A Brief history of the Society

Without much ado, the Salt Hill Society was founded at the Three Tuns Inn, Salt Hill, Slough, one Tuesday in April 1783.

Since that day, members have convened every year - with the exception only of two World Wars. The society can claim to be older than Republican France - and almost as old as the United States of America. To further place things into context: Mozart was just 27 years old; Napoleon, Wordsworth and Wellington were mere teenagers; London had just 900,000 inhabitants and the cost of the society’s first dinner, which included food and wine for 40 members, totalled £5.

The society can also claim to have royal ties. Salt Hill, from which the club takes its name, was the place where Eton boys waylaid travellers to collect 'salt money' - an annual ancient ceremony known as 'Montem', which traces its roots all the way back to the 1400s. As a patron of Eton College, King George III was an enthusiastic supporter of the Montem ceremony, although an excess of unruly behaviour brought the tradition into disrepute and it was abandoned in 1844.

Originally functioning as a personal service to its members - the very first words on the first page of the first minute book read “for protection of persons and property from thieves, vagabonds and footpads.” - the society had support of many local gentry.

Despite this, the Society has served the local community for more than seven generations. Although the earliest members will have greatly relished the fellowship as a means of renewing acquaintanceships, which poor communications may have otherwise rendered lost, it is perhaps even more important in today’s world, where time is increasingly precious and hard to come by.

Rules

The Society has been running since 1783. It retained some interesting, if somewhat arcane, rules, such as:-

"THAT the Money so raised shall form a Fund, to be applied and disposed of towards paying the several REWARDS hereinafter mentioned; and defraying all such reasonable Costs, Charges, and Expenses… in advertising, taking, and prosecuting such Person or Persons as shall be (or be strongly suspected to have been) guilty of the Crimes hereinafter specified."

The various rewards that were available also make interesting reading e.g.

A copy of the complete rules from 1908, showing the membership of the time, can be seen here:

Committee

Ian Anderson (Treasurer)
Philip Astles (Secretary)
The Lord Burnham (President)
Jo Davis
John Frost
Andrew Hillier
Clive Lidstone MBE (Honorary Life Member)
Robert Lidstone (Chairman of the Committee)
Nigel Pausey
Paul Sherriff
Mark Thomas

Honorary Life Members

The committee are always looking for members to join them. If this is of interest, please contact the Secretary Philip Astles.

Joining the society

We are always pleased to welcome new members. There are no particular qualification required, other than an interest in the local community. Membership entitles you to attend the AGM, book your own tickets for dinners and obtain them at a cheaper rate than non-members. If you would like to apply for membership of the Salt Hill Society, please download and complete the forms below and return them to the Secretary - Philip Astles. The annual subscription is £10. Please note that your application requires a Proposer and a Seconder. If you do not already know a member of the Salt Hill Society, please contact the Secretary – Philip Astles, who will be happy to help arrange a meeting for you with members of the Committee.

Our 'Next Merry Meeting'

The 238th annual dinner will be held on Thursday 9th June 2022 at the Marriott Hotel, Langley, SL3 8PT (Junction 5 of M4). At 6:45 for 7:15pm. Bookings may be made online below.

Speakers

The Reverend Fergus Butler-Gallie

The Reverend Fergus Butler-Gallie is a clergyman and author who once accidently appeared on Only Connect. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Oxford and a bachelor’s degree in Theology from the University of Cambridge. He is (according to his own taxonomy) a Bon Viveur first and foremost, with a soupçon of Roguishness and Prodigality. He delights in researching weird and eccentric characters in the Church of England (of which there have been many) and his book, A Field Guide to the English Clergy won Best Book of the Year for the Times, Mail on Sunday and BBC History.

John Campbell QPM - Chief Constable Thames Valley Police

John has 30 years police service and has worked in three police forces. He has held roles across a number of disciplines, including criminal investigation, specialist operations and local policing and worked as a Hostage and Crisis negotiator. John was responsible for the policing of the 2012 Olympic events, including the South East regional phase of the Torch Relay. He has also commanded numerous firearms and public order events. He leads nationally for the Police in respect of how they respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear incidents and attacks.

Tom Binns

Tom Binns is an English comedian who was nominated at the Edinburgh Festival for the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2007. He has been twice nominated for the Adelaide Fringe Comedy Award, in 2010 and 2011. He was voted a Foster's Comedy God in 2010. He also was nominated for a Chortle Award in 2011 and was also named in a list of their 50 Most Memorable Gigs of the decade. He won the Best International Act at the 2013 New Zealand International Comedy Festival and was nominated for Best Comedy Show at FringeWorld, Perth in 2015 and 2016.

Contact Us

SECRETARY:
Philip Astles
392 Edinburgh Avenue
Slough  SL1 4UF
T: 01753 532541
E: PAstles@kiddrapinet.co.uk