Arthur William Smale (1858-1938) : Town Councillor

 There is an inscription on the outside of Dartford Library which records that A W Smale opened the building in 1916. 

This prompted me to find out more about A W Smale. I discovered that he was born, married and died in Dartford, did not come from a wealthy family, ran a successful bakery business in Lowfield Street, had retired by the age of 42 and was active in local government in Dartford for over 40 years.

Arthur William Smale was born 14 April 1858 in Dartford. His birth was registered as Arthur Smale (with no middle name). He was a child of Richard Smale and his wife Hannah Maria nee Colyer who married in 1849 in the City of London.

Richard Smale (aged 39, a carpenter, born in Sutton at Hone) and his family were living in Lowfield Street, Dartford in 1861. The census also lists his wife Hannah (34, born in Rochester) and children (all born in Dartford) Emma (10), Frederick (9), Harry (6), Anne (4), Arthur (2) and Eliza (1). In 1871, Richard is shown as carrier, carpenter and builder.

The 1881 census shows Richard Smale (aged 59, a carrier) and his wife Hannah Maria (54) living at 42 Lowfield Street, Dartford. With them were their children Arthur William (22, a baker), Rosina (19, assistant in baker’s shop), Clara (14), Leonard (11) and Edith (8). Arthur seems to have had 9 siblings in total.

Hannah Maria died in 1884 and Richard in 1891. Both are buried in East Hill Cemetery, Dartford. Their gravestone inscription reads:

“In affectionate remembrance / of / HANNAH MARIA SMALE, / the beloved wife of / RICHARD SMALE, / who departed this life July 6th 1884 / aged 57 years. / 'I may go to her, but she will not return to me' / Also of the above named / RICHARD SMALE / who died 20th September 1891 / aged 70 years.”

Arthur married Caroline Mary Ann French in 1883 in Dartford. He was aged 25, she was 28 (born in 1855 in Holborn, London). They had 4 children, all born in Dartford. Chrissie Alice was born in 1889 but died after 3 days, Herbert Arthur was born in 1891, Florence Louise and Cecil Ernest were born in 1892 but Cecil died after 4 weeks. Chrissie and Cecil are buried in East Hill Cemetery. Their gravestone is inscribed:

“In / loving memory / of / dear little / "CHRISSIE" / Safe in the arms of Jesus / Also / CECIL ERNEST / brother of the above / Not lost but gone before.”

In 1891, Arthur (aged 32, a baker) was living at 177 Lowfield Street, Dartford with his wife Caroline (34) and mother-in-law Hannah Eliza French (74). The 1891 Kelly’s Directory for Dartford lists Arthur William Smale as a baker and confectioner at 177 Lowfield Street.

When the grocery chain Penney, Son and Parker Ltd was floated in 1900, Arthur was named as one of the directors of the new company. A newspaper item setting out the terms of the flotation contained the following:

By 1901, Arthur had moved to “Erbistock” 28 Miskin Road, Dartford. The census shows Arthur, aged 42, as a retired baker, living with his wife Carrie (44), son Herbert (9), daughter Florence (8) and a general servant. Many of the most affluent people in Dartford lived in Miskin Road. Arthur’s bakery business must have done well.

The 1911 census shows Arthur (52, a retired baker), Caroline (56), Herbert (19, a shipping clerk), Florence (18) and a domestic servant living at “Erbistock”, 28 Miskin Road, Dartford. The house had 7 rooms.

Darford’s Urban District Council was formed in 1894, with 15 elected members. Bank House (now vacant, next to the Iceland shop in Dartford High Street) was purchased for use as Council Offices in 1903 and a Council Chamber was added to the rear in 1911. Arthur was an elected member of the Council in 1900 and was Chairman from 1915 to 1917. The Urban District Council was replaced with Dartford Borough Council in 1933, when Arthur was one of 18 people elected to it. Town councillors were not paid for their local government work.

Military Service Tribunals were bodies formed by borough, urban district and rural district councils to hear applications for exemption from conscription, introduced in 1916, into the British Army during the First World War. Men could apply on the grounds of doing work of national importance, business or domestic hardship, medical unfitness, or conscientious objection. A very large number of men applied - 748,587 by the end of June 1916. Arthur was chairman of the Dartford Urban Tribunal. There was criticism of its performance and he felt obliged to resign, as described in the newspaper article (from the Kent Messenger and Gravesend Telegraph of 12 May 1917) below. Making tribunal judgements must have been difficult and it was inevitable that some people would be unhappy with the outcomes.

Both of Arthur's children got married in 1918. Herbert married Mary Dorothy Webb in Hackney, Florence married Horace Frederick White in Dartford.

The 1921 census shows Arthur (63, a retired baker), Caroline (66) and a domestic servant at 28 Miskin Road, Dartford.

Caroline Smale (Arthur’s wife) died in 1930 aged 75. Arthur married Elizabeth Jane Maynard Tanner (nee Kethro) in 1932 in Dartford. He was aged 74, she was 65, born 1866 in Bristol. She had married William George Tanner in 1890 and become a widow when he died in 1923. The 1937 Electoral Register shows that Elizabeth’s daughter Olive Daisy Winifred Tanner (born 1891) was living with Arthur and Elizabeth at 28 Miskin Road.

Arthur died peacefully on 7 August 1938 at his home, 28 Miskin Road. The Kentish Times (12 August 1938) published an obituary to him. It called him “a man who has served the town well”. He was a town councillor for over 40 years. Arthur had been on various governing bodies relating to education in Dartford and had been on the West Kent Sewerage Board since 1899. He was blunt and outspoken but his word was his bond and he was “straight as a die”. He attended Spital Street Church and was a loyal and fervent Methodist.

Arthur was buried in East Hill Cemetery in the same grave as his first wife. The headstone is inscribed 

“Peace / In loving memory of / CARRIE, / the beloved wife of A. W. SMALE, / who was called home 19th Oct 1930, / aged 75 years. / 'There is sweet rest in Heaven' / Also of / ARTHUR WILLIAM SMALE, / who entered into rest 7th August 1938 / aged 80 years. / Father in thy gracious keeping / leave we now thy servants sleeping.”

The grave of Caroline and Arthur Smale

Probate on Arthur’s estate was granted to Herbert Arthur Smale, steamship company clerk, and Frank Wells, estimating engineer. The value of the estate was £10,471 18s 8d. This equivalent to about £2,220,000 in 2023 (calculated relative to average earnings).

Elizabeth (Arthur's second wife) died in Dartford aged 85 in 1952 and is buried in Bexleyheath Cemetery in the same grave as her first husband. Arthur's daughter Florence died in 1944 aged 51, his son Herbert in 1961 aged 70.