The Timberscombe Friendly Society on the Timberscombe Club Walk, Followed by Children, 1936 and Uncle Fred Norman
Title
The Timberscombe Friendly Society on the Timberscombe Club Walk, Followed by Children, 1936 and Uncle Fred Norman
Subject
Description
The upper image is an original postcard depicting members of the Timberscombe Friendly Society holding its annual Club Walk. On either the first Tuesday (1) or Thursday (2) in June, all healthy males (who were members), within a 15 mile radius of Timberscombe, were required to participate in this event as support of the Society (3). With origins dating from ancient Greek and Roman artisans and the craft guilds of the Middle Ages (4), the Friendly Society was an association that provided social and financial support for the common man. In the days before national health, widespread insurance or credit unions, the Society's goal was to supply aid when needed for funeral expenses, unemployment benefits, pensions and cooperative banking, as well as care for the ill or mentally unstable.
Friendly Societies arose throughout Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries and by 1892, 80% of male industrial workers were members (5). The Timberscombe Friendly Society was founded in 1827 (6).
More than likely this group had begun the walk at Bickham Manor on the southeast end of Timberscombe (as pictured at SP-106). It seems that they are marching along the road called Addison's Folly, later renamed Bemberry Bank, which leads from the manor to the village centre. As visible here, the marchers are followed by a group of children. Traditionally the men carried staffs adorned with flowers, foliage and ribbon, with most of the marchers having a flower in their coat label. Officially women were not in the procession and were not permitted to be members. However a close look of the postcard reveals at least one woman, not only marching behind the men but also carrying a flowered staff.
No doubt other women were already at St. Petrock's Church, preparing a late breakfast to be served to the gentlemen. At 2s6d a plate, all proceeds went to the Friendly Society (7). After the breakfast, sports may have been played at the club field and a village fair may have been on offer. Various houses in the village were gaily decorated and the Society members would go door to door in hopes of collecting donations. The flowered staffs might have had a common emblem, unique to the parish, at their top point (8), so that a donor knew their coins would benefit local people--or perhaps themselves at some future time. As the day wained, the marchers would reorganise the Club Walk, finishing at Duddings, the farmhouse on the northeastern edge of the village (9), as pictured at SP-113.
This particular walk was held in 1936, with that date penciled in the upper left corner of the reverse side of the postcard, as seen above. Printed along the left edge of the photograph is "R. KINGSLEY TAYLER, 3 The Avenue, MINEHEAD, Phone 345" . Richard Kingsley Tayler, a portrait and commercial photographer, had opened his Minehead studio the year before this photograph, on the site previously used as a photography studio by Alfred Vowles (10). Born in 1905 at Reduth, Cornwall (11), Mr. Tayler also became renown in West Somerset for his newspaper photography. He died in 1979 (12).
The penciled "1936" may have been written by Mrs. Mary Wright, Head Teacher at the Timberscombe School, from 1976 to 1985. In September 2021, the postcard was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group by Mrs. Wright's nephew, John D. Jones of Monmouthshire. Also handwritten on the reverse is "Club Walk (loaned by Mrs. Norman)". It appears the postcard was not returned.
The loaner was probably Elsie Victoria (nee Gadd) Norman. She and her husband, Frederick John Norman (widely known as "Uncle" Fred Norman) lived in 1936 at Berrowcote on Brewers Green, Timberscombe's village green (13). They were the first inhabitants at this cottage since it ceased being the village's Post Office, for over the past 90 years, in the mid -1930's.
