Recollections of the First Hundred Years of Badby and Fawsley Women’S
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Recollections of the first hundred years of Badby and Fawsley Women’s Institute 1918 – 2018 Preface The original purpose of the Women's Institute was to bring together women of the countryside who might otherwise be isolated. Badby and Fawsley W.I. was formed in February, 1918 by Lady Julia Knightley of Fawsley Hall. It enabled local women to meet with others who lived in a rural setting. Activities and meetings leant toward domestic matters. Lady Knightley wished that the ladies of Badby be joined together by the 'common ideals of truth, tolerance, justice and friendship'. Protocol had to be, and was, adhered to rigidly, with some members getting irate if it was not. Rules were kept. Institutes at the beginning were considerably helped and financed by the Board of Agriculture but by 1922 the Institutes had to stand on their own feet. Lady Knightley was, inevitably, chosen as the first President. She remained President for 15 years until she moved from Fawsley. It had been her drive and energy which had caused the group’s inception because she strongly believed that belonging to the Institute would “brighten the lives and widen the outlook of the women who lived in the country districts.” Sadly all Archive material from early years has been mislaid. It was thought that it had been lodged at the County Archives but searches there have drawn a blank. 1 Meetings The first meetings were held in the ‘club room’ of the Maltsters, and then in a small room which was formerly the infant’s school room. In 1921 Lady Knightley had built onto this a larger room with stage, footlights and electric lighting for the use of the Women’s Institute, our modern day Village Hall. Lady Knightley only charged a nominal rent for this room. Initially, meetings were held in the afternoons, possibly to allow time for members to walk to the venue in daylight hours. One report records Lady Knightley as having walked through the woods from Fawsley Hall to her WI meeting at Badby, eating a picnic lunch en route and arriving at the Badby meeting place in time to preside over the afternoon meeting. Dress code for meetings was more formal than today. It was not considered seemly for women to be seen out without wearing a hat. Forenames were not used. Members were addressed by their titles. So everyone was 'Mrs or 'Miss' and in the founder's case 'Lady'. It was not until 2000 that members’ names in the annual program became Christian name and surname. Jerusalem was sung at the beginning of each meeting accompanied by a pianist on the Village Hall piano. Once the piano went in the 1980s it was no longer sung on a regular basis. The early pre-war meetings had a social half hour after the business and speaker. This was taken up by singing, dancing, monologues, sketches and plays put on by the drama group. At the October meeting in 1935 it even included table tennis. Possibly, apart from those differences, meetings would be much the same as they are now. A committee made up of President, Secretary and Treasurer, as well as other committee members who covered the tasks essential to running the group. Format was also the same. Business meeting and notices, followed by a speaker and then refreshments and social half hour. There was also a competition held each month. This could be for a flower arrangement, making an item or for the most interesting object brought from home, some WIs still have competitions. 2 In the past Badby and Fawsley didn't have an August meeting, these started in 1996. It wasn’t until 2004 that a President’s badge was purchased which is passed to each President when they take office. Badby & Fawsley in 2018 has a healthy membership of 60 but in 1989 the WI nearly folded when the committee all resigned and no-one came forward to stand. An advisor came from County and pointed out that at least 12 of them were interested enough to come to a meeting and persuaded some of them to be officers and so the WI marched on. Group Meetings The group movement was set up in 1922 by the County Federation as a layer between individual WIs and the County federation. Surrounding villages would get together twice a year for a joint meeting and shared being the host WI. The members of the group varied over the years as new WIs were formed, the original one set up by the County Federation for this area included Badby, Litchborough, Staverton, Everdon and Flore. Groups were able to engage better speakers and charged an entrance fee for the meeting. The secretary of each WI had to give a six month review of their activities. This could be very tedious. It was noted that the Badby and Fawsley Secretary had an excellent sense of humour and when it was her turn to give the six month report she gave funny accounts of events in our WI, which livened up proceedings and made them more fun and more enjoyable. Nothing changes! Group meetings were a good way of meeting other members of the WI and swapping ideas. The logistics of these meetings, as well as the organisation of providing refreshments for 60 - 70 people at a time proved hard work for the chosen WI although the costs came from Group funds. County changed the layers of hierarchy in the 1990s and formal groups between County and individual WIs were abolished. They were replaced by areas which had a co-ordinator to arrange meetings. In 1994 one of our Badby members, Chris Richards, took on this role once she had stepped down from the role of President. Area meetings were meant 3 to break-even but not make a profit. Something of a juggling act and they came to an end in the late 1990s, although some groups of WI still meet on an informal basis. County and National Federation Badby and Fawsley WI has many interactions with the County Federation Headquarters (WI House) which was situated in Albion Place until September 1995 when it moved to Moulton. Individual WIs support the County Federation in a variety of ways. Badby & Fawsley Wi in July 1993 made and donated 'biscuits and cookies' for the 75th Anniversary and in May 2000, donated £15.36 to purchase a chair for the new house. There were displays of art and crafts and floral displays at the house to which, from time to time, Badby and Fawsley WI, contributed. Cushion covers, an oil painting of Badby Woods, engraved wine glasses and a silk bouquet were among the items that were displayed by Badby members in the showcase in 1986. The same year Badby & Fawsley, as the second eldest group in the county, were asked to write a short account of the group for the County newsletter. The county initiative of ‘Fill a freezer’ for Cynthia Spencer Hospice, baking 10 cakes for the patients and their guests, started in 2003 and has been enthusiastically supported by the members. 2 members, had planted a ‘Millenium’ tree in 1998 in Brixworth Country Park when it was first established 'which should still be alive', they reported! Directives and requests came, and come, from Federation. Walking figured often. In May 2000 a walk around Newbold Grounds was organised by the group at part of the County initiative to walk the Northamptonshire County boundary. In 1995 National asked members to 'Walk a Million Miles for the WI'. No report was found about how successful this initiative had been. In 2005 for the 90th birthday anniversary members were asked to walk 90 miles to celebrate the event. Northamptonshire County Federation decided in 2012 to commemorate the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond jubilee with the passing of a 4 baton between all the WIs in the County. The baton was received from Woodford Halse WI and the following day, in glorious sunshine 6 Badby and Fawsley WI members, dressed in union jack outfits, plus 3 dogs and many balloons, met at the Village Hall to walk along the Nene Way to pass the baton onto Newnham WI. The Badby ladies left minus their Union Jack outfits and hats as they lent them to Newnham WI for their journey over to Weedon WI. Members take advantage of the County organised outings, events and courses, and several have been on the short holidays they have organised. As early as 1937, Northamptonshire was allocated 13 seats for the Procession at the Coronation of King George V1 and these had to be balloted for amongst the 147 WI’s. Badby was fortunate enough to be amongst those in the procession! Ballots often had to be used for events such as county lunches and Badby members were not always as successful in these ballots. The Annual Council meeting of County federation is held in October and usually a delegate goes from Badby & Fawsley – speakers at this over the years have been varied but one year the Badby representative reported that the 'whole event had been very enjoyable' and another time ‘entertaining and moving experience’ was minuted. Occasionally there is widespread disquiet over what County or National propose, such as when they announced in 2006 the change from optionally receiving the WI magazine, Home and Country, to everyone getting the newly formatted WI Life magazine. Meetings and conferences were attended by Badby and Fawsley representatives. 'Women of Importance' being the title of one such whose aim was to raise the WI's profile and encourage more women to join the WI.