Associational Culture in a Developing Residential and Leisure town: Brighton and Hove in the Nineteenth Century

<p dir="ltr">This thesis casts new light on the history of seaside resorts by providing the first sustained analysis of associational culture in Brighton and Hove during the nineteenth century. Its main focus is an investigation of those who set up, ran and joined the philanthropic, cultural, educational, and medical voluntary associations that proliferated in the period 1832–90. It uses associations’ annual reports and subscription lists, newspaper reports and personal testimonies to identify the Brighton residents who were closely involved in the associations. It supplements these sources with others, including church reports and voting records to examine how issues of religious and local governance influenced the way these voluntary organisations were run. The thesis starts with a brief contextual overview of nineteenth-century Brighton and Hove. It then investigates the strengths of the town’s associational culture through a thematic approach. It examines the three Brighton societies which were archetypical of nineteenth-century English associational culture: the Mechanics’ Institution, the Young Men’s Athenaeum and the Literary and Scientific Institution. It considers how these were established, how successful they were, and analyses the reasons for their eventual demise. The second theme is the role of the individual: an evaluation of the life, role and achievements of three-times mayor, Sir John Cordy Burrows, who was instrumental in many aspects of the town’s public life. His multiple roles, holding office in diverse associations, campaigning for public health improvements and for the town’s incorporation reveal him to have been unique in his single-minded activities. This chapter asks whether he was a unique instigator of change, or a model of the type of men who ran the town. A further chapter analyses the role the high proportion of women in the population played in associational culture, by donating money, and by running voluntary associations as well as working with local and national bodies campaigning for women’s rights. The final theme assesses the influence of religion on the associational culture in a town famous, if not notorious, for its Tractarian practices and its Anglican and nonconformist celebrity preachers.</p><p dir="ltr">The research demonstrates a type of associational culture characterised by a shifting, but growing population, a large proportion of women inhabitants, and widespread reliance on trade from visitors, rather than on industrial production. These factors engendered distinct differences from the towns and cities of the north and West Midlands, which have previously been the main subject of research in associational culture. Lacking a strong elite of nonconformist merchants and manufacturers, Brighton had a more varied set of instigators of associational culture, including hotel managers, large and small shopkeepers and builders, as well as professionals. This was to some extent mirrored in other resort and spa towns which shared these characteristics. Yet Brighton remained different. The continued growth of its residential population, and its proximity to London gave its associational culture a quality that was unique.</p>