KNOTTINGLEY HOSPITAL SUNDAYS
FROM FAIRS, FESTIVALS, AND FROLICS,
KNOTTINGLEY, circa 1840 – 2003
Volume One (2003)
By Dr TERRY SPENCER B.A (Hons), Ph d
PAGE ONE
Dedicated to PETER GREENWOOD
In grateful appreciation of his
unbounded enthusiasm, unwavering encouragement
and unstinting assistance in the preparation of this study
"If, as
has often been written, there is more pleasure in giving than in
receiving, then Knottingley folk should find life indeed pleasurable, for
to them it seems the cause of charity is a powerful inspiration to
sustained giving – whether it be in money, kind or effort."
Pontefract Advertiser 12th July 1930
"Knottingley
has a name for helping charity."
Pontefract and Castleford Express 17th July 1931
"There is
something of pride about a township the size of Knottingley raising
£1,000 for medical charities in four successive years."
Pontefract and Castleford Express 15th July 1938
"The
Infirmary needs YOUR money today –
YOU may need the Infirmary tomorrow."
Knottingley Carnival Programme 1935
Prior to the
establishment of the National Health Service in 1948 local people relied
for health care in the event of sickness or serious injury upon charitable
institutions such as Pontefract Dispensary and Leeds Infirmary.
Established on a philanthropic basis and maintained by voluntary
subscriptions these institutions were a boon to the indigent working class
and quickly grew to be revered as dependable havens for those in need of
treatment and succour. (1)
From the
beginning the hospitals depended upon the donations of private individuals
and regular subscriptions by local business and commercial organisations.
Payments were also made by trade unions and friendly societies to ensure
availability of treatment and care for their members. Similarly, donations
by civic institutions such as town councils and select vestries to enable
workhouse inmates and recipients of parish relief to qualify for medical
care was a further element of financial support from the mid nineteenth
century. (2) A further contribution was provided by the fund-raising
efforts of various local communities.
The latter had its origin in the
Hospital Sunday Movement which began in Birmingham in 1798 when an
anonymous writer to Aris’s Birmingham Gazette suggested that an annual
collection be made in all churches and chapels for charitable purposes.
The proposal gained immediate acceptance but after a few years the
practice was discontinued. However, in 1859 the idea was revived. From
that date Hospital Sunday was increasingly observed throughout the country
and by the last quarter of the century had become a national institution.
(3)
Pontefract
Dispensary published annual reports from 1812 but the earliest record of
organised fund-raising at Knottingley dates from August 1884, when an
open-air concert was held at Grange Field, Hill Top, the venue being lent
for the occasion by Mrs. Hannah Martha Carter. (4)
Held under
the auspices of several district friendly societies in order to raise
money for the local Dispensary and Leeds Infirmary, the concert attracted
a large crowd to hear sacred music sung by the Knottingley Choral Society
which was accompanied by the Pontefract Borough Band, Brotherton Brass
Band and the Knottingley (Bagleys) Glass Works Band. In order to boost the
attendance all the bands paraded round the town before the event. No
formal entry charge was made but large baskets were placed at the field
gate for voluntary donations and collection boxes were used for casual
contributions from bystanders as the bands played en route to the venue.
The nature and format of the event established a pattern which was
observed for over half a century thereafter. A total of £30-4-5½ was
raised that day with £21-10-3 taken at the gate and £8-14-2½ obtained
by street collections. (5)
No record of
any similar event has been found for the following year but on ‘Feast
Sunday’, August 1886, a concert of light classical music was given in
Howard’s Field by the Knottingley Glass Works Band under its conductor
Mr. John Shaw, following a procession through the main thoroughfares of
the town. The event was organised by the Knottingley Charitable
Institutions Committee, a group consisting of members of the Wesleyan
Chapel and local friendly societies which had been formed some months
before.
The concert
was held on the site of the Knottingley Horticultural Society’s annual
show and the Society President, Mr. A.P. Stainsby, placed at the
Charitable Committee’s disposal the large marquee used by the
Horticultural Society, in the event of inclement weather. Fortunately the
tent was not required which was undoubtedly fortunate since the concert
drew an attendance of almost 2,000 people. The financial return was wholly
disproportionate to the size of the audience, with only £8-5-7½ being
collected of which sum £5-12-3 was gate money and the remainder from
collection boxes.