Also around this date, another Frederick J. Norman and his wife, Edith (aka "Eda") Norman, lived at The Knapp on Church Street (14). Elsie may have the edge over Edith as being the "Mrs. Norman" credited on the postcard's reverse side. Uncle Fred, a Farm Carter and avid bellringer at St. Petrock's (15), was also a known member of the Friendly Society. Indeed, he is pictured on the bottom photograph, donated to the History Group by Joan Vaulter (1925-2019) in 2017 and who identified Mr. Norman as the gentleman (and called him "Uncle Norman"), on the right edge of the photograph, holding a staff at a Club Walk, also likely in the 1930's (16). In 2020, Maurice Huxtable (1932-2021) , a lifelong resident of Timberscombe, recalled that Frederick John Norman was known as Uncle Fred to distinguish himself from other Fred Norman's. Uncle Fred Norman died in 1975 and Elsie Norman died in 1977 (17), and so could have personally loaned the postcard to Mrs. Wright.
At the time of the postcard, participation in the Timberscombe Club Walk was declining. In 1892, the Timberscombe Friendly Society had around 130 members. By the 1930's, there were about 60 (18). On the 4th of May 1911, the Nation Health Insurance Bill was introduced into the House of Commons and the Insurance Act of 1911 was passed (19). The final Club Walk is reported to have been in 1939 (20) and the Timberscombe Friendly Society was disbanded c. 1948 (21)--the same year that the National Health Service was initiated (22).
Friendly Societies arose throughout Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries and by 1892, 80% of male industrial workers were members (5). The Timberscombe Friendly Society was founded in 1827 (6).
More than likely this group had begun the walk at Bickham Manor on the southeast end of Timberscombe (as pictured at SP-106). It seems that they are marching along the road called Addison's Folly, later renamed Bemberry Bank, which leads from the manor to the village centre. As visible here, the marchers are followed by a group of children. Traditionally the men carried staffs adorned with flowers, foliage and ribbon, with most of the marchers having a flower in their coat label. Officially women were not in the procession and were not permitted to be members. However a close look of the postcard reveals at least one woman, not only marching behind the men but also carrying a flowered staff.
No doubt other women were already at St. Petrock's Church, preparing a late breakfast to be served to the gentlemen. At 2s6d a plate, all proceeds went to the Friendly Society (7). After the breakfast, sports may have been played at the club field and a village fair may have been on offer. Various houses in the village were gaily decorated and the Society members would go door to door in hopes of collecting donations. The flowered staffs might have had a common emblem, unique to the parish, at their top point (8), so that a donor knew their coins would benefit local people--or perhaps themselves at some future time. As the day wained, the marchers would reorganise the Club Walk, finishing at Duddings, the farmhouse on the northeastern edge of the village (9), as pictured at SP-113.
This particular walk was held in 1936, with that date penciled in the upper left corner of the reverse side of the postcard, as seen above. Printed along the left edge of the photograph is "R. KINGSLEY TAYLER, 3 The Avenue, MINEHEAD, Phone 345" . Richard Kingsley Tayler, a portrait and commercial photographer, had opened his Minehead studio the year before this photograph, on the site previously used as a photography studio by Alfred Vowles (10). Born in 1905 at Reduth, Cornwall (11), Mr. Tayler also became renown in West Somerset for his newspaper photography. He died in 1979 (12).
The penciled "1936" may have been written by Mrs. Mary Wright, Head Teacher at the Timberscombe School, from 1976 to 1985. In September 2021, the postcard was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group by Mrs. Wright's nephew, John D. Jones of Monmouthshire. Also handwritten on the reverse is "Club Walk (loaned by Mrs. Norman)". It appears the postcard was not returned.
The loaner was probably Elsie Victoria (nee Gadd) Norman. She and her husband, Frederick John Norman (widely known as "Uncle" Fred Norman) lived in 1936 at Berrowcote on Brewers Green, Timberscombe's village green (13). They were the first inhabitants at this cottage since it ceased being the village's Post Office, for over the past 90 years, in the mid -1930's.
