SOCIAL LIFE.
The town of Enfield was presented
at quarter sessions for playing unlawful games c.
1555, (fn. 84) perhaps the year when 11 persons were
accused of playing dice, cards, and bowls. (fn. 85) Major
highways and the proximity of the Chase seem to
have contributed to disorder in the 16th and 17th
centuries, when there were several complaints of
illegal gatherings and games. (fn. 86) Complaints were also
made in 1675 of the excessive number of alehouses
in the parish. (fn. 87)
There was a rabbit warren of 8 a. near Forty Hall
in 1656. (fn. 88) Izaak Walton fished in Enfield, presumably
on the Lea, (fn. 89) and in 1635 there were fisheries at
Rammey Reach and on the Old Pond in the Chase. (fn. 90)
There were frequent complaints of illegal hunting on
the Chase (fn. 91) and in 1675 the use of guns in particular
was condemned. (fn. 92) Efforts were made to halt the
destruction of game and fish in Honeylands manor
in 1787. (fn. 93)
Despite an attempt in 1632 to publicize medicinal
baths at Enfield House, (fn. 94) no permanent spa was
established. A bowling alley near Turkey Street in
1656 (fn. 95) seems to have given its name to Bowling
Green House, near the site of the later Myddelton
House. (fn. 96) Part of a field north of the King's Head inn
in Enfield Town was a bowling green by 1762 and
was still one in 1851. (fn. 97)
Horse races were started on the marshes at the end
of Green Street in 1788 and revived in 1816 near the
later Wright's flour mill; (fn. 98) racing afterwards took
place near Enfield Lock but had died out long before
1858. (fn. 99) The races drew disreputable crowds: 20,000
people gathered in 1801 to see a boxing match which
was eventually banned, whereupon they were dispersed by local volunteer associations and the
Hertfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry. (fn. 1) Racing was
revived in 1870 by the owner of Bycullah Park, who
ran well attended steeplechases in his grounds during
Easter week until 1878. (fn. 2)
The first friendly society, the United society,
began to meet in the Sun and Woolpack inn, Enfield
Wash, in 1794, when extra branches were also
formed at the King's Arms and the Black Horse. (fn. 3)
In the same year the Amicable Union society began
to meet in the Goat, Forty Hill, and the Society of
Good Fellowship in the Falcon, South Street. (fn. 4) The
Amicable society met at the New Inn at Coopers
Lane gate from 1796 and the United Benefit society
at the Three Horseshoes from 1800. (fn. 5) Among early19th-century societies was the United Sisters'
friendly society for women, at the King's Head from
1810 to 1820. (fn. 6) After 1812 (fn. 7) there were no new
registrations until that of the Enfield benefit society
in 1838, meeting in the free school, Enfield Town,
and subsequently in the temperance hall. (fn. 8) Several
new societies, all of which used inns, were founded
in the next 20 years. (fn. 9)
There was a savings bank and a penny club in
1826 (fn. 10) and another successful bank was established
in 1839 to promote saving among the middle and
poorer classes. (fn. 11) The Enfield coal club, which
operated from the temperance hall, was established
in 1841 (fn. 12) and the Enfield literary and scientific
institution, a mechanics' institute, existed by 1851. (fn. 13)
The Enfield young men's mutual improvement
society was meeting in the infants' school in Baker
Street in 1859. (fn. 14) The Enfield ladies' visiting society
was founded in 1828, to give occasional relief in kind
and help to suppress mendicity. (fn. 15) The Enfield
philanthropic institution was founded in 1836 and
survived in 1911. (fn. 16)
Attempts were made to make Enfield a local social
centre after 1800. A subscription assembly was held
for three nights in the assembly rooms by the King's
Head in 1801, families paying two guineas and
receiving tea and coffee. (fn. 17) The assembly rooms were
used in 1858 for public meetings, large vestry
meetings, lectures, and entertainments. (fn. 18) Enfield
cricket club existed by 1814 (fn. 19) and held practices
twice a week in 1857, (fn. 20) when the Society of Enfield
Archers first met in Chase Side. (fn. 21) In 1830 Charles
Lamb wrote that people in Enfield did not look like
country folk and that they had a circulating library. (fn. 22)
Another library was established in 1850 by J. H.
