Hopping (1906) ' the most orderly on record'

Post date: Feb 05, 2012 5:49:3 PM

Each year Wateringbury Parish magazine published an account of the hopping. It is hoped to reproduce many more over time. unfortunately the set of accounts attached is not so easy to reproduce.

A short hopping. The first batch of pickers arrived at Wateringbury Station in the early hours of Aug. 28th, and the last batch left on Sept. 21st—three weeks and four days; but in the several gardens a fortnight or less sufficed to complete the picking of hops, which came down lighter than had been estimated. A fair crop, obtained in good condition, as heavy or heavier than in many districts, but lighter than round Paddock Wood and Goudhurst. The weather was excessively hot to begin with, the shade temperature touching 94 degrees, and there was no rain to interfere with the picking, which was the quietest and most orderly on record.

The appended balance-sheet indicates the organisation of our Mission and Social work among the pickers. We have established a new coffee-stall in the Hermitage Farm gardens, so that we now have stalls in three gardens in addition to the Vicarage and Station stalls. In two of the remaining three gardens there are stalls which are privately managed by the growers. The Home Farm stall, established in a tentative way last year, was managed this year by Cadet Barber, of the Church Army, with the help of Miss Lambert and Miss Cator, and proved a distinct success. The stalls on the Canon Court and Hermitage Farms were well managed by the members of a special mission — of which more anon. The Station stall was served by the Vicar and Cadet Barber, with the help of Captain Kirby and several ladies of the parish, to whom we tender our grateful thanks. These ladies and others also assisted our old friends Mr. Riches and Miss Dixie in running the club and stalls connected with the Church Rooms. The value of all this so-called social work in its effect upon the general behaviour of the pickers has been abundantly proved and need not be dwelt upon.

The Lantern Mission was conducted by Captain Kirby, who is now in charge of the Church Army Van which is worked in this Diocese. Mr. Edward Goodwin lent, as in previous years, a horse and a luggage cart for the lantern services, which were well-attended. The Captain and "Brother" Barber lived together in the Van in the Glebe. We hope to see them both again in the parish.

The special mission previously mentioned was organised by the Rev. Henry Iselin of St. George's in the East and consisted mainly of ladies and gentlemen who do voluntary work in that parish. Their names appear in the balance-sheet. Mr. Richards and Mr. Barlow gave up their annual holiday to the work: the former has a post at the S.P.C.K , and the latter in the Post Office. Mr. Limbrick is Librarian of Zion College. Two of the gentlemen found rooms for themselves, and the rest of the party lived at "Belmont," which was taken for them for the three weeks. They were not all present together, but always at least seven of the party were at work in the mission. It will be noticed that they contributed liberally towards the expenses of board and lodging. In addition to managing two coffee-stalls, this party conducted a special mission on the Hermitage Farm, working in a large tent which served as a room for lantern services, Sunday School, and concerts, and for the general purpose of a club-room. The idea came from the Paddock Wood district, where the Rev. Harry Wilson has been working on similar lines and and with great success for some years. Mr. Iselin, who has worked for two or three seasons among the hoppers in Tudely parish and whose whole life in London is spent among people of the same class, thinks that the establishment of tent-missions on large farms should be largely extended, and he reports the Hermitage experiment as encouraging. He has got an enthusiastic little band of workers and we hope that he may see his way to coming to help us again next year. In the absence of his colleague the Vicar received timely help from Mr. Iselin in the services in the Church, for which he is duly grateful.

The Little Hoppers' Hospital must always be a most important branch of our work among the pickers. For the fourth successive year we have to express our gratitude to Sister Kerr and Nurse Howlett, who this year had the assistance of Miss Jose Donaldson as an extra nurse. Miss Carnegie kindly undertook the office of cook-housekeeper. We are fortunate in having the loan of a cottage for the hospital, from Sir George Donaldson; and it should be noted that the tenant, Mrs. Cartwright, kindly leaves the bed-rooms well-furnished for the use of the nurses. The personal expenses of the staff are defrayed by a grant from the Church of England Mission to Hop-pickers; the rest of the expenditure is met by our local fund. Miss Kerr's management is a model of economy—the cost of board works out at about 4/6 per head per week on a calculation that leaves nothing at all for the cost of the patients' food! We do not inspect the ladies' luggage on arrival; nor have we included the value of kind gifts of fruit, vegetables and eggs etc. which were sent to the hospital.

We began the season with a balance of £41 4s. 3d., which had accumulated with a view to necessary expenses in connection with furnishing the hospital. Various causes have contributed to reduce the cost considerably below the estimate, among them being the shortness of the picking, the loan of furniture by the tenant of the cottage hospital, and the large saving effected by the efforts of Mrs. Livett's Lenten Working-party. There is still a balance of £17 9s. 0d., an amount which would just suffice probably to purchase a tent should it be considered advisable in view of the fact that the hire and carriage of the tent this year came to £11 18s. 0d.

Extract from Kent & Sussex Courier - Friday 14 September 1906

WATERINGBURY. THE MISSION TO HOP-PICKERS.— The annual service and conference of those Interested in the Church of England Mission to Hop-plckers was held on Tuesday at Wateringbury. At the Conference the Rev. C. C. Hawley presided, and those present were Lady Falmouth, the Revs. R. A. Wood, H.J. Parsons, J.E. Revington-Jones, R. Swan, G.B. Charles, G.L. Lachlan, J. Leigh, F. Cobb, G. M. Livett, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Lambert, Mrs Henry White, Mrs Oliphant, Mrs Livst, Mrs Charles, the Misses Cobb, the Misses Goodwin, Mr. Starbuck, Miss Starbuck, the Misses Cater, and missionaries, nurses, and lady helpers from Barming, Collier street, Capel, Tudely, Five Oak Green, Paddock Wood, Hadlow, Mereworth, East Peckham, Holy Trinity, West Peckham, Nettlestead, Teston, Horsmonden, East Malling, West Malling, Hunton, Laddingford, Yalding, East Farleigh, West Farleigh, and Wateringbury.—The Honorary Secretary (the Rev. F. G. Oliphant) made a statement with regard to the work of the Mission, to the effect that there were 90 workers subsidised by the Mission working in 32 parishes. He also referred the success of the children's hospital at East Peckham. The subject of the discussion was the "Work among the children during hop-picking," and in this several speakers joined.

Extract from New Zealand Tablet of 27 September 1906:

Among the Hop Pickers The Franciscan Fathers of the Capuchin Reform have made arrangements for a development of their work among the Catholic pickers in the Kent hop gardens during the coming season. Last year when they undertook the work at the request of the Bishop of Southwark, two Fathers, two Sisters of Mercy, and a small band of lay workers spent the hopping season in and around Paddock Wood, Wateringbury, and East Farleigh. As a result many hundreds heard Mass who would otherwise have been unable to do so many sick people were attended to, and much was done to bring religious influence to bear upon the Catholic pickers. In the coming season it is hoped largely to develop the work thus happily inaugurated. Four priests, several nuns and trained nurses, and an increased body of lay workers will be distributed throughout Kent, and a strenuous effort will be made to get into touch with the 10,000 Catholics who are reported to work there during the hop-picking season.

See also Hopping dinner.