ABSTRACT
The Rechabites were different from other societies in being a temperance society. Any members indulging in strong drink were liable to dismissal from their ranks after three offences against the rules of temperance. The affiliated societies were not the only form of friendly society in the middle of the nineteenth century, of course, and other important forms will be considered shortly, but they certainly are the most striking development in the field of working-class self-help at the time. One further advantage of membership of an affiliated order that deserves consideration is their social activities. Like the earlier local societies, the orders held monthly meetings, usually in public houses, and annual feasts. Victorian society was strongly masculine in character, and woman’s place was thought to be in the home rather than in the workplace. A final perspective may be established on friendly society activity in the earlier years of Victoria’s reign.
