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.
Victorian Bournemouth (199) explores how the resort’s fine arts culture flourished and broadened during the 1880s.
Victorian Bournemouth (198) examines the social profiles of men acting in an official capacity for one or more of the local sporting clubs.
Victorian Bournemouth (197) considers the cultural impact delivered in England by Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show during 1887.
Victorian Bournemouth (196) uses auctioneers’ advertisements for house contents to learn about the taste exhibited by the resort’s residents.
Victorian Bournemouth (195) provides a summary of the recent subjects and themes covered in the last quarter’s articles.
Victorian Bournemouth (194) analyses the town’s property market (1884) from both economic and social perspectives.
Victorian Bournemouth (193) examines the significant rise in bookkeepers in Bournemouth from 1881-1891, correlating their presence with business success. Mostly young, unmarried women pursued bookkeeping as an alternative to traditional roles. Key sectors employing bookkeepers included hotels and butchers, illustrating women’s increasing role in professional office settings and contributing to business prosperity.