History of Sutton in St.Helens, Lancashire
Sutton Beauty's History & Heritage Pages
Part 4) Sutton's Lords & Masters - People of
Influence Pt3
Dr. Baker Bates - "the uncrowned king of Sutton"
Written and researched by S.R.Wainwright for Sutton Beauty & Heritage © MMVIII
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Henry Baker Bates was born in Liverpool in 1866, the son of a doctor, and he took his own diploma in medicine at London University with his license to practice awarded in June 1891. Dr. Bates arrived in Sutton shortly afterwards as assistant to Dr. Thomas Pennington, who had a surgery in Junction Lane. The two doctors were already acquanted as Henry had been courting his daughter Edith Elizabeth Pennington (1871-1908), for some time. Indeed in the 1891 census Henry Baker Bates is recorded as a visitor at the Pennington household in Liverpool and Dr. Pennington seems to have transferred to Sutton shortly afterwards, taking on the newly qualified Dr. Bates as his assistant.
Henry and Edith married on 15th September, 1891 at St.Augustine church in Everton and set up home initially at 10 then 24, Junction Lane. Edith bore Henry three children who were called William, Dorothy and Eric but despite being a doctor himself, the couple lost three other children during the 1890s, who died during childbirth or as infants.
The scroll granting the
freeman of the borough to Dr.Bates was contained within a
silver gilt casket
He continued his practice at Junction Lane and probably owned the first motor car in Sutton, believed to be a Prunel A Tonneau. However, Henry and Edith moved to Leach Hall the former home of a number of Sutton dignitaries, including William Blinkhorn and leased from Captain Michael Hughes. This brought him into contact with Sutton's major landowner who wrote to him on September 25th, 1906 offering him the position of Sherdley estate agent. His role was to manage all Hughes' estates for the initial salary of £600 per annum (rising to £700), free use of Sutton Hall as residence and estate office, plus commissions on estate business. Bates accepted the offer and took up the position on November 1st.
When Sutton residents heard of Dr. Bates' new role, it caused distress to a number of Suttoners who'd become dependent upon his medical services. At first he announced that he would be continuing his practice part-time and had engaged Dr. Frederick Tough (1878 - ?) as his partner. However, Captain Hughes insisted on a clause in his terms of employment preventing any other form of work apart from council duties.
Captain Hughes and Dr. Bates were also president and vice-president, respectively, of Sutton Harriers Athletics Club and Bates and Hughes journeyed with the team to Paris in January 1907, where they beat the French national champions. St.Helens newspapers reported that a special cheer went up when the crowd that had assembled at the station to welcome home their conquering heroes saw Dr. Bates disembarking.
Alice and Henry Baker Bates in 1930 with Sir James Crooks (1858 - 1940) - Inset as mayor
As councillor, Dr.Bates became chairman of St.Helens Corporation's Health Committee and is credited as a health pioneer in the town. In 1908 he was made Alderman, although it was also a year of personal tragedy. Whilst in the middle of a campaign for re-election as the retiring councillor for East Sutton, Dr. Bates' wife Edith became very ill and died. Her funeral was held on October 10th, 1908 at a packed St.Nicholas which the St. Helens Newspaper (13/10/1908) reported as:
...an extraordinary
demonstration of sympathy and regard, there being a
large attendance of people from all parts of the
town. The church was crowded and the cemetery and
its approaches were also
crowded. 
Dr. Bates contributed to
the Independent Methodist Chapel's new build in Herbert
Street in 1910
In 1915 Dr. Bates became Mayor of the Borough of St.Helens
and was re-elected for three successive years. He was
dubbed by The St.Helens Newspaper,"the people's
mayor" and chaired numerous war charities. In 1916
Bates became a J.P. and in 1918 was elected leader of the
Conservative party. On January 2nd, 1919 the doctor was
made a Freeman of the Borough of St.Helens, with the award
of the M.B.E. following later that year. The scroll
confirming the granting of the freemanship was contained
within a silver gilt casket and his widow presented it to
the town in 1953 to mark Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
Quite a talking point in
Sutton - Colonel Hughes of Sherdley Hall vs.
Dr.Bates
However, 1919 was also a very difficult year for Dr. Bates
as his relationship with his boss at Sherdley Hall, Colonel
Hughes, finally broke down. Letters dated between 1910 and
1919, that are in the possession of Dr. Bates' grandson,
evidence some acrimony between the pair which was brought
to a bitter conclusion in the St.Helens County Court on
April 30th, 1919 when the Colonel sought to evict him from
Sutton Hall. Dr. Bates, who was still the Mayor of
St.Helens, brought his own action for unpaid salary.
