Darlington Lecture Association was formed in 1881 and was originally called "The Student Society”. It arose from a meeting which gathered at Darlington Mechanics Institute on the evening of 4 April 1881 to hear a Mr J. E. Morton urge a case for the setting up of a Students' Association in the town to support the work of the University Extension Scheme of Lectures and Discussions. The aims and objectives of Students' Associations, at that time, were to provide the means by which the chief University Extension Lecturers could better communicate with their Students and help them to continue their extra mural studies during the summer months when there were no extension scheme activities as such.
The proposal was approved that evening and a Mr Philip Wood, Headmaster of the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School became Chairman of the new body. It seems that there must have been some slight hiatus getting the new Association into action as may be evinced from the following extract from a local Newspaper:
"Students Association has a delightful sound. It conjures mental visions of all that has been done in wide realms of intellectual effort. Why such an Association should have no chance of existence in a town like Darlington is a problem only patent to a few of the original suggestions ……It is a pity that such a desirable movement should have been throttled for want of a little energy"
Fortunately the commentators doleful prediction of strangulation at birth proved wide of the mark and by 1882/83 the new Students Association was well under way. Since that time its life has been continuous although there was a slight break in the Lecture Programme during the 1939/45 War. The name of the Association was changed in 1933/34 when there were some changes in the rules. This will be discussed further later in this note.
The first recorded Minutes of the Students Association are for the Annual General Meeting of 8 May 1883 when Mr Percy Wood was re–elected as President for 1883/84. By then the Association had already seen some activity although there is no written record of that first year. There is, however, a printed list of the 110 members dated 1883 still in existence.
The Committee elected at that first Annual General Meeting consisted of six Ladies and six Gentlemen, but it must be admitted that this equality of sexes did not seem to be continuous, and Management and Control seem to have been mainly a male preserve. The first Woman President was not elected until 1909/10. In subsequent years Woman Presidents were elected at fairly long intervals, with only seven taking office over the period from 1909 to 1979. Even in 1981/82 there was only one woman on the Executive Committee. To date there has only been one woman as Secretary and none at all as Treasurer. Recently however the Association did elect a woman as Honorary Auditor.
The position has changed fairly radically in recent years, with five women currently serving on the Executive Committee and Lady Presidents have held office in four out of the last nine years. During the time that records have been kept there have always been more woman members than men although there are now a considerable number of husband and wife joint members. The average age profile has always been middle aged and above with a considerable number of Pensioners.
In the early days Lectures were usually given by members themselves or by local people, and sometimes fairly abstruse subjects were discussed. As the Association gathered momentum special public Lectures were arranged. A major event in 1884 was a Lecture on Robert Burns by the famous Edinburgh critic Professor John Stuart Blackie. Special admission charges were made, and he drew a full house to the Mechanics Institute Hall. As early as January 1890 the Committee discussed a suggestion that H. M. Stanley, the renowned explorer of Africa, and seeker after Livingston might be invited to give a public lecture. It was reported that he could be engaged for a fee of 50 guineas, an extremely high fee for those days. It was eventually decided that it was outside the range of the Society. Many years later there was an interesting coincidence, when, in 1976 Colonel Blashford Snell, prefaced his fascinating account of the Zaire Expedition by showing a series of photographs taken by Stanley during his African Adventures. These instances illustrate the ambitions, and energies of the Organizing Committee of the day, and this has always been a feature of the Association.
By the turn of the Century times were changing and there appears to have been some dissatisfaction at the apparent lack of interest by the organisers of the University Extension Scheme. At a committee meeting in April 1903 it was suggested that the Students Association should form the basis of the Extension scheme jointly with the Co-operative Society and the Mechanics Institute. At that year’s Annual General Meeting the idea was agreed and the Association decided to guarantee £10 towards the expenses of the Extension scheme, if required. It seems as if this was the first hint of change to an existence for the Association independent of the extension scheme. Lectures were now arranged for the Autumn and Winter evenings, a pattern that has been followed ever since. By 1909 Membership had reached 240. Professional Speakers booked for comparatively high fees became a regular feature. These events were often open to the public and attracted large audiences with many being turned away.
