Ballot Box, 1786
This ballot box once belonged to the oldest continuous book club in England, the Braintree Book Society.
Founded in 1798, the main purpose of the society was the sharing of books purchased with funds raised by the subscription fees. Each book had a list of members printed on the back showing the sequence of passing it member to member fortnightly.
The membership of the society was originally limited to “30 jolly book lovers”.
There were strict rules to adhere to within the society. This included that all members had to propose new books to circulate every month. If they didn’t they were fined one shilling.
The ballot box was originally owned by another society, Social Souls, a part of the Masonic Lodge, Bocking, which was no longer operational by the early 1800s. It then passed to the Book Society to vote in new members.
This mahogany unit has two drawers marked with ‘N’ for No and ‘Y’ for Yes. Those voting would place a ball through once side of box on top, depending on their choice. To be successful in joining the society, each candidate had to obtain a ‘Yes’, or a white ball, from every member present. If they received even one ‘No’, or a black ball, they weren’t able to join. Samuel Courtauld, the founder of the company Courtauld & Co, was twice denied entry to the society due to someone voting no. Throughout most of the 1800s the members were usually male and a very few women were ever elected to join. This had changed by the 1900s. Members were usually those with businesses in Braintree and Bocking, landowners or those with professions for example solicitors, teachers or doctors.
Throughout the First World War and Second World War, the society continued to run though under changed conditions. The Braintree Book Society ceased to meet in 1956.
