Battle for Bull Centre - One Bell Corner, Dartford, Kent, UK.
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Master Mariner
N 51° 26.654 E 000° 13.035
31U E 306622 N 5702900
This Dartford Borough Council plaque, to the "Battle for Bull Centre", is mounted on a wall on the south side of Dartford High Street at the junction with Lowfield Street in an area known as One Bell Corner.
Waymark Code: WMP89N
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/18/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member MeerRescue
Views: 1

The BBC News website tells us about the protest and the unveiling of the plaque:

Plaque honours jailed protesters.

Three Salvation Army members who were jailed in 1908 after taking a stand over the policing of public gatherings have been honoured.

A blue plaque in Dartford marks where open air meetings were held that led to Ensigns William, Elizabeth Roy and "Mother" Elisabeth Wood being arrested.

The arrests followed a ban on public gatherings which they chose to ignore.

Dartford Council said the police actions led to "some of the biggest-ever gatherings" in the Kent town.

Councillor Jeremy Kite said: "The events of August 1908 and the courage of these three Salvationists changed the policing of public gatherings in Dartford for ever - an act that affected all Dartford citizens."

Ignored ban

A heritage board can be found at the actual meeting place at One Bell Corner, and in December the authority installed the blue plaque in the High Street, about 164ft (50m) away from where people gathered.

The Salvation Army said the three received fines after they ignored the ban and continued with open air meetings.

Salvationists had been holding gatherings in the town for more than 20 years.

The three protesters chose to go to prison instead of paying a fine, and served jail terms of about seven to 10 days each.

But protest meetings then followed in the town which attracted up to 6,000 people at their height, the Salvation Army said.

The huge public response led to talks between the police and Salvation Army, mediated by the then urban district council, after which public gatherings were again allowed in the town centre.

Type of Historic Marker: Plaque

Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Dartford Borough Council

Age/Event Date: 08/01/1908

Related Website: [Web Link]

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