William Dronfield

William Dronfield (April 1826 – 24 August 1894) was a British trade unionist.

Born in Sheffield, Dronfield became a compositor. In 1849, he was a founder member of the Provincial Typographical Association, and from 1852 to 1855 served as its President.

In 1858, many Sheffield compositors were involved in a dispute with the owner of the Sheffield Times newspaper. In order to build solidarity for their cause, they founded the Sheffield Association of Organised Trades. Dronfield was elected as its first secretary, a post he held until 1867.

Through this organisation, Dronfield became active in many national campaigns; in particular, against the Master and Servant Act, against which he helped organise a national conference in 1864.

In 1865, Dronfield presented a paper on trade unions at the conference of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, a bourgeois organisation which aimed to include industrial relations in its remit. However, details of his speech and the debate sparked by it were omitted from the official report. A second intervention, calling for state aid for education, was included.

Dronfield

Coordinates: 53°18′09″N 1°27′59″W / 53.3024°N 1.4664°W / 53.3024; -1.4664

Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire in the North Midlands region of England. It comprises the three communities of Dronfield, Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It is sited in the valley of the small River Drone, and lies between the town of Chesterfield and the city of Sheffield. The Peak District National Park lies 3 miles to the west. The town's name means open land infested with drones (male bees).

The town is known to have been in existence prior to the 1086 Domesday Book, and has a 12th-century parish church. In 1662 Charles II granted the town a market, although this later ceased. The industrial history of the town includes coal mining, the wool trade, the production of soap and steel, and engineering. Today a range of manufacturing firms still operate within the town.

Dronfield's population has increased dramatically in post-war years from 6,500 in 1945 to its current size of just over 21,000.

Dronfield (disambiguation)

Dronfield is a town in Derbyshire, England.

Dronfield may also refer to:

See also