Unsurprisingly,
in the wake of such disappointing return rumours of malpractice began to
circulate and the Committee felt obliged to issue a public statement that
"the
money has not been ‘riddled’, the only expense incurred being the
printing and posting of the bills. The Secretary’s position was masterly
handed by Mr. Victor Wild." (6)
The financial
situation was somewhat redeemed by additional activities as a result of
which the sum of £32-2-7½ was collected between the 21st July
and the 5th October, enabling 16 guineas to be donated to Leeds
Infirmary and £8 to Pontefract Dispensary, the residue being taken by
operational expenses. (7)
Reporting
events at Knottingley in 1888 the Pontefract and Castleford Express stated:
"Dispensary
Sunday is now a name by which Feast Sunday may be better known since the
Workingmen’s Charitable Institution has established an open air music
festival and demonstration." (8)
With hundreds
of people in attendance that year, including a number of visitors drawn to
the town in the traditional fashion at Feast-time, the sum raised was
£9-15-0, despite the vagaries of the weather over the Bank Holiday
weekend.
During the
three years of its existence the Charitable Committee had been able to
disburse a little under £100 to Pontefract Dispensary and Leeds
Infirmary.
In 1889 a
change of venue took place when the demonstration was held in Vale Head
Field, Hill Top, courtesy of Mr. Seal. The event, attended by "a good
gathering" was presided
over by Alderman Mathers, the Mayor of Pontefract, thereby introducing a
new feature which was to apply throughout the history of ‘Hospital
Sunday’; visiting dignitaries. The assembly heard selections played by
the Knottingley, Brotherton and Tabernacle (Salvation Army) bands and the
sum of £13-9-9 was raised. (9)
Statistics
quoted during the event provide a context of medical provision against
which the financial contributions may be judged. During the previous year
it was stated, the Dispensary had relieved 234 people from Knottingley and
its neighbourhood, including 161 from the town, 25 from Ferrybridge, 15
from Beal and 4 from Birkin at a cost to the Dispensary of £60 towards
which it had received £30 from all these sources. Local employers were
criticised for failing to subscribe to the institution which had a
financial deficit of £815. (10)
A note of
criticism was also sounded concerning the actual event:
"…we
cannot say it did justice to the occasion…Knottingley has shown it
possesses better vocal talent than that which did duty on Sunday."
(11)
To what
extent such criticism was a disheartening factor is conjectural but it
would appear that the Committee was losing some of its early enthusiasm,
for the following year it was reported that
"for
some inexplicable reason there was no demonstration on Sunday in aid of
Pontefract Dispensary but Knottingley Charitable Institution is not to be
allowed to lapse altogether."
Stating that
Feast-time was an ideal opportunity for the public to discharge
obligations owed by so many to the local Dispensary and to Leeds
Infirmary, the local newspaper revealed that an open air concert of sacred
music was proposed later in the season. (12)
On the 15th
August 1890 at the behest of the local clergy and representatives of the
Knottingley Choral Society, Messrs Archer and Horrocks, a meeting chaired
by the Rev. J. Crawford, Vicar of Christ Church, was held in the National
Schoolroom to which all local friendly societies and social organisations
had been invited to send representatives. (13) As a result a committee was
formed with Rev. Crawford as Chairman, T.L. Poulson, Treasurer and Archer
and Horrocks, Secretaries, with the object of organising the said concert.
It was reported that all local choirs were keen to participate and would
be under the baton of Mr. A Archer while the instrumental music was to be
provided by the band of the 3rd Battalion of the Lancashire
& Yorkshire Regiment and the Castleford Primitive Methodist Brass Band.
(14)
The concert
took place on Saturday 20th September, in Mr Henry Seal’s
Vale Head Field following the usual procession through the streets of the
town in which Sunday School scholars and some friendly society personnel
took part. In spite of favourable weather there was not a particularly
large gathering at the event at which the choirs rendered selections from
the ‘Messiah’ and the ‘Creation’, together with well known hymns
and the bands played selections during intervals in the proceedings.
Paradoxically, the sum of £16 taken at the event was the largest amount
raised at any of the annual concerts up to that time. (15)
Representing
the Dispensary, Mr. T.W. Tew said that of 1,929 patients on the books
1,777 were new patients with 166 cases of all kinds being sent from
Knottingley during the year. Thanking the Charitable Institution for the
donation of £20 the previous year, Tew pointed out that the average cost
per patient was £2. Despite the obvious shortcoming Tew revealed plans
for an extension and other improvements at Pontefract Dispensary.
The event
concluded with the presentation of an illuminated address to Mr Archer,
the choirmaster, and Rev. Crawford announced the intention of the
Committee to continue the concerts in future years. (16)
The following
year witnessed a departure from the established format. Encouraged by the
success of the previous year when the concert had been held on Saturday
afternoon instead of the customary Sunday, it was decided to re-designate
‘Dispensary Sunday’ as ‘Infirmary Saturday’ and widen the
programme of events. To this end arrangements were made to use ‘Mrs
Howard’s Cricket Field’ as the venue and hold an afternoon cricket
match between Knottingley Town Cricket Club and Fairburn as a preliminary
attraction, all proceeds being donated to the hospitals fund. (17)
The prime
mover in the reconstituted demonstration appears to have been the Rev. F.E.
