Squires in the Slums: Settlements and Missions in Late Victorian Britain (International Library of Historical Studies Book 45)

Settlements Were A Distinctive Aspect Of Late-victorian Church Life In Which Individual Philanthropic Christians Were Encouraged To Live And Work In Communities Amongst The Poor And Set An Example For The Underprivileged Through Their Own Actions. Often Overlooked By Historians, Settlements Are Of Great Value In Understanding The Values And Culture Of The 19th Century. Settlement Missions Were First Conceived When Samuel Barnett, The Incumbent Of St Jude's, Whitechapel, In The East End Of London, Sought To Introduce Them As A Major Aspect Of Victorian Church Life. Barnett Argued That Settlers Should Be Incorporated Into London Communities That Suffered From Squalor And Poverty To Live And Work Alongside The Poor, To Demonstrate Their Christian Faith And Attempt To Enhance Social Conditions From The Inside. His First Recruits Were Oxford Undergraduates And When Toynbee Hall Was Founded In Oxford In 1884, His Radical Vision Of Adapting Christian Morality Towards Tackling Social Deprivation Had Begun. By The End Of The Victorian Era More Than Fifty Similar Institutions Had Been Created. Whilst Few Settlements Lasted Beyond The Victorian Period, By Injecting Christian Ethics Into Trade Unions, Local Government And The Community, They Had A Huge Impact Which Is Still Felt In The Way These Organisations Operate Today. --from Publisher's Description. London's Desperate Need -- Samuel Barnett And The Founding Of Toynbee Hall -- Oxford Colleges In The East End -- Cambridge South Of The Thames -- Public School Missions -- Nonconformist Settlements -- Women's Settlements -- University Hall, A Non-sectarian Settlement -- What The Squires Achieved. Nigel Scotland. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [245]-254) And Index. Contents......Page 6 List of Illustrations......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 1. London's Desperate Need......Page 16 2. Samuel Barnett and the Founding of Toynbee Hall......Page 42 3. Oxford Colleges in the East End......Page 70 4. Cambridge South of the Thames......Page 94 5. Public School Missions......Page 116 6. Nonconformist Settlements......Page 146 7. Women's Settlements......Page 170 8. University Hall, a Non-Sectarian Settlement......Page 190 9. What the Squires Achieved......Page 212 Notes and References......Page 226 Bibliography......Page 260 Index......Page 270 Settlements were a distinctive aspect of late Victorian church life in which individual philanthropic Christians were encouraged to live and work in communities amongst the poor and set an example for the underprivileged through their own actions. This book covers an important aspect of Victorian London