ABSTRACT
Defoe described the Sailors’ Chest at Chatham as being a friendly society, and some of the societies of the eighteenth century appear to have been formed to protect work people in more hazardous occupations. The point is well-illustrated by the growth of friendly society activity in the Black Country, the industrial region to the west of Birmingham. The government was well aware that the genuine friendly society provided a form of self-help that was invaluable in keeping down the poor rates. Many friendly societies, were not confined in membership to any one occupation, but were simply a means of insurance against sickness or accident, with appropriate funeral benefits. By the 1830s then, the friendly society movement had spread to virtually all parts of the country, and was especially prominent in industrial areas. One further kind of friendly society requires attention: the local burial society. Many of the early trade unions took the form of friendly societies and provided out-of-work benefits.