Egerton, Vicar of St. Botolph’s Church. (18) Writing in the Parish
Magazine in June 1891, Egerton revealed the underlying philosophy of the
event:
"I feel
it will be the means not only of raising a goodly sum for our medical
charities, but also of inducing a friendly spirit between the various
communities in our midst."
Egerton also
revealed the practical advantages in holding the event on a Saturday:
"By
holding a demonstration on a weekday, the various religious bodies can
throw themselves heartily into the movement, and thus enlist the sympathy
and help of many who would be obliged on principle to hold aloof from such
gatherings if held on a Sunday."
The comments
of the Vicar discreetly revealed the existence of a split within the
community between those who for reasons of conscience and religious
observation refused to participate in Sunday entertainment, even when
undertaken for charitable purposes, and those who held that the Sabbath
was made for man. The arrangements of the previous year which had despite
their belated and somewhat ad hoc nature generated a substantial increase
in income, had shown the benefit to be gained by holding the demonstration
in circumstances which permitted unity of action as well as of purpose.
Egerton still envisaged retention of the Hospital Sunday collections in
places of worship in accordance with the original concept of the movement
but sought to widen the scheme and include all sections of the local
community and thereby not only include the diverse religious elements but
also a substantial element of the public who did not attend places of
worship. To this end, in July 1891, Egerton sought the assistance of "any
ladies who will take part in the house to house canvas for
subscriptions."(19)
A month later
he outlined the scheme to be adopted:
"The
town will be divided into twenty districts, and canvassers appointed to
call at every house asking for small contributions for Leeds Infirmary and
Pontefract Dispensary…which will prove such a boon to the sick and poor
of Knottingley." (20)
Infirmary
Saturday, 8th August 1891, proved to be a success despite
uncertain weather which rendered an inconclusive end to the cricket match
in the afternoon. Nevertheless, at 4.00pm, a united procession was formed
consisting of scholars of the various Sunday Schools and of such
organisations as wished to participate. Many marchers carried flags and
accompanied by Bagley’s (Bottle Works) Brass Band and Knottingley Town
Band, the procession marched through the principal thoroughfares of the
town, reaching the field at 5.20pm.
The
demonstration was presided over by J.W. Bagley J.P., with Mr. L.G. Lyon,
Chairman and Mr. P Wood, Secretary, of the Dispensary’s administrative
Committee, representing the Institution. The latter gentleman revealed
that during the preceding year Knottingley had sent 19 in-patients and 55
out-patients to Leeds Infirmary and 97 patients had been treated at
Pontefract Dispensary.
A lengthy
programme of events had been arranged but the choral items had hardly
begun when heavy rain caused the abandonment of the proceedings, the
children being served with bags of sweets and nuts as they left for home.
An admission
charge of 3d produced gate receipts of £5-3-3 this sum being supplemented
by £2-8-6 collected en route and 11s 7½d from the sale of programmes.
The house to house collection realised £3-12-10½ and for the first time
workplaces within the town featured in the amount raised viz:-
Bagley &
Co. Glassworks £4-1-0
Stainsby & Lyon. Chemical Works £2-3-3 (solely for Dispensary)
Poulson Bros. Pottery £1-7-0½
Robinson Bros. Chemical Works 14s1d
A. Mooney. Glassworks 6s8d
Horn Bros. Pottery 5s10½d
Railway Station 1s9d
With
additional subscriptions of £4-0-0 the receipts totalled £30-15-11½.
Expenses were £3-10-0 leaving a record disbursement of £27-0-0 for
division between the two hospitals. (21)
In a
retrospective note Rev. Egerton wrote:
"It
speaks well for the management that the expenses were kept down to a small
sum, less than £4, for as a rule, a large portion of the proceeds of such
gatherings goes in expenses." (22)
In making
this statement the reverend gentleman touched upon a widespread criticism
of the previous system for expenditure had been disproportionate to the
sums donated.
In 1893 the
venue was again ‘Mrs Howard’s Cricket Field’ with the proceedings
brought to an abrupt end by a heavy downpour about 4.00pm. The event was
of significance however, for the remarks of the Chairman, J.W. Bentley
J.P. who in a public address to an assembled gathering of about 2,000
people said that only a year earlier he had hoped to see an end to the
rivalry existing between the pro and anti Sunday factions and was now
pleased to note their combined efforts to promote such a good cause.
