THE FEATHERSTONE ........CHRONICLE....... ........1086 to 1885........: 1875

A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE

1875

HOME RULE PART ONE

By 1875 the population of Featherstone and Purston had reached about 6,000, most housed in new South Featherstone. An increasing amount of waste water and sewage was being dumped anywhere and some was seeping into the wells and polluting the water supply. The Board of Guardians at Pontefract were in charge of the public services for Featherstone, and they were receiving numerous complaints from the residents about the appalling conditions.

A committee was formed of Guardians and ratepayers and a surveyor was engaged. He submitted a scheme costing £5,000. The Guardians proposed to borrow such a sum and install a drainage system in Featherstone.

However, new legislation gave the growing urban areas the opportunity to run their own affairs, so a public meeting was held which agreed to draw up a petition from owners and ratepayers in Featherstone, Purston, Ackton and Snydale. This was presented to the Local Government Board "praying for the settlement of the boundaries of a district comprising the said townships for the purposes of the Public Health Act, 1875".

The necessary one-tenth of the ratepayers having signed the petition the Guardians held an inquiry at the Union House, Tanshelf, on November 9. The petition was opposed by all the coal owners namely Messrs Bradley senior, Bradley junior, Rhodes and Shaw.

George Bradley senior said he believed the petition had not been signed by a single ratepayer in Ackton, and some of the coal in the township of Ackton was raised in the townships of Featherstone or Purston. The Commissioner replied the large quantity of coal raised in the district should contribute to the burden about to be imposed on the townships.

Mr Bradley said the drainage of Featherstone and Purston could be proceeded with immediately, and would be better done by the present authority (the Guardians) than by persons who were themselves erecting houses and who would never enforce the clauses of the Act. Houses were now being built back to back without drainage, or proper sanitary arrangements and many would have to be taken down.

Mr Middleton, for the petitioners, said because buildings had been erected regardless of any sanitary conditions, complaints had rightly been made to the Guardians. If Ackton was left out it would become an island isolated from any district. The death rate in the townships was higher than in the large towns. A complete drainage scheme was required, and all persons in the townships should work together by contributing towards a scheme which would be for the common good.

The petition was examined and it was found many names had been written by proxy, the persons themselves being unable to write. All such names were allowed except for a few non-residents, and it was found the genuine signatures consisted of more than the statutory one-tenth of the ratepayers.

The objectors agreed to withdraw providing the four townships were equally treated, and the Commissioner said he would recommend a Board for the whole district.

A NEW PARISH AND CHURCH

The large influx of miners coming into Featherstone seeking work at the new mines meant the parish was becoming too populous for the mother church at Old Featherstone. On October 25 an Order in Council decreed all that part of the parish of Featherstone south of the railway line would be made into the parish of Purston cum South Featherstone.

Plans were prepared by Messrs Walford and Pollard of Bradford for a parish church to be dedicated to St Thomas. It was to be built of stone with a nave, north and south isles and a chancel. The design included a tower and spire but it was only intended to build in the first instance up to the belfry window. It was expected the church would accommodate a congregation of 530 and would cost £5000.

The plans had been approved by the York Diocesan Church Building Society and the Incorporated Society for Building and Enlarging Churches. The Dean and Chapter of Christ Church College, Oxford, had given the site for the church and made a grant of £100 towards the cost. Other large donations were received from:

Mrs Hall of Purston Hall £1,000

J Shaw, Newland Hall, Normanton £200

W H Leatham, Hemsworth Hall £100

H Hill, London £100

W Craven, Halifax £100

Many smaller sums brought the total to date up to £2,152.
The drawing of the church as it was intended to be was supplied by Revd A S Ramsden.

SHAFT ACCIDENT AT FEATHERSTONE MAIN COLLIERY

Shaft siinking was being carried out at Featherstone Main Colliery. In November five sinkers named William Sinister, Henry Whittaker, "Chipp" Cookson and Henry Marshall, all of Featherstone and William Lovell of Crofton were on a bricking scaffold suspended by four chains from the winding rope. One of the chains broke and they were tipped off the scaffold and fell to the bottom of the shaft some yards below. Whittaker was very badly hurt and had his jaw broken in four places, Lovell had his thigh broken, and the other three got away with cuts and bruises.

1875 NEWS ITEMS

JANUARY Emma Wilson was charged with wilfully damaging a pump, the property of Ben Hoyle, owner of three cottages in Featherstone. The pump was frozen and Emma tried to draw water from it and broke it. William England, a licensed valuer, said it would take a great deal of force to break the pump. He estimated the damage at ten shillings and said he did not think the frost had caused it. The Bench dismissed the case saying as the defendant was a tenant, and required water from the pump, there could be no unlawful damage.

Two colliers, John Price and James Farmer, were charged in their absence with threatening the life of William Ward, the head deputy at Manor Colliery. It was said they went to the pay office demanding money for work they had done, but they had not done the work as required by the owner and were not entitled to it. They took off their coats and threatened to have their money or his life, and Ward had needed police protection. The two men had absconded and warrants were issued for their arrest.

An inquest was held in the Heywood Arms Inn on Charles Greenhough age 25 who was killed in Featherstone Main Colliery by a fall of roof. The verdict was "Accidentally killed by the falling of the roof in Featherstone coal pit".

It was reported John Shaw had made a start sinking shafts to the Haigh Moor Seam at Featherstone Main Colliery, and George Bradley was pushing on with sinking operations near Featherstone Station.