In 1912 a major turning point was reached in the Administration of the Association. The Secretary, a Mr W.B. Todd, reported that there was too much work attached to the duties of Secretary and Treasurer for one person satisfactorily to attend to both, and the Annual Meeting was asked to separate the two Offices. Mr. Trevor Morris was appointed Treasurer, with Mr Todd retaining the post of Secretary. This was a momentous decision as it introduced to the Association Mr Morris, a local Banker, who with one small gap of two years gave 42 years service at different times serving as Treasurer and Secretary and President, sometimes occupying two offices at the same time. It is a factor in the history of the Association that a succession of people have given long periods of service in varying capacities. Successive Secretaries have frequently stayed in Office for a decade or more, and others whilst not aspiring to high office, have frequently been involved actively for very considerable periods of time. It may be that this accounts to some extent for the continuity of policy, and the remarkable complete records. Minute Books are still in existence covering every meeting, including the first one, and there are printed Programmes covering almost every event arranged by the Association.
The Association successfully survived the years of the 1914/18 War with Lectures continuing to be held. In 1919 the Secretary reported a membership of 526. During the years between the Wars the Association carried out its regular Programmes. A fluctuating membership gave cause for concern and in 1931 it was suggested that the Association should be wound up. As an alternative it was agreed to form a Guarantee Fund of £31.13.6d which was raised from members. For the next season five Lectures were arranged but with the proviso that Speakers fees in total should not exceed £50. It was indeed a difficult time due to the Industrial depression and while a membership of 350 was said to be the minimum to ensure continuance of the Association as a self supporting body (which has always been its ambition) membership fell well below the 300 mark. However by 1934 it had increased to 400 with a profit on the season of £12 and a balance in hand (irrespective of-the reserve fund) of £30.
Around this time there seem to have been fairly prolonged discussions on suggested changes to the rules, but no particular record as to why the changed were needed, or what prompted the move. The major result however was to change the name to the present Darlington Lecture Association. The membership card for 1933/34 appeared under the new title, and gave the amended rules. The Darlington Lecture Association was changed to provide annually a series of Lectures on matters of general and specific interest. There was no apparent change in activities as a result. The Association carried on its Programmes in much the same style, but now it was organized solely to meet the wishes of its members, and so it has continued to this day.
A Programme was arranged for the 1939/40 season, but following the ban on public gatherings, proclaimed at the outbreak of the war, the Committee had no choice but to suspend operations. The Association was kept quietly in being, and in 1943 it was suggested that a trial lecture might be arranged to test the feelings of the public and would be members. Lecture Agencies were unable to produce a suitable Speaker and the plan fell through. In September 1944 a Programme for 1944/45 was proposed and the first Speaker was Bernard Newman, author, traveler, commentator on foreign affairs, who became a great favorite with members, in subsequent years. The Lectures were then held in the Hall of the Grammar School, with the Head of the Grammar School taking office as President. Membership reached 373. The subscription for the new Season was fixed at 6s a figure to remain unchanged for many years.
Membership continued to fluctuate but single lecture admissions assisted the finances. For example, Ralph Wightman, the well known broadcaster on country affairs had a queue outside the Mechanics Institute where events were once again being held, and many were turned away. In the 1950s Lectures were being held in the Bondgate Memorial Hall, and by 1957 Membership had reached the limit for the Hall and stood at 633 with a waiting list of 95. The Association was riding high, but once again a decline set in. Competition from Television and other forms of entertainment had its effect and by 1968 membership was down to 229 and by 1973 it had declined to 177 with the Association being barely viable and in very real danger of folding, as did so many bodies of a similar nature throughout the Country. In 1964/65 the Association increased the subscription to 7/6d the first increase for 20 years.
At around that time the Executive Committee was strengthened by new people, who produced a range of initiatives which attracted attention and for several years membership stood at around 250 although by the Centenary Year in 1992/93 it was again down to about 200. The Centenary year of 1982/83 proved to be a watershed in the recent history of the Association. With some reservations the Association booked Sir Ranulph Fiennes to give the Centenary Celebrity Lecture. He was booked some two years before the event, and at that time he was virtually unknown, and had only just started on, what became, his memorable Transglobe Expedition. It was a brave decision by the Executive Committee and particularly by the President for the Centenary Year, Richard Luck, who persuaded the Executive Committee that it was a wide choice. Fortune favors the brave. Sir Ranulph completed his expedition only a few weeks before he was due to appear in Darlington.
He hit the world headlines and the event created tremendous local interest. The result was a capacity house, and a large number of new members, many of whom joined the Society just to hear Sir Ranulph. Some did not renew their membership but many did and this set the pattern for a period of continuous success. Making full use of publicity and marketing methods allied to attractive and ambitious Programmes the Association attracted considerable attention in the area and for the last three years has had a full membership of 600 with a waiting list. The capacity of the Hall is 464 and a full house is a regular feature.
