One of the earliest weavers' unions to endure, it formed a model that many others copied, and was at the centre of early attempts to form a regional federation of cotton trade unions.
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.