Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

Does anyone know what this is/was?
I am in the process of transcribing some "Th' Owd Syker" articles and it gets mentioned. I've never heard of it.

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Mel, I have found a poem of his "Th'Aggate Band of Hope", is it this you are looking at or something else? From the gist of it, it was in the school. If this isn't what you are looking at I will copy it onto here.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Here it is anyway

Th’Aggate Band of Hope

It ud be first Monday neet in October
When band of Hope meetings begun,
There’d be queue darin ter gates, waiting airtside
Cos on first neet we geet coffee and bun.

Every Monday neet after there’d be a meeting
Yer should hev heard us make that school ring,
Wi the chorus of my drink is water bright
When it comes frae that ould crystal spring.

A lecturer coom one neet to show us
What alcohol does to yer tum,
He’d some live worms in a glass full o water
An he killed em wi a spoonful o rum.

A pal o mine watched that experiment
An said he’d really come to terms
Cos alcohols noor good at all to me
Because I doornt happen to be troubled wi worms.

Despite all that Band od Hope tinkling
Some air its all seemed to fail
To my mind if outs bairn shut up the pubs
It’ll be the price at they’re charging fer th’ale

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

It's not a poem. It's part of one of the articles I have borrowed from you Gloria. One of the ones that has a slight burn. The bit that mentions the Band of Hope says

"During the First World War there were two families of Belgian evacuees brought to Lan-bottom. I remember two boys who came to Haggate School, they were Carl and Jean de Doen, and there was a young girl called Elvera de Munter. The boys soon fell in with the Harle Syke lads. Every weekend they were asked out to tea by different local families.
It isn't easy to guess how many boys and girls went to the Band of Hope every Monday in winter, but I would think around two hundred. There were quite a few men there who I wouldn't call bouncers, but if you caused any trouble you only got warned once, the next time you got a clout or put out."

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Sounds as though it could be a church youth club type of thing.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Having read the poem, I wonder if it was something to do with the Temperance Society? My Nans sister, Ada Lawson (nee Sutcliffe) used to go there. I have a prize she was awarded in 1903 for 'full and punctual attendance'. It's a copy of Mrs Beetons Every Day Cookery.

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Can't imagine my grandad being a member of the Temperance society.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

See the attached link-

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/REhope.htm

David B

Thanks David.
Obviously your Granddad took no notice then Gloria!

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

All members took a pledge of total abstinence and were taught the "evils of drink".

No notice at all, and neither did his grand-daughter.

_________________
Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Glad to hear it. But what is it about Briercliffe and drink ? I have a book called the History of Lanehead School and it mentions in there that someone was brought in to talk to the children about the evils of drink.
Through the haze I seem to remember mention at the meeting of someone brewing poteen in the area. And I thought still water was what came out of a tap!

Is the Temperance Society still going?

_________________
Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Portia do you know if the book "History of Lanehead School is still in circulation? I went there. my children went there and now one of my grandchildren goes there. So I would be very interested in buying this book.
thank you
best wishes

_________________
Maggie

As far as I know,it isn't in print any more. It was published in 1971 to coincide with the opening of the new school and is a roughly 10x8 paperback and quite slim.
It was written by a Mr J Stuttard who was deputy head at the time and, I believe, went on to be headmaster. I mentioned the book at the meeting last week and Roger, font of all knowledge, told me that Mr Stuttard is still alive and living 'just down the road' from Haggate School.
So possibly you could track him down and and ask whether he has a spare copy or 10 under his stairs...?
regards
Maureen

Not sure whether it's still going (probably bought out by Masseys a few years ago) but I did find "son of"
http://www.sonsoftemperance.abelgratis.co.uk/
where all those of us of an abstemious nature can get usselves insured.
And where I also found this snippet of information which is kind of wandering off the plot a bit, but I found it interesting:
The word 'teetotal' was accidentally introduced to the language by one Dicky Turner who stuttered when he said that he was a total abstainer. Apparenty this is recorded on his tombstone, along with the fact that he died at age 56.
Didn't seem to have done him much good...