As the MGRTRG states: "The Research Group faces a continuous ethical and practical quandary relative to the identification of suspected members past and present of the Militant Guild of Rural Tailors." So it is with caution that we reveal too many details about the founding fathers of the group's British Chapter.
Charles H. Wentworth is the first publicly announced member of the British Chapter. Little is known of Wentworth, other than he was at the forefront of Guild activity throughout London in the late 1880s. A staunch conservative, he was the main figurehead at Guild ceremonies, dictating the traditionalist's orthodox.
Sir W. C. Bainthoth was a well respected Tailor who operated from his West London Gentlemen's outfitters from 1880 - 1921. It is accepted that Bainthoth was active in International Guild ceremonies, most notably in Russia prior to the 1917 Soviet Revolution. He is believed to have been linked to radical socialist factions in that region. No formal connections have been recorded, but it is accepted that he played his part in formulating Lenin's opinions on Free Market Economies. His role in colonial activity was recognised by the crown in 1887.
Mr. W. J. Oakley is believed to have operated with Guild credentials from 1892. The youngest member of the pioneers group, he was noted for his alternative stance on tailoring, often to an extreme nature for the time. Little is known about his professional status, other than he was listed in the 1901 census as a fabric importer.
R. Buckminster was a staunch royalist and it is asserted here that he was closely connected to the inner circles of the royal house of Edward VII, assisting in the transition of the monarch from member of the fashionable, leisured elite to leader of the British Empire. His involvement in Guild activity was light, as it was his connections to the powerful elite classes that secured his Guild membership.
Wallace C. Harmsworth was unrelenting in his pursuit of fine tailoring. Several notes discovered in the British Chapter's archive relate to his inception into the Guild in 1882. He mysteriously disappeared one year later. Even after a lengthy police investigation (with the file being closed in 1912) no evidence was found to suggest his disappearance was linked to any criminal activity.
William L. Hadly was the most senior of the pioneers group. He propagated many of the British Chapter's ethics – beyond those of the individual – in order to ensure the group's longevity. Inducted in 1880 – the earliest entry in the Chapter's records. One reference of interest to his previous activity is a record of a "warrant by the Empire" for his arrest, issued in 1840, for "unorthodox importation of opiates" notably at the height of the Anglo Chinese Wars.
Frederick Shields is the youngest of the British Chapter members making his first entry into the records at the age of 27 in 1890. His pursuit of "sports tailoring" pertains to some of the earliest commercial ventures into "adopting sports styles and embellishments with casual attire for the gentleman."
Mr. Ge. Armitage-Smith was the Chapter's official secretary, many of the notes made over the group's history are signed by him, allowing for the suggestion he was an authorised signatory for much of the commercial ventures made by the group throughout its history. The last document relating to the pioneers' group activity is signed on his behalf by Frederick Shields, noting Armitage-Smith's death and the apparent dissolution of Chapter, in 1921.
Bernard Entwhistle (presumed) is probably the most enigmatic of the British Chapter's members. The documentation suggests that, whilst he was much respected, his participation in Guild activity was almost forced upon him.
British Chapter Emblem.
The documentation is bound with this cover. Curiously the emblem only has 8 pairs of shears, as opposed to the membership of 9 people. Adorned with two British lions and a decorative floral motif. The latin text "Iacio Tui Forfex" can be translated to "Throw Your Shears" or "Forge Your Shears" the assumption being made is that each member was also the craftsman of their own tools.
