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I have started a study of political events in Eydon since 1848. In that year an important Franchise Act was passed by Parliament; one result of this was that the male inhabitants of Eydon were to be enfranchised - previously very few qualified for the vote. (NB - the ladies, or some of them, didn't get the vote until 1918).
I propose to work on until modern times. If anyone can lend me material or talk to me of political events in Eydon, I would be happy to call. I particularly need material regarding the Liberal and Labour causes. Apart from references in Tyrrell's book regarding the Liberal party at then end of the 18th century, I have little to work on. Tony Elliott
You may remember the recent Village Appraisal which published extracts from the minutes of the last hundred years' Parish Council meetings. Amongst them is a curt note from October 1940 that "a protest meeting was called by eight ratepayers against a German living in the village." The Rector spoke against the meeting and managed to limit the protest to a letter to Mr Brand saying that the cottage could be better used by one of the village.
The cottage in question was the Lodge on the Culworth Road, where for two years from 1940, German economist and philosopher Fritz Schumacher and his family lived. Schumacher effectively started the appropriate technology movement. He put his ideas into practice by starting the international development charity Intermediate Technology in 1966, and set out his philosophy in the influential book, "Small is Beautiful".
Fritz Schumacher had fled Germany but as an enemy alien he found it difficult to get war work. By day, Fritz worked as a labourer on the Hall Farm, whilst at night he was developing the plans for the economic recovery of Europe and the USA after the end of the war. As the Parish Council minutes make clear, there was considerable hostility to him in the village at first. Only Tyrrell's shop would serve them and one night his house was attacked by a gang shouting and throwing stones at the windows.
In time this hostility died away and Schumacher came to regard his years in Eydon as pivotal, revising his thinking on rural development. He was not too impressed with some of the things he found however, complaining that he spent part of his time rebuilding walls that the frost had brought down. He comments that the main reason for the walls crumbling was the use of too little cement in the mortar, but his fellow workers explained that if they put more cement in the mortar, it became harder to rebuild when they fell down. His efforts to explain that they wouldn't fall down in the first place went unappreciated!
Do you remember anything about Fritz Schumacher and his family during their time in the village? If so, I would love to hear from you.
Kevin Lodge 01327 261535
An unexpected find has led to some interesting research. Barbara and Colin at the Royal Oak have recently been given a large framed document which had been found by the new owner of Annie Bricknell's house. The document related to a group of Eydon men who were setting up a local branch of the ancient Order of the Foresters. Curiosity led to contact with the Heritage Trust of the Foresters.
The Society is, and was, a Friendly Society. St up by, and for, working men in 1834 it served as a mutual help society (essential before the Welfare State). Members paid a subscription and helped each other in times of sickness or distress. Membership was then limited to those living within a two and half mile radius. Even though the meeting place was usually the local pub, brethren "were expected to be temperate and not bring the Order into disrepute".
The document found was the Dispensation - the approval to set up a court. Eydon was Court number 1514 and its chosen name was the "United Brothers". Or to be strictly accurate, it was the renewed dispensation dated 19 January 1894. This would suggest that at some stage the membership lapsed and it was renewed. Dispensation was originally granted in 1842 to Robert Taylor, then landlord of the Royal Oak. In 1845 it had twenty members; by 1871 the Secretary was George Golby and membership had risen to 79. As the century went on, membership rose and the average age fell. In 1900 there were 173 members with an average age of 33. Most of the men were joining at the age of 18. 1913 is particularly interesting. The Foresters were approved to run Lloyd George's National Insurance scheme and examination of the members shows that 227 of the 278 voluntary members were earning less than £160 p.a.
By 1939, membership was 148 but with the introduction of the Welfare State in 1948, it fell considerably since there was less motivation for belonging. Having dropped to 78 members in 1955, it merged with a Banbury court in 1960, which in turn merged with another in Charlton. The names on the document for 1894 are John Edden, George Golby and William Heygate Smith. Looking at the following list, some posts seem to have been kept in the family:
1867 Secretary Anthony Vitty, Post Office 1894 Secretary C.J. Golby
1871 Secretary George Golby, mason 1897 Secretary J.H. Golby
1876 Treasurer J. Smith 1917 Treasurer A.Herbert
1882 Treasurer W. Herbert 1925 Treasurer J.H. Lines
1883 Treasurer W.H.Smith 1945 Secretary P.E. Pratt
Research continues .......
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