It has always been the policy of the Association to keep subscriptions as low as is practicable, bearing in mind that many members are Pensioners. To this end they have been helped by local businesses making modest financial contributions. They do this for largely altruistic reasons as they wish to encourage the Association in the work they feel is being done to improve the quality of life in the town. It is still a fact, however, that over 9% of the revenue of the Association comes from Members subscriptions, The current subscription of £7 for eight events including a free glass of wine at the President's Evening is a remarkable bargain and this has been achieved by close control of costs. The fairly rapid increase in membership, over the past decade has resulted in windfall receipts and this in turn has allowed us to accumulate a substantial reserve to ensure the continued success and viability of the Association.
Since 1933 and probably much earlier than that the Association has had no formal links with any Educational Establishment. The Society exists as a completely independent voluntary body with a responsibility only to its members who elect the Officers and Executive Committee who run it on a day to day basis with the responsibility to answer to the Members at the Annual General Meeting. It has never at any time had any paid Officials, and most Officers and members of the Executive Committee find themselves out of pocket because of their involvement, and it may be that this dedication to an ideal in which they believe is one clue to the longevity and success of the Association. The regular Meetings have been held in a number of venues. The original home was the Mechanics Institute which hosted the Association for many years free of charge. For periods of time Meetings have been held in the Grammar School, the Technical College and in the Bondgate Methodist Memorial Hall where the Association enjoyed its highest membership.
In recent years Darlington College of technology with its attractive Hall and excellent facilities-has been home to the Association. For several years the Hall and services were provided free by the local Educational Authority but the Association now pays a commercial rent. Many leading Educational figures in the town have held high office in the Association including the present Principal of the College of Technology as have many leading businessmen and ordinary laypeople. The holding of office has always been in a personal capacity and not as representing any particular body or interest.
It must be a matter of conjecture as to why the Association became established in the town in the first place and why through many ups and downs it has survived 112 years. It may be that the existence of a Quaker tradition of philanthropy and devotion to a high quality of life played a part although there is no direct evidence of this. What is certain is that the ideals incorporated in its formation and continued throughout its existence attracted a wide range of educationalists, businessmen and ordinary laymen and laywomen prepared to devote time energy and wide ranging talents to the successful running of the Association. It must presumably be a matter of fortune and co-incidence that a succession of such people emerged at a time when the Association was going through critical periods and ensured its continuance, when so many similar bodies were going to the wall. Their memorial must be the existence in Darlington of one of the largest and most successful organizations of its type in the country which seems assured of continuing success in the future.
George Horsley
The proposal was approved that evening and a Mr Philip Wood, Headmaster of the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School became Chairman of the new body. It seems that there must have been some slight hiatus getting the new Association into action as may be evinced from the following extract from a local Newspaper:
"Students Association has a delightful sound. It conjures mental visions of all that has been done in wide realms of intellectual effort. Why such an Association should have no chance of existence in a town like Darlington is a problem only patent to a few of the original suggestions ……It is a pity that such a desirable movement should have been throttled for want of a little energy"
Fortunately the commentators doleful prediction of strangulation at birth proved wide of the mark and by 1882/83 the new Students Association was well under way. Since that time its life has been continuous although there was a slight break in the Lecture Programme during the 1939/45 War. The name of the Association was changed in 1933/34 when there were some changes in the rules. This will be discussed further later in this note.
The first recorded Minutes of the Students Association are for the Annual General Meeting of 8 May 1883 when Mr Percy Wood was re–elected as President for 1883/84. By then the Association had already seen some activity although there is no written record of that first year. There is, however, a printed list of the 110 members dated 1883 still in existence.
The Committee elected at that first Annual General Meeting consisted of six Ladies and six Gentlemen, but it must be admitted that this equality of sexes did not seem to be continuous, and Management and Control seem to have been mainly a male preserve. The first Woman President was not elected until 1909/10. In subsequent years Woman Presidents were elected at fairly long intervals, with only seven taking office over the period from 1909 to 1979. Even in 1981/82 there was only one woman on the Executive Committee. To date there has only been one woman as Secretary and none at all as Treasurer. Recently however the Association did elect a woman as Honorary Auditor.
The position has changed fairly radically in recent years, with five women currently serving on the Executive Committee and Lady Presidents have held office in four out of the last nine years. During the time that records have been kept there have always been more woman members than men although there are now a considerable number of husband and wife joint members. The average age profile has always been middle aged and above with a considerable number of Pensioners.
