Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The main aim of this study was the reconstruction of the life histories of the members of the Steam Engine Makers' Society during the period August 1835 to December 1876, to permit the analysis of labour mobility, unemployment, sickness, ageing, retirement, death and the interaction of these states and events over the life course.Main Topics:The Steam Engine Makers' Database is a relational database, which contains information from the records of the Steam Engine Makers' Society (SEM) about inter-branch transfers, payments of travel benefits to members seeking work, unemployment benefit payments, sickness benefit payments, superannuation payments and funeral benefit payments. It is particularly useful for the analysis of labour mobility, unemployment, sickness, ageing, retirement, death and the interaction of these states and events over the life course. The database consists of 10 tables: The Reports table contains information about each SEM Annual Report published between 1835 and 1880. The Br_names table provides alternative versions of branch names which appear in any Annual Report up to 1879. Also handles any text strings used to identify a branch. The Branches table holds information about every SEM branch which existed up to those listed in the 1878 Annual Report. The Members table holds information taken from the branch membership lists and the footnotes in the SEM Annual Reports from 1835 until 1876. It also includes synthesised data covering the 1849, 1857 and 1870 reports, to replace missing data. The Widows table holds information about members' widows who were listed as entitled to funeral benefits at the end of the branch membership lists in the SEM Annual Reports from 1861 until 1876. It also includes synthesised lists covering the missing 1870 report. The Payments table holds all payments of sickness benefits to named members listed in the SEM Annual Reports from 1835 until...