Joseph Rowntree’s Funeral
Introduction
The importance of Joseph Rowntree’s (1836–1925) life and the impact he had during his lifetime, both in York and beyond, was demonstrated by the extraordinary funerary and memorial events held over the weekend of Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February 1925. Thousands of people were involved, whether through attending one or more of the 5 funerary or memorial events held over the weekend or lining the streets of York to pay their respects as his cortege passed them.
J.B. Morrell, one of the most influential figures in late 19th and 20th century York, described Joseph Rowntree as “…a Victorian radical, and upholder of peace, retrenchment and reform”.[1] In doing so was referencing one of Joseph’s influences, the Quaker politician and campaigner John Bright, who often used the early 19th century liberal and radical phrase, “peace, retrenchment and reform”. In addition, he also seems to be suggesting that Joseph was someone maybe out of time, upholding earlier and more idealistic values.
Joseph wasn’t just idealistic, he was pragmatic and someone who made things happen. His Quaker faith meant that it was important to him for outcomes of his actions, and that people benefitted from them, spoke for themselves and not as a testament to him as the person who made them happen. This led to the Quaker theologian and academic, H. G. Wood, to state that Joseph was a “…master the art of doing good by stealth” in his tribute to him following his death.[2]
Joseph’s Last Days
Joseph had retired from his Chairmanship of Rowntree & Co. in 1923, when his son Seebohm Rowntree took over. This, however, did not stop him coming to work each day. He kept his office at Rowntree’s Cocoa Works on Haxby Road and continued to enjoy being part of the community at the factory.
Joseph Rowntree’s office at the Cocoa Works
Source: CWM Memorial Issue – Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
On Thursday 19th February 1925, Joseph was at the Cocoa Works, working on a biography of the aforementioned John Bright, when he complained of feeling cold. He was reluctant to leave, and staff had to persuade him to go home. Over the next few days, he was cared for at his home, Clifton Lodge. His only surviving daughter, Agnes Julia MacDonald (née Rowntree) recalled that he didn’t complain or show irritability. Each morning, he asked if the birds were singing and if they could be seen on the lawn – a testament to his love of nature. Joseph also talked about his regular Saturday trips to Scarborough when he would often invite a member of Cocoa Works staff to join him to watch the birds on the coast.[3]
Clifton Lodge and Rawcliffe Holt
Source: Borthwick Institute for Archives – JRF Photographic Archive: Clifton Lodge and Rawcliffe Holt 2019/031 105.1 0684
Joseph Rowntree died at home in early afternoon of Tuesday 24th February, aged 88.
Newspaper Coverage
The news of Joseph’s death was quickly reported, making the evening editions of many newspapers on 24th February. It was widely and internationally reported, showing how well known and respected he was. Coverage of his passing recognised his work on social welfare as much as his business achievements.[4] Reports of his funeral commented on the large number of people involved, and also that there was something of a strangeness about it. This included that it was a “simple ceremony”, with the Daily Mirror’s subheadings including “Quaker Ceremony Without Morning Clothes” and that people wore “Coloured Ties”.[5]
Birmingham Evening Dispatch Tuesday 24th February 1925
Funeral and Memorial Events
Joseph Rowntree’s funeral was not just one event; over the weekend of Saturday 28th February and Sunday 1st March 1925, there were five funerary and memorial events held for him. He was cremated at Lawnswood Crematorium, Leeds on Friday 27th February,[6] and his ashes were brought to Clifton Lodge, ready for the weekend.
The weekend’s events:
- Saturday 28th March:
- 10:30am: the Cocoa Works Memorial
- 2:30pm: Clifford Street Friends Meeting House
- 3:30pm: burial at The Retreat Quaker Burial Ground
- Sunday 1st March:
- 6:30pm: Education memorial at Clifford Street Meeting House
- 8pm: New Earswick Memorial at New Earswick Folk Hall
These times are when the events were planned for, not necessarily when they happened. One hour seems very short for both the memorial at the Clifford Street Meeting House and to travel the roughly one mile to The Retreat for the burial.
Saturday 28th March
10:30am: Cocoa Works Memorial
The first event of the weekend took place on the Saturday morning in the Girls Dining Room at the Cocoa Works’ Dining Block. The memorial service was held there as this was the largest space they had at the Cocoa Works, and this was needed as up to 3000 people are reported to have attended.[7] It was organised by the Central Works Council – the highest level of workplace democracy in the company – not by Rowntree & Co. management.
