THIS TAPE HAS BEEN RECORDED ON THE 16th OF FEBRUARY 1979 AT YORK HOUSE, THE HOME OF THE INFORMANT ON LINKS ROAD, ST ANNES ON SEA. THE INFORMANT IS GEORGE FORRESTER SINGLETON, RETIRED SENIOR PARTNER IN THE FIRM OF G F SINGLETON AND COMPANY, ESTATE AGENTS, OF BLACKBURN. THE INTERVIEWER IS MARY HUNTER.
R - Well, As I was saying, we removed to Blackburn in 1906 and from then on I occasionally watched the Blackburn Rovers when I wasn’t taking part in football myself.
Did your father work on Saturdays?
R - Saturday mornings yes but not when we removed to St Annes. But when we removed back to Blackburn yes, Saturday was a working day, Saturday morning.
Did he do anything special on Saturday afternoon?
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R - No he had no particular hobbies, no.
Did you go to any concerts or theatres, music halls, cinemas before you left school?
R - No. Well the theatre was not exactly banned, but it was not encouraged.
Really? That's interesting.
R - Oh yes. But shall we say strict Methodist, the public houses, theatres, music halls and dancing palaces were out and they were supposed to be worldly attractions as distinct from religious life.
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I am interested to hear you say that, because the theatre today I think probably has an improved standing, does it not? And it ranks in the sort of cultural activities.
R – Yes. I would say so. Well you see, speaking generally the Christian, according to the strict interpretation, ought to be preoccupied with his religion and therefore to have no time for these worldly attractions, I think that extreme view arose from experiences in the past where, in different time, the standards were lower than they are today.
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Well I think this ethic stems from Puritanism doesn't it really?
R – Yes. And the overtones have lasted the generations.
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That’s true yes.
R - Now for instance, we didn't play cards, we hadn’t a pack of cards in the house.
No. Well I think that was quite common wasn't it?
R- They were known as the devil's prayer book you see? That’s one way of expressing their view. But the line of demarcation was probably strong, it was if you like harsh but there was a reason for it. As you say it arose from the records of the past. Now the educational system has broken down the attitude to the theatre particularly with Shakespeare's plays. They became part of a curriculum in my early days and from then on it was permissible to witness a live play in the theatre.
That's a very good point is that, a very good point. Because the way the Shakespearian plays were performed in their own time till Tudor, Elizabethan times, put a very different slant on it to how they perform now. I mean the standing of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the fact that they form part of the school syllabus gives them a high credence I think.
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R - A Status. True.
Yes but you know that the way they were performed in Elizabethan times smacked rather the sort of thing you were talking about at the turn of the century.
R – Yes. It was rather the, yes, the strict line in which we were brought up was rather harsh. On the other hand I think it's to be preferred to the opposite loose way of living. And of course we were never forced not to do this that and the other, it was left to our discretion. And again, the entertainment, particularly Gilbert and Sullivan, and they broke down the negative view of attending theatres or places where these were given you see? But like everything else it's a question of discretion, you take your choice and pay accordingly.
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Now me move on to another part of family life, if it was part of your family life. Do you remember your family discussing politics?
R - Yes, very much so. My father was an ardent Liberal, and so was his father before him. In fact he might be called a Radical.
A Radical Liberal?
R – Yes. And my recollection is that elections were fiercely contested. And by and large the Conservative Party attracted the Anglicans and the Liberal Party attracted the Non-conformists. Yes, more so than today, much more so.
Yes. Do you know why your father held the views he did?
R - Well, in the first place he was brought up in the atmosphere and indeed Methodism has been the seed-bed shall I say of social reform.
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Methodism, having no bounds like a Parish, their preachers travelled and they were known as travelling preachers because they were appointed regularly every three years and moved from one town to another. But there were so many chapels in those days where transport was difficult that they had to rely on local preachers who were men, professional men, workmen, operatives who either had been invited or felt the call to preach. Brought up through the Sunday school and so on. Well these men tended to meet the needs of
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society and to intend to help. How shall I put it? They were pioneers in social reform, and indeed many leaders of Trade Unions were Methodists. As a matter of fact when the Darwen Weavers, Winders and Warpers Association was formed it was formed in my grandfather’s cottage.
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Really?
R - And he was regarded as one of the pioneers. I don't know what the date would be but probably 1860 something like that.
[In ‘The Lancashire Weaver’s Story.’ Chapter VII, p 38 it is stated that; ‘The Darwen Weaver’s Association was formed in 1857 by a few ardent and enthusiastic men who met in the home of one Thomas Singleton. Others were John Kay, William Walkden, Abraham Pinder and George Holden. The first secretary was Entwistle Entwistle who, in addition to his trade union duties, kept a stall in the market place’]
Would it be one of the new model unions?
R - Oh no, one of the early pioneering movements you see? Now, the union movement was started to regularise wages
Oh yes
R - ... as well as conditions of employment. And the large towns naturally formed their associations first, and it was like a disease, it became infectious and one or two started and other started. And so in Darwen, which was the principal trade union, it was started, my grandfather was one of the pioneers you see?
The phase of trade union development between about the 1860's and the 1880s, has it has been given the term of ‘A New Model Union’ where unions
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developed, which paid a fairly high subscription in proportion to the actual total wage and worked on the…
R - Well I don’t think that's operating till after the turn of the century, I don’t think so. They made the contributions you see, to the local, each mill had its own trade union representative, and I think they collected the premium, the subscriptions. I think so. At any rate in Blackburn, and in Darwen eventually, they had their own offices, their own premises where they met, you see? But, at any rate, I just mention it as indicative of the political atmosphere in which my family was brought up.
Yes. You mentioned that elections were really strongly contested. You meant at local level did you or national level?
R - Oh yes. Well at national level. You see, local government, again this was in its infancy. Let me see. Well, it began to develop 1860, 1870, 1880.
That’s right, yes.
R - Well then, whilst there was competition for elections there was nothing like the number of electorate and those who put up had to be in a position to be able to spare the time to attend to these functions you see?
And the money.
R - And the money.
Yes. Did your mother have any political views?
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R - Well, not active but she supported the family view.
Do you think it would have been a bit infra dig for her to have any strong political opinions?
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R - Well not infra dig so much as it wasn’t, the women had no vote at that time and they weren't expected to know much about it.
No. Was your father a member of the political party?
R - Oh yes, of the Liberals.
He was, yes. Sorry I meant the local club, as opposed to - I mean you had said that he was a member of the party - did he belong to any…
R – Yes. He was a member of the local club, yes.
Did he do any work for the party before elections?
R - Well that I don’t know. I couldn’t say.
You have no…
R- I’m talking about Darwen now. When I came to St Annes, yes he did. He did some canvassing yes.
And did he do any work during the elections, or on the election day?
R- Don’t think so.
No. Can you remember any particular election period when you were young? Or perhaps just an election day?
R – Yes. I recall the election in St Annes after the Boer war. I’m not quite sure whether it was 1902, I think it was. And A.J. Balfour I think
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became the Prime Minister.
The 1902 Education Act was Balfour’s Education Act.
R- What?
The 1902 Education Act was Balfour's Education Act, which was one of his election…
R - Oh well. That’s it. Blanks. Yes well, I remember St Annes being in the Blackpool division and the Conservative candidate was called Wilfred Ashley, and he married the daughter of a wealthy South African Jew. I think it was Sir Alfred Beit. [Alfred Beit; 1853-1906. German financier from Frankfurt, associated with De Beers in South Africa] But at any rate, he married his daughter and their daughter was Edwina who married Lord Mountbatten. Now she made a great contribution to the political life and in support of her husband, when he was the vice something, what do they call them? Vice Regent was it, of India?
Viceroy.
R – Viceroy! Viceroy of India that's it. Yes. Again one of the bones of contention in that election was tariff reform to which I have already referred in the fact that Joe Chamberlain came to Preston the year before see. Anyhow, Blackpool I think has always been, always had a Conservative member and it was regarded as a safe seat. In fact 1 think it's
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the safest seat in Great Britain for the Conservative Party even today. Yes.
We were talking ...
R - I remember attending a meeting in support of the Conservative candidate Mr Ashley, to which I was invited by a next door neighbour who was an ardent Liberal. The Chairman of the meeting was a Lancashire cotton manufacturer who was an exception to the run of the mill manufacturers in as much as he did a considerable trade with the United States of America. But in spite of the fact that it recently put on a tariff against British goods. In the course of the Chairman’s address he said that this tariff had caused him some concern and he at one time, he thought of removing his
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mills to America. But he decided eventually not to do so. When my friend next to me shouted out “Yes, and you are looking very well on it!” you see? As a kind of... In other words he has changed his mind, and of course, this man, quick on the ball and said “Well you benefit by staying in spite of the tariff” you see?
You presumably then weren't aware at the time what the burning issues of the day were, would you? I mean you’d be only, what 11 or 12 wouldn’t you?
R - Oh well, I mentioned tariff reform.
