Now this is not an arcane question but gets to the very heart of who lived in Chorlton, and what their political affiliations were in the February of 1891 and by extension what our township was like at the end of the 19th century.
And of course, at the outset I have to say that the history of political clubs over the years, is that many members join because of the social attractions rather than the political outlook of the club.
It is true of Labour clubs as it is of Conservative ones, and no doubt also of the old Liberal clubs.
That said I am intrigued by those who took a risk and subscribed in the new Conservative Club which opened in Chorlton in 1892.
The share book opened on February 20th, 1891 and between that date and November 7th of the same year, 118 signed on the dotted line handing over a minimum of £1, with some putting down a lot more.
So far, I have only analyzed the first 50 and they are an interesting cross section.
As you would expect there were a few individuals who bought between £100 and £250 in one purchase, while sliding down the scale there were quite a few buying just one share. Of those that splashed out, one was the MP, John William McLaren of Whalley Range, another was a merchant and another two described themselves as engineers.
At the other end over a third bought shares worth between £10 down to £1, and as you would expect their occupations were also more modest, with a collection of clerks, shop keepers and craftsmen.
The most interesting was Miss Mary Jane Weeks who bought two shares in the February and made her living from working as a domestic servant for a family living on Chequers Road.
I suspect some saw it as a solid enough investment, but it was one which Miss Weeks and a few others tired of very quickly, with a handful ceasing to be members within a year. In the case of Mary Jane, she lasted just seven years.
Others stayed the course, bought into more shares, and continued as members long after they had left the area, and were only parted from their membership by death.
So the task will be to finish collecting the data on all 118, with a side look at those who joined in the following decade, and then matching them against the other official records of Chorlton, from census returns, to directories and electoral rolls.
All of which lead to a better understanding of who our residents were and why so many chose to take a punt with a a share in the Conservative Club and Public hall.
Well that's the plan.
Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Pictures; The Conservative Club, 1908, from the Lloyd Collection, and in 2013 from the collection of Andrew Simpson
*Register of Members Chorlton-cum-Hardy Conservative Club Limited 1892-96
 |
| The Con Club, 2013 |
It is true of Labour clubs as it is of Conservative ones, and no doubt also of the old Liberal clubs.
That said I am intrigued by those who took a risk and subscribed in the new Conservative Club which opened in Chorlton in 1892.
The share book opened on February 20th, 1891 and between that date and November 7th of the same year, 118 signed on the dotted line handing over a minimum of £1, with some putting down a lot more.
So far, I have only analyzed the first 50 and they are an interesting cross section.
As you would expect there were a few individuals who bought between £100 and £250 in one purchase, while sliding down the scale there were quite a few buying just one share. Of those that splashed out, one was the MP, John William McLaren of Whalley Range, another was a merchant and another two described themselves as engineers.
 |
| The first 50 subscribers, 1891 |
The most interesting was Miss Mary Jane Weeks who bought two shares in the February and made her living from working as a domestic servant for a family living on Chequers Road.
I suspect some saw it as a solid enough investment, but it was one which Miss Weeks and a few others tired of very quickly, with a handful ceasing to be members within a year. In the case of Mary Jane, she lasted just seven years.
 |
| The Con Club, 1908 |
So the task will be to finish collecting the data on all 118, with a side look at those who joined in the following decade, and then matching them against the other official records of Chorlton, from census returns, to directories and electoral rolls.
All of which lead to a better understanding of who our residents were and why so many chose to take a punt with a a share in the Conservative Club and Public hall.
Well that's the plan.
Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Pictures; The Conservative Club, 1908, from the Lloyd Collection, and in 2013 from the collection of Andrew Simpson
*Register of Members Chorlton-cum-Hardy Conservative Club Limited 1892-96
There is still the Lauriston club on Manchester roads which i believe was the original Liberal club.
ReplyDeleteYes, see, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2016/11/from-lauriston-house-to-home-of.html
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