Sidney Ball and Barnett House ,Whitechapel-a Druitt contemporary

[Natalie Severn]

Sidney Ball was one of the very first Oxford students to offer his services to Rev Barnett in 1875 while still a student.I am not at this stage certain whether he was an undergraduate at New College[Druitt"s college] or Barnett"s college Wadham.
I quote from Canon Barnett"s" Life and Work" bk 1 page 308:
"After they graduated some of the men who had visited us [from Oxford colleges-which included New College Oxford ie Druitt"s college]came to reside in the EAST LONDON.
They lived together in twos and threes in lodgings or in the model dwellings.*
One group of five took a disused beer-shop in Leman Street**-where they established a delightful bachelor household and termed it "The Friary".They themselves often went back to Oxford to recruit for the East End work."...........
I understand from the records that ET Cook,Druitt"s school , college and debating colleague ,and a very early volunteer service worker at Toynbee Hall, resided in Blackheath after coming down from Oxford in 1881.He had family in Blackheath

" ......much fresh interest was rewakened-new recruits gathered around Arnold Toynbee-[ET Cook,from New College being one we know of for certain].
But it was to Mr Sidney Ball,whose alert mind wide sympathies,powers of organisation and fervent practical idealism made him then,as ever since, a strong force for progress....."
.......it was his discernment,which discovered powers in undergraduates that could be put to public uses.It was his energy that organised innumerable meetings,among them a memorable one at the Union ,when the abolition of the poor law was debated,march 8th 1877.And therefore it naturally followed that it was in his rooms that the meeting was held on November 17th 1883,when Toynbee Hall was born.It was he who founded in 1913....... Barnett House for the advancement of "economics and social studies"........of the work of University Settlements [such as had been started at Toynbee Hall]".
GR Sims apparently helped in these extended initiatives by his writings on "How the Poor Live"-as did a Mr Henry George and Mr Mearns" tract on "The Bittter Cry of Outcast London".
Below is a picture of Barnett House as it is today.It is very close to where the Crispin Street Refuge stands but in Bell Street which is a continuation of Crispin Street.


*such as those in Goulston Street Street where the graffiti was found.
** Mary Kelly"s old patch[allegedly].

[aspallek]

Hi Nats,

Could the #3 entry here from the 1881 census be our man?

1. Name Mary A. BALL Relationship Head Condition W Gender F Age 58 Occupation Private Income Birthplace Chester, Cheshire, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

2. Name Edwin F. BALL Relationship Son Condition U Gender M Age 25 Occupation Barrister No Practice Yet B.A. Cambridge Birthplace Pershore, Worcester, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

3. Name Sydney BALL Relationship Son Condition U Gender M Age 23 Occupation Student Ret Oxford (Not Sch) Birthplace Pershore, Worcester, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

4. Name Henry B. BALL Relationship Son Condition U Gender M Age 22 Occupation Clerk On Stock Exchange Birthplace Pershore, Worcester, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

5. Name Mary E. BALL Relationship Daur Condition U Gender F Age 21 Occupation – Birthplace Pershore, Worcester, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

6. Name Gertrude BALL Relationship Daur Condition U Gender F Age 21 Occupation – Birthplace Pershore, Worcester, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

7. Name Minnie H. BALL Relationship Daur Condition U Gender F Age 19 Occupation – Birthplace Pershore, Worcester, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

8. Name Mary NORTON Relationship Serv Condition U Gender F Age 34 Occupation Cook Birthplace Labrington, York, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

9. Name Louisa CARTER Relationship Serv Condition U Gender F Age 23 Occupation Waitress (...) Birthplace Swaffham, Norfolk, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

10. Name Alice HAWES Relationship Serv Condition U Gender F Age 22 Occupation Housemaid Birthplace Lowestoft, Suffolk, England Address 25 Stanley Crest, London, Middlesex, England PRO ref RG11/0029 Folio 126 Page 47 FHL film no. 1341006
Amount paid £0.00

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Andy,
I think it might be him but in every reference it gives Sidney as spelt with an "I".However they often got spellings wrong in the census.I also can"t find a Stanley Crescent address in Middlesex,though here in Notting Hill [West london],there is a Stanley Crescent.Another clue turned up today in that Rev Barnett visited him in his rooms in "St John"s" in Oxford----so if that is another College of Oxford then thats where Sidney Ball studied-and not New College.I believe all the others I put down as being at New College were correct though as I have now had time to double check.

