Friendly Society Research
Friendly societies were essentially mutual insurance clubs providing cash benefits in cases of injury and sickness, or to dependents on the death of a member. By the end of the nineteenth century almost every town and village had at least one society.
Societies were either independent, or affiliated to larger organisations. Many independent societies date from the eighteenth century, and perhaps catered for a particular group of workers or were controlled or were run to a degree by local clergymen and other bigwigs. Affiliated societies took off in the 1820s, and were popular because they had financial security as the result of being part of a large organisation. The Ancient Order of Foresters was the largest of these affiliated bodies.
Social activity was another reason for joining. Many societies engaged in some form of harmless ritual based on Masonic rites, which gave members a feeling of belonging. The big event of the year was often a parade to the parish church for a service before sitting down to a large dinner.
National Insurance from 1911and the Welfare State and the National Health Service in the late 1940s saw the end of most societies, as the services offered were now provided by the state and the social events no longer had the attraction they once did. A small number of friendly societies still survive offering good value financial services.
There is difficult to detect any physical evidence of the existence of these societies, as most met in pubs. A few built their own halls, either single or acting jointly, but most have long been demolished.
Archival evidence is also patchy. Only about 5 percent of records of friendly societies have been deposited in local archives, generally for branches of national friendly societies, rather than for independent local societies. This material often comprises of odd items which may mean that it may difficult to research the story of a local friendly society or build up the picture of activity in a particular district.
The most common records are friendly society rulebooks, which give an idea of societies were run. They are less use for anybody wishing to discover how individual societies changed over time. An almost complete set is at the Public Record Office.
Another important series of records are the annual reports produced by the official Registrar of Friendly Societies from 1852 onwards. These reports contain detailed accounts of his work, including details of cases dealt with, and a bewildering array of statistics. Copies are in Parliamentary Papers. These Papers also contain other material relating to friendly societies: the most interesting of which are reports and evidence presented to the various investigative commissions and select committees, and surveys. There is, for example, a survey of 1910 listing every society or branch, county by county, with details of membership, assets, income and other information, which is impossible to find elsewhere.
Surviving societies themselves may have records. The Foresters based in Southampton, and the Rechabites in Manchester hold particularly good collections. The National Register of Archives has details of records for some 1700 different friendly societies or branches kept by record offices. Holdings at local record offices usually include a scattering of minute and rule books, with the occasional accounts.
Other more general sources which could help in your researches are:
There is very little written about friendly society and their records. The first place to start is the article by Audrey Fisk, 'Friendly Societies and Local History' which appeared in the Local Historian (Vol 29 no 9 May 1999). It is also available as a separate booklet from the British Association of Local History. Another useful guide is Roger Logan, Friendly Society Records (Federation of Family History Societies, 2000). The Ancient Order of Foresters have published a series of leaflets about their records, which are available from the Foresters Heritage Trust, College Place, Southampton SO15 2FE.
A national society encouraging research into all aspects of friendly societies is the Friendly Society Research Group, c/o Faculty of Social Science, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA.
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