ESSEX-UK-L Archives

Archiver > ESSEX-UK > 1998-10 > 0907347810


From: Eleanor Harris <>
Subject: re: Clothing Clubs for Ag Labs
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 18:03:30 +0100


hello to everyone interested in Ag Labs,
When compared to the weekly wage of 9s. to 11s. for Ag Labs in the
19th century England, the cost of clothing was astonishingly high.
Victorian novels often depict a young woman cast adrift from her family
& friends & without money, who would quickly resort to selling some of
her clothing to get ready cash. There was a big market in second hand
clothing.
A Clothing Club was a scheme whereby Ag Labs & other Labourers could
set aside a small sum of money each month to have it to spend on
clothing at the end of year. "Save Now, Buy Later" was the principle.
The Accounts Book for the Heydon Clothing Club for 1844 shows that each
person who joined paid 12 pence in February & 6 pence each month March
to December. No special family rates. The HCC may have included people
from outside the parish of Heydon as the number of participants in 1844
was 360 whereas the total population in 1841 was 324.
At end of 1844, participants received a card exchangeable for the
value of 8s 3d being the year's deposit of 6 shillings plus a bonus.
These cards were presented to participating local shopkeepers. The
Accounts for 1844: Subscriptions (uncertain meaning) £34.8.0d.;
Deposits (money paid monthly by participants) £107.2.0d; Surplus from
last year £2.14.1d; Interest from the Savings Bank £3.10.11d; Total
£147.15.0d.; Paid £147.5.3d; Surplus £0.9.9d. Three people failed to
complete their deposits for the year & seem to have lost their
contributions.
HCC 1844: List of participating shopkeepers (number of cards
taken): Mr Butterfield, Royston (102); Mr Nunn, Heydon (100), Messrs
Butler & Pendered, Royston (40), Mr Britten, Royston (28), Mr Hoy,
Chrishall (27), Mrs Crisp, Elmdon (20), Mr Miller, Barkway (11), Mr J.N.
Muncey, Chrishall (9), Mrs D. Pitty, Chrishall (7), Mr Muncey, Heydon
(1), Mr Baker, Chrishall (1) & Mr Miller, Heydon (1). Total 357.
HCC 1844: Extract from List of those who had joined: Rebecca
Walters; Thomas & Sarah Norris; Thomas & Rebecca Ison; James &
Deborah Greenhill; James & Caroline Hoy; Stephen, Ann & Mary Baker;
John Dye; John, Mary & John Drayton, Samuel, Mary & Benjamin Clarke;
James, Elizabeth & Hannah Norris; James, Sarah & Mary Ann Hazard, Ann,
Eliza & Joseph Nunn; Richard, Elizabeth & Mary Jackson; James & Hannah
Dellow; William, Sarah & Decima Smith; Richard & Amy Burroughs; Mary
Wright; James, Mary & Sarah Walters, Thomas, Elizabeth & Martha Ann
Watts; Sarah & Sarah Smith; George & Mary Greenhill; James, Hephzibah
& John Elsom; James, Mary & George Elsum.
Edwin Grey in "Cottage Life in a Hertfordshire Village" - Harpenden
in 1870s: "Clothing Clubs were of much benefit to the cottagers, great
consultations being held when the club cards came out, as to what
material, household linen, or coat or suit could be procured for the
amount of money deposited, together with the little bonus added. These
club things were not allowed to be taken home by the cottagers direct
from the shops; the shopkeepers had first to send the parcels to the
National Schools, where each parcel was untied and the contents looked
over by the Rector's daughters & other local ladies interested in these
clothing clubs; this was to ensure that all the contents were good,
warm, useful articles & no so-called finery."
Many wives of Ag Labs & other Labourers resented the assumption that
they did not have the wisdom to choose well for their families.
Jean

This thread: