Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1895-1984 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
4.34 linear metres
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The National United Temperance Council (NUTC) was founded in July 1896 at a National Conference of County United Temperance Councils. The aim of both County and National United Temperance Councils was to consolidate support amongst various temperance organisations for temperance legislation and to promote the temperance movement in general.
The London United Temperance Council (LUTC) was the second County United Temperance Council to be formed (after Essex) in January 1895 and the NUTC followed its example in terms of constitutional structure and aims (see ACC/2425/1 and ACC/ 2425/25-28 for early constitutions).
From 1932 to 1948 the NUTC and LUTC were amalgamated. When the LUTC was reconstituted as a separate organisation in 1948 (mainly in response to London County Council's plans to license sale of alcohol in London parks) they shared a joint secretary and treasurer with the NUTC. From the 1950's, records of LUTC meetings can be found among minutes of NUTC meetings. Both the NUTC and the LUTC were financed by subscriptions, donations, legacies, association fees (from affiliated temperance societies), collections and sales.
The early years of the NUTC involved the organising of campaigns for Sunday closing and for legislation to prevent the sale of alcohol to children. Both the NUTC and the LUTC were active in lobbying M.P.s, local public bodies, county councillors and school boards concerning temperance issues and in monitoring and opposing applications for licences at Brewster sessions. They organised demonstration marches for all age groups, organised temperance missions held in hired halls, ran advertising campaigns, and published and distributed temperance literature including their own magazine, The United Temperance Gazette. The NUTC and LUTC also provided various social (and fund-raising) activities for their members such as annual fetes and prize competitions for reciting, essay-writing and singing. In later years, issues such as non-alcoholic communion wine, sale of alcohol in London parks and licensing in airports commanded their attention.
Memorial Hall in Farringdon Street, EC1 was the headquarters of both the NUTC and the LUTC until 1949 when they were bequeathed a house at 165 CIapham Road, Stockwell, by Dr. Annie McCall. This was a four storey Georgian terraced house. The majority of surviving NUTC papers from this date concern the maintenance of this property in terms of repairs and tenancy. It was sold in 1985 to the tenants except for two rooms. In 1987 the NUTC moved to smaller premises in Regent Street.
At present the NUTC continues to be funded by individual subscription and continues to give advice to the public on opposing licence applications.
Repository
Archival history
GB 0074 ACC/2425 1895-1984 Collection 4.34 linear metres National United Temperance Council
London United Temperance Council
The National United Temperance Council (NUTC) was founded in July 1896 at a National Conference of County United Temperance Councils. The aim of both County and National United Temperance Councils was to consolidate support amongst various temperance organisations for temperance legislation and to promote the temperance movement in general.
The London United Temperance Council (LUTC) was the second County United Temperance Council to be formed (after Essex) in January 1895 and the NUTC followed its example in terms of constitutional structure and aims (see ACC/2425/1 and ACC/ 2425/25-28 for early constitutions).
From 1932 to 1948 the NUTC and LUTC were amalgamated. When the LUTC was reconstituted as a separate organisation in 1948 (mainly in response to London County Council's plans to license sale of alcohol in London parks) they shared a joint secretary and treasurer with the NUTC. From the 1950's, records of LUTC meetings can be found among minutes of NUTC meetings. Both the NUTC and the LUTC were financed by subscriptions, donations, legacies, association fees (from affiliated temperance societies), collections and sales.
The early years of the NUTC involved the organising of campaigns for Sunday closing and for legislation to prevent the sale of alcohol to children. Both the NUTC and the LUTC were active in lobbying M.P.s, local public bodies, county councillors and school boards concerning temperance issues and in monitoring and opposing applications for licences at Brewster sessions. They organised demonstration marches for all age groups, organised temperance missions held in hired halls, ran advertising campaigns, and published and distributed temperance literature including their own magazine, The United Temperance Gazette. The NUTC and LUTC also provided various social (and fund-raising) activities for their members such as annual fetes and prize competitions for reciting, essay-writing and singing. In later years, issues such as non-alcoholic communion wine, sale of alcohol in London parks and licensing in airports commanded their attention.
Memorial Hall in Farringdon Street, EC1 was the headquarters of both the NUTC and the LUTC until 1949 when they were bequeathed a house at 165 CIapham Road, Stockwell, by Dr. Annie McCall. This was a four storey Georgian terraced house. The majority of surviving NUTC papers from this date concern the maintenance of this property in terms of repairs and tenancy. It was sold in 1985 to the tenants except for two rooms. In 1987 the NUTC moved to smaller premises in Regent Street.
At present the NUTC continues to be funded by individual subscription and continues to give advice to the public on opposing licence applications.
Records deposited in May 1987, with a further accession in 1999.
The collection contains minutes of the NUTC and the LUTC from their foundation to the 1950's. Files date from the 1940's to 1984. It also contains a minute book of the Sunday Closing Special Campaign Committee (SCSCC) which transferred its work to the NUTC in 1903 (this Committee may have been appointed by the NUTC). The secretary of the NUTC (and LUTC) also served as one of the two general secretaries on the SCSCC. A minute book of the Free Churches Pledge Signing Campaign Committee (FCPSCC) appears in the collection. This committee was dissolved in 1911. Representatives of the NUTC and LUTC attended meetings which were held in Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, and in 1911 the secretary of the NUTC and LUTC was also secretary of the FCPSCC.
A minute book of the Society of Cogers appears in the collection probably because an NUTC member, H. Weightman (later NUTC secretary and treasurer), was acting secretary of the society c.1919.
The recording of financial income and expenditure into ledgers was not always done. A number of blank ledgers deposited suggest the aim of entering such information, but it was never achieved. An almost complete set of audited, annual summary accounts from 1911 to 1975 provide the bulk of information on finance.
Records retained for the compilation of the audited accounts have been discarded. These include endorsed cheques, cheque-book stubs, receipt stubs, bank paying-in books, savings books and some petty cash notebooks. Bank account statements and duplicate material have also been weeded from the collection.
There are so many connections between the NUTC and LUTC that it is impossible to separate all their records successfully. Minutes are listed separately but all other LUTC papers (where they survive) will be found under NUTC headings.
The division between secretary's papers and treasurer's papers is not always a clear one. This is for two main reasons: 1) in the 1950's the functions of secretary and treasurer were executed by one person and the distinction between the two became less defined and 2) from the late 1950's certain functions, such as routine correspondence with subscribers, transferred from secretary to treasurer.
All files containing similar information have been kept together under their relevant sub-headings for ease of description. Secretary's papers are arranged in sections which are not completely exclusive of each other.
If a document pertaining to a particular issue is required, it may be worth checking each section at the relevant date. Correspondence is generally very routine. Routine subscription letters have been preserved as an indication of membership since no consolidated, comprehensive record of membership exists.
London United Temperance Council ACC/2425/001-024;
National United Temperance Council minutes ACC/2425/025-052;
UTC secretary's papers ACC/2425/053-143;
UTC treasurer's papers, 1897-1975 ACC/2425/144-292;
UTC treasurer's papers, 1974-1984 ACC/2425/293-300;
Printed matter ACC/2425/301-324;
Memorabilia ACC/2425/325-327;
Sunday Closing Special Campaign Committee ACC/2425/328;
Free Churches Pledge Signing Committee ACC/2425/329-331;
Ye Antient Society of Cogers ACC/2425/332-335.
These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.
Copyright to these records rests with the depositor.
English
Fit
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
June to August 2010. Diseases Alcohol abuse Chemicals Organic chemicals Alcohols Alcohol Political movements Temperance movements Law Licensing Licensing (alcohol) Organizations Associations Societies Temperance societies Groups Campaign groups Pathology Alcohol education Health education National United Temperance Council London United Temperance Council London England UK Western Europe Europe
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Records deposited in May 1987, with a further accession in 1999.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection contains minutes of the NUTC and the LUTC from their foundation to the 1950's. Files date from the 1940's to 1984. It also contains a minute book of the Sunday Closing Special Campaign Committee (SCSCC) which transferred its work to the NUTC in 1903 (this Committee may have been appointed by the NUTC). The secretary of the NUTC (and LUTC) also served as one of the two general secretaries on the SCSCC. A minute book of the Free Churches Pledge Signing Campaign Committee (FCPSCC) appears in the collection. This committee was dissolved in 1911. Representatives of the NUTC and LUTC attended meetings which were held in Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, and in 1911 the secretary of the NUTC and LUTC was also secretary of the FCPSCC.
A minute book of the Society of Cogers appears in the collection probably because an NUTC member, H. Weightman (later NUTC secretary and treasurer), was acting secretary of the society c.1919.
The recording of financial income and expenditure into ledgers was not always done. A number of blank ledgers deposited suggest the aim of entering such information, but it was never achieved. An almost complete set of audited, annual summary accounts from 1911 to 1975 provide the bulk of information on finance.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Records retained for the compilation of the audited accounts have been discarded. These include endorsed cheques, cheque-book stubs, receipt stubs, bank paying-in books, savings books and some petty cash notebooks. Bank account statements and duplicate material have also been weeded from the collection.
Accruals
System of arrangement
There are so many connections between the NUTC and LUTC that it is impossible to separate all their records successfully. Minutes are listed separately but all other LUTC papers (where they survive) will be found under NUTC headings.
The division between secretary's papers and treasurer's papers is not always a clear one. This is for two main reasons: 1) in the 1950's the functions of secretary and treasurer were executed by one person and the distinction between the two became less defined and 2) from the late 1950's certain functions, such as routine correspondence with subscribers, transferred from secretary to treasurer.
All files containing similar information have been kept together under their relevant sub-headings for ease of description. Secretary's papers are arranged in sections which are not completely exclusive of each other.
If a document pertaining to a particular issue is required, it may be worth checking each section at the relevant date. Correspondence is generally very routine. Routine subscription letters have been preserved as an indication of membership since no consolidated, comprehensive record of membership exists.
London United Temperance Council ACC/2425/001-024;
National United Temperance Council minutes ACC/2425/025-052;
UTC secretary's papers ACC/2425/053-143;
UTC treasurer's papers, 1897-1975 ACC/2425/144-292;
UTC treasurer's papers, 1974-1984 ACC/2425/293-300;
Printed matter ACC/2425/301-324;
Memorabilia ACC/2425/325-327;
Sunday Closing Special Campaign Committee ACC/2425/328;
Free Churches Pledge Signing Committee ACC/2425/329-331;
Ye Antient Society of Cogers ACC/2425/332-335.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright to these records rests with the depositor.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English