Friendly Society of Martham, Norfolk, rules of governance : manuscript.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Author/Creator:

Friendly Society of Martham, Norfolk, creator.

Subjects (All):

Fraternal organizations.

Insurance.

England--Economic conditions--19th century.

England.

England--Social conditions.

Genre:

administrative records.

codices (bound manuscripts)

Manuscripts, English -- 19th century.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Marlborough Rare Books Ltd. (London, England), 2024.

Physical Description:

1 volume (32 pages) : paper ; 37 x 32 cm

Production:

Martham, England, 1837, 1886.

Other Title:

Title page: Rules for the Government of the Thirdly established Friendly Society of Martham Norfolk

Biography/History:

The Friendly Society of Martham was founded for the mutual relief and maintenance of its members if they fell ill and were not able to work. According to the seller's website Martham's Friendly Society was the, "third such friendly society at Martham in Norfolk. We do not know when the first Martham society was established, however we know the 'Second Established Friendly Society' was founded in 1812 as they helpfully had their rules printed in the same year. Presumably this second iteration had either become defunct, moribund, or no longer serve[d] the needs of the men forming this third iteration by 1837." According to the village of Martham's website, the village was settled by Saxons in 600 AD. Traditionally the jobs in the village included "armers, fishermen, craftsmen and tradesmen. Nineteenth century directories tell of grocers, butchers, tailors, drapers, shoemakers, basket makers, wheelwrights, joiners, blacksmiths, millers, brick makers, bricklayers, thatchers, glaziers, wherrymen and watchmakers," as well as brick makers. Historically, friendly societies "provided working people with the security of mutual insurance alongside opportunities for regular, ritual-based sociability…They shaped and were influenced by the development of working-class political activism, the culture of respectability, and notions of gender" (Cordery 1). According to Simon Cordery, the first friendly societies were created in 1793 England through the passage of the Rose's Act. Membership in friendly societies allowed people to access, "…payments for sicknesses or injuries which made work impossible, and the enjoyment of regular meetings to pay their subscriptions, air their grievances…Ceremonies such as initiation rites, annual feasts, and processions created bonds of solidarity and revived the sense of community fading with the rise of market capitalism" (Cordery 13). The majority of people who joined friendly societies identified as skilled workers, while those in trades and domestic service did not often become members (Cordery 176). Friendly societies and their political activism led the way for England's 1908 Pensions Act and the 1911 Insurance Act, which ensured that working people could live comfortably during and after working.

Summary:

The Friendly Society of Martham, Norfolk's rules of governance book consists of 27 rules of governance for the third Friendly Society of Martham, Norfolk, dating from 1837 and 1886. There are 32 pages contained in this book, though only the first 11 hold the rules for the Friendly Society. The first 11 pages of this codex are made of vellum, while pages 13 through 32 are regular paper leaves. The rules of governance for the Friendly Society of Martham designate a place and time to hold meetings and outline membership requirements (members must be between the ages of 16 and 36). There will be a rotation of stewards chosen every six months who must be literate and must be a member for two years. Only people who have been members for two years can vote. The rules declare that the annual meeting will occur on the second Monday of January. If someone becomes a member and is found to be "invalid," the society will revoke their membership. Governance rule 7 dictates that the purpose of the society is for the mutual relief and maintenance of its members if they fall ill and are not able to work. The member will be given 7 shillings every week after they report the illness to the society's steward until they are better, but they cannot receive the aid for longer than 26 weeks. If they are sick for longer than 26 weeks, the member will only get three shillings for as long as the illness lasts. Upon the death of any member of the society who has less than 50 pounds at that time, the rest of the members will each give 2 shillings until the family has 50 pounds to their name and they will put 40 shilling towards a funeral. The society will provide a doctor or surgeon in case of illness of one of the members. Members will elect and approve a treasurer and a clerk to keep the books. On page nine there is a chart titled, "List of members of the Thirdly Established Friendly Society held at the King's Arms Martham Established on the 11th day of February 1937 with a return to the Sickness and Mortality experiences therein for the period of Five years commencing January First 18__ and ending December 31st 18__." On page 11 there is a list of "The names of the Arbitrators," including William Braddock, George Barber, James Braddock, Thomas Manship, the crossed-out name of James Lusher, John Dawson and William Rogers, dated 1886.Pages 13 through 32 are largely blank, with the exception of mathematical problems and the writings of a child, presumably "Thomas Nicholls born March 25th 1887" (p. 32). On page 13, someone wrote "If a cart cost 28 pound how many 5 cart cost" and "I had a whole cartun[sic], I went to buy a pie of pork and that was had 520 should I have then." On pages 17, 18, 26, and 29, there are lists of names, possibly from the subsequent owner of the book or new members of the Friendly Society, such as: Fred Brown, Samuel Long, Herry Brown, Fread Brun, Relf Sutton, F Brown, A. Green, M Green, A Green, J Green, Lilly Long, G Green, F. Brown, S Long J Whicks and W. Thomas Waston. The front and back covers are made with marble paper. The spine is entirely lacking, with the binding exposed. Both of the covers are barely attached with only small bits of binding holding the codex together. Pages 12, 20, 24 and 30 are blank.

Notes:

Title supplied by cataloger.

Bookseller's description laid in.

Cited as:

Friendly Society of Martham, Norfolk, Rules of Governance (Oversize Ms. Codex 2401). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

OCLC:

1612777138