[2][4] Primitive Methodism was a big influence in Dennis's early life and may be the spark for his socialist tendencies, as it was more favoured by the working classes of the time.
[5] In December 1884, Hird was ordained as a Church of England deacon and appointed to St Michael and All Angels, Bournemouth.
[8][9][10] When it was discovered that Hird was a member of the Social Democratic Federation in 1894, he was forced to resign from the Temperance Society.
[13][14] The college's governing charter required the institution to show "neutrality in religion and politics", however, Hird, who was described as "a man of a forcible and attractive personality, ...known also to hold Nationalist and Socialist views of an advanced type" was found to be using the college for propagandist purposes and was dismissed from his post in 1909.
[15] His sacking from Ruskin led to a students' strike, and he became warden of the Central Labour College established by trade unions to provide independent working class education.