The land club movement was set up in response to the introduction of the Small Holdings Act of 1907. Its aim was to put 'the new land law into force' and aid 'the renewal of country life'. Two people from each village and hamlet in the area were chosen to form a committee to 'get the land club started and thus obtain land for the people'. The League also aimed to assist people in the cultivation of land through agricultural education and co-operative purchasing and loans, and to help them obtain proper representation for people on their own parish, district and county councils. The League was also concerned with ensuring that country children received an education suitable for country life, providing its members with access to legal advice on questions affecting tenure of homes and land and to generally promoting the country way of life. The Land Club League worked in co-operation with other groups and amalgamated with the Rural Development Society and the Rural Housing and Sanitation Association.
Edward R Pease was appointed President to the Land Club League in 1908. He was born in Bristol in 1857. From 1874 to 1878 he worked in a merchant's office, and in 1880 he became a member of the London Stock Exchange. In 1886 he left the Stock Exchange and went to Newcastle to become a cabinet-maker and trade unionist. Pease co-founded the Fabian Society in 1883, and was Secretary 1890-1913, and Honorary Secretary 1914-1938. He was also Governor of London School of Economics from its foundation in 1895. From 1900 to 1913 he was a member of the Executive of the Labour Party. He died in 1955. His publications include: 'The History of the Fabian Society' (1916) and 'Webb and the Fabian Society' in 'The Webbs and their Work' (1949).
From the guide to the Land Club League, 1907-1911, (British Library of Political and Economic Science)