The Cocoa Works Dining Block
Source: CWM June 1913 pp.1499 – Borthwick Institute for Archives R/DL/CMW
Cocoa Works Memorial Service
Source: Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/4
The order of service lists three hymns; ‘We Cannot Think of Them as Dead’, ‘O Thou Whose Perfect Goodness Crowns’, ‘He Liveth Long Who Liveth Well’. Mr. C. Horner, who was employed in the Employment Department and the editor of the Cocoa Works Magazine, presided.[8] Other notable speakers included:
- Mrs. Edna Annie Crichton: a notable York Quaker, who in the 1940s would become the first woman Lord Mayor of York and first woman Alderman of York. In 1925 she had already been a City Councillor for 6 years. Her husband, David S. Crichton, Rowntree’s first Welfare Officer, had died a few years earlier and the workers setting up a memorial fund in his name for educational scholarships and sporting activities. One of the readings delivered by Mrs. Crichton was John Wilhelm Rowntree’s ‘Love and Death’ (part of which is quoted in the current edition of Quaker Faith & Practice). John Wilhelm was Joseph’s oldest son who had passed away in 1905, aged only 37.
- Fred Hawksby: the main trade union leader at Rowntree’s who had been given the paid position of Chief Shop Steward and a key member of the Central Works Council. He noted the improvements that Joseph had made to the workers’ lives and that he had set an example to others in industry.
- Dr. Clarence Northcott: Rowntree & Co.’s Australian Labour Manager, spoke of Joseph’s faith in both the individual and society.
- Richard Westrope: Non-conformist and Quaker preacher who was the first warden of St. Mary’s Educational Settlement funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. He led the service in prayer followed by a long period of silence – described a “impressive in its solemnity”.[9]
Following the service, the memorial continued in the Rose Garden at the factory where a lime tree was planted in memory of Joseph by James Archer.[10] Archer was 82 years old, and a retired Rowntree’s engineer who had worked closely with Joseph from 1882 onwards.[11] The ceremony ended with the singing of the hymn, ‘O Life That Maketh All Things New’.[12]
Archer planting the lime tree
Source: CWM Memorial Issue – Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
2:30pm Clifford Street Friends Meeting House Memorial Service
In the afternoon, family, close friends and associates gathered at Joseph’s house, Clifton Lodge in the Clifton area of York. They formed a funeral cortege which took his casket to the Clifford Street Friends Meeting House. At the same time, a civic procession made its way from the Mansion House led by the Lord Mayor, Sir Robert Newbald Key. The streets along both routes were lined with people – described as “densely packed”, “thronged” and silent. Flags were flown at half-mast, shops were closed, blinds pulled down at the Mansion House, businesses and houses.[13]
The funeral cortege
Source: Daily Mirror 2nd March 1925 – Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/8
The civic procession
Source: CWM Memorial Issue – Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
At the Friends Meeting House, the service was held in the main meeting room which had a capacity of up to 1200 people.[14] However, this was not enough for all the attendees, so an overflow service was held nearby at Peckitt Street Primitive Methodist Church.[15] Over 50 organisations were represented with around a quarter of them associated with education.[16] The order of service lists three hymns; ‘Now Have We Met That We May Ask’, ‘The God of Love My Shepherd Is’, and ‘God of the Living, in Whose Eyes’.[17] The singing was led by choirs from the York Quaker schools, Bootham and The Mount.[18] All the recorded speakers were Quakers and included:
- Arthur Rowntree: headmaster of Bootham School and Joseph’s first cousin once removed.
- Sir George Newman: Bootham School alumni and the country’s first Chief Medical Officer.
- T. Edmund Harvey: another Bootham School alumni, MP and social reformer.
- H. I. Waller: a prominent local Quaker who offered a pray.
It was reported that the service concluded with a short period of silence and the final hymn. William Foxley Norris, the Dean of York in 1925 wrote the next day that the service had “…representatives of every section of the community and I suppose of every religious body, gathered together in the Friends’ Meeting House, a place where a great many had never been before”.[20]
Main meeting room of Clifford Street Friends Meeting House
Source: Friargate Meeting House
3:30pm The Retreat Quaker Burial Ground
Following the service at Clifford Street Meeting House, the family cortege made its way to the Quaker burial ground at The Retreat. The route was again lined with people and when they arrived, the burial ground was already full of a crowd of hundreds.[21] Joseph’s casket was carried by William Fox, a long serving cashier at Rowntree & Co.