Bentley revealed that while £24-6-0 had been sent to Leeds Infirmary that
same institution had given assistance to 21 in-patients and 60
out-patients from Knottingley at a cost of about £62, leaving the town
indebted to the Infirmary for £38. Pontefract Dispensary had received
£25-12-6 during the previous year and had treated 134 Knottingley
patients. Bentley therefore asserted that the townsfolk ought to do more
to support the hospitals. The days proceedings raised about £50,
including a donation of 10 guineas by Mr. T.W. Nussey, the constituency
M.P..(23)
A solely
instrumental concert performed by the Knottingley Town Band and the brass
bands of Pontefract Borough and the Castleford Primitive Methodists,
marked the event in 1894. It was revealed that a formalised system of
workplace collections had been established during the recent year. The
need to reinforce the method of fund raising was becoming even more
apparent by the fact that the number of out-patients from the expanding
township treated by the Dispensary had risen from 134 to 200 between 1893
and 1894. (24)
A breach of
the newly formed unity of the Knottingley Dispensary Committee occurred in
1896 when serious allegations of financial mismanagement appeared in a
letter published in a Pontefract newspaper. Consequently, at the annual
meeting of the Charitable Institutions Committee on the 19th
August it was decided to have the accounts audited and to suspend
disbursement of all monies until the audit was completed. A warm
discussion took place as to whether the Committee should close its
printing account in view of the ‘insult’ received from the newspaper,
the proprietor of which undertook printing on behalf of the Committee. The
Committee decided to continue its efforts for a further year and Mr. E.L.
Poulson was re-elected as Treasurer with Mr. T. Asquith as Assistant
Secretary. (25)
The
allegations echoed similar charges such as those of 1886 and were either a
manifestation of suspicious or malicious minds and either unfounded or
greatly exaggerated, arising from the high level of expenditure which
characterised the Committee’s efforts, generally about one third of the
sum collected. For example, in 1893 the income of the Charitable Committee
was £64-6-2 of which £43-10-0 was donated to the hospitals, the
remainder being taken for expenses. (26)
Meanwhile,
the demonstration planned to take pace at Vale Head Field on August Bank
Holiday Sunday, 1896, was diverted to Knottingley Town Hall due to
unfavourable weather. A large audience was entertained by the towns’
Brass Band and the Pontefract Borough and Victoria bands. (27) Undaunted
by the adverse weather and malicious rumour and anxious to give the lie to
the latter publicly, the Committee held a second demonstration on Sunday,
17th August at an outdoor venue, Mr Atkinson’s field. Mr. J.W.
Poulson presided. Referring to the very serious allegations made in the
recently published letter, Poulson expressed the hope that the Committee
were fully prepared to repudiate the statements for they were of such a
character that unless repudiated would cripple the Committee’s work and
thereby injure the future of the noble institutions served by the
Committee.
The Hon
Secretary, Mr H. Watmough, then dealt at length with the charges levelled
against the Committee, quoting statistics to show the falsity or
exaggeration of the allegations. The Secretary was followed by Mr Herbert
Smith of Glasshoughton who, on behalf of the Dispensary, urged all
Knottingley folk to continue to support the hospitals. The event was
attended by Knottingley Brass Band which played selections at intervals
throughout the afternoon. (28)
Notwithstanding
public denial the rumours of financial mismanagement persisted and the
charge was resurrected the following year when Mr A. Archer, the choral
director and founder of the revitalised Hospital Sunday demonstrations,
who had since taken up residence at Wakefield following his appointment as
songman at the city’s Chantry in 1893, (29) brought vocalists from
Wakefield to perform at a Knottingley concert in aid of the Dispensary.
The expenditure involved was £1-7-6 plus Archer’s personal expenses of
10s 6d. Archer justified the measure by claiming that Pontefract vocalists
were unwilling to assist, some regarding appearance at Knottingley as
being beneath their dignity, thus leaving Archer with no alternative but
to engage Wakefield vocalists. The situation was further inflamed when
Archer responded to assertions that he had claimed expenses totalling £10
by stating publicly, "A man
may do his duty, even to the death, and some scribe of the reptilian breed
will try to injure him." (30)
Whilst
regretting Archer’s remarks, considering the criticism best ignored, the
Editor of the Pontefract and Castleford Express condemned the prejudice
against the Knottingley Committee and whilst noting that the 1897
demonstration was not, and could hardly be expected to be, one of the most
successful, was fulsome of the way the Committee had refused to allow the
event to lapse. (31)
The event
which was blessed by glorious weather, took place at the ‘Cricket and
Football Field’ (Howard’s Field) drawing a goodly number of residents.
Under Archer’s direction a chorus of local singers, supplemented by
others from out of town and accompanied by a small band led by Mr
Chambers, entertained the assembled throng at intervals between speeches.
The Chairman,
J.W. Bentley, J.P., referred to the schism which had arisen within the
Management Committee in recent years and the local M.P., T.W. Nussey,
revealed the effect of the split by referring to the difficulty
experienced in even forming a committee at all to organise that years
events. Mr. P. Wood, Secretary of the Pontefract Dispensary Management
Committee, paid tribute to Mr Archer’s ten years of service to the cause
to which Archer responded by stating his reluctance to allow the
demonstration, which he had been instrumental in starting, to lapse. (32)
Despite the
somewhat diminished nature of the event compared to past occasions, the
demonstration raised almost £20 of which less than £2 was taken by
expenses. The balance sheet was made public in October that year in order
to forestall the likelihood of malicious rumour viz:- (33)
| Income |
£ |
s |
d |
| Collection at the gate |
8 |
7 |
0 |
| Mr T.W. Nussey M.P., - donation |
10 |
0 |
0 |
| Box at Jolly Sailor Inn – Mr Tranmer |
1 |
7 |
1½ |
| Box at L&Y Hotel – Mrs Simpson |
|
1 |
½ |
| Box at Mr Dixons – grocer |
|
|
7 |
|
Total £ |
19 |
15 |
9 |
| Expenditure |
£ |
s |
d |
| Pontefract Dispensary |
17 |
14 |
5 |
| J. Robinson & Son – printing |
|
10 |
0 |
| Mr J. Link - billposting |
|
4 |
6 |
| Mr C. Saul – wagonette for singers |
|
17 |
6 |
| Band copies |
|
9 |
4 |
|
Total £ |
19 |
15 |
9 |
The
publication of the accounts seems to have served its intended purpose for
there was apparently no criticism concerning expenditure following the
conclusion of the years event.
A new feature
was introduced in 1898 with a procession starting from the Town Hall and
marching along Hill Top to the Railway Hotel before turning round and
touring all the principal streets of the town by way of Chapel Street,
Aire Street, Cow Lane and Fernley (Low) Green before entering Howard’s
Field. Members of the Prince of Wales, Speedwell and Morning Star Lodges
of the Oddfellows’ Friendly Society, took part in the procession
together with members of the K.U.D.C. who participated at the invitation
of the Dispensary Committee, The town Fire Brigade in full uniform also
paraded. (34)
J.W. Bentley
presided at the event being accompanied by Sire Frederick Ripley and other
local dignitaries, mainly representatives of the towns’ industrial and
commercial life.
A 70 strong
choir and string band under the conductorship of Mr A Archer performed
items of a sacred nature by Handel and Mozart and hymns were sung by the
public. Knottingley Brass Band played musical selections between speeches.
In his public
address, Mr P Woods, Dispensary Secretary, stated that of 3,077 cases
treated at Pontefract in the preceding year, 2,521 had been discharged as
cured. Of 32 in-patients, 4 came from Knottingley which had sent 195
out-patients for treatment so that in order for Knottingley people to pay
the full cost of treatment given it would be necessary to pay a fifteenth
part of the institutions income.
Sir Frederick
Ripley’s speech made incidental reference to the fact that an element of
the towns’ society objected to such a demonstration being held on a
Sunday afternoon. Nevertheless the event was a great success. Collections
in boxes yielded £8-7-7 and £9-3-0 was taken at the gate, which together
with sums collected in various public houses in the town provided a sum in
excess of £22. The final published accounts revealed a total of £25-2-3
from which expenditure of £6-1-4 being deducted, left a balance of
£19-11-0 for the newly designated Pontefract General Infirmary. (35)
Describing
the result as "pleasing" and "encouraging", the local
newspaper commented upon the energy of the movement and predicted that
subject to the continuance of good management, the amount raised would be
increased in future. (36)
The
administrative hiccup and reversion to a Sunday demonstration at
Knottingley had resulted in the withdrawal of local clergy from direct
participation in the annual proceedings. In 1889 however, the Reverend L.H.
Mills and Reverend J.S. Fowle, Vicar of Christ Church, were present.
Encouraging the people of Knottingley to beat the sum raised by the
citizens of Pontefract, Mr J.G. Lyon pointed out that Pontefract’s total
included collections from the towns churches and chapels and expressed the
hope that ministers of all denominations in Knottingley would support the
cause and attend the demonstration in future. Lyon’s hope was ultimately
fulfilled for early in 1906 Rev. Egerton publicly commended the way both
politicians and clergy were able to put aside differences to support the
event. (37)
Whilst the
last demonstration of the nineteenth century followed the established
pattern of previous years a subtle difference is discernable with the
benefit of hindsight. An ideal summers day drew a larger attendance than
in recent years, suggesting renewed public confidence. The presence of two
clergymen may also be indicative of some relaxation in the attitude of the
hitherto doctrinaire element of local society concerning strict Sunday
observance. In this respect it is noticeable that the Town Band wore their
uniforms and the procession featured a "beautiful lodge banner."
