The Local Historian Volume 29, Number 2 May 1999

By Jerome Farrell

This article takes the 1851 census data as a basis for an analysis of the Irish community living in Hammersmith and Fulham in the mid-19th century, a significant period in the history of Irish migration to London since it just postdates the major exodus from Ireland caused by the Great Famine. Light is shed on issues such as the numbers of Irish people living there at the time, the parts of Ireland from which they came, how they earned a living, and whereabouts they lived, with some occasional insights into their living conditions. The article also tackles the issue of identifying families who had left Ireland during the famine period, and looks at how data for this group compares with that for the wider Irish population living in the area. The overall picture is of a substantial number of Irish people living in the area in 1851, principally poor and unskilled labourers, more than half of whom came from County Cork and over a third of the remainder from County Limerick. They were concentrated in certain districts, in poor and overcrowded conditions. Many were employed in casual seasonal work in the local market gardens. Many, possibly the majority, left Ireland during the famine period. Scattered throughout the district, and much less likely to be famine refugees, were smaller numbers of Irish-born tradesmen, shopkeepers, policemen and a few members of the professional, middle and upper classes.

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By Graham Neville

Using documents recently released by the Public Record Office, this article describes a particular instance of the impact of the Second World War on land utilisation in Worcestershire. The County War Agricultural Executive Committee had the power to evict farmers judged to be inefficient. This provoked the formation of a national Farmers' Rights Association, under the presidency of Sir Walter Blount. The tenant farmers on his land in the Mamble district on the Worcestershire-Shropshire border were evicted, and the Worcestershire WAE decided to farm the land directly with a permanent labour force. In addition to a few local workers, and members of the women's Land Army, the main workforce consisted of conscientious objectors. These were men directed by tribunals into farm work and controlled by the Essential Work Order. They were recruited by the International Voluntary Service for Peace, the British branch of Service Civil International, founded by the Swiss engineer Pierre Ceresole. They were based at Carton Farm, Bayton, and created a small democratic community, donating their wages to the IVSP with an allowance of pocket money for personal needs. The farms were converted from mixed dairy and poultry use to arable cultivation, and were handed back in improved condition to the landlord at the end of the war.

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By Audrey Fisk

This article seeks to encourage the inclusion of friendly society activity within studies of local history. It outlines the social and economic benefits to working families of the friendly society movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and reviews the range and types of sources available. In particular, it describes the archive collected by one of the large affiliated orders of friendly society, the Ancient Order of Foresters. Two examples are given, one from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire and one from Aylsham in Norfolk, briefly explaining what can be achieved using friendly society data in conjunction with other general material such as newspaper reports, trade directories and census records. Such studies can throw light on tensions within local communities as well as opening new windows onto the reality of the lives of working people.

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By Frances Wilmot

Birmingham's first and pioneering open-air school was developed by the city's school medical service in 1911 and became a model which other local authorities followed. Malnutrition and tuberculosis were rife in working-class areas and as a result thousands of children were sick and unable to attend school. As a result of the patronage of Barrow Cadbury and his wife Geraldine the first three schools were founded, at Uffculme, Cropwood and Hunters Hill, for children suffering from anaemia, respiratory ailments, and many other illnesses. Three other schools were subsequently established, because of the success rates achieved by the first three. The national open-air school movement began in 1907 as part of a national policy to improve public health. School medical inspections became compulsory for all local authorities and the School Medical Service was founded. Open-air schools were provided for selected pupils to benefit from fresh air, rest, exercise and nourishing food. These institutions flourished for over fifty years, until they were superseded by modern medicines and medical care, and by improved living standards. An extensive research project to record this fascinating human story culminated in the publication of A Breath of Fresh Air: Birmingham's Open-Air Schools 1911-1970, by former pupils Frances Wilmot and Pauline Saul. This article traces the development of the schools, the national system, research sources and methods, and the marketing and publishing strategies for the book. Primary and secondary sources include oral reminiscences, school records, newspaper articles, photographs and background publications. Information on other open-air schools is now being sought for a future publication.