In 1851 the Conservative Mayor and Chief Magistrate of Kidderminster, William Bowcott, warned the working men of the town against building societies because the object of the societies " though professedly the benefit of working men, was practically the very reverse"".

Today, nearly 70% of Kidderminster’s population own their homes or are buying their homes with the aid of a mortgage. A building society or similar loan is seen as a "natural and normal" way to provide for the housing needs of those who are able to meet the costs of owner occupation.

It is easy to forget that this was not always the case and 150 years ago there were few sources of loans for all except the most affluent. But the modern building society movement has its roots in the political struggle of the 1840’s and 1850’s - struggle for a fairly priced loaf - democratic struggle for the vote - political struggle by Liberals to oust Conservatives - class struggle by chartists and other radicals.

History is politics with a capital "P". It is also comfortable to avoid uncomfortable truths. It is also convenient to remember events in the most positive light. The facts that the National Building Society (which merged to form the Abbey National) was formed by the free trader Richard Cobden as a political tool may not be comfortable reading to the current shareholders in the Abbey National Bank plc. Neither might the Directors of the Stroud and Swindon feel comfortable that part of their inheritance is Chartism.

Here in Kidderminster our late society’s heritage is as a political tool of Liberals to gerrymander the Borough in the Liberal interest. At that time Guest, Holloway, Batham and of course a Brinton and a Talbot were using quite lawful means to ensure the end of Tory domination in Kidderminster.

With the passing of the first Reform Act in 1832 Kidderminster became a Parliamentary constituency. In the first election the two candidates sought the votes of 390 electors. This first election was nothing like a modern election with the 50,000 to 60,000 electors in the Wyre Forest constituency at the 1997 General Election. There could be no claim, as there is now, that the candidates didn't have time to meet all the voters. Richard Godson, the victor obtained 172 votes and scraped home to victory with a majority of 13.

There can be no doubt that Godson the "weavers barrister" was a popular choice with the local population but the 390 members of the electoral college represented a small part of the 14,981 population recorded at the 1831 census. The non voting weavers were not without power as their "influence was brought to bear on the shop-keepers and small traders to vote the appropriate way or sacrifice custom."

How did the situation where less than 3% of the population decided who should represent the town arise?