Meyers 'for the principal families'. (fn. 23) Meyers also
founded the monthly Meyers' Enfield Observer,
which first appeared in 1859 and continued in 1971
as the weekly Enfield Observer. The weekly Middlesex
Observer had been founded by 1890 (fn. 24) and the weekly
Enfield Chronicle and the monthly Enfield Illustrated
Magazine were published in 1899. (fn. 25)
Rural pastimes persisted. A maypole was erected
annually until the mid 19th century, although the
practice had ceased by 1859. (fn. 26) The North Middlesex
and South Hertfordshire farmers' club, formed in
1853, met monthly at the King's Head and arranged
annual ploughing matches and agricultural shows. (fn. 27)
The Enfield Chase staghounds were established by
Col. Sir Alfred Somerset in 1885; in 1899 the
kennels were moved from his house, Enfield Court,
to Barnet (Herts.) (fn. 28) and soon after the First World
War the hunt was disbanded. (fn. 29) A hunt called the
Enfield Chase foxhounds held point-to-points in
1955. (fn. 30)
Many societies were formed in the late 19th
century. A temperance hall was opened in Brigadier
Hill in 1859 (fn. 31) and St. Andrew's temperance club
existed in 1890. (fn. 32) Enfield musical society was
founded in 1862 and a Conservative society, a
freemasons' lodge, and a working men's institute
were all active in 1869. (fn. 33) A co-operative society was
founded at Enfield Lock by workers in the Royal
Small Arms factory in 1872; it later became Enfield
Highway co-operative society, taking over other
similar societies in Enfield Town (fn. 34) and Hoddesdon
(Herts.). (fn. 35) Parish tea meetings were advertised in
1889, (fn. 36) the Walker church institute, Sydney Road,
was built in 1889, (fn. 37) and a Church of England
working men's club was meeting in Silver Street
in 1890. (fn. 38) E. A. Bowles of Forty Hall arranged
lectures and concerts in the local elementary school
in the late 19th century. (fn. 39) A church institute was
built in Napier Road, Ponders End, in 1893 (fn. 40) and
another was opened to serve the new suburbs north
of Lancaster Road in 1896; a coffee tavern, working
men's club, and library were provided, together with
a hall for temperance meetings. (fn. 41) St. Mark's institute,
Bush Hill Park, was built in 1907 and also accommodated temperance organizations. (fn. 42) By 1890 there
was a Constitutional club meeting in London Road,
a Radical club in Lancaster Road, a Conservative
working men's club at Enfield Wash, and Conservative, Liberal, and Radical clubs at Ponders End. (fn. 43)
Working men's clubs had been founded at Cockfosters and Bush Hill Park by 1898. (fn. 44)
An anonymous writer in 1905 considered Enfield
suburban to the core, citing the pretentiousness of
the literary union but praising the dramatic society. (fn. 45)
A tennis club was founded at Hadley Wood c. 1895
and assumed a prominent place in local social life. (fn. 46)
Bush Hill Park golf club was founded in 1896 and
later acquired its 18-hole course in Enfield Old Park.
Enfield golf club was established with a course south
of Windmill Hill in 1902, Crews Hill golf club was
founded in 1915, (fn. 47) and Hadley Wood golf club at
Beech Hill Park in 1922. (fn. 48)
By 1921 the Ponders End electric theatre was open
in Hertford Road and the Queens Hall cinema in
London Road. (fn. 49) The Rialto picture theatre opened
in the 1920s, providing a tea room and lounge. (fn. 50)
There were four cinemas in 1955 (fn. 51) including the
Plaza, Ponders End, which was taken over by
Enfield B.C. in 1956 and renamed the Howard hall,
to be used for plays and receptions. (fn. 52) Choral, literary,
musical and dramatic groups also existed. (fn. 53) The
Hadley Wood association was founded in 1964 to
provide social facilities in its part of the parish. (fn. 54)