February 2nd 1906 unknown to Arthur cecil tabor
Bolton, lancashire to ambleside, westmorland
75 miles
the message
"Dear Art
Sent parcel by same post, hoping it will arrive alright. Thanks for congrats. Here is a photo of the guvnor. A very good one too. I have also enclosed book which will instruct you better tan I can by post, hoping you will have a spanking good time
???"
the sender
The identity of the sender is unknown. The squiggle at the end of the message could be a signature, a single name or initials. The context of the card and the reference to "the guvnor" suggests that it could be family, staff or more likely someone who worked on the election campaign of William Tyson Wilson MP.
the recipient
Arthur Cecil Tabor (1887-1961) was born in Liverpool but by 1891 his family had moved to Ambleside in what is now Cumbria but was then called Westmorland. Between 1906 and 1911 Arthur moved to Bootle, just north of Liverpool, where he worked as a watchmaker. In 1912 he married Nellie Georgina Taylor (1888-1949) and they had two sons. It has proved difficult to trace Nellie's family as they were many possibilities and no clues, especially as her given name could also have been Helen or Ellen or Eleanor.
Arthur was the eldest of four children. His parents were Cecil Thomas Tabor (1861-1937) and Jane Appleton (1865-1955). Cecil was also a watchmaker and was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. He seems to have moved around quite a lot before settling in Ambleside, including Liverpool, Somerset, and Devon. Jane was born in Greenwich, Kent but the family moved to Lancashire and lived in Heaton Norris.
Arthur's siblings were Alfred Henry (1892-1949), Florence Lillian (1893-1962) and Frederick (1893-?). Alfred was also a watchmaker and there were other watchmakers in the wider family.
the tree
the places
Bolton to Ambleside
Bolton, Lancashire
Ambleside, Westmorland
what the card says to us
This card is a reminder of a significant moment in British social and political history. The picture is of William Tyson Wilson MP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tyson_Wilson
The history tells us that William won a seat for the Labour Party in the 1906 General Election. This was the election where the Labour Party started to become a serious parliamentary party, significantly increasing their number of seats. William was a carpenter by trade and an important figure in the Trade Union movement.
It is very frustrating that the identity of the sender cannot be determined. It is obviously someone closely connected to William Tyson Wilson. The date of the card is only a few days after the election. The congratulations mentioned in the text are presumably referring to the result. What the connection to Arthur Tabor, whose profession of watchmaker does not suggest a link to Trade Unionism, is not clear.
There are other questions that are tantalising. What was in the parcel? What kind of instruction was the book intended to provide? What was going to provide a spanking good time and why is the word spanking underlined? We will never know.