1884: The Social Roots of Illingworth St Mary's Cricket Club

1. 1884: The Social Roots of Illingworth St Mary's Cricket Club

2. Batting Order • What made it possible? • What made it difficult? • How might cricket develop? • The Church • How the club emerged - Whodunit and Whendunit? • The Rules • Social composition of membership • Church, Competition and Ambition • Conclusion

3. What made it possible? • Less repressive attitude to popular leisure since c.1850 Less fear of social and political disorder:- Jacobinism and Luddism a distant memory Demise of Chartism Factory System more accepted by workers • Increased potential for recreation Saturday half-holiday – general in Halifax from 1873 Increased disposable income, generally • Middle class sponsorship of ‘improving’ leisure Emergence of ‘rational recreation’ - orderly and productive Public Schools reformation of sports (cult of games or ‘muscular Christianity’) • Political and Demographic Changes By 1884in Halifax c. 70% of men had the vote (politcial clout) ‘Baby boom’ up to 1870 - lots of young men about in 1884 • Potential Opponents already playing fixtures

4. What made it difficult? • Income - downturn in textiles from 1873 Unemployment less regular • Need of a ground Enclosure had greatly reduced possibilities around Illingworth Communal area at Skircoat Moor 4 - 5 miles distant • Transport Very little road development in Halifax in C19 No regular omnibus service until 1887 Hackney carriages too expensive Trams only from 1898 Railways not too helpful to Illingworth or opponents - Travel by foot or waggonette

5. How might cricket develop? • ‘Gentlemanly-Amateur’ Public School ethos ‘How you play the game’ Paying spectators despised • ‘Player-Professional’ Playing to win Payment and expenses Supporters and gate money • A different or hybrid model?

6. The Church • A vital social gathering centre • 1851 Religious Census and interdenominational Competition Mission to recruit and retain working class, especially males • regarded offering recreation facilities a good way to do this • Strength of Sunday Schools (But concerns following 1870 Education Act) • Clergy major disseminators of reformed games Clergy in Halifax often Oxbridge Desire to impose Victorian morality and ‘muscular Christianity’ in sport • Landowners • Many church-based teams formed

7. How the Club Emerged • Where did the push come from? Clergy? Prominent Churchmen? Someone else?

8. The Cricketing Curate Revd William Taliesyn Davies Oxford Graduate Curate of St Mary’s 1877-79 Predates regular cricket at the church 6th July 1878:35 not out for St Mary’s Illingworth v Nursery Lane Catalyst for regular cricket at the church? Did he secure the ground? Illingworth’s Sam Fielden?

9. First recorded fixture of 1877 21st July 1877 at Illingworth Moor Illingworth St Mary’s 49 Illingworth Wesleyans 96 for 9

11. Recorded Fixtures 1877 - 1883

13. Revd Georges Oldacres Vicar of Illingworth 1879 to 1913 Cambridge Graduate of the 1860s First President of the cricket club, 1884-1913 Described by Revd G R Oakley historian of St Mary’s church as a minister of: extraordinary personal influence which he wielded as a result of his single-minded and deeply religious character… An intensely serious man – not always, perhaps, disposed to make full allowance for youthful exuberance… Attended only higher profile meetings

14. Frederic Llewellyn Hughes Curate of Illingworth 1881 to 1889 MA from Cambridge First Vice President of the cricket club, 1884-1889 Established a precedent of high standards More actively involved, especially in the earlier meetings

15. General Meeting 22nd February 1884

16. The Rules

21. Social Composition

22. Todmorden CC Social Composition of Membership 1838: ‘majority… employers of labour or self-employed’ 1850: Working class members: 43.8% Middle class members: 56.2%

24. Illingworth 1884 Total Known Membership, 1884 41 Occupation known (excluding clergymen and scholars) 28 Professional, entrepreneurial and other middle classes 6 Shopkeepers, independent craftsmen and lower middle classes 4 Working classes 18 Between sixteen and nineteen of the members under 17

25. cf. Illingworth & earlier Tod • St Mary’s, Illingworth CC -1884 Working class members: 64.7% Middle class members: 34.3% • Todmorden CC: 1838:‘majority… employers of labour or self-employed’ 1850: Working class members: 43.8% Middle class members: 56.2%

26. Church, Competition and Ambition • Gate money : 4d, June 1884 • Payments and Prizes By 1888 talent money 5/- for hat-trick or 50 Oct 1890 – resolution to hire a professional • Competition Decision to apply for entry to the Parish Cup,August 1887 Disputes: Ovenden Albion by August 1887 Bradshaw – games cancelled Internally, huge interest in batting and bowling averages and prizes • The Change to Rule 3, October 1887 Amendment to church membership qualification

27. Amendment to Rule 3 Sinner but Spinner

29. Why Rule 3 amended • Acquisition of new ground, increasing ambition • Application to play in the Parish Cup, two months earlier • Shortage of players, and ones of the right calibre • Desire to represent the community, not solely the church Cricket club rapidly outgrowing its ecclesiastical origins

30. Conclusion • Some cricket played in Illingworth since 1858 • Revd Davies helped to stimulate cricket during 1877-8 • But demand not supply – cricketers not church - the main factor • Resurgence in 1883, after lean 1881-2, led to desire for formal club • Ambition and competition led to weakening of church’s hold • In October 1887 club demonstrated cohesion and resilience