About the collection
Foundations of British Sociology: The Sociological Review Archive is a unique resource
held in Keele University Special Collections and Archives. The archive consists of papers
from the Sociological Society, LePlay House, the Institute of Sociology and several
smaller subsidiary groups, all part of the early sociology movement in Britain. It also
contains a large amount of survey material gathered on study tours and field meetings run
by LePlay House across Britain and Europe, as well as the papers of prominent members
of the societies Victor and Sybella Branford and Alexander and Dorothea Farquharson.
The material includes papers and correspondence relating to key activists and opinion-
shapers such as Victor Branford, Francis Galton, Patrick Geddes, H.G. Wells, Lewis
Mumford and Alexander Farquharson on themes such as the responsibilities of the state
and the citizen, planning urban development, the position of women, the role of technical
education, local government reform, regionalism, the co-operative movement, rural
society and the family. Researchers will find valuable materials on the origins of modern
British sociology, and related social sciences such as social psychology, cultural
geography, town planning and demography.
The cataloguing of the archive has been carried out by Project Archivist Annabel Gill,
funded by The Sociological Review, and supported by the University Library and Research
Institutes of Humanities; Law, Politics and Justice; Life Course Studies.
Below are brief descriptions of the societies and people whose papers are in the
collection. The information for these descriptions has come from:
- Beaver, S.H., 'The LePlay Society and Field Work', in Geography, 47 (July 1947), pp.225-240.
- Evans, D., 'LePlay House and the Regional Survey Movement in British sociology, 1920-1955', unpublished MPhil thesis (1986) available at www.dfte.co.uk/ios/index.htm.
- Farquharson, D., 'Dissolution of the Institute of Sociology', in The Sociological Review, 5,3 (1955), pp.165-173.
- Scott, J., 'Victor Branford', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, currently only available online at www.oxforddbnb.com.
- [Obituary of Sybella Branford] The Times, 15 June 1926.
- [Obituary of Victor Branford] The Times, 25 June 1930.
- [Obituary of Alexander Farquharson] The Times, 17 February 1954.
- [Obituary of Alexander Farquharson] The Times, 20 February 1954.
Sociological Society
The Sociological Society was founded in 1903 by, among others, Victor Branford
and Patrick Geddes. Its aims were to publish a journal, hold meetings for lectures and
discussions, keep a library, promote sociology in universities and colleges, provide a
research centre and establish a press for sociological publications.
The Society began publishing Sociological Papers in 1904 which contained lectures and
discussions from Society meetings. The Sociological Review, established in 1908, replaced
Sociological Papers as the Society's publication and continues to be published today, edited
at Keele University.
In April 1920 Victor and Sybella Branford bought LePlay House at 65 Belgrave Road,
London on behalf of the Sociological Society. The building became the headquarters of
the Society and rooms were let to organisations with similar aims. In 1930 the Sociological
Society amalgamated with LePlay House (an organisation named after the building) to form
the Institute of Sociology.
Regional Association
The Regional Association began as the Provisional Committee for the Development of
Regional Survey in 1914 (which had initially been known as The British Association for
Regional Survey) and became the Regional Association in January 1918. The Association was
started by two school teachers, George Morris and Mabel Barker and carried out surveys which
focussed on biology, geography and geology rather than sociology. In October 1924 the
Association merged with the Civic Education League to become LePlay House. The Association
had links to the Outlook Tower, through Patrick Geddes who was Chair, and the Scottish
Regional Association.
Civic Education League
The Civic Education League went through several incarnations, beginning in 1897 as the
Moral Instruction League, it became the Moral Education League in 1909. In 1916 it became
the Civic and Moral Education League and finally became the Civic Education League in 1919.
Alexander Farquharson became involved in the League and was on the Council by 1910. The
League ran training schools and foreign field trips and was based in LePlay House from May
1920. In 1924 the Civic Education League merged with the Regional Association, Cities
Committee and Foreign Fieldwork Committee to become LePlay House.
Regional Surveys
All of the societies whose papers are held in the collection were involved in promoting
regional survey work to some extent, either conducting surveys and organising field trips
or teaching survey method. The survey collection contains photographs, reports, printed
material, research notes, presentation sheets and lantern slides collected during field
trips across the British Isles and Europe as well as North Africa. The majority of the
material comes from LePlay House, the Institute of Sociology and the LePlay Society and
was collected between the 1920s and 1950s.