More
significantly, the platform speeches reflected the socio-political changes
beginning to emerge in response to the millennial aspirations of an
industrial and social underclass with a growing awareness of its latent
power, nationally and locally. One such aspect of the desired change was
referred to by the Chairman of the Knottingley Hospital Committee, J.W.
Bentley, touching the increase in practical sympathy for the poor and
support for the Old Age Pension as desirable steps to benefit people
unable to help themselves. Sir Frederick Ripley, the Conservative and
Unionist candidate for the constituency, whilst doubtless availing himself
of the opportunity to identify with the reformist platform the event
afforded, revealed the public mood with reference to areas of potential
improvement such as workingmens’ housing, cleaner rivers and purer air,
shorter hours of labour and slum clearance. Nor did the also present
Constituency Member T.W. Nussey, dissent.
Signs of
change were also manifest regarding the local hospital, now no longer
identified as Pontefract Dispensary but as Pontefract General Infirmary.
The Infirmary Secretary, Mr P Wood, clearly revealed the transformation
which had occurred, stating that Pontefract now had facilities and staff
to deal with surgical cases, thus obviating the rail journey to Leeds, a
fact which explains why from time to time local funds were largely donated
to Pontefract Infirmary.
Wood revealed
that during the foregoing year the number of patients referred from
Knottingley was 281, about 8% overall, which despite the increased
contribution by the town was disproportionate to the cost incurred in the
treatment received. (38)
An increase
in the number of collecting boxes in local public houses provides evidence
of an effort to increase the towns contribution to the Hospital. Six
boxes, including one at a pub in Kellington, yielded just over £10
compared with £4-17-0 the previous year. Of the licensed houses in 1899,
the Lancashire and Yorkshire Hotel, Hill Top, with £4-8-0 contributed
double the amount of its nearest rival. The sum collected at the L&Y
Hotel, stands in bold contrast with that of 1s 01/2d. featured in the
balance sheet of two years earlier quoted above. The licensee, Mrs
Simpson, was awarded a medal in recognition of the zeal shown, a further
innovation that year which was to become a regular feature in future
years. (39) In 1900 a gold medal was presented to Mr J W Lowther in
recognition of his services as a collector and the following year two
medals were allocated; one to the Sailors Home Inn for a collection of
£4-18-0 and another to the L&Y Hotel for the sum of £4-2-6, a total
of £24 being collected by public houses that year. It was stated at that
time that while Knottingley was third in the list of patients treated at
the P.G.I. the town had reached third place in the amount of money raised
in local Infirmary Sunday collections. (40)
The award of
medals promoted friendly rivalry amongst the licensed premises of the town
and neighbourhood thereby increasing the money obtained for funding the
Infirmary. To ensure momentum the Committee decided in 1902 to make an
annual donation of three medals to be presented to the ‘heaviest’ pub
boxes. The winners that year were Mr J W Pearson, Swan Inn, Mr J.W. Penty,
Sailors Home Inn and Mrs H Simpson, L&Y Hotel. The effect of the
competition may be judged by the fact that of £47-10-2 raised that year
only slightly less than half the sum came from public house collections.
(41) Contributions raised by local public houses and shortly afterwards by
workingmens clubs, remained the single most contributory element
throughout the first half of the twentieth century as the number of
licensed premises involved in the competition gradually increased. By 1908
no less than 16 pubs, including the Red Lion at Kellington, contributed a
total of £58-4-71/2 of the sum of £116 raised that year. (42) Just how
vital were public house collections is shown by the fact that between
1900-1906, £50-£65 per year was contributed from this source and when a
slight decline occurred in 1904, the reduction was ascribed to a period of
slackness within the licensed trade. (43)
Two further
areas of expansion in the early twentieth century were the increase in the
number of workplace collections and of individual subscriptions. As early
as 1898 reference had been made to the number of Knottingley people who
subscribed on a regular weekly basis via factory collecting boxes because
Pontefract Dispensary "had a
warm place in the hearts of Knottingley working people" (44) and this
sentiment was echoed the following year when reference was made to workers
contributions and the fact that the work undertaken in connection with the
annual demonstration was done almost entirely by workingmen. (45)
In 1904, four
local firms undertook regular collections, two glassworks, Bagley & Co.
