Be Just and Fear Not
The Salvation Army we must drive,
Far, far away.
For cannibals to eat alive
Far, far away.
We will salt and pepper them too, And make them fit for a rare stew
And Old Head shall sail with the crew
Far, far, away
(Sussex 1884)
WHO WERE THE SKELETON ARMY?
The Skeleton Army existed through the 1880s and 1890s to harass the Temperance (no alcohol) movement, which was largely led by the newly founded Salvation Army (1865).
The Salvation Army weren’t exactly popular at the time, including with the local dignitaries and respectable people who would often write to newspapers worrying that the Salvation Army would give their towns a bad reputation and drive visitors away. The Salvation Army took on a militaristic structure, it’s goal to wage war on poverty, marching up and down the streets banging their drums, playing the tuba, waving banners, singing and preaching in public. This behaviour didn’t go down well in Victorian Society and they often found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Collectively, they were glad to look the other way when the Skeleton Army broke up Salvation Army events.
Life at the time was pretty grim day to day for folk; towns and cities had grown massively with industrialisation and people’s pay, working conditions and hours were literally killing them. Housing was overcrowded and illness rife. Beer and gin were cheap, so people drank just to get through the day. The Salvation Army didn’t see the causes of poverty as low pay and killingly long hours, they were immorality and drinking.
The response along England’s south coast was groups of people marching in opposition to the Salvation Army and were quickly named the Skeleton Army. Publicans, beer sellers & butchers were widely subscribed to this movement and would follow the Salvation Army around to ridicule them, singing rowdy lyrics the to their songs and banging their own drums to render the processions of the Salvationists and their services impossible.
Throughout the 1880s these two sides would regularly clash leading to riots in Hastings, Worthing and Guildford and brawls across more than 65 towns and villages. The details of which are a little sketchy without trawling through newspaper archives as the only written histories appear from The Salvation Army, which could be construed a little one sided; reports of Skeleton mobs attacking the Salvation Army, throwing paint-filled eggs, dead animals, burning coals – whatever came to hand!
To the extent that the police got involved, they were likely to blame the Salvation Army for any uproar. In Worthing, when one ‘Salvationist applied to the bench for a summons against those who had assaulted him’, he was told ‘You know what you do provokes others to interfere with you, and then you come to us for protection’.In Eastbourne, the mayor and brewers endorsed the Skeleton Army. In Torquay, the local government banned marching music on a Sunday. It attracted troublemakers, so they arrested the marchers, but by the early 1890s the police became more likely to arrest attackers. Opposition began to die down and the Skeleton Army faded away.
WHAT RELATION DOES THIS HAVE TO THE ROYAL OAK?
Around 1891 the freehold of the Royal Oak was purchased by the widow Florentia Lucas-Shadwell. At the time the Lucas-Shadwell family owned much land between Hastings & Rye Harbour and were extremely influential, becoming MPs and Justices for the County. Florentia was the daughter of the vicar of Pett, Henry Wynch, and was a staunch supporter of the Temperance movement. It is said that she followed this path after her brother George Wynch was kicked to death by an unattended horse outside the Two Sawyers pub, whilst the groom was inside drinking.
The unlucky tenant of The Royal Oak at that time was landlord James Dennett and he heard rumours that Mrs Lucas-Shadwell wished to close the pub, as she had already brought and closed the Two Sawyers. He drew up plans to build a new pub on land opposite The Royal Oak but when he applied to the bench to build this property, along with a petition of 169 signatures in support he was told that this was a ludicrous proposal as the village could end up with two pubs (The Two Sawyers at the time was within the Fairlight boundary) and a population of only 250 people, so permission was denied. Subsequently notice was served on Mr Dennett and Mrs Lucas-Shadwell did indeed turn the Royal Oak into a Temperance Inn and it remained so into the late 1960s. Those in search of an alcoholic beverage had to walk into Guestling for many decades.
MODERN TIMES
It would appear that yet again our right to a pint is under threat from the Fun Police – this time in the form of our own Government and their extortionate taxation, which whilst harsh on the general population does seem particularly loaded against the hospitality industry.
So, we ask you to stand with this Publican, his beer sellers and this butcher to raise a glass or three, sing along and if you feel inclined, bang your drum, join our Skeleton Army!
Sarah Whiteman
The Old Butchers Shop
Robin Lyons
The Royal Oak Pett