Independent Order of Rechabites
The following source list was originally available only on paper in one of the West Yorkshire Archive Service offices. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject, but may relate only to one West Yorkshire district, or be an incomplete list of sources available. Please feel free to add or update with any additional information. |
The Independent Order of Rechabites [Salford Unity] is a friendly Society whose members also take a pledge of abstinence from intoxicating liquors. It was founded in 1835 and tended to be closely associated with churches, particularly non-conformist churches. It's branches were known as tents.
Hope of Skelmanthorpe tent [number 267] was instituted in 1874 and registered in 1886. It was in the Huddersfield and Halifax Rechabite District [number 70] at first, but by the 1960's had come to be in the Bradford District [number 20] . Tent meetings were held at first at Hellawell's shop in Queen Street. Later they were held in Skelmanthorpe Wesleyan Reform Church, and then they moved to the Primitive Methodist church in Pilling Lane.
Charity Tent, Emley [number 1183] was instituted in 1872 and registered in 1884, and was in the Bradford District [number 20] of the the Rechabites. Tent meetings were held at the Primitive Methodist church in Emley. Both tents also had juvenile sections in which children and teenagers could be enrolled.
All Rechabite business in the area is now run from the Bradford District offices and local tents have now been closed.
Records relating to the Hope of Skelmanthorpe Tent and the Charity Tent, Emley are held at WYAS Kirklees, collection reference KC644. See also KC277 and KC394 for other related collections also held by WYAS Kirklees.