St Albans Chess Club [1, 2] first met on Thursday 28th March 1878 in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall. The President, Hon Secretary and executive committee were appointed. There were 26 players present.
By the Autumn, the club was meeting regularly on Thursday evenings at the Queens Hotel [3] in Chequer Street. Friendly matches were soon arranged against local clubs. The first against Luton, played at the Queens Hotel on 14th November 1878, was won by Luton (9 - 6). The following month St Albans won the return match (9 - 11).
Below is a list of the club's principal officers.
President
Year
H.F. Lindley
1878 - 1907
E. Townson
1907 - 1909
E. A. Cumming
1909 - 1914
E.T.A. Wigram
1914 - 1916
E.J. Fairchild
1916 - 1918
E.R. Mitchell
1918 - 1922
President
Year
Sir E.T.A. Wigram Bt
1922 - 1930
E.J. Fairchild
1930 - 1954
W.H.M. Phillips
1954 - 1955
H. Green
1955 - 1974
A.W. Torry
1974 - 1982
J.A. Leake
1982 - 2005
President
Year
J. Simmons
2005 - 2011
Dr J.N. Fraser-Mitchell
2011 -
Hon. Secretary
Year
G.F. Gibbs
1878 - 1885
J. Rogers
1885 - 1893
F.B. Gibson
1893 - 1897
E.R. Mitchell
1897 - 1912
E.C. Harris
1912 - 1919
W.A. Conway
1919 - 1920
L.F. Allengame
1920 - 1929
G.F. Ramsay
1929 - 1932
F.W. Daniel
1933 - 1943
E.J. Palfrey
1943 - 1945
Hon. Secretary
Year
A.W. Torry
1946 - 1974
E.S. Judge
1974 - 1977
J.A. Leake
1977 - 1981
R.R. Claret
1981 - 1984
C.A. Turner
1984 - 1985
P.V. Lattimore
1985 - 1986
C.A. Turner
1986 - 2000
Dr J.N. Fraser-Mitchell
2000 - 2005
Dr I. Gooding
2005 - 2007
Dr M.J. Lexton
2007 - 2010
Hon. Secretary
Year
P. Hayward
2010 - 2011
I.K. Cross
2011 - 2016
A.B. Ellis
2016 - 2019
R. Collopy
2019 - 2021
C. Pines
2021 -
Treasurer
Year
C.A. Andrews
1977- 1987
A. McMahon
1987 - 2012
S. Narbeth
2012 - 2021
J. Gemmell
2021 -
Congress Organiser
Year
P.V. Lattimore
1983 - 1984
R.R. Claret
1984 -
Notes
1. Research of the local newspaper archives held at Hertfordshire Archive and Local Studies identified reports in the The Herts Advertiser of the chess club's inaugural meeting (1878) and other events.
2. The oldest minute book still in the club's possession is that for 1931-1986, which includes a summary of the club's activities since 1897.
3. The Queens Hotel (1852-circa 1980), 8 - 10 Chequer Street, closed at the time of the Chequer Street Development and creation of the Maltings shopping centre. The building dates from the 1820's when it opened as the Turf Hotel, see: Talking Buildings - Hidden Histories of St Albans
