The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain (Established 1889)
Dates
- Existence: Established 1889
Biography
The United Kingdom Van Dwellers Association was founded in 1889 with the purpose of fighting the Moveable Dwellings Bill of 1888.
Between 1884 and 1891 George Smith attempted to legislate the movements of all travelling people. The basic tenets of this Bill included the registration of all moveable dwellings, the compulsory school attendance of all Gypsy and van dwellers' children and the introduction of a series of regulations concerning the number of people permitted in a given living space. However, the main recommendation was the power to grant the local council the authority for an officer of the law to enter a van with a warrant, in order to inspect the dwelling for sanitation, health and moral irregularities. These proposals caused widespread anger throughout the travelling fraternity.
Aware of how this would affect the fairground business, in 1889 the leading showmen of the day were contacted through the pages of The Era newspaper and asked to attend a meeting to be held at the Black Lion Hotel in Salford. As a result of this and subsequent gatherings, the Van Dwellers' Protection Association was formed. A membership fund was started and in the first year over five hundred showmen contributed to the cost of fighting George Smith's proposed Bill.
Early founders of the Guild gradually introduced a set of guidelines which eventually formed the basis of the rules and conditions found in the Showmen's Year Books. Throughout the past hundred years the Showmen's Guild has effectively been carrying on the mandate set by the founders in 1889: to separate showpeople from traveller-gypsies and to defend the homes, liberties and way of life of the showpeople of Great Britain. The present day Guild not only represents 95% of the community at both national and local levels, but it also operates a code of conduct within the fairground community.
Until 1907 the Guild was highly centralised, with a 28-strong Executive Committee and an almost equal number of vice-presidents and other offices. In that year it was decided to divide the Executive Committee into seven divisional committees, each having responsibility for a particular region. In 1917 the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, as it became known, was recognised as the trade association of the travelling funfair business and acquired the right to stand as representatives for the business at both local and national levels; a position it still occupies to this day.
The principal object of the Showmen's Guild has remained the same for over 100 years; to protect the interest of its members, travelling showmen who gain their livelihoods by attending funfairs. It does this in two ways; by its code of Rules and through the constitutional process of the land.
The Guild is organised into ten Sections and is accepted at both national and local levels as the negotiating body for travelling showmen. Through it's parliamentary agent, the Guild contests any proposed legislation that discriminates against its members, or seeks concessions when legislation threatens their ability to make a living. In matters involving local authorities a delegation of officers will usually be called upon to represent member's interests.
Found in 18 Collections and/or Records:
Bill Weeks Collection
This collection contains photographs of fairgrounds and steam engines, journal articles, newspaper cuttings, correspondence and books on railways, engineering, fairgrounds and other related topics.
Chris Russell Collection
This collection contains five boxes of original photographic material including negatives and slides, a small amount of fairground journals, newspaper cuttings, correspondence, six audio tapes and a small amount of posters and handbills all related to the fairground and steam rally events.
David Braithwaite Collection
This collection contains photographs taken by David Braithwaite from the 1950s and used towards his publications alongside older images collected from other sources as well as business records, monographs, articles, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, advertising material, bibliographies, catalogues, programmes, films and some other miscellaneous items.
George McIndoe Collection
Photographs, slides, newspaper cuttings related to the Biddall family and photographs of Kirkaldy Fair created for a documentary on Scottish fairs.
George Tucker Collection
This collection comprises fairground photographs and 3 members' cards, two from Yorkshire Stall Holders Association and one from the Yorkshire section of the Showmen's Guild
Minutes of Council Meeting of The Guild of Great Britain and Ireland, 1940 - 1944
Minutes of Meetings of the Showmen's Guild, 1918 - 1957
Minutes of meetings of the Showmen's Guild comprising Central Council meetings, Special General meetings, Management Committee meetings, Mutual Agreement meetings, Annual and Extraordinary meettins, meetings of the Appeals Committee and War Emergency Committee meetings.
Minutes of the Management Committee Meetings, 1935 - 1939
Minutes of the Management Committee Meetings, 1939 - 1945
Neil Calladine Collection
This collection consists of 6 black and white photographs of fairgrounds and 8 audio cassette recordings of interviews with showpeople from the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Section of the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain.
Newspaper Cuttings and Scrapbooks, 1904 - 1973
Newspaper cuttings and scrapbooks related to Showmen's transport, trade related bye-laws and general Showmen's news from various newspapers and publications.
Newspaper Cuttings Related to Transport, 1968 - 1972
Photographs, c1904 - 1989
Black and white and colour photographs and contact prints of members, presidents and vice-presidents of the Guild, meetings and luncheons, fairgrounds, fairground opening ceremonies, images of the Royal family visiting the fairground, social and formal events, fairground rides and sideshows, transport, an album containing photographs of street views and recreation grounds and a photograph of The Fun of the Fair spitfire.
Showmen's Guild Scrapbook, 1935 - 1954
Scrapbook containing Guild news, articles on licences, Second World War, legislation, goods vehicles, transport, taxes, fairs, Newcastle Town Moor festival, Blackpool Bill, annual dinners and galas, Glasgow Fair and Pat Collins from various newspapers.
Showmen's Guild Scrapbook, 1934
Scrapbook containing Guild news, articles on legislation, the deaths of Ben Hobson and William Savage, vehicles, transport, gramophones and playing music, betting, various licences, coconut shies, legislation, Stevenage Fair, news from the Scottish section and the history of the Guild from various newspapers.
Showmen's Guild Scrapbook, 1926 - 1929
Scrapbook containing news on taxation, roads, gaming and gambling, women working at the fair, Mitcham Fair, Nottingham Goose Fair, legislation, transport, circus, charitable donations, accidents and safety at the fair, coconut shies and Whimsical Walker's retirement from various newspapers.
The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain Collection
The main extent of the collection contains yearbooks, meetings and minutes, correspondence and a record of day to day activities within The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain.
The Showmen's Guild Year Books, 1900 - 2003
Showmen's Guild year books containing minutes of meetings, financial information, membership information, articles of interest, rules and legislation, lists of members and various forms.