Many of the surveys follow the method of 'Place, Work, Folk' which was developed by
Patrick Geddes, influenced by the work of Frederic LePlay (the French sociologist from
whom LePlay House takes its name). The method looks at how the three principles work
together and influence each other. The focus of each survey varies but typically they
are studies of local industry, housing, infrastructure, natural features and people.
LePlay House
LePlay House was established in 1924 as an umbrella organisation to incorporate the
Regional Association, the Civic Education League and the Cities Committee of the
Sociological Society with the Foreign Fieldwork Committee which was already run from
LePlay House. The organisation was named after the building in which it was based.
LePlay House merged with the Sociological Society to form the Institute of Sociology
at a joint meeting on 24 January 1930.
Institute of Sociology
The Institute of Sociology was established in 1930 from the amalgamation of the
Sociological Society and LePlay House. Both organisations held Annual General Meetings
on 24 January 1930 where formal amalgamation was agreed. The Institute continued to use
the name LePlay House as a subheading and it appears on many documents and publications
produced by them. Alexander Farquharson was appointed Chief Executive Officer and an
Editorial Board for The Sociological Review was established including Farquharson,
Alexander Carr Saunders and Morris Ginsberg. Robert Randolph Marett (Professor of
Anthropology at Oxford) was President of the Institute between 1931 and 1934, followed
by Ernest Barker (Professor of Political Science at Cambridge) between 1935 and 1937
and George Gooch (historian) between 1938 and 1948 (an extended presidency because of
the Second World War).
In 1939 the outbreak of war and subsequent bomb damage to LePlay House meant
the Institute moved out of London to a house in Malvern. As foreign field trips were
impossible during the war, the Institute concentrated on local studies and provided
training for, and conducted fieldwork with, the Royal Army Education Corps. They also
produced pamphlets on local study schemes for training colleges and organised conferences
on the relationship between sociology and education.
Financial difficulties in the post-war years meant a reduction of staff at LePlay House,
which moved to Ledbury in 1946. The Institute could not afford to maintain a centre in London
as well as the one in Ledbury and the Farquharsons did not want to move back to the city so
LePlay House remained in the country.
In 1951 Alexander Farquharson wrote to Lord Lindsay of Birker who had been a Vice President
of the Institute and was at that time Principal of the University College of North Staffordshire
(UCNS), now Keele University. They entered into discussions about the future of the Institute as
the Farquharsons wanted to retire. Lord Lindsay died in 1952 but negotiations continued and it
was agreed later that year that the UCNS would take over The Sociological Review along with the
LePlay House Library stock which related to it.
After Alexander Farquharson's death in 1954 it was decided to sell the Ledbury property and
wind down the Institute. At an Extraordinary General Meeting on 7 July 1955 a resolution was
passed to voluntarily dissolve the Institute of Sociology. Lack of finance was the main factor
in this decision. All the survey material and other papers which the Institute held were
transferred to the UCNS with the remaining library stock.
The Sociological Trust
The Sociological Trust was set up to oversee the running and finances of LePlay House when
it was purchased in April 1920. The Board consisted of Sybella Branford, Alexander Farquharson
and Harold Gurney, cousin of Sybella.
LePlay House Press
Shortly after LePlay House was bought in April 1920 Sociological Publications Limited was set
up to publish The Sociological Review and books and pamphlets from the societies with offices in,
or linked to, LePlay House. Sociological Publications Limited ceased to exist in September 1934
and was replaced with LePlay House Press which continued to publish until the dissolution of the
Institute of Sociology.
The Sociological Review
The Sociological Review was established in 1908 and was the only journal of its kind in Britain
until 1951. It was, and still is, published quarterly and it aimed to publish articles on the
central problems of sociology, on leading questions in all departments of social science in
relation to central sociological theories and the practical applications of social science. It
sought to promote investigation and to advance education in the social sciences. Victor Branford
was Editor of The Review from 1912 until his death in 1930 when Alexander Farquharson took over
the role (although Farquharson is listed as Joint Editor previously to this).
In 1952 the Council of the Institute agreed that The Sociological Review should be transferred
to the University College of North Staffordshire and a new series started in 1953 (which continues
to this day). The Institute also gave the LePlay House Library stock to the University College.