There does seem to have been a great interest by the clergy all over England in the work of Toynbee Hall and I wonder if this may also be where we may find a Druitt link.Although only some 100 odd students from Oxford and Cambridge took digs in Whitechapel to help with the work at Toynbee Hall it states in the books on its progress and development that it had "thousands of visitors" during the 1880"s and this turn over seems to have gone on quite some time into the first half of the twentieth century.The visitors are also from a reasonable cross section of the political spectrum as well with Stead,Sims and others celebrating its work in the press.The same happened with the clergy.One of Barnett"s great friends is a man named Rev.A S W Young from his student days ,who appears to have lived in Kingston.But there was also a well to do couple from "Blackheath",named Young,a Mr and Mrs Alexander Young who,via ET Cook it seems,also of Blackheath, lent some very precious masterpieces for the Toynbee Hall/Whitechapel Art Gallery,curated by ET Cook.THis was in 1893.It says Rev Barnett was met at Blackheath Station by Mr Young"s carriage.

As if that isnt enough of the great and the good, there was at least one Oxford student who became a future Archbishop of Canterbury ,to say nothing of the future politicians ,Chamberlain and Balfourto name but two of several,as well as one Royal who showed a keen interest in the work- HRH Duke of Clarence.The Aclands too seem to have been hugely helpful,particularly Arthur.

Norma

[aspallek]

There does seem to have been a great interest by the clergy all over England in the work of Toynbee Hall and I wonder if this may also be where we may find a Druitt link.

Yes, and one recalls the letters in the West Sussex Records Office from Jabez Druitt, an East End resident, to the sister of Rev. Charles Druitt.

[Chris Scott]

Hi Norma
Sidney Ball went to Wellington College and then Oriel College Oxford
Here is his entry from the list of Oxford Alumni

[Chris Scott]

Here is the announcement of his marriage
The Times 25 December 1891

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Andy and Chris,
I dont know of that letter Andy.....?

Chris,
It looks like it is the Sydney Ball Andy posted doesnt it-with the Worcester link.
I used to live almost next door to Rock House in Ealing---its a small world!
Thanks for posting this information Chris.
Any link between the Alexander Young"s of Blackheath and the Rev.Young who was Barnett"s best friend?
Best
Norma

[Chris Scott]

here is Ball's obituary

24 May 1918

[Chris Scott]

here is a trubute to Ball and a report on his funeral
28 May 1918

[Chris Scott]

Norma
Ir seems there was also a Barnett House in Oxford
The bit below is from 13 March 1919

[Chris Scott]

Here's a selection of mentions in The Times

Sidney Ball
Articles that may refer to him
from The Times

19 June 1875

From article about the Speech Day at Wellington College
Under Scholarships:
Open Scholarship at Oriel College, Oxford - Sidney Ball

24 October 1879
Degrees Conferred - Oxford
B.A. - Sidney Ball

28 November 1882
Mr. Sidney Ball, M.A., late scholar of Oriel College, has this day been elected to an official fellowship of St. John's College.

26 January 1887
The following have been nominated as Public Examiners:
list includes:
Sidney Ball, M.A.m, Fellow of St. John's College

30 July 1891
New Books
The Economic review - July Number
Articles include:
A Plea for Liberty: A Criticism - Sidney Ball M.A.

8 May 1896
Mr Sidney Ball, M.A., Tutor of St. John's College, has been nominated by the Senior Proctor as Pro proctor, in place of Mr. Pogson-Smith, of St. John's College, resigned.

7 December 1896
Ball at a meeting of the Russell Club, Oxford

6 June 1898
Ball at annual dinner of the Palmerston Club

11 June 1900
Ball at annual dinner of the Palmerston Club

10 June 1901
Ball presides at meeting of the Women's Liberal association at the Reform Club, Oxford

14 June 1904
Birth announced of a daughter to Ball and his wife - address given as St Johns House, St Giles, Oxford

7 December 1904
Ball appointed representative on the Council of University College, Nottingham. The other representative was A.H. Dyke Acland, fellow of Balliol College

24 July 1907
Ball's name, among other, attached to a letter to the Times titled "The need of reform at Oxford"

5 October 1907
Ball writes to the Times - "Oxford Colleges and the University"

20 November 1907
Ball appointed to the committee of the University and Workers' Educational Association

24 February 1908
Ball's name (among many others) attached to letter calling for abolition of play censorship

23 March 1909
Ball's name attached (among many others) to a "Declarartion of Men in Support of Women's Suffrage"

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Chris.Quite an impressive crowd at Sidney Ball"s funeral.
Clearly there were other places named "Barnett House"-mind the one in Whitechapel bears the hallmarks of being built at the time.
Moving on to the references above, I see the Arthur Dyke- Acland name in bold-Sidney Ball and he seem to have worked closely together at Toynbee Hall all through,the earliest reference I saw being around 1883.

Norma
ps I see several refs to this Palmerston Club that a Druitt attended at one point at least. In May 1883 Barnett was the principal speaker at one of the club"s dinners----were they annual dos do you think?