Temperance Societies
The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available. Please feel free to add or update with any additional information. |
Temperance Movement
Most of these movements were led by religious groups. Temperance was a virtue promoted by many non-conformist groups but was also strongly promoted by the established church.
A report of the first Grand Festival of Temperance which took place on 20-21 Apr 1835 (ref: WYB395/4/1) shows the general support for the movement.
LEEDS TEMPERANCE SOCIETY, MINUTES WYL87 1830-1907. Record including original register 1830, pledge book 1832, out letter book 1917-1924 and various papers of John Crosfill.
Cleckheaton Christian Brethern, Temperance Brass Band, (ref:KC131) 1886-1899 Wesleyan chapel.
Church of England, Temperance Societies
Ripon diocese had an active role in the police courts (ref: Acc2238/1/1) covering the dates 1880-1916.
Church of England Temperance Society 1902-1904 HAS/C:23/159 Details of Homes for Inebriates sent to Barstow and Midgley.
Band of Hope
The Band of Hope, a temperance organisation for working-class children, was founded in Leeds in 1847. The name was suggested by the Reverend Jabez Tunnicliffe, a prominent Leeds temperance worker. All members took a pledge of total abstinence and were taught the "evils of drink". Members were enrolled from the age of six and met once a week to listen to lectures and participate in activities. Coffee taverns were established to keep teetotalers on the straight and narrow path.
"Signing the pledge" was one of the innovative features. The pledge was a promise not to drink alcohol and millions of people signed up. There were also lectures that were illustrated by magic lantern and noted personalities were invited to speak at public meetings in support of the cause. Guy Aldred, the boy preacher was an active propagandist for the Band of Hope, before focussing his activities on Anarchist-Communist politics.
Music played an important role and competitions were held between different Band of Hope choirs. For example on 29 Jun 1895 a performance of words and music by the Bradford Band of Hope was held at the Peel Park Gala by the Bradford Band of Hope Union (ref:DB39/C44/20).
Members of the local Temperance Societies also organised outings for the children and with the growth of the railways, trips were arranged to the nearest coastal resorts.
In 1855, a national organisation was formed amidst an explosion of Band of Hope work. Meetings were held in churches throughout the UK and included Christian teaching. The movement steadily grew to nearly 3,000,000 members by 1935. By the early 1950s, however, the temperance movement had all but succumbed to a changing society and cultural habits. Lack of support for the Band of Hope eventually brought about their transformation into Hope UK, a charity concerned with children's welfare.
West Yorkshire Archives has a number of records related to this movement. Calderdale archive have records for 1893-1933 (ref: WYC:1217)which includes a list of members for 1896-1914 and attendance 1922-1933.
(ref: WYL/770) covering years 1873-1979.
Some Band of Hope records, such as membership, subscribers and minutes of meetings form part of non-conformist chapel records. For example the Leeds Roscoe Place (W) Chapel, records (ref: WYL949) include the Band of Hope(W) register for 1884-1894.
The Rechabites
The Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR) was a Friendly Society founded in Salford on 25th August 1835 as part of the temperance movement to promote total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. Always well connected in upper society and involved in financial matters, it gradually transformed into a financial institution which still exists, and still promotes abstinence. A branch was established in the United States in 1842, and the Order was active in Australia from the nineteenth century into the twentieth century promoting temperance and as a benefit society.
From the late 1700s a number of Friendly Societies had been set up to help working class people with such things as health insurance, death benefits, etc. Generally these held their meetings in public houses. In the 1830s a group of Manchester Methodists became concerned that working men had to go to public houses to pay their friendly society dues. To avoid this they set up a new Friendly Society called the Independent Order of Rechabites, named after the nomadic, abstaining Rechabites of the Old Testament. The IOR were an offshoot of the Callithumpians, then a diverse collection of social reformers of independent religious views.
A branch was called a "Tent", since the biblical Rechabites lived exclusively in tents. Each Tent was ruled by a High Chief Ruler, assisted by a High Deputy Ruler, Corresponding Secretary, Sick and Tent Stewards, Inside and Outside Guardians, a Levite of the Tent and a number of Elders. Before one could join the Rechabites and benefit from their insurance and saving scheme a document had to be signed swearing that the proposed member and his family would not drink any alcoholic beverages. This document was known as The Pledge and represented a solemn promise. The initials "IOR" on a tombstone may indicate that the deceased was a member of the organisation.
The archives of the Independent Order of Rechabites have been deposited at Senate House Library, University of London. Some archives are also held by the Archives of the University of Glasgow (GUAS). West Yorkshire Archives have a number of records related to the IOR. The first Yorkshire Tent, No 29, was established at Keighley and the Good Intent Tent in Bradford was set up in 1867. New Tent called 'Excelsior' set up in 1864. A number of records are held for tents at Kirklees archives (for example ref: KC817, KC277, KC255 and KC394) covering the years 1874-1968. The IOR, Wakefield Tent (ref: C399) has records for 1887-1956. Bradford archives have minutes books, lists of members and other records for example (ref: 77D86)1864-1968 which includes scrapbooks. Leeds Temperance Society, Woodhouse Branch, subscription registers 1841-1951; Woodhouse Band of Hope records 1869-1939; Independent Order of Rechabites, Leeds District No. 31, Woodhouse Temperance Tent no. 4203, records 1912-1959 including Juvenile Branch records 1913-1942 can be found at ref: WYL1243.