Friendly societies in 19th-century Tobago

Dr Rita Pemberton

During the second half of the 19th century, there was a significant growth in the number of organisations, called friendly societies, established in Tobago. The name Friendly Society was given to organisations of people who join together to achieve a common aim.

These organisations developed in 19th-century England, where a social need was felt because industrialised England made no provision for the welfare of the poor, the unemployed and the sick. The friendly society was the only way a factory worker could receive financial assistance in times of illness or other personal misfortune. As a result, there was a rapid increase of these organisations across England during the 19th century.

The growth in the number of this type of organisation in Tobago is hardly surprising, given the demonstrated inclination of the population to engage in self -help community projects before 1838, some of which have been described in earlier columns.

However, the growth of friendly societies must also be viewed against the backdrop of the presence and role of the Christian churches, as well as the economic distress that enveloped Tobago during the second half of the 19th century.

It must be remembered that of their own volition, the freed African population of Tobago created a range of activities which could be described as friendly societies because they recognised the value of pooling resources to help each other in times of need. However, these were informal groups.

It was therefore not an English system that was imposed on the population of Tobago; rather, it was the application of a formal structure on a native practice which received official recognition through the aegis of the church organisers. With this came official documentation, so the records provide information on the establishment and growth of friendly societies in different parts of the island, while this detailed information is not visible for those established by the people on their own account,

It should be noted that the friendly societies were formed to serve the interests of different groups. While the intent of the churches to provide support for their members should not be discounted, the competition between the different religious groups for members from this island’s relatively small population should not be excluded.

The first friendly societies were established in Tobago between 1838 and 1845. By 1845 there were 1,496 church-organised societies, which were distributed as follows: Leeward District 505; the Windward District 295; and the Middle district 696. In the same year the Moravians established a dispensary which gave free medicines to its members and sold to non-members at reduced prices.

These organisations were important to the labouring class because of the mounting social challenges they faced during the immediate post-Emancipation years. During the latter years of the century, the accelerated crisis caused by the demise of the sugar industry led to the lowering of wages and reduced employment on the estates, which aggravated social conditions.

In addition to lack of social services, the problems were compounded by the increased cost of living, the shortage of coin on the island and an employment shift from agriculture to general labourer and porters (which also paid low wages), which made life extremely difficult for workers, estate workers in particular.

Social groups on the island began to organise friendly societies for members of their group which reflected the growing importance of social distinctions on the island. One such was the Charitable Union Society, an organisation of upwardly mobile blacks formed in 1850 with 40 members. It was an all-male group of tradesmen which offered sickness, death and other benefits and promoted upright conduct among its members.

Towards the end of the century, friendly societies changed in nature, becoming more village- or group-based. In Scarborough, a Methodist minister formed the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association in the late 1870s. Open to men of all denominations, it provided the base for discussion on public matters.

Some friendly societies functioned through lodges. A group of urban coloured people, who included some small planters and merchants, shopkeepers and butchers, formed the Order of Good Templars, a lodge which advocated temperance. This was followed by the formation of the Odd Fellows, a lodge which functioned between 1882 and 1899. The Independent Order of Rechabites served a coloured membership of druggists, teachers and plantation owners.

These lodges were branches of international organisations, and in addition to providing sickness and other benefits to their members, they also maintained regional and global links with other branches.

In 1877 the Penny Savings Bank was started by a membership which was drawn from across the class lines to fill a need that was sorely felt by all classes in the society. There was no bank on the island, and to save money, people had recourse to hiding places in the roof or flooring of their homes, with the risks those brought, and in their animals.

This much-needed service was terminated when the governor took over the bank and insisted it should be managed by the colony’s treasurer, LG Hay, who should be paid an annual stipend of £100. This caused such a controversy that the bank expired after 1883.

The Tobago Mutual Benefit Society was established in 1883 as an association of loyal and law-abiding men to assist members in sickness, death, debility and financial distress.

In 1884, the Tobago Defence Association was formed, with members who were also members of the Odd Fellows and Order of the Good Templars. This organisation was heavily involved in political matters, particularly the fight against crown colony rule.

In 1880s, in response to the sugar crisis of the period, two benefit societies were formed, the Windward Concord Benefit Society in Pembroke in 1886 and the Victoria Jubilee Relief Society at Roxborough in 1887.

By the end of the century many friendly societies which were primarily focused on the economic wellbeing of the membership were village- rather than church-organised.

The growth of the friendly societies reflected the varying interests of different groups. While all valued the safety net offered by these societies, economic concerns dominated the interests of the working classes, while other classes, which were colour- and class-based, were more concerned with political matters. The churches served as welfare-promoting organisations in a society where the need was great, but they also possessed other interests of their own.