Studley Sobriety

The temperance movement in Great Britain is well documented and we have all heard the phrases ‘Band of Hope; ‘Signing the pledge’, or whatever. In December, 1880, Studley formed its own temperance society and, supported by his vice-president Henry Johnson, his treasurer Henry Wilkes and his secretary Frederick Johnson, the Rev.Frederick Stubbs presided over the inaugural meeting held in the Baptist schoolroom, when its Rules and Resolutions were adopted. To be called the STUDLEY TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY, its object was to ‘encourage and extend the principles and practice of total abstinence’. Its members all over 16, were required to ‘pledge voluntary agreement, by Divine assistance, to abstain from the use of all intoxicating drinks as beverages’ and to ‘discountenance the causes and practice of intemperance’ and were also required to subscribe to the funds of the society one shilling per annum, payable quarterly. Lists of members are extensive and frequently mention such forgotten place names as Squire’s Hill, Fleece Hill, Wapping and Warrage. lts business was to be conducted by the officers and a committee of four, all of whom were elected annually at a general meeting, any four of them (later to become seven) forming a quorum and any absent from four consec utive meetings without sufficient reason was to lose his membership4 The minutes of this and many subsequent meetings were kindly made available to the writer by their owner, Mrs.Ludlow, great grand daughter of the Society’s first vice-president: a few extracts from them will serve to set the mood of the time.

At a general meeting in the Wesleyan schoolroom in November, 1882, the Rev.F.Stubbs proposed that eight ladies should form a committee to establish a BAND OF HOPE. We know that this task was undertaken by the Misses Ingram, Beckett, Clarke, Chapman, Heighway, Hemming, Wilkes and Morrell and that an Institute might be formed if 40 members could be found to join at 1d per week each and meet every Saturday evening for short speeches and singing. Singers of the day were Amy and Lizzie Hodges, Rose Clarke, Fanny and Louisa Hemming and Albert Bartlam. A month later the BAND OF HOPE was still under consideration and Mr.Stubbs was proposing that Studley should join the TEMPERANCE LEAGUE. In this month, also, enquiries were being made of Mr.Crowley about fees for the use of the National Schoolroom by the BLUE RIBBON MISSION. The Wesleyan school room was to cost 3/- per night during the winter and only 2/- during the summer. At a cost of 30/- Mr.Sutor made a platform for the use of this mission.

January of the following year saw one of many agreements to hold a Tea meeting in the Wesleyan schoolroom and Mr. Bingham was invited to speak. Messrs T.Hemming, D.Wright and H.Johnson were to be doorkeepers, Bartlam was to provide hot water, John Hemming and F.Webb were to arrange the tables and the serving and Mr.Wright undertook to carry the harmonium from Mr.Heighway’s house Seven ladies stoutly volunteered to make the tea. Entertainment included singing, reading, recitation and dialogues and the committ ee were ‘enquiring if any members too poor to pay the 1/- could be supported’. So successful were these concerts and festivals that the services of a police constable were sometimes necessary and in his reply to an application from Frederick Johnson, Super.Simmons of the Alcester Division wrote on 2 July 1884 that the charge for one constable for the day would be 5/- plus ld per mile travelling costs. The receipt, issued on 2 November, was signed by the Chief Constable himself, Mr.R.H.Kinchant. 65 tickets were sold and T.R. Allen supplied 13 lbs.of cake at 5d 12 loaves at 5d and 112 buns at 16 to the shilling. Five days later, five uneaten loaves were returned for credit! Mr.Bingham was unable to attend on this occasion.

Mr.Bingham was Superindendent of the district agency of the UNITED KINGDOM ALLIANCE FOR THE TOTAL SUPPRESSION OF THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC, formed in Manchester in 1853: Studhey was in the Stafford, Salop, Worcester and Warwick District, paying its dues to the Birmingham office. Studley was also a member of the MIDLAND TEMPERANCE LEAGUE, whose secretary in 1883 was Samuel Knell. Samuel was the subject of an appeal to Studley (and elsewhere) in May, 1885, for the remittance of its one guinea fee, for he had died leaving his widow unprovided for: ‘the debt was incurred’, the pamphlet goes on, ‘ through earnest endeavour to promote the cause of temperance’ and, ‘during the time the BLUE RIBBON MISSIONS were so frequent and did so much good’. Hard workers,all.

Studley received its share of circulars and advertisements and a certain Mr.William C. Amery of Blandford in Dorset, writing in July, 1885, solicited the sale of his booklet ‘No Vested Interest in Licences’ at 6½d the copy, post paid. His accompanying exhortation included the words ‘Agitate! Agitate! Agitate! ‘, strong words indeed: but his facts seem to justify the action, for he quotes 180,000 liquor shops nationally and 14,000 magistrates ‘who now perpetuate the drink curse’ referring to their granting of licences. Quoting from the ‘Law Journal’ of 10 November 1883
‘It is not agreeable that licensed persons of any kind have a legal vested interest in their licences; any single adult! can oppose them He encouraged individual temperance workers to do their part and his work, which included such other publications as ‘Hoe to shut up a Public House’ and ‘Intoxicants in Pauper Institutions’, was acclaimed by ‘many temperance organisations, coroners, publications and not a few justices’. Even such august publications as ‘The Lancet' entered the arena, for in an advertisement for ‘Montserrat, the best Temperance Beverage’ it counselled the public’to drink their (Montserrat) lime juice whenever....’, adding that it could be obtained from any ‘Druggist or Grocer throughout the world’.

Richard Churchley, in his ‘History of the Pubs and Publicans of Studley and Sambourne’ (ADLHS Occasional Paper No.23, 1980) lists more than 24 licensed premises in the parish, most of them still trading in the 1880s and he suggests that there may have been many more beer retailers. Together with home brewing, common in its day, (how many brew-houses are there in Studley?) there would have been a formidable army of drinkers in a population of less than half the present number. Brave souls indeed were the Temperance members who did battle in such circumstances. Studley was and is proud of its pubs, forming as they do the essential nuclei of so much village life, past and present.

Autumn 1985 Index