In the early days Lectures were usually given by members themselves or by local people, and sometimes fairly abstruse subjects were discussed. As the Association gathered momentum special public Lectures were arranged. A major event in 1884 was a Lecture on Robert Burns by the famous Edinburgh critic Professor John Stuart Blackie. Special admission charges were made, and he drew a full house to the Mechanics Institute Hall. As early as January 1890 the Committee discussed a suggestion that H. M. Stanley, the renowned explorer of Africa, and seeker after Livingston might be invited to give a public lecture. It was reported that he could be engaged for a fee of 50 guineas, an extremely high fee for those days. It was eventually decided that it was outside the range of the Society. Many years later there was an interesting coincidence, when, in 1976 Colonel Blashford Snell, prefaced his fascinating account of the Zaire Expedition by showing a series of photographs taken by Stanley during his African Adventures. These instances illustrate the ambitions, and energies of the Organizing Committee of the day, and this has always been a feature of the Association.
By the turn of the Century times were changing and there appears to have been some dissatisfaction at the apparent lack of interest by the organisers of the University Extension Scheme. At a committee meeting in April 1903 it was suggested that the Students Association should form the basis of the Extension scheme jointly with the Co-operative Society and the Mechanics Institute. At that year’s Annual General Meeting the idea was agreed and the Association decided to guarantee £10 towards the expenses of the Extension scheme, if required. It seems as if this was the first hint of change to an existence for the Association independent of the extension scheme. Lectures were now arranged for the Autumn and Winter evenings, a pattern that has been followed ever since. By 1909 Membership had reached 240. Professional Speakers booked for comparatively high fees became a regular feature. These events were often open to the public and attracted large audiences with many being turned away.
In 1912 a major turning point was reached in the Administration of the Association. The Secretary, a Mr W.B. Todd, reported that there was too much work attached to the duties of Secretary and Treasurer for one person satisfactorily to attend to both, and the Annual Meeting was asked to separate the two Offices. Mr. Trevor Morris was appointed Treasurer, with Mr Todd retaining the post of Secretary. This was a momentous decision as it introduced to the Association Mr Morris, a local Banker, who with one small gap of two years gave 42 years service at different times serving as Treasurer and Secretary and President, sometimes occupying two offices at the same time. It is a factor in the history of the Association that a succession of people have given long periods of service in varying capacities. Successive Secretaries have frequently stayed in Office for a decade or more, and others whilst not aspiring to high office, have frequently been involved actively for very considerable periods of time. It may be that this accounts to some extent for the continuity of policy, and the remarkable complete records. Minute Books are still in existence covering every meeting, including the first one, and there are printed Programmes covering almost every event arranged by the Association.
The Association successfully survived the years of the 1914/18 War with Lectures continuing to be held. In 1919 the Secretary reported a membership of 526. During the years between the Wars the Association carried out its regular Programmes. A fluctuating membership gave cause for concern and in 1931 it was suggested that the Association should be wound up. As an alternative it was agreed to form a Guarantee Fund of £31.13.6d which was raised from members. For the next season five Lectures were arranged but with the proviso that Speakers fees in total should not exceed £50. It was indeed a difficult time due to the Industrial depression and while a membership of 350 was said to be the minimum to ensure continuance of the Association as a self supporting body (which has always been its ambition) membership fell well below the 300 mark. However by 1934 it had increased to 400 with a profit on the season of £12 and a balance in hand (irrespective of-the reserve fund) of £30.
Around this time there seem to have been fairly prolonged discussions on suggested changes to the rules, but no particular record as to why the changed were needed, or what prompted the move. The major result however was to change the name to the present Darlington Lecture Association. The membership card for 1933/34 appeared under the new title, and gave the amended rules. The Darlington Lecture Association was changed to provide annually a series of Lectures on matters of general and specific interest. There was no apparent change in activities as a result. The Association carried on its Programmes in much the same style, but now it was organized solely to meet the wishes of its members, and so it has continued to this day.
A Programme was arranged for the 1939/40 season, but following the ban on public gatherings, proclaimed at the outbreak of the war, the Committee had no choice but to suspend operations. The Association was kept quietly in being, and in 1943 it was suggested that a trial lecture might be arranged to test the feelings of the public and would be members. Lecture Agencies were unable to produce a suitable Speaker and the plan fell through. In September 1944 a Programme for 1944/45 was proposed and the first Speaker was Bernard Newman, author, traveler, commentator on foreign affairs, who became a great favorite with members, in subsequent years. The Lectures were then held in the Hall of the Grammar School, with the Head of the Grammar School taking office as President. Membership reached 373. The subscription for the new Season was fixed at 6s a figure to remain unchanged for many years.
