Overview

Edwardian Norfolk is more often associated with the ‘Indian Summer’ of the aristocracy than with the ‘crisis of Liberal England’. But this year’s composite volume might well be titled ‘The Struggle for Democracy in Edwardian Norfolk’. It illustrates in fascinating detail the battle for social, political, and gender equality from two very contrasting groups, the working people (with middle-class sympathizers) of King’s Lynn, forming a succession of socialist organizations, and the well-heeled, middle-class women (with male sympathizers) of Great Yarmouth, campaigning by peaceful means for the vote for women. The editor Frank Meeres brings together two remarkable sets of minutes. The first provides a detailed account of the socialist and labour movement in King’s Lynn between 1897 and 1916. The editing of this unique set of documents was begun by the late Alun Howkins (1947–2018), Professor of History at the University of Sussex, Honorary Professor of History at the University of East Anglia, and an acknowledged authority on popular protest and modern English rural society. In April 2014 Professor Howkins gave a conference paper at the University of East Anglia based on the minutes published here, entitled ‘Socialism in the Provinces: The King’s Lynn Socialist Movement, 1897–1916’. But later, in ill-health, he generously allowed Frank Meeres to take over their editing. Frank’s own expertise in the history of the women’s suffrage led him directly to the second set of minutes, that of the Executive Committee of the Great Yarmouth Women’s Suffrage Society between 1909 and 1915. Together these records provide remarkable insights into grassroots political activism in early twentieth-century Britain.

Contents

Part I: Minutes of King’s Lynn Socialist and Labour Societies 1897–1916

The minutes comprise four volumes in various hands, those of the King’s Lynn Socialist Society (1897–98), the Lynn Social Democratic Party (1898–1906), and the King’s Lynn Independent Labour Party (1906–1916). When they were still in private hands, they came to the attention of Alun Howkins (1947–2018), social historian, and he recognised their great importance as a record of the early history of Socialist groups and their role in the eventual formation of the Labour Party. The minute books are now in the Norfolk Record Office, together with supporting material including membership records from 1906 and some correspondence.

Part II: Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Great Yarmouth Women’s Suffrage Society 1909–1915

The minutes of the Executive Committee of the Great Yarmouth Suffrage Society are recorded in a single volume, beginning on 10 May 1909 and ending 22 October 1915. The provenance of this manuscript is not fully known. It was at some time given to the Yarmouth Library and was passed by the Library (with a great many other unrelated documents) to the Norfolk Record Office at an unknown date.

Archival sources

• Norfolk Record Office: NRO, SO 297 and NRO, Y/L 16/32

Illustrations, Plates, Figures, Maps and Appendices

• Illustrations: 6
• Plates: 0
• Figures: 6, including the first page of the King’s Lynn Socialist Society Minutes and the first entry in the Great Yarmouth Suffrage Society’s minute book.
• Maps: 0
• Appendices: 5

Supported by

This publication was generously supported by: Audrey Muriel Stratford Charitable Trust, The Geoffrey Waltling Charity .

Editors and contributors

• Editor: Frank Meeres
• Honorary Society Editor: Anthony Howe

Publication details

• Series: Norfolk Record Society, Volume LXXXVIII (88)
• Publisher: Norfolk Record Society
• Year: 2024
• Period: Modern
• Type of Volume: Miscellany
• ISBN: 9780995773677
• Number of Pages: 343
• Format: Hardback
• Language: English

Join the Society

Members of the Norfolk Record Society receive a discount on all volumes, including new publications. Join the Society here.

Recommended citation

Meeres, F (ed.), Socialism in King’s Lynn and Suffragism in Great Yarmouth , Norfolk Record Society, Vol. 88 (2024).

Keywords

Norfolk Socialism Women’s Suffrage King’s Lynn Great Yarmouth

About the editor

Frank Meeres was for many years an archivist at the Norfolk Record Office. He is the author of several books of local history, including A History of Great Yarmouth (Chichester, 2007) and George Roberts – a life that ‘did different’ (Lowestoft, 2019). He previously edited The First World War Letters of Philip and Ruth Hewetson for the Norfolk Record Society.

Related Volumes

These volumes explore similar themes, periods, editor or record types:

The First World War Letters of Philip and Ruth Hewetson

Reviews

Reviews of this volume will be added to our Publication Reviews page when available.