The Canning Town Field Club, afterwards The ‘Chip Chap' Club. William Swain, William H. Smith (Hon. Sec.), Amos Herring (President), William J. Swain and Phillip Thornhill. Photographed on 13 July, 1884.

From: Some Account of The "Chip Chap Club" by Percy Thompson, F.L.S - From the collection of Newham Heritage Service.

In January 1883, four working men of Canning Town who were interested in natural science, formed themselves into a private association which was given the name of ‘The Canning Town Field Club' they were Amos Herring, a man of over 50 years of age; Phillip Thornhill, aged from 25 to 30 years; William H Smith, 24 years old and William J. Swain, of middle age.

Thornhill was son-in-law to Herring. Each of the four were ordinary workmen; Herring and Thornhill lived at 33 and 26 Montesquieu Street, were boilermakers, Smith of 4 India Terrace, Ford Street was a storekeeper at the Victoria Docks, and Swain of 5 St Lukes Square, Hoy Street, was his assistant-storekeeper.

They held meetings at one or the other's house (usually at Herring's in Montesquieu Street). At first these were held irregularly but after some months, weekly in the evening. They went on field excursions on a Sunday.

Amos Herring was elected President of the Club and William H. Smith, who wrote in a fine hand and who undoubtedly possessed an education superior to that of his fellows, was appointed Honorary Secretary. Rules were drawn up, and minutes of the meetings were faithfully kept.

They started their own library, funded by monthly contributions and periodicals such as ‘Nature', ‘Science Gossip' ‘The Entomologist' and ‘The Antiquary' were purchased regularly for the use of the members.

Around this time there were discoveries of prehistoric implements at Stoke Newington and Hackney and the four Canning Town workmen became enthused by various finds of the relics of early man made by themselves in their own neighbourhood. By July 1883, they had acquired a sufficient collection to make them desirous of expert in determining the age of their finds. They wrote to archaeologist Worthington G. Smith, who invited the four men to visit him at his house in Clapton and on July 29 1883. Worthington Smith gave them much information and showed them his famous Palaeolithic collection and as they were leaving he presented them with specimens of implements and flakes from his own collection.

During the next few months William H. Swain as spokesman for the Club gave several lectures on the prehistory of the neighbourhood to various local working-men's clubs. In September the same year (1883) a fifth member was admitted to the club, William J. Swain who worked locally as a machine-minder. He was the 18 year old son of William H. Swain.

In June the following year (1884) the minutes of the Canning Town Field Club record that it was ‘proposed that the Club be photographed in a group' and on Sunday 13th July the photograph was taken.

On a second visit to Worthington G. Smith in June 1884, he suggested that an account of the Club's discoveries should be given to the Essex Field Club. It was decided that William H. Smith should give the talk and show off the Club's collection "twenty-five entire flint implements, three broken specimens, fifty four flint flakes, fifteen flint scrappers and sixteen quartzite hammer-stones."

Sunday, 21st September 1884 was a red-letter day for the Canning Town Field Club. The Club was invited to visit Benjamin Harrison at Ightham, in Kent. An account of this trip was recorded in the minutes of the club:-

"The members took the train from Cannon Street direct to Sevenoaks where quite unexpectedly they met a venerable gentleman who knowing through Mr Harrison that a day's excursion had been planned, took an interest in waiting for the arrival of our club at the railway station. He offered to drive them to Ightham in a fly, the favour was declined, he then took us through his grounds, Merle Wood, Sevenoaks and after some pleasant conversation on geology directed us to Crown Point where it was arranged we should meet Mr Harrison. On being asked his name he said that since he was fond of Chips (meaning stone flakes) and that he was an old chap - we might call him ‘Chip Chap', he then asked us to tea at the end of the day to which we consented. We made our way to Crown Point where Mr Harrison described the geology of the Valley of the Weald, took us through an ancient British Camp to two Neolithic rock shelters and showed us other important features of the neighbourhood. He then provided a lunch at his house and showed and explained his collection of Palaeolithic implements. The Club then made their way to the home of the gentleman who called himself ‘Chip Chap' who provided them with a substantial meal of several courses, and then after some pleasant chat on books etc. we then departed at 7.30 for the train. The gentleman who concealed his name revealed himself as James Buckingham Bevington Esq. at which the Club were agreeably surprised to know that they had been so kindly received by a gentleman of note (he was a senior partner in a large and well known firm of leather manufacturers in South-East London)."

It is amusing to note that, at the next meeting of the Canning Town Field Club it was "resolved that the name of the club be changed to the ‘Chip Chap Club." It was "also resolved that the club should remain closed to the admission of more members."

At the end of March 1885, the minutes of the "Chip Chap Club" cease abruptly. Amos Herring died shortly after this date, and William H. Smith forsook natural history and archaeology and turned his attention to politics; the result of his defection led to the break-up of the club. However, two of the members carried on their researches for some years and their collection, which was acquired by the Passmore Edwards Museum, includes implements which are recorded as being found as late as the year 1894.

Nearly 36 years after the dissolution of the ‘Chip Chap Club' an elderly man, who gave his name as W.H. Smith and an address is Plaistow, sold to the Museum (in February 1921) some Palaeoliths, one of which bears the initials of Worthington G. Smith. It was confirmed that Mr Smith was the one-time secretary of the ‘Chip Chap Club'. We have seen that Amos Herring died in 1885, his son-in-law, Thornhill died in 1922 and the two Swains were not heard of again.

From: Some Account of The "Chip Chap Club" by Percy Thompson, F.L.S - From the collection of Newham Heritage Service.