FEBRUARY William Flint and Aaron Smith were accused of assaulting Robert Gibson, the landlord of the Travellers' Hotel. He discovered several men gambling in the pub and ordered them to leave. Flint and Smith grabbed him and kicked him. They were fined £2 each and costs.

MARCH The overseers elected for the new financial year for Featherstone were William Gower and Thomas Wolforth.

Emmanuel Smith and Seth Asquith, two Featherstone youths, were fine 20s each for having committed an aggravated and indecent assault on a respectable young girl named Martha Ann Mitchell.

APRIL More colliers were taken to court for taking a pipe down Featherstone Main Colliery. The Bench said any further cases would not be tried under the colliery rules which only allowed a fine, but under the Act where a term of imprisonment could be given.

The foundation stone was laid for the South Featherstone Primitive Methodist Chapel. A Mr Wright later sued for £24 14s as the balance of his fee. The trustees claimed he had not sufficiently directed the erection of the building which was not yet completed. The judge awarded £15. The photo below of the chapel on Wakefield Road is taken from a postcard.

John Waller beat George Wilson in a ballot for the Purston representative on the Pontefract Board of Guardians.

An inquest was held on the two months old infant of Edward Taylor, a miner. Dr Buncle said the child had been restless for a week, and its mother gave it two drops of laudanum (opium) in a mixture. The child never woke again. He said a post mortem showed the laudanum was the cause of death. Dr Grabham, the coroner, said the waste of infant life from the administration of drugs was something fearful in mining districts. The jury gave a verdict of death by an overdose of laudanum given by the mother in ignorance.

MAY An objection was laid at the West Riding Petty Sessions to the names of Messrs Gower and Phipps being entered as the highway surveyors for Featherstone. It was said that at a legally called meeting on March 25 Messrs Waller and Cowling were elected, and whatever might have been done at a subsequent meeting was illegal. Charles Wroe proved the posting of the usual notices in the usual places, and Ernest Andrew was chairman and declared Waller and Cowling elected. The Bench confirmed the appointment of Waller and Cowling.

There were three cases of owners of houses in Featherstone allowing sewage to pollute water courses. The worst was against Messrs Fawcett and Matthews, architects of Leeds, who were charged by Daniel Fewster, the nuisance inspector, with allowing the sewage from 43 houses at South Featherstone to run into a water course, and with not providing sufficient privies. They were ordered to abate the nuisance within 14 days.

Five Featherstone men were charged with gambling on the highway. It was said they were tossing with half-pence and gambling on the result. They were fined £1 each and were told they could have been sent to prison.

JULY Robert Marshall of Featherstone travelled with a hardware van and shooting gallery. Early one Sunday morning his wife Jane heard someone trying to break into where they kept their goods. She called her husband and shouted to the burglar she would shoot him if he did not go away. She fired a pistol and her husband chased the burglar (William Cox) who was arrested by the police.

Jane Marshall told the court the pistol had only a cap. She could not find the powder or she would have shot the man. He was committed to prison for one month.

Richard Crowther was charged with breaking a window in Robert Marshall's caravan during a sale of goods by auction. He claimed Marshall sold him two eggcups wrapped in paper for a penny, and when he examined them they were both broken. He asked for his money back but was refused, so he broke the window and assaulted Marshall.

AUGUST There were more cases brought to court because of lack of proper drainage, foul privies and no proper cess-pits. In the three previous months there had been deaths in Featherstone and Purston from typhoid and scarlatina.

There were nine applications from Old Featherstone, South Featherstone and Purston at Pontefract Court to sell beer or wine for consumption off the premises. Only four were granted.

Charles Senior and Edwin Saxon of South Featherstone were in court for stealing a watch off John Smith of Pontefract. He claimed they snatched it late at night in Ropergate and were pursued by him and a policeman to Purston. Saxon was found guilty and sentenced to six months in prison. Senior was found not guilty.

Harriet Gott age 28 (her father had Park Gate Farm) was betrothed to a Castleford man called Hartley, a brick and tile manufacturer. He backed out of the wedding so she sued him for breach of promise. He was too ill to attend court but a verdict was "taken by consent" and she was awarded £55.

SEPTEMBER Tom Thornton of Purston had a large waggonette and a four wheeled dog cart which he used to convey passengers. He was summonsed for using them without a licence but pleaded ignorance of the law and so was dealt with leniently.

Thomas Wolford had two convictions for allowing drunkenness at the Bradley Arms. The Bench were inclined to refuse to renew the licence but he said he would give up possession of the premises in two months if a licence was granted. He was allowed a licence for that period.

William Howard applied for a licence to sell spirits, wine and beer for consumption on the premises at the Sun beerhouse. It was argued on his behalf an inn was required for the convenience of the public instead of a beerhouse, and plans for the alterations to the premises were produced. The Bench granted the application providing the plans were carried out as shown.

OCTOBER George Meeson was granted a licence for a theatre in Featherstone to be kept open until 11pm.

James McVay age 32 of Pontefract was a screen hand at Featherstone Main Colliery, He was trying to push some wagons from under the screen when some more wagons ran into him and crushed him.

NOVEMBER Three furnacemen at Featherstone Main Colliery didn't turn up for work and were summonsed by Ernest Andrew the manager. He said the furnace ventilated the pit and 360 men and boys depended upon it. One man pleaded not guilty because he was ill, but all three were fined £2.

DECEMBER Two Featherstone colliers were taken into custody for being drunk and disorderly at Featherstone Station at about 9.30pm on a Friday night. Police Sergeant Grimshaw said there were from 150 to 200 people alighting from the train at Featherstone. It had become a practice for people to go to Pontefract or Wakefield by the market trains, returning home drunk and creating disturbances.