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Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
His Last Report: The York chocolate magnate who changed Britain forever
As a new play highlights Seebohm Rowntree's trailblazing York poverty reports, we look at the man who helped pave the way for our welfare state SHOCKING levels of deprivation in York inspired York cocoa magnate Seebohm Rowntree to conduct pioneering surveys into poverty more than a century ago. His reports into poverty in York at the turn of the 20th century shocked Victorian society and caught the attention of politicians including David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill and paved the way for our modern welfare state. York Slums, adults and children, c 1900. Credit Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Seebohm Rowntree's trailblazing work is the subject matter for a new community play currently running at York Theatre Royal - His Last Report. But who was Seebohm Rowtree - and why was his life's work so influential? Here is the story... 1. Born Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree in 1871, he was the second of the four sons of York cocoa entrepreneur Joseph Rowntree. A chemistry graduate, he was a stalwart of the family cocoa and chocolate business until retirement in 1941, having been chairman since 1923. 2. Seebohm published three reports into poverty: Poverty: a Study in Town Life (1900); Poverty and Progress (1941), and Poverty and the Welfare State (1951). 3. The first book had the biggest impact, rocking Victorian society, with its detailed descriptions of the deprivation facing York's working classes. 4. The book drew attention to the conditions of shocking poverty in which many people in late Victorian Britain were living. Seebohm coined the term 'poverty line'. And his research revealed that more than 20,000 people in York – almost half the working class population – were living in poverty. Seebohm Rowntree and David Lloyd George. Picture: Joseph Rowntree Foundation/Borthwick Institute for Archives 5. Rowntree found two main reasons for poverty. In a quarter of cases, the chief wage-earner of the family was dead or unable to work due to age, disability or unemployment. However, in more than 50 per cent of cases, the breadwinner was in regular work: his wages were simply too low to meet his family's needs. Unskilled Labourers earned roughly 90 to 100 pence a week in York in 1899, yet Rowntree estimated that at least 120 pence was needed to keep a family with three children out of poverty. The belief that a man could provide for his family if he was thrifty and hard-working was shown to be false. 6. Among those shocked by Rowntree's findings was Winston Churchill. After reading the book, he commented: 'For my own part, I see little glory in an Empire which can rule the waves and is unable to flush its sewers'. Recommended reading: 'Incredible': Theatre Royal's powerful new project focusing on people in York What's on in York: 8 fab things to do in and around York from this weekend Ten fascinating facts about York chocolate giant and its iconic bar 7. The work of Seebohm Rowntree, and of his fellow pioneer, Charles Booth, who published a study of the London poor, led to the Liberal reforms of 1906-1912, and ultimately to the welfare state. 8. In York, his legacy remains. As chairman of Rowntree and Company, Seebohm Rowntree was instrumental in the creation of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, named after his father. Seebohm's poverty report also inspired his father Joseph to establish New Earswick as a model or garden village to provide decent and affordable housing for his factory workers. This woman is walking along Station Avenue towards the Folk Hall in New Earswick in the 1930s. Photo: Explore York Libraries and Archives Life in poverty in York Some examples from Seebohm Rowtree's notes reveal the human tragedy beneath the statistics. They include: • Labourer, Foundry. Married. Four rooms. Four children. Steady: work regular. Man has bad eyesight, and poor wage accordingly. Family live in the midst of smoke. Rent cheap on account of smoke. Rent 3s. • Spinster. One room. Parish relief. Seems ill for want of proper support. House as clean as a sick woman can make it. Shares a water-tap with eleven other houses, and a closet (toilet) with three others. Rent 2s. • The report revealed how wages paid for unskilled labour were not enough for a moderate-sized family to survive on. Even families who could manage to barely survive, he went on, 'must never spend a penny on railway fare or omnibus." He wrote: "They must never go into the country unless they walk. They must never purchase a halfpenny newspaper or spend a penny to buy a ticket for a popular concert. They must write no letters to absent children, for they cannot afford to pay the postage… The children must have no pocket money for dolls, marbles, or sweets... Finally, the wage-earner must never be absent from work for a single day.' Publicity poster for His Last Report - this year's community theatrical project at York Theatre Royal
Irish Examiner
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Book review: The short but extraordinary life of the Border Commission
While the IRB held the higher ground on the battlefields of Ireland during the War of Independence, Lloyd George and his team of negotiators had the advantage of experience in the subsequent Treaty negotiations. It was Michael Collins who first suggested the establishment of a border commission to decide the jurisdictions of the Dublin and Belfast governments. Lloyd George adopted the idea and produced an ambiguous clause that became Article 12 of the Treaty. Notwithstanding the extreme pressure the Irish negotiating team was subjected to, its decision not to refer the wording of Article 12 for legal opinion was, at best, naïve. The story of the Irish Boundary Commission, and the four years it took to establish that body, is outlined in Cormac Moore's latest book, The Root of All Evil. Moore has previous publications on various aspects of Irish history, these include The GAA v Douglas Hyde, Birth of a Border, and The Irish Soccer Split. The Root of All Evil is a thorough and insightful investigation of all aspects