Welsh Journals

he came to be widely regarded as a Tory masquerading as a Liberal. Throughout his life he was to remain particularly critical of Lloyd George whom he condemned as 'the betrayer of Liberalism'. In the general election of 1924, for example, his contempt for the former premier prompted him to campaign on behalf of the Labour party. By a skilful use of primary sources and the relevant literature, the author reviews in detail Roberts's role as a M.P. during these turbulent years and, while sympathetic in his treatment, conceded that he was a man out of his time whose undistinguished parliamentary career, above all else, resulted from his inflexible commitment to outdated beliefs. In 1906, Bryn Roberts was elevated to the county court bench and, much to his disappointment, was appointed to the south Wales circuit. In his new role as judge, he was soon to be involved in a series of contentious cases brought under the Workmen's Compensation Acts and, especially as a result of his decision in the Walters v. Ocean Coal Company dispute, came to be regarded by trade unionists as a 'union smasher of the boss class'. By examining in detail the legal background to such disputes and by analysing a number of case studies, the author concludes that 'evaluations of Judge Bryn Roberts as anti-union and anti-Labour are wide of the mark'. While acknowledging that Roberts periodically showed bias, which reflected his mid-Victorian values and Calvinistic Methodist beliefs, and that at times he was guilty of errors, the author argues here that even within the hostile milieu of industrialised south Wales, he struggled conscientiously to uphold his belief in equality for all classes before the law. Although it is emphasised that difficulties in arbitration arose mostly from the way the relevant legislation was worded, nevertheless the analysis indicates that while knowledge of the law is necessary, it is not sufficient to explain Roberts's role as arbitrator. It is significant that out of the thirty-one workmen's compensation arbitrations which were submitted to the Court of Appeal, the appeal against Roberts's decision was allowed in twelve cases. This well-researched, fascinating and detailed biography will be well received not only because it provides a balanced portrait of Bryn Roberts as a minor political figure and a controversial judge but also because the author has succeeded in depicting the complex nature of Liberalism in rural Wales during these years and in analysing the equally complicated tensions which characterised life in the industrial areas during the same period. CYRIL PARRY Bangor SPORT IN BRITAIN. A SOCIAL HISTORY. Edited by Tony Mason. Cambridge University Press, 1989. Pp. 363. £ 19.50. Last year was a very good one for advocates of the importance of sport as a legitimate subject for social historians because it saw the appearance of two 'state-of-