Ltd., and Jackson Bros. Ltd., contributed 9 guineas and 1 guinea
respectively and the two chemical works, Stainsby & Lyon and Robinson
Bros., each collected £6-3-4 and £2-18-6. The total of £19-11-10
exceeded that collected in public houses that year although (as noted
above) the latter had suffered a phase of poor trade. (46) The following
year, with only one additional collecting point, the total works
contributions had risen to £36-16-5 and by 1912 six groups of workers
collected a total of £63-3-0 by regular or casual works donations. (47)
In the
context of individual subscriptions the rate of increase both numerically
and financially is less prominent, perhaps due to the fact that the
element of local society most able to afford subscriptions had least
reason to do so being able to afford medical treatment if required.
Individual donations were therefore made by that section of the local
gentry having direct association with medical charities, serving on
committees, governing bodies or holding public office and therefore
obliged to lead by example. Thus, from the earliest stage of formal
organisation the local Member of Parliament subscribed annually (usually
10 guineas, sometimes £10), and a handful of local dignitaries subscribed
sums ranging from half a guinea to a guinea. Some of the more benevolent
employers paid a subscription to enable their workers to receive treatment
in case of accident but such employers were a minority and it was felt
that many others ought to subscribe on that basis. (48)
The
demographic expansion of the township, together with the increased public
confidence in the integrity of the Infirmary Committee following the
publication of the annual accounts from 1898, allied to the increasingly
efficient administration and organisation of events, resulted in a steady
increase in the amount of money raised annually. In 1903, Rev F.E. Egerton
calculated that Knottingley people averaged per capita contributions of
five shillings annually. When adverse economic circumstances resulted in a
slight decline in the amount raised in 1904, the Committee were able to
send an additional sum the following year to make up for the previous
deficit. (49) Sadly, on occasions, the sums raised were denuded by
disrespectful (or desperately poor?) individuals. Thus, in 1910, a
collection box at the Red Lion Inn, Kellington, containing about £2 was
stolen and an even larger sum of £14 was stolen from Hill Top Workingmens
Club in 1917. No doubt the greater prosperity of the general public
enabled larger amounts to accrue in collecting boxes made them
increasingly tempting targets from unscrupulous thieves. (50)
A further
small yet notable contribution to the cause was that made by the showmen
visiting Knottingley Feast. The Feast and the Infirmary demonstrations
were inextricably bound together, the demonstration being held on ‘Feast
Sunday’. To show his appreciation of local patronage (and doubtless with
an eye to favourable publicity) the fairground proprietor Harry Tuby
offered £20 towards the endowment of a local ambulance in 1903, on
condition that the vehicle be presented to the K.U.D.C. and designated ‘The
Tuby Ambulance’. (51)The offer seems not to have been accepted for at
the Sunday demonstration of 1906, Rev. Egerton announced that Tuby had
promised a donation of £15 towards a horse [drawn] ambulance, in response
to which JG Lyon offered to pay the remainder of the cost involved. (52)
At a slightly later date it became usual for the showmen to donate a
portion of the takings from the fairground rides. The showmen’s
donations had originated with the benefit performances given by Mr and Mrs
Vickers, proprietors of the popularly patronised Royal Alhambra Theatre
which had attended the Feast since the early 1870s. (53) Naturally, the
donations varied in accordance with the degree of patronage. In 1904
Vickers gave 15s while on two later occasions sums of £3-6-8 and £3-6-0
were donated. It must be observed, however, that in 1904 Vickers
contribution included a benefit performance for the old people of the town
following a tea party in Knottingley Town Hall. Similarly, Tuby’s
donated 13s 6d. in 1905, and in 1902 Barkers gave half the proceeds from a
circus entertainment. (54) With the advent of regular daily cinema
performances at the Palace Cinema from 1913, the custom of benefit nights
was continued by the proprietors and one such occasion that year raised
£3-14-6 for the Infirmary Fund. (55)
Such efforts
were supplemented by ‘special events’ throughout each year undertaken
by various social organisations within the town. From 1912 the Wesleyan
Brotherhood, associated with collecting money for Hospital Sunday since
1887, took a more pro active part, establishing a ‘Flower Saturday’ in
which a ‘live’ buttonhole was given to anyone making a small donation
for the Infirmary Fund. The commencement of the Great War and the ‘Poppy
Day’ collections which followed in its wake, condemned ‘Flower
Saturday’ to a short existence but one which served a useful purpose.
(56) Nor should the role of Knottingley Silver Prize Band be overlooked in
the context of fund raising for in addition to more than a half a century
of attendance at Hospital Sunday demonstrations, the Band also engaged
with the supporters of the Dispensary at Pontefract and Ferrybridge and
throughout each year raised money for the cause by means of holding
concerts and dances. (57)
As a result
of continuous efforts by voluntary organisations a general increase
occurred in sum raised in the first decade of the twentieth century.
