Todmorden Co-operative Society

Todmorden Co-operative Society

Todmorden had a Co-operative Society in 1832, which paid dividends in proportion to share capital as was the common practice of the time. It was with the spread of the societies based on the Rochdale pattern, however, that the movement really took off. The Rochdale principle was to pay interest in share capital, but distribute profits in the form of a dividend on purchases, thus spreading the benefits more widely. Todmorden formed a "Rochdale" type Society in 1847 and Walsden followed suit in 1849. In 1851, the Bridge End Equitable Progressionists Society based at Shade, separated from the Todmorden Society. Operations were on a small scale in the early days with 2 shops in Todmorden and Shade, opening only in the evenings after the mills closed. Originally the Societies dealt only with flour and oatmeal but by 1848 they had expanded into general groceries and by 1850 into butchering. The movement spread and branch shops were opened in every area of the district, extending their ranges into drapery, millinery, tailoring, dressmaking, clogging, boots and shoes, coal delivery, etc. The sales of the Todmorden Society in 1891/1892 were in excess of £130,000 a year and by 1900, 3717 members were receiving dividends averaging 3s in the £. The dividend could be used towards purchasing a house, whereby after saving a certain amount, members could secure a housing loan. Societies also bought or built cottages (rented to members) as Society investments. The Societies also organized social activities and put money into educational funds which supported lectures, reading rooms, etc. Included in the educational programme were University Extension Lecturers provided by the University of Oxford, normally in the form of 6 lectures and discussions at fortnightly intervals. Todmorden with its 3 Societies was one of the few places in the country where these lectures had any lasting success in attracting working class students. In 1889-1890 there was an average attendance of 400 for the course on "The Age of Elizabeth" delivered by the popular Oxford lecturer, the Reverend Hudson Shaw. By the 1950s, the Todmorden and Bridge End Societies began to feel competition from stores and dividends dwindled. The Todmorden Co-operative became part of Norwest Co-operative Limited and in Nov 1995 abandoned its Dale Street premises (except the electrical department). They opened a new "Food Market" employing 85 people.

Women's Guild

The Women's Co-operative Guild was founded in 1883 and a branch started in Todmorden a few years later, followed by one at Bridge End in 1888. It gave women a taste of responsibility when most important positions in the movement at that time were held by men.