Records of the Aberdeen & North East Deaf Society
The Aberdeen and North East Deaf Society was established in 1895, named then as the Aberdeen Deaf & Dumb Benevolent Society.
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| DD1563/2/3/7 |
Sir William Henderson, Thomas Ogilvie, the Reverend S G Woodrow and Mr John Parker headed the creation of the Aberdeen Deaf & Dumb Benevolent Society, creating a provisional committee along with Reverend William Clow and Mr John Leith. A provisional meeting was held in the YMCA Institute on Tuesday 14 May 1895, with the first committee meeting officially held on Friday 17th May 1895.
Objective
The society were concerned with the betterment of living conditions and with creating a greater quality of life for deaf and mute people. The society provided a space for members to meet, socialise and learn new skills and hobbies. Although the society's consitution was tweaked over the years, it broadly remained the same:
The objects of the Society shall be to promote the religious, moral and social welfard of deaf and of dumb people in the area of the Society.
Sites
In 1895, the appointed Executive Committee met in Mr Rose’s
office at 295 Union Street or the YMCA Institute. In the next 20 years, they
moved site many times, occupying the Parochial Rooms in Castle Street, the East End Recreation Rooms at 1 West North Street, the Free
North Church Mission Hall in Mealmarket Street and, in 1900, a small office at
21 King Street. The society also moved to 11 Belmont Street in 1902 (into a building belonging
to the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, Aberdeen) and 10 Bon Accord
Terrace in 1904.
By 1910 the society had raised enough money for their
own building! A suitable site was found in Rose Street on the ground where the
Bridewell Prison had been. The Architect was Mr Bennett Mitchell and the
building was to contain a committee room, a chapel, a reading room, a large
hall, a class room, a billiard room and two bathrooms.
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| DD1563/1/1/3 – extract from minutes of 11 Oct 1910 when the society met in the new boardroom for the first time. |
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| DD1563/2/3/9: Key used by Sir George Adam Smith in opening the new building. Gifted to the society by his widow in the 1940s. |
60 years later, the society moved from Rose Street to 13 Smithfield Road (originally the site of All Souls’ Episcopal Church), which was bought by the society in 1971 and opened by HRH Duke of Edinburgh in 1976.
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| DD1563/2/3/3 |
Centenary
The Society celebrated its centenary year in 1995 with a variety of activities including a silent auction, picnic at Haddo House, Street Collection and Sign Language Marathon, and Christmas Fayre. Other activities are detailed in that year's annual report (DD1563/2/3/2):
Social and Sports Club
The Social and Sports Club was a massive part of the society, providing numerous opportunities for members to enjoy activities together and with the wider deaf communities across Scotland. The records of the club have been catalogued into individual club files (DD1563/5/4/1-33), including the badminton club, bowling club, chess and draughts club, mother and toddler club and youth club. There are also files for the 55 1/2 Bar, where older members could enjoy a drink whilst socialising!
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| DD1563/5/5/7: Framed photograph of the Draughts Club, winning team of the Scottish Deaf Draughts Shield at Dundee, 2nd January 1960 |
Closure
The society went into liquidation in 2010, with the building closing in June of that year. Information on its closure can be found at DD1563/2/3/6.
Records
The records of the society date from 1895-2010 and consist of minutes, annual reports, correspondence and newsletters, as well as the constitution of the society and its Certificate of Incorporation as a Charity from 2008. There are 62 volumes, 65 files, 108 pamphlets, 30 items, 1 folder, 1 notebook, 6 photo albums, and 4 framed photographs. The collection’s catalogue can be viewed here:
DD1563 Aberdeen & North East Deaf Society
[Prior to this society, the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, Aberdeen was formed in 1819. This society focused on the education of Deaf people and taught pupils the ‘combined system’, communication which was partly oral and partly sign-manual. By 1862 this society was named the 'Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, Aberdeen', with the Lord Provost of Aberdeen the President at the time. This institution paved the way for the Aberdeen Deaf & Dumb Benevolent Society.]
Kimberley Smith, Archivist
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