About the Dudley Book Society

Nearly 300 years of History Dudley Book Society was founded by a small group of townsmen about the year 1732, and has enjoyed an unbroken existence since that day. The founders were mainly members of the Society of Protestant Dissenters, whose meeting place was the Old Meeting House, (built in 1702) in Wolverhampton Street, Dudley. Prominent among the dissenters were the Baylies family. Brothers Robert and Samuel and sister Anne were members at the Old Meeting House, and founded the eponymous school in Pease Lane, (now Tower Street), Dudley. Samuel Baylies is held to be one of the founding fathers of the Society, and his portrait, normally held for safe-keeping in Dudley Art Gallery, is displayed at the Society's Annual Dinner. The dissenters were joined by friends belonging to the Established Church, who were in sympathy with the Society's ideals and aims. Meetings were held regularly at one of the hostelries in the town, most frequently the Saracen's Head Hotel, where one can visualise them sitting with tankards of ale and churchwarden's pipes, enthusiastically discussing the matters which interested and concerned them.       Samuel Baylies The Old Meeting House, Wolverhampton Street, Dudley built in 1702, the meeting place of the Protestant Dissenters who founded the Dudley Book Society.     The purposes of the Society were threefold:- To further the cause of the establishment of civil and religious liberty. The ideal aimed at is embodied in the principal toast, the honouring of which has been the 'raison d'etre' of the Annual Dinner for almost three centuries.   To discuss schemes for the betterment of the town, and for its better government.   To purchase and circulate among the members, books and other printed matter which were difficult to purchase and sometimes dangerous to own. One of the Society's chief activities was to purchase and circulate among its members the best publications, fiction and general literature, of the year. Meetings were held bi-monthly, to discuss and agree book purchases, and any other competent business. New members were elected by invitation, membership was limited to 24, and non-attendance and other similar misdemeanours were punished by a system of fines. Membership was not to be undertaken lightly. For example, fines for non-attendance could only be avoided by giving written notice to the Secretary, of illness, or of being more than twenty miles from home! An Annual Dinner was held, principally to celebrate the toast, but also to auction off the Society's stock of books, in order to help finance new purchases. Within this framework, the Society has continued to meet and function for nearly three centuries. It has been fortunate in living to see its ideal of Civil and Religious Liberty attained in our nation and in much of our Commonwealth, and members can take pride in the fact that their society played an honourable part in the struggle to achieve these freedoms. Having regard to the enormous social changes which have come about in the past three centuries, it is not surprising that the Society's role has also changed and evolved. Such developments as the establishment of lending libraries, the liberalisation of society in general, the advent of the paperback, and what can only be described as the explosion of the media and information technology, have all impacted on the relevance of the Society. The purchase and circulation of magazines and periodicals ceased in 1939, and in 1942, circulation of books by messenger ceased. The minutes of the meeting held on 8th December complain: "There are so many well paid part-time jobs for boys that the secretary has found it impossible to retain the services of a reliable boy to act as a messenger". From that time onwards, the Society's 'Library' was maintained at conveniently located offices of one of the members, an arrangement which continued until recently. Usage of this library having declined, the facility was withdrawn, and the books auctioned in 1997 were not replaced. Bi-monthly meetings have also gradually faded away, the last recorded committee meetings took place in 1969. The Society has two officers, the President and the Secretary, and now has a maximum of 30 members. It is open to persons of all creeds and persuasions, and meets but once a year, on the occasion of the Annual Dinner. This is a private function, usually held in November. Members are encouraged to invite guests, and are fined for failing to attend. The focal point of the event is the toast to Civil and Religious Liberty, which is proposed by a prominent personality. It is customary for a response to be made by a minister of the Unitarian Church. A cross-section of the best of the year's publications is purchased by the Society, and at the conclusion of formalities, the books are sold in a light-hearted auction, which helps to cover operating costs. Needless to say, members failing to buy a book are fined! Despite the changes to the Society's structure, and perhaps because of them, the organisation is well supported, and currently has its full complement of members. Our dinner is an occasion for enjoyment and fellowship, but above all, the members, still with the same enthusiasm as in the days of the struggle, honour the traditional toast: 'CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ALL THE WORLD OVER.' Home

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