Yes I am just wondering if …
R - You mentioned education, there was the question of what to do with South Africa. And it wasn’t until the election of 1906 when the Liberals came in and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman became Prime Minister and shortly after Britain gave back the control of South Africa to the Boers.
Yes. I'm just wondering if all these things have come to you since rather than being aware of them at the time.
R- Well, that is so, they have been confirmed, but I do remember the tariff reform which, from this incident, the Chairman was a Mr William Thompson. And the fact that I heard Joe Chamberlain you see?
Yes. What was the opinion of this area towards it, towards the tariff issue?
R - Well the feeling of the area was, that is to say the manufacturers were in favour of free trade. Even if they were Conservatives. Because they were concerned lest the cotton trade should be adversely affected. Right?
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Yes. Would you think it would be a fair comment to say that the fact that a lot of European countries at the time, that we had more or less free trade, and that the European countries had tariffs or custom duties or …
R - Custom barriers, yes.
Contributed to the whole business of our loss in, in foreign control.
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R – Yes, I would say yes. It’s a long story but the success of Britain, with its industrial development and its extension to the colonies created national jealousy. And in order to protect their members, many countries put on tariffs to prevent British goods entering. And that was in the early days, it may have been the latter days of the last century and the early days of this. That was, I should say trouble began after the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. Well there, the politics in those days were very keenly contested, but in 1906 there was a big change of direction of British policy by the Liberals gaining the majority. And they had two elections in 1910 and of course were in power when the war broke out. I think I have already referred to some of this, with…
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Stanley. Stanley.
R - Stanley Graham,
Last week.
R – I’m sure I went to some length on that, yes.
Yes well. Well OK, not to worry about it too much if it does overlap. Can you remember if children played any part in the election proceedings, either up to election day or during election day itself?
R - I should say no except that they had a day off school for the election and therefore they were free to roam about, and naturally they cheered the candidates or officials as they moved about. But other than that they didn't take part.
No, no. Did your father have a fear that his job or hours would be at risk unless he voted for a particular party?
R – No. But I mean, and he couldn't, what is more he couldn't care less.
In other words his political convictions overrode anything else.
R – Absolutely.
Yes. Well I suppose, in your father's case perhaps the issue of work wasn't quite as relevant as if someone was working in a mill and ... yes?
R - Exactly. He had his freedom you see? He had his responsibility. Yes. True.
Yes. It's rather an unnecessary question I think, did your father vote in the elections?
R - Yes.
Did your mother vote in elections after 1918?
R - Yes.
Regularly and always?
R - Oh yes. She would do what she considered to be her duty but she wasn't a rabid feminist you know? But she approved of votes for women and, as an extension of service to humanity.
Yes. That’s the frame of mind in which she looked at it was it? Yes, because I was just, my next question in fact was going to be what did your parents think about the-suffragette movement and the votes for women.
R- Well, that's expressed it really.
Yes. Did your father have any contrary opinions?
R - Oh no he had no objection to votes for women, no.
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But they didn’t particularly approve of the violent activities.
R - Well, I don't recall specifically but violence was not approved generally in support of a cause. I remember it distinctly. Of course with their being articles on the television, what do you call them…
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Documentary?
R- They have had historical records on the television of these suffragettes you see. In particular they've ...
The documentaries that you…
R- Documentaries, that's the word, yes. So that it comes to mind, but the names of Cristobel Pankhurst for instance and I think it was her mother and Mary Kenny and one or two more, there were a handful of them.
Emmeline?
R - They were, without a doubt a, a mighty power and they swept Asquith. Now I just forget the election in which they were, got the vote, do you …
1918.
R - 1918. Yes. Well, it was after the war.
That’s right.
R - And the women had done so much by way of service to the country, that Asquith had no argument left, you see? No.
No. No I think the actual business of the suffragette movement is, to some extent, overrated in their fight for the vote, and I think the contribution in the war effort…
R - The circumstances, that's right. That did more than their shouting. By the way, it wasn’t Asquith, it was Lloyd George.
Yes it was, that's true.
R – Yes. But Asquith was tepid about women, votes for women, even if he did, I'm not sure whether he even disapproved, but 1 don't think he did. But, at any rate, the service they rendered to the war effort made it so that there was no gainsaying their right to a vote.
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Now we’ve talked about education and school off and on throughout but if we can make a particular record of detail here, which school did you go to?
R- Mrs Sedgwick’s Dame School as an infant, at Darwen. Then she died, I went to the Darwen Higher Grade School for about 18 months. When we removed to St Annes I attended the Kildrummel School which was a day boarding school and there was about 50 to 60 pupils.