of the Border Commission. The book explains in detail the drawn-out attempts to set up the commission, its short but extraordinary life, and its inevitable end. It has long been argued that Sinn Féin had more interest in the Oath of Allegiance than in partition; Moore argues that this opinion does not stand up to scrutiny. He argues that considerable time and effort was spent on using the Commission as a means of rescuing Fermanagh, Tyrone, and possibly south County Down from Ulster. This optimism was ill-founded, as Moore shows that Britain intended to side with unionist leader, James Craig, whose motto was 'not an inch'. Indeed, Craig's description of the Boundary Commission, 'the root of all evil,' gave Moore the title of the book. The Boundary Commission should have begun its work immediately in 1922. The outbreak of the Civil War, however, delayed the process. Political upheaval in Britain, resulting in a change of government, further added to the delay. Even more time was lost as Britain searched the Empire for a 'suitable' independent chairman. Richard Feetham, a judge in the South African Supreme Court, was appointed. Ireland appointed Eoin MacNeill as its commissioner. This was a grave error. MacNeill, who was also minister for education, proved to be inept in the commissioner role. Belfast had to be forced to appoint a commissioner by the British government. The fact that Belfast refused to engage should not be taken to mean that they were preparing to thwart any potential unsatisfactory findings of the commission. Between 1921 and 1925, proportional representation (PR) voting was abolished in Ulster. Following this many local councils had their voting areas gerrymandered to ensure Unionist majorities. Councils with nationalist majorities such as Tyrone and Fermanagh became unionist councils. The three-man commission eventually got to work in 1925. It decided there would be no communication with the London, Dublin, and Belfast governments. MacNeill abided by this decision, but the Ulster commissioner, Joseph Fisher, had no such qualms; he fed everything back to the Ulster Unionists. MacNeill resigned from the commission as it was about to publish its findings. It had become obvious that the proposed changes were little more than the straightening of some jagged border lines. The Irish government decided it would be best to bury the report for all time. In an effort to save face with voters in the South, the Dublin government sought other financial concessions from Britain. Some concessions on war retribution payments were achieved. This left thousands of nationalists, who live near the northern side of the border, believing they were sold out for cash. What The Root of All Evil clearly shows is neither Sinn Féin nor the subsequent Free State government had a coherent plan on how to deal with the Ulster Unionists. As Moore says, '[The Irish government] failed to grasp that Ulster unionism's hatred of Dublin was stronger than its love for the Empire.' One hundred years on, one wonders if anything has changed? Read More Book review: A salacious tale of murder on the border of fact and fiction
Cambrian News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Cambrian News
Man arrested after David Lloyd George statue vandalised
North Wales Police were made aware of damage to the statue, situated on the Maes in Caernarfon on Tuesday, 1 July. The statue of the UK's only Welsh prime minister was covered in red paint, asking for a 'Free Palestine' and calling Lloyd George a 'coloniser'.
North Wales Live
04-07-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Man arrested after statue of former prime minster David Lloyd George vandalised
A man has been arrested in connection with an incident that saw graffiti daubed on a statue of former Prime Minister David Lloyd George. The graffiti attack happened overnight on Monday at the site on Y Maes in the centre of Caernarfon and in the shadow of the town's castle. As well as covering the statue in paint there were messages like "Zionist", "Free Palestine" and "Lloyd George is scum". The paint has since been removed. Police this afternoon released this statement. They said: "A man has been arrested in connection with criminal damage that was caused on the statue of Lloyd George in Caernarfon earlier this week. "The 38-year-old, who is from the Penmaenmawr area, was arrested yesterday (Thursday) on suspicion of criminal damage. He has since been released with strict bail conditions whilst enquiries continue. "On Tuesday, 1st July North Wales Police were made aware that damage had been caused to the statue, which is situated on the Maes in the town and enquiries have been underway." Lloyd George, from Llanystumdwy, near Criccieth, is the only UK prime minister from Wales - holding the role from 1916-1922. He was PM in 1917 when the Balfour Declaration statement was made by the British government, expressing support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox This was a pivotal moment in the creation of the state of Israel in 1947 after centuries of persecution for Jewish people around the world. This has been followed by decades of conflict in the region and the most recent violence erupted when Palestinian militants attacked Israel, killing 1,143 people and taking around 250 hostages - triggering the Gaza war. More than 56,500 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. It has sparked worldwide condemnation and protests over Israel's actions in the ongoing conflict amid "genocide" accusations.
North Wales Chronicle
04-07-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Penmaenmawr man arrested after statue damage in Caernarfon
On Tuesday (July 1), North Wales Police were made aware that damage had been caused to the statue, which is situated on the Maes in the town. The 38-year-old man, who is from the Penmaenmawr area, was arrested yesterday (July 3) on suspicion of criminal damage. He has since been released with strict bail conditions while inquiries continue. The graffiti on the statue has since been removed. Lloyd George remains the UK's only Welsh Prime Minister. The statue, by Caernarfon Castle, has been in place since 1921 while Lloyd George, who represented the town in Westminster, was still Prime Minister.
