An Illustrated History of Old Sutton in St.Helens

Part 18 (of 41) - Health & Sanitary Conditions

Researched & Written by S.R.Wainwright ©MMX Contact Me

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Header image: A group of Sutton folk during the 1921 coal strike

John Spear's report on the continued prevalence of fever in the borough of st.helens 1885

Throughout the nineteenth century as its industry expanded, so there was a considerable rise in Sutton's population. In June 1856 the Vicar of Sutton Church, Rev. Henry Vallancey, wrote how Sutton's population had "increased largely" since he'd arrived in the township in 1849 and commented how "the great mass of my people reside around the works". Vallencey made reference to a lot of building work taking place and predicted a further rise in population in the immediate future.

This was in spite of a high death rate in Sutton and the other three townships (Parr, Eccleston & Windle) that would comprise the future St.Helens borough. A combination of unhealthy conditions at work, discharges from factories, unsanitary living conditions plus excessive drinking led to considerable sickness and shortened lives. In 1885 John Spear was commissioned to report on the prevalence of 'zymotic' diseases such as typhoid fever in St.Helens and commented that:

...the pollution of the atmosphere by chemical fumes and coal smoke is, as is well known considerable.

Mr. Spear's report demonstrated that the death rate in the recently created Borough of St.Helens between 1872-81 from typhoid was almost three times the national average. Sutton was particularly badly affected from fever outbreaks during this decade with West Sutton having the highest rate of the six St.Helens wards. The ward of East Sutton fared only slightly better.

Spear was scathing of the lack of a proper sewage system in St.Helens and commented how the waste discharges into the brooks from the many chemical, copper and glass works would disguise the presence of raw sewage:

The main sewer of St.Helens is the town's brook...reduced sometimes in dry weather to little more than crude sewage...It receives, beside's ordinary town's sewage, the various drainage matters from the factories, and from special manufacturing products. These practically hide from sight and smell the more common kind of sewage pollution.

The residents of Watery Lane weren't connected to the sewers.
It was a health hazard when Sutton Brook caused flooding as in this picture.

Where sewers had been provided in Sutton, the owners of houses were not always compelled to connect their house drains. This was the case for tenants in Watery Lane and Herbert Street by St.Helens Junction, for example. The report stated that nine thousand houses in St.Helens were still scavenged under the midden system:

The privy-middens are of the most objectionable construction...they are usually wet and very foul... [excrement is] carried out by wheelbarrow or basket for some distance to the streets where the matter is often again deposited before its removal. This operation is performed by scavengers in the employ of the Corporation.

st.helens newspaper report 1895 - fever in sutton

The report made eight recommendations, including calling for a widespread introduction of a "water-carriage system of excrement removal" and the removal of the large, "defectively constructed cess-pit middens from confined situations should be considered imperative."

At a St.Helens Council meeting in 1895, Councillor Walsh, representative for East Sutton, took to task Councillor Forster, the chairman of the borough's Health Committee. Walsh complained about the state of Sutton brook around Junction Lane which he called an "open sewer" that was causing a"serious crisis" in Sutton with many reported cases of typhoid and other 'fevers':

I am informed that the Medical Officer is thoroughly conversant with the fever breeding tendencies of this brook. Perhaps nowhere in the borough, in so small an area and in so short a time, have there been so many cases of fever reported. In fact, fever never seems, to leave the neighbourhood, and at this very moment there are several cases.

Cllr. Forster in his response accepted all Cllr. Walsh's comments were true and not overstated but said that the problem was a lack of funds.

The condition of that neighbourhood is a discredit, to say the least of it, to us. The matter has been [brought] up two or three times in the [health] committee and while one considers the health of the borough, one has also got to consider the purse the borough has got, and these two things together have tended to a very great extent to this delay.

