League was a private employment vetting agency founded in 1919, with the published aim of "preserving the good health of British industry for all engaged in it." It claimed to "fight all kinds of extremist activity seeking to undermine that good health" and to have "no connection, direct or indirect, with any political party or organisation." Its leaflets were distributed to workers at factory gates. The League was known to have right-wing inclinations, but kept a low profile until 1985. At that point, internal disagreements and more overt activities made it a target for various left-wing pressure groups and trade unions. It lost many of its supporters, and was forced to disband in April 1993.

Extent

1 Box(es)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

By category, and chronologically.

Custodial History

The collection came to the Library from the Lancashire Record Office, who had received it from an unknown source. It consists of issues of several journals published by the Economic League between 1961 and 1963, and of a selection of leaflets also produced by the League at the same time. They relate to matters such as the Common Market, the role of women in the workforce, and trade union activity.

Bibliography

Notes from 'Directory of British Political Organisation 1994' by Paul Mercer (Harlow: Longman, 1994)
Description rules
International Standard for Archival Description - General
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and Archives Repository

Contact:
Western Bank Library
University of Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield South Yorkshire S10 2TN United Kingdom
+44 (0) 114 222 7299