While some previous unions of weavers had been formed, only the small Radcliffe Weavers' Society proved enduring, and it was the model of the Blackburn union which was copied in other Lancashire towns.
The federation soon suffered from disputes, with most other affiliates leaving in 1858 to form the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association.
[1] In 1885, one branch of the union split away, forming the rival Blackburn Power Loom Weavers' Protection Society.
This remained significantly smaller than the original union, which grew to 12,500 members by 1900, and peaked 20,000 by 1920, before a long decline in the industry.
This led the union, through the United Textile Workers' Factory Association, to shift its support to the new Labour Representation Committee, forerunner of the Labour Party..[2] The union survived until 1986, when declining membership led it to merge into the GMB.