The Oddfellows in Victorian Bournemouth evolved from a small lodge in the 1850s to a significant mutual aid society by the 1880s, supporting working people with sick-pay, health-care, and funerals. Their financial model centered on investing membership fees into mortgages, demonstrating their growing social respectability and communal identity amidst changing attitudes towards laborers.
In the 1880s, cabmen in Bournemouth united against the Improvement Commissioners to safeguard their livelihoods amid growing tensions. They formed a union, facilitated social gatherings, and established a Slate Fund for mutual benefit. Their collective actions spurred political engagement, ultimately compelling the local authority to reconsider stringent regulations on cab practices.
Victorian Bournemouth (200) finds that established fine artists exhibited their works amongst many shown at the 1885 painting exhibition.