The earliest record found for
Earlsheaton Conservative Club is a report in November 1922 when Osbert Peake, the Conservative
candidate for Dewsbury spoke at the club.
He was fighting to regain the seat that he had lost to the Liberals in
1918. During his speech to the members and aiming to gain their support in his
campaign he observed that
“the time has now arrived for the Conservatives to
make a big push.”
It was reported that he was “rapidly” gaining votes in Dewsbury. Despite this he was unsuccessful in gaining
the Dewsbury seat. Yorkshire Post 1
November 1922
In 1925 the Earlsheaton
Conservative Club purchased a warehouse at Hoyle Head, Park Road, Earlsheaton
to convert into new club rooms. The
building cost £1100 and was three storeys high.
The intention was that one of the large rooms would be converted into a
public hall for the district. Leeds Mercury 9 October 1925.
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| Francis Stanley Jackson, MP |
The new club premises were opened
in 1926 by Colonel Francis Stanley
Jackson, M.P. He promised to send an
autographed photo of himself for the club to hang in its club-room. Speaking of his visit in a letter to A. S. Lyles
Chairman of Dewsbury Conservative Association, Colonel Jackson said
“I shall
always remember with the greatest of pleasure my visit to Earlsheaton, and the
exceptional reception which I was received on that occasion.”
One presumes that he kept his promise to send the photograph as subsequently the club named the large club
room after him. Leeds Mercury 13 October 1926.
The
1927 Kelly’s Directory shows the club as Dewsbury and Earlsheaton Conservative
Club with the address at Park Road, Earlsheaton, Dewsbury. This would be the
same address as the one given for the warehouse purchased in 1925. Harold Smith was club secretary at this time. Harold was secretary of the Club for eight years. He was found
drowned in the Scarr End Mill Dam, Earlsheaton in December 1932. He had resigned as secretary eighteen moths
previous to his death. Yorkshire Post 16 December 1932
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| Leeds Mercury |
In 1928 J. W. W. Shuttleworth, the
prospective Conservative candidate for Dewsbury was a frequent visitor to the club. At the meeting in March it was reported that
there was a large gathering who gave him an
“enthusiastic reception”.
Mr Shuttleworth appealed to Conservative
workers
“in every part of the constituency”
to make one united force to gain
the end they sought. He appeared at the club again later in June that year to speak on Education and
again in October. Leeds
Mercury 19 March 1928 & Yorkshire Post 15 June 1928
A Conservative Bazaar was held in
the “F. S. Jackson” Rooms of Earlsheaton Conservative Club on 29 April
1939. It was opened by Cecil T Lyles,
chairman of the Dewsbury Conservative Association. Leeds
Mercury 1 May 1939
In 1944 Mr N Potter was elected as
President of Earlsheaton Conservative Club to succeed Dr E. G. Mahony who had
been President for the four years previous.
Yorkshire Post 28 October 1944
In 1950 the club was hiring its
room for other purposes. The Dewsbury
Archery Club had its indoor range in there in 1950. Yorkshire
Post 14 November 1950
The club held an “Any Questions”
evening in March 1953, with a team of local experts answering questions,
including the prospective Conservative candidate Michael Shaw. Among many questions asked one was
“Could any
member of the team suggest anything original to celebrate the coronation?”
A range of suggestions were made by the panel including building a new
central sports stadium for the area and another was the removal of derelict
buildings and rubble and planting of tree and flowers. Yorkshire
Post 19 March 1953 .
The club is still based at Hoyle Head, Park Road, Earlsheaton.
Prominent Members of the club.
 |
| Ratcliffe Tolson |
 |
| Leeds Mercury |
Ratcliffe Tolson celebrated his 83rd birthday in
1931. He was said to be the oldest,
active Conservative in the Heavy Woollen District. Ratcliffe Tolson was associated
with the foundation of the Earlsheaton Conservative Club and had been a lifelong
worker for Conservatism. He had
presented a framed photograph of himself to the club in 1930. Ratcliffe died in 1942 aged 94 and was Dewsbury's oldest inhabitant at that time. Leeds Mercury 5 May 1931.
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Frederick William Tong & his wife.
Leeds Mercury
|
Frederick William Tong was one of the earliest members of the club
and one of its trustees. He was an
active Conservative in the area and was elected to the Dewsbury Board of
Guardians in 1922. In 1929 he became a
member of Dewsbury Town Council for Earlsheaton and became an Alderman in 1929.
In 1937 he became Mayor of Dewsbury and held this office until 1939. His wife was also a prominent Conservative
and a social worker. She was a committee
member of Dewsbury Women’s Conservative and Unionist Association. Leeds Mercury
10 September 1937
Gilbert Crossland died in March 1936. He was a popular journalist
in the Heavy Woollen District and had been treasurer of the Earlsheaton Conservative
Club for 20 years. Leeds Mercury 1 April 1936
In 1938 Herbert Rigg a past
president of the club died. Leeds Mercury
16 December 1938.
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Charles Preston,
Yorkshire Post
|
Charles Preston was President of the club for several years. He ran Messrs Abraham Preston & Sons Ltd,
rug and blanket manufacturers in Earlsheaton. He was a member of Dewsbury Town
Council and an Alderman for the town. At
the time of his death in 1931 he was trustee for the club. Yorkshire
Post 27 May 1931
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