Membership continued to fluctuate but single lecture admissions assisted the finances. For example, Ralph Wightman, the well known broadcaster on country affairs had a queue outside the Mechanics Institute where events were once again being held, and many were turned away. In the 1950s Lectures were being held in the Bondgate Memorial Hall, and by 1957 Membership had reached the limit for the Hall and stood at 633 with a waiting list of 95. The Association was riding high, but once again a decline set in. Competition from Television and other forms of entertainment had its effect and by 1968 membership was down to 229 and by 1973 it had declined to 177 with the Association being barely viable and in very real danger of folding, as did so many bodies of a similar nature throughout the Country. In 1964/65 the Association increased the subscription to 7/6d the first increase for 20 years.
At around that time the Executive Committee was strengthened by new people, who produced a range of initiatives which attracted attention and for several years membership stood at around 250 although by the Centenary Year in 1992/93 it was again down to about 200. The Centenary year of 1982/83 proved to be a watershed in the recent history of the Association. With some reservations the Association booked Sir Ranulph Fiennes to give the Centenary Celebrity Lecture. He was booked some two years before the event, and at that time he was virtually unknown, and had only just started on, what became, his memorable Transglobe Expedition. It was a brave decision by the Executive Committee and particularly by the President for the Centenary Year, Richard Luck, who persuaded the Executive Committee that it was a wide choice. Fortune favors the brave. Sir Ranulph completed his expedition only a few weeks before he was due to appear in Darlington.
He hit the world headlines and the event created tremendous local interest. The result was a capacity house, and a large number of new members, many of whom joined the Society just to hear Sir Ranulph. Some did not renew their membership but many did and this set the pattern for a period of continuous success. Making full use of publicity and marketing methods allied to attractive and ambitious Programmes the Association attracted considerable attention in the area and for the last three years has had a full membership of 600 with a waiting list. The capacity of the Hall is 464 and a full house is a regular feature.
It has always been the policy of the Association to keep subscriptions as low as is practicable, bearing in mind that many members are Pensioners. To this end they have been helped by local businesses making modest financial contributions. They do this for largely altruistic reasons as they wish to encourage the Association in the work they feel is being done to improve the quality of life in the town. It is still a fact, however, that over 9% of the revenue of the Association comes from Members subscriptions, The current subscription of £7 for eight events including a free glass of wine at the President's Evening is a remarkable bargain and this has been achieved by close control of costs. The fairly rapid increase in membership, over the past decade has resulted in windfall receipts and this in turn has allowed us to accumulate a substantial reserve to ensure the continued success and viability of the Association.
Since 1933 and probably much earlier than that the Association has had no formal links with any Educational Establishment. The Society exists as a completely independent voluntary body with a responsibility only to its members who elect the Officers and Executive Committee who run it on a day to day basis with the responsibility to answer to the Members at the Annual General Meeting. It has never at any time had any paid Officials, and most Officers and members of the Executive Committee find themselves out of pocket because of their involvement, and it may be that this dedication to an ideal in which they believe is one clue to the longevity and success of the Association. The regular Meetings have been held in a number of venues. The original home was the Mechanics Institute which hosted the Association for many years free of charge. For periods of time Meetings have been held in the Grammar School, the Technical College and in the Bondgate Methodist Memorial Hall where the Association enjoyed its highest membership.
In recent years Darlington College of technology with its attractive Hall and excellent facilities-has been home to the Association. For several years the Hall and services were provided free by the local Educational Authority but the Association now pays a commercial rent. Many leading Educational figures in the town have held high office in the Association including the present Principal of the College of Technology as have many leading businessmen and ordinary laypeople. The holding of office has always been in a personal capacity and not as representing any particular body or interest.
It must be a matter of conjecture as to why the Association became established in the town in the first place and why through many ups and downs it has survived 112 years. It may be that the existence of a Quaker tradition of philanthropy and devotion to a high quality of life played a part although there is no direct evidence of this. What is certain is that the ideals incorporated in its formation and continued throughout its existence attracted a wide range of educationalists, businessmen and ordinary laymen and laywomen prepared to devote time energy and wide ranging talents to the successful running of the Association. It must presumably be a matter of fortune and co-incidence that a succession of such people emerged at a time when the Association was going through critical periods and ensured its continuance, when so many similar bodies were going to the wall. Their memorial must be the existence in Darlington of one of the largest and most successful organizations of its type in the country which seems assured of continuing success in the future.
George Horsley