| Description | The Friends Essay Society was a group of members of the Religious Society of Friends who met at each other's houses one evening a month to read out essays which they had previously written anonymously, either on a subject given to them, or more often, on a subject of their own choice. The evening started with tea, and after each member had read aloud someone else's essay, they had supper.
The idea for such a meeting came from Agatha Pearson, who suggested it to Arthur Albright in 1845 and the first meeting was held in the same year. Initially the group consisted of Arthur Albright, Agatha Pearson and the Miss Lloyds and Miss Southalls (the latter were cousins of John Henry Shorthouse, later one of the Secretaries of the Essay Society) and they met at Highgate to read essays they had written. Subsequently other members in the first few years included Mary and Sarah Lloyd, Thomas and Sarah Scott, Elizabeth and Anna Jane Brady, Anne Marie Southall, Joseph Clark, William Nutter, H. Hargrave, and Gawen Kenway. Agatha Pearson was the first Secretary. Later other members came from the Lloyd, Barrow, Sturge, Glaisyer, Impey, Cudworth, Albright, Cadbury, and Southall families, among others.
The rules of the Society, drawn up by Arthur Albright (according to the essay 'Invitations to tea and other matters 1845-1850, vol. 15), stipulated that 6 meetings were to be held during the winter each year, and members had to contribute one essay each session. Essays could be of an artistic or literary nature. Prior to 1852, any guests could be invited to the Society's meeting on the condition that they contributed an essay which became the property of the Society. From 1852, the Society was re-organised by Edwin Tandy and membership was by ballot. In the early days of the Society's meetings, men sat on one side of the room, and women on the other but this practice was later dropped. From 1872, a fine was charged to those who did not contribute an essay, and from 1875 if no essays were contributed by a member for two years, they were charged a higher penalty.
The Society continued to meet throughout the 19th and for most of the 20th centuries, but by the 1980s, a lack of younger members, resignations of some of the older members and insufficient homes large enough to host the Society meetings were causing concern. It was felt that the variety of alternative entertainments on offer, the pace of modern life, and career and family commitments meant that there was less enthusiasm for writing and listening to essays. Much as the Society was greatly valued, it was decided that it was better to close before it ceased to fulfil the aims of its founders. After 150 years of existence, the last meeting of the Friends Essay Society was held on 21st October 1988.
The mainly unsigned essays contributed by members from 1845 - 1914 have been bound into volumes, and provide an insight into the interests, opinions, creativity and humour of its members. An accompanying volume (SF/2/1/1/14/3/1) contains notes made on the history of the Society compiled mainly by E.O. Ransome during the period 1952 - 1959, and a number of volumes contain membership lists, printed rules and essays about the history of the Friends Essay Society. The whereabouts of the minute books and remaining essays from 1915 onwards is unknown.
The topics of the essays are diverse and include religion, tolerance, history, architecture, language, literature, education, children, politics, housing, slavery, genealogy, fashions, gardening, topography, accounts of holidays and travel in the UK and abroad, boating, mountaineering and walks, poetry, reminiscences about the Society of Friends, happiness, discontent, conversation, art, marriage, the pursuit of wealth and so on. A number of entries are humorous in tone and many include sketches and photographs. |