Presiding in gloriously sunny weather in 1906, Mr EL Robinson was able to
announce record receipts at the demonstration. A total of £121 had been
collected from boxes of which £74-4-41/2 was subscribed by customers of
the 16 public houses associated with the cause. Praising the efforts of
the Infirmary Committee, Mr Robinson said that during the recent decade
under the Chairmanship of Mr J W Bentley, receipts had risen by leaps and
bounds as indicated by the fact that £199-3-6 had been donated to the
Infirmary the previous year. (58) While it was true that in1906 and 1907
receipts of £146 and £135 were substantially less than those of 1905,
the Committee had nonetheless sent in excess of £100 to the Infirmary and
additional donations to Leeds Infirmary. (59)
By 1907 the
sum donated to the Infirmary was sufficient to cover the cost of treatment
provided to all patients referred from Knottingley and in 1908 the
townspeople became the largest subscribers to the Hospital. (60) However,
a downturn occurred in 1909 largely due to a heavy downpour, which caused
the demonstration to be transferred to the Town Hall. The procession which
preceded the demonstration drew a large crowd to the Banks Garth cricket
field before the rain came but although this ensured that the Town Hall
was crowded the transfer nevertheless had an adverse effect on proceeds.
Consequently, the contribution of £110 fell short of the £135 spent by
the Infirmary in treating the 406 patients referred from Knottingley that
year. (61)
In an effort
to boost declining contributions new features were adopted. In 1910, in
addition to the now customary presentation of medals for public house
collections prizes were given for the largest amounts obtained by
individual collectors and also for the highest sum collected en route
during the procession which in that year was won by James Hanson. (62)
Mention has been made of the Wesleyan Brotherhood’s innovative ‘Flower
Saturday’ first introduced in 1912, while the previous year witnessed
the first occasion when a ‘gimmick’ was utilised as a publicity stunt.
The success of the Wright Brothers’ inaugural flight in an heavier than
air machine in 1903, followed by Bleriot’s successful crossing of the
English Channel in 1909 and by the Daily Mail national air race in 1911
had created public enthusiasm for aeronautical events. To this end
aviators were engaged to fly over the town to draw attention to the
forthcoming Infirmary Sunday. (63)
Yet despite
the novelty and innovations and the incentive arising from the desire to
beat the sum collected by Pontefract Borough, the period between 1909 and
1914 was one of considerable fluctuation and only in 1913 did
contributions reach slightly in excess of £100. (64) The decline was all
the more surprising for having coincided with a phase of local prosperity
which was remarked upon in both 1911 and again the following year but was
not reflected in the contributions to the Infirmary. (65) Notwithstanding
the reduction, Knottingley remained the leading contributor in the
district, suggesting that the town was far better organised than its
neighbour or that neighbouring locations were experiencing economic
adversity. (66) While extant data is too sparse to allow year by year
analysis, it is of passing interest to record the contributions made by
some local communities in the period 1911 – 1912, viz:-
Knottingley
£60
Ferrybridge £44
Brotherton £15
Ackworth £8-5-0
Fairburn £4 (67)
In ascribing
reasons for the decline in contributions post 1909, Cr. Tom Jackson stated
that there were so many charitable calls on Knottingley people that he
felt contributions had reached a high water mark. (68) Yet while it is
true that the townsfolk responded to a substantial number of other
charities the crux of the matter may be more prolix. Changes in the
composition of the local Infirmary Committee involving the withdrawal of
the enterprising J.W. Bentley from administrative affairs may have
resulted in a hiatus due to loss of competitive drive. The vagaries of the
weather such as the heat wave of 1912 and the rain blighted proceedings of
1909 inhibited attendance, resulting in financial adversity. Indeed, 1912
provided a dual example with the Ferrybridge demonstration hit by rain
while at Knottingley a month earlier, intense heat had constrained
attendance. (69) There may also have been a weariness fuelled initially by
an almost sub-conscious feeling that the State ought to make more adequate
provision for the health care of its citizens. The influence of Socialism
and its practical manifestation both locally and nationally as exemplified
in the establishment of the Independent Labour Party in 1893 and the
Labour Party in 1906 provided a public forum for the articulation of such
belief. Expectations were further heightened by the social reforms
introduced by the Liberal administration after 1908. Thus, at the
demonstration of 1913, the Pontefract constituency M.P., Mr. Handel Booth,
delivered a speech extolling the virtue of cross party consensus within
the House of Commons in support of the Bill amending the National
Insurance Act of 1907 enabling a government grant of 2s 6d. per member to
all approved friendly societies to ensure the provision of medical aid to
the aged. (70)
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