Family at burial ground
Source: JRF Heritage Library
A reading was given by J. Rowntree Gillet, Joseph’s nephew and namesake, who was also part of the Quaker banking family in which Barclays bank has its roots. Richard Westrope followed his role at the Cocoa Works in the morning, presided over the internment, and saying the final words.[22] The Daily Mirror reported that thousands of “townsfolk” then filed past Joseph’s grave to pay tribute, lay wreaths and flowers.[23]
The Service at the burial
Source: Cocoa Works Memorial Issue – Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
Sunday 1st March
The following day, on the Sunday, there were two more memorial events. They were both held in the evening.
The first was again held at Clifford Street Friends Meeting House and was for people involved with Joseph’s work in education including representatives from the National Adult Schools Union, the York Adult Schools, St. Mary’s Education Settlement and others. It was organised by the Adults Schools Association and held from 6:30pm. The order of service contains three hymns: ‘O God of Bethel, By Whose Hand’; How Happy is He Born and Taught’; ‘Abide With Me’.[25]
Order of Service Sunday evening
Source: Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/4
Later that evening, at 8pm, another memorial service was held at New Earswick Folk Hall. This had been organised by the Village Council – made up of residents.[26]
Coverage of Joseph Rowntree’s Funeral
Joseph Rowntree’s funeral and other memorial events were given widely covered in newspapers at the time, highlighting its significance. The most extensive report was in Monday 2nd March 1925’s issue of the Daily Mirror. It was the front-page story and there was a double page spread of images covering the commemorations.
Daily Mirror 2nd March 1925
Source: Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/8
Rowntree & Co. also produced a Special Memorial Number of the Cocoa Works Magazine which included a foldout centre page with more photos of Joseph’s funeral.
Fold-out pages of CWM memorial issue
Source: Borthwick Institute for Archives RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
Remembering Rowntree in 2025
To commemorate Joseph Rowntree’s remarkable funeral, and to commence the centenary of his passing, The Rowntree Society held an event, “Remembering Rowntree: Why Joseph’s Funeral was so Remarkable?” on 1st March 2025, reflecting the funerary events which took place one hundred years earlier.
Held in York’s Friargate Quaker Meeting house (what used to be Clifford Street Meeting House), the event began with a talk by The Rowntree Society’s Executive Director, Nick Smith, on Joseph Rowntree’s funeral, followed by a talk on the traditions of Quaker Funerary practices from Barbara Windle. This and led to a series of five-minute talks given by people representing organisations who were represented and Joseph’s funeral 100 years earlier – they read out passages of what was said at the time as well as their own reflections on Joseph Rowntree’s legacy and influence on their own organisation over the century since his death.
You can see the recording of the event here:
You can also watch a summary of the event and interviews with attendees and participants:
Researched and written by Nick Smith, Executive Director of The Rowntree Society.
Additional research by Maisie Brenchley, Research Volunteer at The Rowntree Society.
Footnotes
[1] Webb, Katherine A. 2019 City of our Dreams: J.B. Morrell and the shaping of modern York Borthwick Texts and Studies 44: pp.21
[2] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.30. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[3] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.21. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[4] E.g. Birmingham Evening Dispatch, 24th February 1925
[5] The Daily Mirror, 2nd March 1925
[6] Yorkshire Evening Post, 28th February 1925
[7] The Guardian, 2nd March 1925
[8] Cocoa Works Memorial Service. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/4
[9] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.21-23. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[10] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.23. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[11] Sheffield Independent, 2nd March 1925; Fitzgerald, R. 1995 Rowntree and the Marketing Revolution 1862-1969 Cambridge University Press pp.61
[12] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.23. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[13] The Daily Mirror, 2nd March 1925; Sheffield Independent, 2nd March 1925; Yorkshire Evening Post 2nd March 1925; C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.23 . Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[14] https://friargate.quakermeeting.org/history
[15] The Daily Mirror, 2nd March 1925
[16] Sheffield Independent, 2nd March 1925; C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.23. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[17] Clifford Street Memorial Service, Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/5
[18] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.23. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[19] Sheffield Independent, 2nd March 1925; Newcastle Daily Chronicle, 2nd March 1925; C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.24. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[20] C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.19. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[21] Sheffield Independent, 2nd March 1925; The Daily Mirror, 2nd March 1925
[22] The Daily Mirror, 2nd March 1925; C.W.M Special Memorial Issue 1925 pp.25. Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/6
[23] The Daily Mirror, 2nd March 1925
[24] Sheffield Independent, 28th February 1925
[25] Sunday Evening Memorial Service, Borthwick Institute of Archives: RFAM/JR/JRF/1/7/5
[26] Sheffield Independent, 28th February 1925