Provident and Friendly Societies
The earliest known Bedfordshire friendly society was formed at Biggleswade in about 1757 (ref: X136/1 pp.41-2) and others were later established at Barton (1765) and Maulden and Leighton Buzzard (both in 1780, ref: QDF1/2). We know little about the early societies, but they all worked on similar principles. Local people, usually the poorer inhabitants of the parish, paid a small weekly subscription and received payments in cash or kind in case of illness, unemployment or other hardship. They avoided the stigma of parish relief or the workhouse and enjoyed the social life, for many societies were based at local public houses.
Bearing in mind the hundreds of societies formed, especially in the period of 1815 to 1850, the survival rate of records is poor. Fortunately, friendly societies were obliged to deposit copies of their rules at Quarter Sessions between 1793 and 1875 and schedules survive giving the name of the society, place of meeting and the dates of foundation and when the rules were enrolled (ref: QDF1/2). Few of the actual rules survive in the Quarter Sessions papers, but there are a few for the post-1860 period (ref: QDF1/1). In 1855 a central Registry of Friendly Societies was formed, which in 1875 entirely superseded Quarter Sessions in the matter of registration. Their surviving papers are at The National Archives, Kew.
The earliest known Bedfordshire records are the account books of the Melchbourne Club, 1781-1913 (ref: P73/28/1-3) but there are also substantial records for Bletsoe (established in 1834; records 1864-1947, ref: Z195), Eversholt (established in 1863, records 1876-1930, ref: X783) and Kempston (records 1839-1948, ref: X157) friendly societies. The most interesting papers are those of the Silsoe Social and Benevolent Society (established in 1838) which include brief case histories of people deserving help (ref: P54/28/7-8).
Friendly Society contribution card for Three Horse Shoes Slate Club (ref: X704/152/2)
Many friendly societies were organised at parish level, but some were affiliated to County or district organisations. The Bedford District of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Manchester Unity Friendly Society (ref: OF cat) was formed in 1842 and by 1900 had established over 30 lodges in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. The general district records survive from the 1840s; the survival rate of the lodge records is not so good.
In 1875 a committee was formed in order to consider the question of creating a County Friendly Society, encompassing all local societies. Their final report in 1876 decided against the idea (ref: QDF2/1) on the grounds that affiliated societies were better organised and wealthier than parish societies and, unlike them, could provide help to members far from home. Under these circumstances they felt that a County Friendly Society would not survive. It is significant that the parish friendly societies mostly withered away, especially after 1947, while the societies with affiliated branches such as the Odd Fellows and Foresters, survive to this day.