Sunday School Prizes & Teas

Once more do I pore over our Edwardian Sunday School Minute Book. It’s the 8^th December, 1908, sometime after 8pm. A ‘New Year’s Tea Festival’ is planned for the ‘presenting of scholar’s prizes’ by the mesdames Mellin and Bond. Martin Top then as now prided itself on a good spread, and the following items of fare were to be provided:

Plain Bread: Mesdames Whipp, Porter and Hatton, to provide 10lb each;

Butter: Miss Porter 6lb

Cream: Mrs Mellin

Beef: 12-14lb Mr Watson

Ham 10lb also Mr Watson

Ten ladies are then designated providers of ‘confectionary’. 

The committee decided to charge a shilling for attending the meeting and staying for tea, and four-pence for attending the meeting only, which I consider something of a cheek!

In May 1910, the Sunday School staff resolved to have another afternoon tea. They decide:

‘that the entrance to the tea tables be by way of the chapel and the exit through the school room’[what we call the upper room]. W. Watson and WR Giddings were appointed ‘Ticket Collectors and Policeman’. Oh dear, it sounds like previous teas were gate-crashed by those without tickets. A one-way system and special security were established to prevent a repeat performance.

In December 1910, planning for the January prize giving, it was resolved that 

The Sunday School Scholars (who are to receive prizes) be asked whether they are willing to have a Good Sankey Hymn Book for a prize and if so that these be provided.

Were these cheaper than other books? More readily available? More useful to a prize-winning Sunday School scholar?

In 1912, the committee approved a proposal by C. Green that special prizes be awarded to those who have travelled furthest:

10 marks to scholars residing two miles or over distance; 5 marks for under 2 and over 1 mile distant; no marks allowed under 1 mile. It was then agreed that there should be a special prize for the best boy and girl for attendance and a special prize given for full attendance in all cases. 

That’s a lot of good Sankey hymn books!

Miss Janes Heaton proposed, and was seconded by Miss Porter, 

That scholars being away on holiday etc and attending another school can secure their marks by bringing a certificate signed by an authorised official of the school they have attended’.

Carried unanimously. 

They then discussed the removal of names from the register- for those not having attended for 12 months- and the writing letters of recommendation for those children who move out of the district:

Copies of these regulations to be in some conspicuous place in the Sunday School; also to written in the New Register.

By 1912, the annual Sunday School tea increased its largesse. Whereas 1908’s planning meeting demanded 30lb of plain bread, 1912’s sought 90lb, as well as tea and milk, cream and sugar, as well as appointing: 

Tea brewers, Table fixer, carriers, waiters, butters up: as last year. 

These rather fine annual teas were evidently held throughout the Great War. In January 12^th, 1919, not long after rationing had been introduced the previous July, more mouth-watering lists of foods were planned. Butter continued to be rationed until 1920, so how was Miss Porter provided 8lb-worth for the Sunday School tea party, I know not. I suspect farming folk simply made their own and ignored any government prohibitions- after all, this was for the Lord. In addition, the 1919 event also consumed 3lb of tea, milk, 35lb + 4 loaves of white bread, plus an unspecified quantity of brown. Furthermore,

It was unanimously agreed that Spencers of Nelson supply fancy cakes as follows=

6 Raspberry sandwiches, 2 Seed Cakes, 4 Rice Cakes, 4 Fruit Cakes, 1 doz scones, 2 doz Tea Cakes, 5 doz Eccles Cakes, 5 doz of Shells [is this a type of cake?].

If you thought this was living the high life in post-war Britain, the section concludes with the following note:

(These quantities were afterwards increased). 

I didn’t find much evidence of spiritual life in these records, but then I was maybe looking in the wrong place. We can be sure that the Sunday School held at least two grand events each year- a prize giving and a tea party, the magnificence of the latter providing a refreshing contrast to many post-war British larders and pantries. The scholars were well-fed, physically and spiritually, I trust. In those drab, hungry war-years, I hope those children saw beyond the raspberry sandwiches, cakes and teas, and found the Bread of Life.