Although Colonel Hughes consented to Dr. Bates becoming
Mayor of St.Helens for three successive years, he felt that
his work as the Sherdley Estate agent was suffering and
refused permission for his fourth term. He was also highly
critical of his leadership of St.Helens Corporation and in
a letter to the council (dated 1/10/1918)
- which the St.Helens Reporter dubbed "amazing" and
the St.Helens Newspaper called "extraordinary" -
Hughes called for Dr. Bates' administration to be replacing
by individuals who:
...will exercise care and
consideration in the administration. The squandering
of the ratepayers' money during the last twelve
months in order to curry favour with Government
officials has, in my opinion, been scandalous.
By now relations between the pair were at a very low point and on November 9th, 1918, the day when Dr.Bates accepted the offer of a fourth term as Mayor, Colonel Hughes felt that he had breached the terms of his contract as his agent and wrote:
Your connection with the
Sherdley Estate terminates today by your own act. I
shall be obliged if you will inform me when it will
be convenient to you to hand over to me everything
that you hold of mine...I shall be glad if you will
vacate Sutton Hall as soon as possible...In
conclusion I have one favour to ask, and that is,
that once having left Sutton Hall you never set foot
on any part of my property again.
Dr. Bates for his part said that he had only requested permission from his employer to accept the offer of the Mayoralty out of courtesy as their original agreement made in 1906 permitted council duties as well as estate duties. His argument was that his employer could not stop him from accepting the office of Mayor and he demanded three months salary in lieu of notice. Dr. Bates accepted that he and his wife had to leave Sutton Hall but said that they had difficulty finding suitable accommodation. In further correspondence through his secretary W. F. Spencer (dated 19/11/1918) Colonel Hughes said:
If Mr. Bates cannot find a
house, tell him to find an hotel,
there are plenty of them round about.
However, Dr. Bates was able to take up medical practice again and the couple left Sutton for 'Parkside', located close to Taylor Park in Prescot Road. Alice busied herself designing their garden, which was renowned in St.Helens for its collection of terracotta figures, water features, windmill, stone bridges, animals and birds.
For a time their gardens were opened to the public but too much damage was caused by visitors. Dr. Bates kept quite a menagerie at their home including several dogs, several budgerigars, a toucan, monkey, tawney owl and a Chinese pheasant and he grew hundreds of exotic plants in his greenhouse with a particular love for orchids.
It wasn't all success for Dr. Bates as he twice contested the Newton-Le-Willows parliamentary constituency and twice failed. However, he continued on the bench as chair of the police court but the St.Helens Reporter's weekly 'Police Court Life' revealed that he mainly adjudicated on quite trivial offences. For example, their edition of August 24th, 1934 revealed Dr. Bates imposing fines for a chimney being on fire, a dog not having a collar, a traffic sign ignored and on three cyclists for riding without rear lights.
Above left - a portrait
of the young Henry Baker Bates Above
right - election publicity material
When he died on September 19th, 1940, aged 74 but still
practicing medicine, the St. Helens Reporter declared it
the "passing of a great leader" who'd played a
highly significant role in shaping Sutton and St.Helens.
The St.Helens Newspaper reported that he had had "a
great record of public service". His wife Alice,
the four-times mayoress, outlived him by 26 years and died
in 1966.
Dr. Baker Bates' son
Eric Tom Baker Bates (1905-1986),
also joined the medical profession with a practice in
Liverpool's Rodney Street but also worked at St.Helens'
old
Providence Hospital
in Tolver Street until its closure during the 1980s. He
ended his days looking after the needs of retired priests
in Colwyn Bay, bringing to a close a 200 year-long family
tradition in the medical profession.
Sutton Beauty & Heritage is
grateful to Dr. Bates' grandson Merrick Baker-Bates for his
contributions.
Research Sources, References & Bibliography for Heritage Pages
Sutton Beauty & Heritage's History Pages:
01) Township
of Sutton & St.Helens;
| 02) Sutton's
Lords & Masters;
03) Michael
Hughes of Sherdley; | 04) Dr.
Henry Baker Bates;
05) Religion
in Sutton; | 06) Education in
Sutton;
07) Rev.
Henry Vallancey; | 08) Mineworking
in Sutton;
09) Industry in Sutton
Township; | 10) Sutton
Transport;
11) Sutton
Transport Timeline; | 12) Health
& Sanitary Conditions;
13) Sport
in Sutton; | 14) The
Rapid Rise of Sutton Harriers;
15) Old Sutton
Pubs; | 16) Leisure
& Entertainment;
17) Origins
of Sutton Streetnames; | 18) Pudding
Bag;
19) Crime
& Tragedy; | 20) 'Picturesque'
Sutton - How it's Changed;
21) Sutton
True Facts | 22) Research
Sources and Bibliography;
Plus 5 Photo-Albums: Sutton's Lords &
Masters;
Religion &
Education
Transport in Sutton;
Sport, Leisure &
Entertainment;
Sutton Streets
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Sutton Manor
Colliery;
Clock Face
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