Chris Scales, Archives Officer, writes: Southwark Archives is grateful to the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries for their support in purchasing the records of York Street Chapel and the Robert Browning Settlement, a religious and later charitable institution that was based in Walworth, South London for nearly 200 years.
The chapel, founded in 1790, was home as a congregational church to many including famously the poet Robert Browning and his family. The records purchased include deeds relating to its founding, minutes (1790-1927), lists of its members (1790-1977), Sunday school (1840-1969), burials (1781-1837) and baptisms (1804-1997), including the baptism in 1812 of Robert Browning.
Following the chapel’s reinvention as a mission, the new Robert Browning Settlement was launched in 1894, led by F. Herbert Stead. The Settlement developed a programme of outreach and support for the local community in Walworth. This included clubs for elderly men and women, lecture programmes, holidays and activities for young people, and accommodation for the elderly in Whyteleafe, Surrey and later Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Records purchased relating to the Settlement include: minutes (1891-1929), annual reports (1895-1907, 1928-1971, 1982-1993), photographs, minutes and visitors of the Browning Bethany Homes (1925-1935, 1965-1986), and a large quantity of ephemera.
The Settlement, while grounded in service to the local community, had a far-reaching impact. In 1898, it hosted the first national conference on the campaign for the Old Age Pension, with Charles Booth. This led to the establishment of the National Committee of Organised Labour who campaigned successfully for the new pension introduced by the government in 1908. The campaign left few records, making those included here all the more significant. A later warden of the Settlement, Rev. Herbert Dunnico was also responsible for running the International Peace Society from 1916 onwards. A small number of items in the collection reflect this and constitute a significant record of the later life of that organisation up to 1978. The Settlement’s annual May Queen ceremony was also extremely well known, attracting prominent visitors including the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).
The new collection will be combined with existing promotional material relating to the Settlement donated by them to Southwark Archives in the early 20th century. The records also complement our other collections for local charitable organisations in the area, including those for the Peckham Settlement, Pitt Street Settlement, Edward Edwards Charity, and Gedling Street Mission.
The collection is now catalogued and available to the public in the search room. Some of the name records, such as the chapel baptisms, burial and membership records, will additionally also be made available to search online.
