Bicton & Oxon WI Centenary: 1924-2024

Bicton & District WI was founded on 10th December 1924

The first Committee met on 15th January 1925 at The Assembly Rooms at The Grapes Hotel, Bicton Heath at 2.30 p.m. The first President was Mrs Richard Sandford.  Present were Mrs Butters, Miss Clarke, Miss Edwards, Miss Lee, Miss Roberts, Miss Teece, Mrs Wingfield and Mrs Yeomans.  The rules were read and adopted and a resolution passed to form sub-committees with a member of the general committee at the head of each – Trading stall, Competitions, Dramatic, Musical, Notice Board and Tea. Committee meetings were held every two to three months, at 2.30pm before the monthly meeting.

The pattern of meetings soon settled to business, a speaker, social half hour, a competition then teas, with a trading stall available. Meetings were held on Thursday afternoons in rotation at the Four Crosses Tea Room, the Grapes Assembly Rooms and the Wingfield Arms at Montford Bridge. The charge for tea at the monthly meeting was 4d.

There were events and classes in addition to the monthly meeting - in 1925 arrangements were made for a course of 6 millinery classes alternating between the Four Crosses Room and The Assembly Rooms at 1/6d for the course, non-members 6d per lesson. Rummage sales were held regularly to raise funds.

In 1927 Mrs Sandford purchased a piano for £27 plus tables, chairs and crockery - £52 in total. The money was borrowed at 5% interest from Bicton Organ Fund. In 1928 it was agreed that the charge for hire of our chairs, tables & crockery would be 10/-, £1 to include the piano.

Mrs Sandford was President from 1924 until 1932. She was generally referred to as Mrs Richard Sandford, being the wife of a local solicitor. She was in fact Amy Louisa Sandford, and they lived at Udlington, now Isle Court. Apparently, she was an All England Archery champion!

Many traditions that we still have were started at this time, and it all feels very familiar:

In 1926 members attended the Group Meeting at Pontesbury – we were part of the West Shrewsbury Group, now called the Shrewsbury West Group.

A Christmas party for members and non-members was held in mid-January and we continue to hold our annual New Year party in January.

The tradition of an annual outing started with a trip in 1926 to Llangollen with tea being paid for out of general funds, and then to Liverpool in 1927 with luncheon to be paid for out of funds.

We sent a delegate to the SFWI conference held at Harper Adams college and have continued to attend the annual Council Meetings. Mention is made in the minutes of nominations for County Committee being ‘gone over’ and the delegate to the Council meeting being instructed how to vote.

In 1928 there is mention of a letter from ‘HQ’ asking for help for distressed miners, to adopt a family in the village. The committee decided to pass the letter to the Parish Council but agreed not to have a party that year but give the money usually spent to the miners. Unfortunately, we don’t have the record of whether members agreed to that!

Early on there were apparently many requests from members for a whist drive – these were started and were an important source of fundraising for various causes, for many years. One tradition we haven’t continued!

In 1927 the annual subscription was 2/- and it seems that from that amount each Institute had to pay a donation to SFWI and to NFWI. The treasurer asked permission to reduce the donation to National Federation this year owing to the heavy debt and it was agreed to send £2 10/- instead of £5. The treasurers report showed a balance in hand of £7 7d.

We know that Olive Edwards was a founding member, she married James Paddock and was mother of Mary Fowles. Mary was President in the 1960s, and only died in 2022.

From those early years we sent a delegate to the National AGM, always held in London at that time. In 1928 there was a letter from NFWI about the equalisation of fares of delegates to London Annual meeting and Bicton agreed to a scheme to pay 5/- each year.

It’s clear from our minutes that we took a keen interest in National WI issues, and in 1927 a letter was received from Overton WI asking for support at the National AGM against certain items on the agenda on the grounds that they by no means represent the views of 34,000 women. After discussion a resolution was passed agreeing with Overton.

It would be interesting to know what the items were!

Meetings took place regularly in the Four Crosses Tea Room. Both the Four Crosses and Wingfield Arms were taken over by the Peoples Refreshment House Association during the 1920s. This was an organisation founded by the Bishop of Chester to encourage temperance at Public Houses and Inns. So, alongside the usual bar, the pub would offer tea and coffee with a separate room for individuals and families to enjoy food and non-alcoholic drinks.

At the Four Crosses this took the form of a spacious tearoom where local events and meetings took place until the village hall was built in the 1950s.

The wider WI

Formed in 1915, the Women's Institute was originally brought to life to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War.

Since then, the organisation's aims have broadened and the WI is now the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK.

In 1915, the first WI meeting in Britain was held in Anglesey. Only two years later, the National Federation of WIs, a democratic, non-party political and voluntary organisation, was formed and mainly led by women who were involved in the suffrage movement.

WI members passed the first resolution in 1918, urging local authorities to take advantage of the government scheme for state-aided housing. In 1922 and 1924, two resolutions were passed calling for an increase in women police.

1924 marked the year WI members sang "Jerusalem" for the first time. It was written by William Blake in 1808 and it was set to music by Hubert Parry in 1916.

When Millicent Fawcett heard it, she asked Parry if the women’s suffrage movement might appropriate it. Parry agreed, and ‘Jerusalem’ was first sung by massed women at the Royal Albert Hall at a suffrage rally in 1918.

Mr WH Leslie of Llansantffraid, an amateur musician, persuaded Sir Walford Davies, a personal friend and composer, to make a special arrangement for string orchestra for the 8th NFWI Annual Meeting in 1924.

After an impressive rendition of Jerusalem at the AGM, NFWI ran a competition for an official 'Institute song' which resulted in Jerusalem being chosen.

 

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

William Blake