Deighton and Sheepridge Mechanics' Institute

The Deighton & Sheepridge Mechanics' Institute was formed after a meeting held in the warehouse of Messrs. Woodhead Brothers in mid-September 1867, chaired by Charles Weiss. A subscription at the meeting raised £100 in funds.[1]

The institute was the successor to the Sheepridge Mutual Improvement Society and based its rules on those of the Huddersfield Mechanics Institution. It also operated a savings bank, with the Huddersfield Chronicle reporting that 41 people deposited a total of £2 3s. 1d. at the institute's first meeting in October 1867.[2]

Huddersfield Chronicle (01/Feb/1868)

The institute's first tea party and soirée was held on Friday 7 February 1868 with around 500 people in attendance. The annual report noted that there were 157 members who were taught by 22 teachers (21 of whom were volunteers), 400 volumes in the library, and 121 people depositing a total of £62 11s. 11d. in the savings' bank. The institute's balance in hand was £34 14s. ½d.[3]

The institute became a member of the Yorkshire Union on Mechanics' Institutes[4] in May 1872 and was still in existence in 1874.

Further Reading

Notes and References

  1. "District Intelligence: Sheepridge" in Huddersfield Chronicle (21/Sep/1867).
  2. "Penny Savings' Banks" in Huddersfield Chronicle (26/Oct/1867).
  3. "Deighton and Sheepridge Mechanics' Institute" in Huddersfield Chronicle (15/Feb/1868).
  4. "The Yorkshire Union on Mechanics' Institutes" in Dewsbury Reporter (25/May/1872).