The Sudbury Institute Club 1834 â 1984
I claim no more for this than that it is a story, and a somewhat sketchy story, of the Sudbury Institute Club. Because dates can often be meaningless in themselves, attention has frequently been drawn to parallel national and parochial events rather than to bare dates thus bringing hopefully more life to the history itself. This is especially true of the earlier years of the Club when, to illustrate the purpose and nature of the Clubâs origins, it was important to understand what life and conditions were like in 1834 when the Club was founded and how they influenced the Clubâs development.
It is not truly a history, for history demands an accuracy that in the case of the Club cannot in some instances be wholly guaranteed. There are gaps, fortunately few, in the Minutes upon which most of the story is based and omissions within the Minutes themselves and failure of times to record the implementation of resolutions carried at Committee and Annual General Meetings. It was inevitable, therefore, that from time to time there had to be an element of speculation and assumption had to be drawn where records were incomplete.
Thus, all that is claimed for this is a story based on all available facts plus assessments that have seemed reasonable in the circumstances.
There are members still happily with us whose recollections of circumstances and events in the more recent stages when the Minutes were incomplete may conflict with certain speculations or explanations and I hope they will be forgiving if they feel I may have erred where actual proof in the absence of concrete evidence is lacking.
However, whatever deficiencies there may be in the writing or compilation, it remains a story worth the telling and especially for new and prospective members who, in particular, will I hope find it interesting and enlightening.
Not least it is intended as a tribute to those many members, dead and alive, who have worked throughout the Clubâs 150 years to see it through difficult times and those who in more recent years especially undertook heavy responsibility and hard work in the interests of the Club and its members, thus to bring it to its present happy state. But no names have been disclosed, deserving though these stalwarts are of mention, for it would be invidious to do so, and how can one discriminate?
I hope those still with us will accept this as a tribute and not be too harsh on such shortcomings as they may find.
Sydney Hyde
On November 3 1834, thirteen people whose enthusiasms and interests had brought them together met in the ânew Town Hallâ and formed what was to be called the âMechanics Instituteâ but which, judging from its early and subsequent Minutes, would today more likely be called the Sudbury Scientific and Literary Society. It is not easy to visualise what manner of people these were apart from the fact that they were what used to be termed well-to-do or middle class men whose ultimate aim was stated to be to educate the lower and working class men culturally. Indeed the initial Rules proclaimed this intention â âThis shall be for the use of mechanics and othersâ. Thus came about what is without doubt one of the oldest Clubs in East Anglia and indeed there is reason to believe it to be the oldest. It was, however, some time before any positive step was taken to fulfil their declared aim.
1834 as a date, apart from the fact that it was 150 years ago, may in itself convey little. Dates seldom do unless related to events. It might therefore be helpful to set the scene as to what was happening at this period and what sort of times they were into which the Club was born.
King William IV was still on the throne and it was another three years before the young Victoria was to become Queen. Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister and the Duke of Wellington was still active politically, his old foe, Napoleon, having died in exile long since.