Introduction

In the centre of Leicester stands the premises of a remarkable, indeed an unique, institution. This is the Secular Hall at 75 Humberstone Gate, which within a few years will celebrate its century. It was opened in 1881, when, as for the previous decades of the Victorian era, religion was an active factor in everyday life. The historian, R.C.K. Ensor, has stated that this was the most religious of centuries, and so it was, especially if we include a certain amount of religiosity or sheer hypocrisy under that name. The present day fashion to draw attention to the seamy side of XIXth c life, to the 'other Victorians', must not blind us to the existence of much sincere orthodoxy. This — High Church, Broad Church, Low Church, dissenting — had as its counterpart a growing body of positive disbelief. This had historic origins in XVIIIth c deism, in the works of such polemicists as Thomas Paine, the Rev. Robert Taylor (the 'Devil's Chaplain'), Carlile and Hetherington, was stimulated by Darwinianism and the Higher Criticism of the mid-century, and took the slightly variant forms of atheism, agnosticism or Secularism.

History

• History of the Society and of Freethought
• History of the Society.
• The Building of Secular Hall
• A Chronology of Secularism (NSS)
• Biographical Notes.
• Diaries 2006 2007 2008
• Officers of the Society
• Presidents and Vice Presidents 1889-2007.
• Presidents and Chairs 2007- (following conversion to a not-for-profit Limited Company).
• Current Officers
• Constitutional documents
• Memorandum and Articles of Association of Leicester Secular Society Ltd.
• Former Rules of the Leicester Secular Society.
• Other documents
• Documents Archive
• Photo Archive (pre-1939)
• Audio/Visual Archive
• Leicester Rationalist Trust Deed
• Hymns of 'Modern' Thought
• Library

• Gould 1900: A History of Leicester Secular Society, by F. J. Gould, 1900.
• Gould 1923: The Life-Story of a Humanist, by F. J. Gould (published by Watts & Co, London 1923). Extracts are available here; the book is in the LSS Library.
• Gimson 1932: Random Recollections of the Leicester Secular Society, with Digressions. Part I 1932 (pages 1-24).
• Hawtin 1972: A Century of Progress: The Story of the Leicester Secular Society, by Gillian Hawtin, 1972.
• Humanist Heritage
• The Five Busts: Photographs of the five busts on the front of the hall; from the CD-Rom A Walk Round Leicester produced by Max Wade-Matthews.
• "The Who's Who of Radical Leicester" (all deceased) produced by Ned Newitt includes many who were involved with the Society.

History of the Society and of Freethought

Records Office: There are some records of the Society which were deposited at the Leicester Record Office, Wigston, in 1968. The following list can also be viewed on five microfilm rolls kept by the Society, made in 1981.

• An historical introduction by Edward Royle, University of York, 1981, with the title: Religion, Radicalism and Freethought in Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
• F. J. Gould: History of Leicester Secular Society, 1900.
• G. J. Holyoake: Address on the death of Josiah Gimson 1883.
• Minute Books of Leicester Secular Society 1852-1855, 1877-1885, 1885-1902, 1902-1943.
• LSS Nomination Book 1885-1901.
• Visitor's Book 1924-1943.
• Registration of Subscriptions 1915-1917.
• Scrapbook: LSS Documents 1842-1908.
• Scrapbook: Thomas Ensor 1908-1910.
• Newspaper Cuttings 1899-1909 (five volumes).
• Records of Secular Hall Company 1873-1905 (five lists of shareholders and three cash books).
• Also available at the Records Office, but not on the microfilm are:
• Sydney A. Gimson, Random Recollections of the Leicester Secular Society. Part I 1932. Part II 1935.
• Photograph Album 1890-1977.

There are other records in the British Library and at the Bishopsgate Institute Library, both in London. Details to be included in due course we hope - if you have such information, please let us know! Contact details.
Top

More recently Gillian Lighton has taken forward a project 'For Truth's Sake' - The Story of Leicester Secular Society and Its Hall sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund which has a website with further material.

This inaccurate representation of Secular Hall is from a framed ink drawing, undated and by an unknown artist.