LePlay Society
In October 1931 the LePlay House Educational Tours Association split from LePlay House and the
LePlay Society was formed as a separate organisation to replace it. The Society organised field
trips to places unspoilt by tourism so that they could observe traditional industries and ways
of living. Between 1931 and 1960 at least 71 foreign, and 10 British, field trips were organised
to locations including Russia, Bulgaria, Albania and North Africa.
Margaret Tatton (who had formerly organised field trips for LePlay House) was heavily involved
in running the Society for the whole of its thirty year existence. Stanley Beaver was the Chairman
of the Society's Council in its later years. The LePlay Society wound up in April 1960.
Victor Branford
Victor Branford was a founder member, and the first Honorary Secretary of, the Sociological
Society which was established in 1903. He attended Patrick Geddes' summer schools in Edinburgh
in the 1890s and worked for him at Outlook Tower. Geddes was very influential on Branford and
they worked together on several projects including the Sociological Society, the scheme to save
Crosby Hall and several publications. In 1910 Branford divorced his first wife and in December
of that year married Sybella Gurney who also became involved in the Sociological Society.
Branford was active in promoting his sociological approach in the USA and was made an honorary
member of the American Sociological Society in 1926. He was Editor of The Sociological Review
from 1912 until his death and was instrumental in establishing the first two chairs of Sociology
at the University of London and the London School of Economics.
Victor Branford's sociological ideas were, like Patrick Geddes', derived from the work of
Auguste Comte and Frederic LePlay. He was the first to write about the 'third way', a political
strategy between capitalism and social collectivism, of mobilising credit through co-operatives.
By profession he was a certified accountant and banker. At his death, on 22 June 1930, he was
chairman of the Argentine-Paraguayan Timber Company and a director of the Paraguay Central
Railway Company.
Branford's will was intended to benefit the Institute of Sociology but the money was tied up
in South American investments and despite much work from Alexander Farquharson and Harold Gurney,
Sybella Branford's cousin, it was never fully recovered. The will also specified that Branford's
unpublished writings should be published and although some work went towards this it was eventually
decided that the material was too unfinished and required too much editing for this to be possible.
Sybella Branford
Sybella Catherine Nino Gurney was born in 1870. She was involved in the co-operative movement,
in particular the Labour Co-Partnership Association and co-operative housing schemes. With Henrietta
Barnett she helped in the planning of the Hampstead Garden Suburb and Gurney Drive was named in her
memory. She helped to form the Rural Co-Partnership Housing Association which built 200 houses in
South England before the First World War. After her marriage to Victor Branford in December 1910
Sybella became involved with the Sociological Society and was on the board of The Sociological Trust.
She died on 11 June 1926.
Alexander and Dorothea Farquharson
Alexander Farquharson was born in 1882 and obtained his degree from Edinburgh University. He
initially worked as a school teacher and was given the MBE for services at the Ministry of Food
between 1914 and 1918. He became involved in the Moral Education League (which later became the
Civic Education League) in 1910 and it was his involvement in the League which brought him into
contact with Victor Branford and the other organisations based at LePlay House.
Alexander worked as secretary of the Institute of Sociology for 30 years and took on the role
of Editor of The Sociological Review after Victor Branford's death in 1930. Alexander Farquharson
and Dorothea Price married in December 1933 and lived at LePlay House until the dissolution of the
Institute of Sociology. In the later years he became the Honorary Director of the Institute and
together with Dorothea ran the Institute until his death on 16 February 1954.
Alexander Farquharson was Secretary of the International Conference on Social Work from 1932
until 1948 which was hosted by LePlay House in London in 1936. He was also involved in the Guild
of St George and became the Grand Master in 1951.
Towards the end of his life, Alexander entered into negotiations with Lord Lindsay to arrange
for the transfer of The Sociological Review to the University College of North Staffordshire (UCNS).
Despite Lord Lindsay's death in 1952 the transfer was agreed the same year by the Institute's
Council. The library stock and archive collection were also given to UCNS.
Dorothea Farquharson's background was in education and she worked as a history lecturer at
Durham University before she became involved with the Institute of Sociology. Her first contact
with LePlay House was at the High Wycombe School of Civics in 1921 run by the Civic Education
League and she went on field trips run by the Educational Tours Association. She later became
Honorary Organiser of Field Studies for the Institute of Sociology and arranged numerous field
trips within Great Britain and Europe. She was instrumental in arranging the transfer of the
archive and library to UCNS. Dorothea died in 1976.