Blue plaque commemorates Banbury councillor who worked tirelessly to help the poor

The plaque to Independent Labour Party town councillor Herbert Payne, was unveiled by local historian Steve Kilsby on the house in which Payne lived in Queens Road.

The plaque was provided by the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board with funding from Banbury Town Council and Banbury Civic Society.

“Payne was a great speaker, but also a 'do-er', whose great achievement was that of persuading - very emphatically - the then Banbury Borough Council to invest in building council houses,” said Mr Kilsby.

“Ironically, the first 40 of these were built in Kings Road, adjacent to Queens Road. This happened in 1913, long before providing council housing was a legal requirement for local authorities – so Payne and Banbury Borough Council were well ahead of the curve in addressing a very prevalent need at the time.”

Payne was a conscientious objector during the First World War and died in 1922 in the Warneford Hospital in Oxford following his wartime imprisonment, aged just 40.

"He was a commanding character who balanced political campaigning with family life (he had one daughter, Kathleen) and business as a cutlery salesman. He was a fine open air speaker, presumably eliciting great support for his causes. He was nicknamed the 'Cow Fair Roarer' – Cow Fair now being the part of Bridge Street in front of the Town Hall,” said Mr Kilsby.

Saturday’s unveiling was attended by a lively crowd, including representatives from the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board, Banbury Town Council, Banbury Civic Society and members of the North Oxfordshire Socialist Alliance (NOSA) as well as residents of Queens Road.

NOSA followed up the unveiling with a short march along Kings Road to Herbert Payne's grave in Southam Road cemetery. It was a worthwhile and moving day for those involved.

The current residents of Herbert Payne's former home, said: “We were thrilled to discover our house was the home of such a fascinating and inspiring man as Herbert Payne. We are very happy to have a plaque commemorating him to add to the rich social history of this part of Banbury and of Queens Road residents down the years.”

So valued was he that a hymn was written for Herbert Payne, to the tune of ‘There is a Green Hill Far Away’.

‘There is a law court far away, Nearby a city wall, Where Herbert Payne was sorely tried, The champion of all.

‘We may not know, We cannot tell, What Payne has had to bear, But we believe he fights for us, And fights his battles fair.

‘He stands for justice and for right, He helps the needy poor, A corporation man is he, And not an evil-doer.

‘There was no other bold enough, To thunder forth a shot, His arguments are always sound, Exempt from Tommy Rot.

‘Oh dearly, dearly has he kept, The ‘pledge’ betrothed to all, We’ll trust him in his judgement still, And may he never fail.’