Onward Christian citizens
Introduction
Victorian Bournemouth (231) charts the progress made by the local Church of England Working Men’s Union during the 1890s. Guided by Harry Crumpler, a long-serving sacristan, the Bournemouth Union broke away from the national organisation yet prospered. Genealogical analysis of the committee provides social background to the membership. A review of lectures at its Mutual Improvement section indicates the breadth of topics offered to members.
Victorian Bournemouth (231): background
Mission
The CEWMU shared its objective with other groups. These included the Temperance Society (CETS), attempts to establish clubs and coffee taverns, and adult education. They provided strategies whereby respectable people might rescue their labouring counterparts from their perceived fate. CEWMU followed in that journey. In the summer of 1890, Reverend Canon Fisher, vicar of St Peter’s, outlined the mission during the union’s annual tea. ‘The Unions provided the answer to the question of how to get hold of the working men. It did get hold of them and united them firmly to the mother church and to one another.’ Thus, church officials regarded the CEWMU as missionary work, if not a crusade, having a wider purpose. It worked with ‘the great democracy of England’ in its efforts to ‘prevent the designs of the Liberationists’. The CEWMU, therefore, had a political role to play within respectable people’s efforts to maintain order.
Independence
Bournemouth’s original CEWMU appeared in press reports during the 1880s. In its early years, the society came under the umbrella provided by a national organisation based in London. This group’s style of management, however, disturbed Bournemouth’s early members. At a launch party, graced by several privileged people, Harry Crumpler, CEWMU’s local president, gave his reasons for declaring independence. The problems consisted of a perceived lack of provincial representation and unwillingness to disclose financial information. The local vicar provided fulsome, public support for the efforts of Crumpler and his group to achieve ‘increased vitality’. This action and the publicity provoked an angry response and refutation published in the local press by the Society’s National Secretary. Nevertheless, local people appeared to close ranks, for Bournemouth’s branch prospered, receiving local support. One year, on publication of a loss, members covered this during the AGM. Crumpler’s initiative soon seeded the foundation of suburban branches.
Victorian Bournemouth (231): people
Harry Crumpler
Harry’s family came from the Lytchetts, two Dorset villages near Poole. His father grazed cattle and made dairy products. The father, now widowed, and two siblings arrived in Bournemouth, followed soon by Harry. His brothers worked as plumbers, but Harry became sacristan to St Peter’s Church, the senior Anglican church in town. He would occupy this position for around sixty years. Well-placed, he orchestrated the rise and prosperity of the town’s CEWMU. He appears to have had ample drive, for he encouraged several other such groups to take root within the area. In time, he became president of the group executive. His initiatives included extending membership to a lads’ group as well as the foundation of a Mutual Interest Society. The society appears to have appreciated Harry, for they made several presentations to him over the years. His long life would have provided strong continuity for local working people.
Other committee members
Names published in the local press provide the basis for analysing those who assisted Crumpler on the CEWMU committee. During the 1890s, many people played a role. Most performed their tasks for no longer than a year or two, but a handful remained involved for several years. This pattern may have reflected the nomadic life adopted by some working people. In some cases, identification emerges from a comparison with local records. Analysis suggests that the society may have attracted more artisans and retailers than manual labourers. Occupations included harness making, painting, dyeing, and nursery work. A stationer, a grocer, a wine merchant, a hotel manager, and some estate agents illustrate how those at the lower levels of respectability did not refuse to join a group for working men. Its extension into Springbourne and Winton, the industrial suburbs, may have brought it into closer contact with those occupying the lowest social levels.
Victorian Bournemouth (231): varied activities
Social
The society pursued an active programme, scheduling a variety of formats to fill the calendar. These included teas, festivals, picnics, concerts, other musical events, even a smoking concert, and unspecified meetings. At the annual tea (1893), a wide social range numbering 170 sat down to a ‘capital spread’. They heard business items – membership now 270 – but also participated in a musical section consisting of secular songs. A year later, at a social evening, Crumpler made a presentation to the caretaking couple for their rooms. Music again featured, including the National Anthem at the close. One summer, their annual picnic took them to Somerley House, Ringwood. There they sat under a ‘magnificent oak tree’, after which they toured the property’s picture gallery. The trip also featured some points of historical interest. Although they visited a local vicar, the event’s content inclined towards lay rather than religious subjects.
Cultural
In addition to their busy social programme, members could also take advantage of more intellectual stimulus provided by their society. From time to time, they could participate in a conversazione, an event of loose format, which facilitated the exchange of ideas and knowledge. The Mutual Improvement section, however, laid on lectures and debates. Content for these varied. Sometimes religious, but more often they covered academic subjects, current affairs, and general interest. A session on grand ritual and the ‘six points’ of a church service may have reflected the High Church atmosphere at St Peter’s. Literary subjects included Walter Scott and Dickens. Travelogues, popular at the time, drew India and Norway to their attention. Current affairs invited debaters to consider the subject of capital punishment. On one occasion, they conducted a mock town council, members taking the elected roles and discussing the main local issues of the day, voting included.
Takeaway
Victorian Bournemouth (231) has explored the fortunes of the resort’s CEWMU during the 1890s. It finds a group that prospered. It supported a variety of cultural activities and meeting points where the religious message perhaps acted at most as an undertow. Members found opportunities for social and cultural experiences. They could also read a newsletter. Crumpler’s support, energy, and direction stimulated the spread of similar groups across the suburbs.
References
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