The Society for the Promotion of Industry in the Hundreds of Ongar and Harlow and the Half Hundred of Waltham

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, there were increasing concerns about both the working and the expense of the parish system for looking after the poor. The parish overseer had an invidious task, caught between the resentment of the better-off about rising poor law rates, and the demands from those out of work and unable to feed their families. In the final decade of the century (particularly in its final years), this was aggravated by poor harvests and substantial increases in the cost of basic foodstuffs due to the war with France. After numerous delays, statistical surveys and select committee reports, these problems were ultimately addressed by the Poor Law Reform Act of 1834.

During the long wait for new legislation, there were a considerable number of local initiatives motivated by concerns about the rising number of destitute families, as well as the strong desire of individuals to reduce the increasingly onerous tax burden of the poor rate, and to improve the ‘moral status’ of paupers. One such initiative in West Essex was the establishment of a society for the promotion of industry in the three local hundreds in November 1794. John Conyers of Copped Hall was the driving force, inspired by similar schemes which were already operating in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Lacking any new legislative backing, these schemes relied on encouraging parishes to take a new approach to pauper children by using those powers that were still on the statute book from the poor law legislation of 1601, as well as devising a number of voluntary initiatives.

By January 1795 Conyers could report that 14 parishes, including Theydon Mount and Stapleford Tawney, had agreed to join the Society. By the end of the year, another 12 parishes had joined. Funds were raised from a mixture of charitable donations from benefactors, and subscriptions of five shillings per annum (or sometimes less) from private individuals. In addition, those parishes who had joined the scheme agreed to contribute 1% of the total of the preceding year’s poor rate. John Conyers was elected chairman, with the Rev T. A. Adby of Theydon Garnon as treasurer, and Mr J. Jessopp (a Waltham Holy Cross attorney) as secretary.
The Society’s focus was to encourage pauper children into out-work, mainly (or exclusively) spinning, knitting men’s stockings, and the needlework required for making men’s shirts. These activities were organised on a parish basis, and Chipping Ongar - for example – bought in and stored the raw materials in its poorhouse, thereby cutting out the factors who had been milking hefty profits from their rôle as middle men. Instruction seems to have been provided ‘in house’ for children with no previous experience - some of whom were as young as 6 years old - and their attendance, their behaviour and the amount of the work done was recorded on specially printed cards. The Society’s other focus was on a reward system, with printed certificates for good behaviour, and satisfactory standards of productivity and workmanship. These were linked to a ‘premium’ award which seems to have taken the form of clothing rather than cash. There was also a reward scheme for parents who had brought up four children (provided that they were born in wedlock) to the age of fourteen without receiving any parish relief. This was a cash payment of between one to two guineas, with those who were members of an established friendly society receiving a higher share.
Most of the information about this Society has been gleaned from a pamphlet compiled for the Society in 1797 by the Rev William Herringham, curate of Chipping Ongar. No newspaper reports have been found about any of the Society’s activities, so it is not clear if its work across the parishes continued, or failed shortly afterwards – possibly the latter, as the summary accounts show that the Society’s income in 1796 was substantially less than in the previous year, and that the number of contributing parishes had declined. However, other reports written by Herringham suggest that, in Chipping Ongar at least, he was successful in continuing to promote schemes for providing work to the poor in this parish until he left in 1805.