Also around this date, another Frederick J. Norman and his wife, Edith (aka "Eda") Norman, lived at The Knapp on Church Street (14). Elsie may have the edge over Edith as being the "Mrs. Norman" credited on the postcard's reverse side. Uncle Fred, a Farm Carter and avid bellringer at St. Petrock's (15), was also a known member of the Friendly Society. Indeed, he is pictured on the bottom photograph, donated to the History Group by Joan Vaulter (1925-2019) in 2017 and who identified Mr. Norman as the gentleman (and called him "Uncle Norman"), on the right edge of the photograph, holding a staff at a Club Walk, also likely in the 1930's (16). In 2020, Maurice Huxtable (1932-2021) , a lifelong resident of Timberscombe, recalled that Frederick John Norman was known as Uncle Fred to distinguish himself from other Fred Norman's. Uncle Fred Norman died in 1975 and Elsie Norman died in 1977 (17), and so could have personally loaned the postcard to Mrs. Wright.
At the time of the postcard, participation in the Timberscombe Club Walk was declining. In 1892, the Timberscombe Friendly Society had around 130 members. By the 1930's, there were about 60 (18). On the 4th of May 1911, the Nation Health Insurance Bill was introduced into the House of Commons and the Insurance Act of 1911 was passed (19). The final Club Walk is reported to have been in 1939 (20) and the Timberscombe Friendly Society was disbanded c. 1948 (21)--the same year that the National Health Service was initiated (22).
Creator
R. Kingsley Tayler /
Anonymous
Anonymous
Publisher
R. Kingsley Tayler
Date
1936
likely 1930s
likely 1930s
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
Timberscombe Club Walk, 1936 / Timberscombe / (seemingly) the western edge of the village
Acquisition Date
2021
2017
2017
Acquisition Method
Gift
Gift
Gift
Category
PEOPLE: Organisations / Timberscombe
EVENTS: the Timberscombe Club Walk / Timberscombe
EVENTS: the Timberscombe Club Walk / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2021
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
9 X 13.5 (original postcard)
11 X 17.5
6.5 X 10.5
9.5 X 15.5
11 X 17.5
6.5 X 10.5
9.5 X 15.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) Victoria County History News Letter, Spring/ Summer, 2014 (2) "THE VILLAGE OF TIMBERSCOMBE AND IT'S CHURCH", by B. L. K. Henderson and G. O. E. Henderson, printed by E. Goodman and Son, Ltd., The Phoenix Press, Taunton, 1955 (3) VCH (4) Encyclopedia Britannica, britannica.com (5) Encyclopedia.com (6) VCH News Letter (7) at least that was the price as labeled on SP-109, an Alfred Vowles photograph of The Friendly Society at St. Petrock's Church (8) "THE VILLAGE OF TIMBERSCOMBE AND IT'S CHURCH" (9) as recalled in 2018 at Duddings Holiday Cottages and as photographed at SP-113 (10) Historical Chronology of Minehead, minehead-on-line.co.uk and 1939 England and Wales Register (11) 1911 England Census (12) "Secure the shadow: Somerset Photographers 1839-1939" by Robin Ansell, Allan Collier and Phil Nichols, The Somerset & Dorset Family History Society, 2018 (13) 1939 England and Wales Register and Deeds and Conveyances held by Alan Hines and Thomas Sperling, current owners of Burrow Cottage (14) 1939 England and Wales Register and UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (15) 1939 England and Wales Register and Frederick John Norman is photographed with the Timberscombe bellringers at SP-067 and SP-068 (16) as recalled by Joan Vaulter in August and October 2017, during conversations with Marion Jeffrey (17) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (both Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Norman's are buried at St. Petrock's Churchyard (18) VCH (19) dippan.ac.uk/ eppi/ documents. (20) "THE VILLAGE OF TIMBERSCOMBE AND IT'S CHURCH" (21) VCH. (22) nationalarchives.gov.uk
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2021
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-112
Technique
Original Postcard
Copy
Copy
Collection
Citation
R. Kingsley Tayler /
Anonymous, “The Timberscombe Friendly Society on the Timberscombe Club Walk, Followed by Children, 1936 and Uncle Fred Norman,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 16, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3215.
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