BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

listings of shareholders and a few registers of Habitation members.37
In the case of the local registers, occupations must be determined by
215
consulting contemporary post office directories.
It is a tedious
process, ultimately yielding details on only the more prosperous
members of the community, notably local gentry, professionals,
tradesmen, and farmers who presumably had title to the land they
worked.
Despite these limitations, an examination of local records
affords us a better idea of the character of League membership and is
therefore worthy of attention.
The most comprehensive listing available is the registry of
incorporation for the Brent Primrose League Club located in Hanwell,
Middlesex.38
Begun in 1885, it appeared to have been a fairly vital
institution until as late as 1896.
By 1901 the registry was filled
with names of "dead" or "missing" members.
The following year the club
closed.
The town of Hanwell, located along the line of the Great
Western Railway, was not far from London.
Discount train fares
attracted many artisanal
and working class commuters to the community.
By Pelling's classification, Hanwell would be designated as "Category
B."
The town possessed a mixed middle and working class population and
was situated near a Catholic community of considerable size. While
37 These include the Brent Primrose Club in Hanwell,
Middlesex; the Salford Primrose Club in Lancashire; the Melbury
Habitation in Dorset; the Garstang Habitation in Lancashire; the
Whitehaven Habitation in Cumberland; the Coin Valley Habitation in
Gloucestershire; and the Knights 1 and Dames' Register for Huddersfield
Habitation in West Riding, Yorkshire.
38
"The Brent Primrose League Club," PRO BT31 3540/21610.