Did you board or …
R - No, a day boy, no I was a day boy.
How old were you when you first went to school?
R - Oh I think I should go at about five. If for no other reason than to get out of the way. But, you see, Miss Sedgwick the head, the mistress of the school and proprietor, she lived with us at the time you see?
Well, yes.
R - So she would take me down you see?
So you might in fact have gone rather earlier than ...
R - I might have been earlier still but I've, oh I recollect that she was, she had her school at two places, one in Hesse Street, Darwen, and the other one in Belgrave Road. And I remember distinctly both of them see? They moved from one to the other you see?
I seep yes.
R - The accommodation in Belgrave Road was a little better than the other one.
Do you know how old your parents were when they first went to school?
R- No. But my grandfather did think something about education although he himself was, you may say, self-educated. He was never a good writer but he had a native intelligence. But when it came to the finer points of education with his family, he did arrange for his eldest son to go to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School at Blackburn, four miles distant which he walked day and night. The next son, my father, went to a boarding school
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at Alston College near Preston and then he went to a school at Conway. His daughter, I don't know, I would say only received an elementary school education, his eldest daughter. His third son I don't know, but he was a well read man, so he may well have been away to school, I don't know. And then his youngest child, a daughter, she became a teacher and took up education. Of course, the facilities for education were few and far between in those days you see? Right?
What benefits do you think you gained from school?
R - A lot. I gained the importance of timekeeping and obedience, we had a strict headmaster. Friendship and learning which I very much enjoyed, I found problems with Geometry or Euclid and Latin but I appreciate the benefits of what little Latin I acquired later on in life. Particularly in reading as it helps the understanding.
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Yes. Yes I always regret not doing it, because I think it helps etymologically wise.
You mentioned that you had a strict headmaster.
R – Yes.
What were your teachers strict about?
R- Accuracy.
Wells you quickly answered that one! In everything?
R - In everything. And attention to your subjects. And of courses there was homework which had to be delivered the following morning. Yes, I am indebted to this headmaster who was a disciplinarian.
Is this at the higher Grade School?
R - No$ this was at Kildrummel after I was 11 you see. And whilst it was irksome at the time - we used to think he was a bit of a tartar, but nevertheless he was right. And this is the way to bring boys up. And my experience of life is that those who are strict and just are appreciated rather than the sloppy and easy going.
You are dead right. I'm convinced of that, yes. The Kildrummel school, have I said it right?
R- Yes. Yes, Kildrummel.
Yes. What sort of school was it?
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R - Boys and boarding school.
Would it come ...
R - Boys only.
Was it a Grammar School then, or Private or…
R - No it was a private school. And the headmaster was a Licentiate of the College of Preceptors. And he took us through the College of Preceptors examination year by year, the junior or first year, second year, third year and so on you see? And I was there for seven years and I took the lot. Six examinations.
So you left school at 16 then did you?
R- Yes.
Would that be quite rare then?
R – Yes. That was as far as he could take me, you see? I mean, he couldn't, he’d no classes beyond 16. And indeed, it was the custom then for boys to leave school and go into the professions and to business at that period.
But I would have thought it might have been quite unusual for people to have stayed on as far as 16.
R - Well it was, no most people left at 15 or 16. Yes.
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Did they!
R- You see the parents who sent boys to that school were parents who had an expectation of what education would do for the children you see?
Because that would be a fee paying place wouldn't it?
R - It was, oh yes.
Could you have gone to Grammar School?
R – No, there wasn’t one. There was no Public School until 1905 and that was when the King Edward VII School was built in St Annes, later followed by the Queen Mary. And the funds for that lay in a charity which had been founded in seventeen hundred and something, by a generous minded man who invested, who bought a plot of land in Blackpool, in the centre of Blackpool. And as Blackpool developed, the income from the land rose until they had money to pay thousands of pounds to build these schools. Now, those now you would call Grammar Schools, the equivalent of Grammar Schools, you see. Yes.
Yes. Yes, somebody obviously managed it well.
R- Oh yes.
Did any of your friends in the locality go to Grammar School? No, they wouldn’t do would they? No.
R - There was no Grammar School.
How old were your parents? Did you know when they left school?
R – No, I don’t know.
Did you ever attend night classes after you had left school?
R- Yes.
And what did you study?
R - Cotton weaving.
How many years did you go, can you remember?
R - 1906 and 8 .. four years I think.
And, presumably, you worked for some sort of qualification?
R- Yes. City and Guilds Institute of Examinations.
And you passed?
R - Yes, I did.
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