The Spear's Report on the 'Continued Prevalence of Fever'

This website's mineworking page demonstrates the hazards of employment in and around Sutton's pits and those who worked in the chemical factories were similarly poor prospects for life insurance salesmen. They endured shortened lives through exposure to noxious fumes and through liver damage, caused by workers drinking excessive amounts of beer. The chemicals rotted away all their teeth and so they existed on 'pobs', a mixture of bread and milk plus beer. Many men simply drank because they could not eat and to cope with the horrendous conditions. An intake of one hundred pints a week was not uncommon.

Working very long hours was also not conducive to good health. The average working week in 1870 was 70 hours and children aged between 8 and 13 were allowed to work a 6½ hour day on condition they had 10 hours schooling per week. Working conditions were poor and accidents were frequent and even by 1916, long shifts in factories were not uncommon. When 16-year-old Harold Taylor of Waterdale Crescent was killed at Sutton Glassworks in August of 1916 by a crane that toppled over, 42-year-old crane driver William Chadwick admitted at his inquest to having worked a shift of over 15 hours. When County Coroner Sam Brighouse quizzed him on this, he insisted that he wasn't fatigued and had previously worked much longer hours.

Nineteenth century employers could, at times, demonstrate little understanding of a duty of care to their employees. This applied both in the prevention of industrial accidents and ill-health and in the provision of after-care. Isaac Biddulph was employed at Crone and Taylor's Manure Works in Sutton Oak and when working on the day shift would return to his home in Edgeworth Street for his dinner. One day in January 1895, his wife whilst serving lunch, noticed a lump on the back of his neck. By the next day he had become ill and so saw Dr. Edward Casey at his surgery on the corner of Junction Lane and Peckers Hill Road and Casey immediately referred him to Providence Hospital. The Tolver Street medical infirmary, which had only been founded in 1884, didn't then have its own resident physician but he was initially seen by Dr. Fred Knowles of Hardshaw Street who was visiting his own patient there.

Dr. Knowles wrote to Crone and Taylor to enquire whether they would pay for his services but they refused. In their reply, the 'Bone Crushers and Manufacturers of Blood & Bone Manures' said that they were "in no way responsible" and "we leave him in the hands of the hospital authorities". Biddulph was dead within days from anthrax poisoning as a direct result of his work. The St.Helens Reporter of 22nd January, 1895 reported that the Coroner at his inquest had commented that the conduct of the firm had been"quite extraordinary", although it was actually not uncommon.

Despite the high death rate from typhoid and other diseases, shortened lives through drinking and industrial accidents and a high child mortality rate, the population of St.Helen rose year-by-year with far more births than deaths recorded. In fact John Spear reports 23,262 births and 12,170 deaths (including 3,501 children under 1 year) registered between 1872 -1881. In the 1881 census the St.Helens population was 57,234 (11,000 in 1845 and 89,000 by 1900).

Sutton's medical practitioners of note through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who did much to improve people's lives, were the aforementioned Dr. Edward Casey (c.1882 - c.1908), Dr. Henry Baker-Bates (1891 - 1906), Dr. Frederick William Kerr Tough (c.1907 - c.1921), Dr. Cooke and Dr. Fox.

Irish medical practitioner, Dr. Casey of 1 Junction Lane, like others of his era, would pull out aching teeth as well as treating patients' other ills. He'd charge sixpence for each painful extraction, although if a child didn't cry or shout, he'd give them back their tanner!

Dr. Baker-Bates did sterling work for many years as chairman of St.Helens Corporation's Health Committee and the town became the first borough in England to possess a municipal supply of sterilised milk, which was supplied to residents at a very low rate.

Mention must also be made of Nurse Barbara Lacey (Brown) who was born and bred in Sutton (at 8, Ditch Hillock) and was a familiar figure for twenty years pedalling in her uniform round the district from her home in Irwin Road, serving the needs of local people. All that cycling was clearly good for her, as she was ninety-six years of age when she died in 1985.

sthelens borough hospital
St.Helens Cottage Hospital in Peasley Cross, then part of Sutton

The work of such health practitioners along with pressure from trade unions, concerned citizens and polititicians led to legislation which combined with improved living conditions and sanitary disposal led to a gradual improvement in the populace's health. The creation of what we now call St.Helens Hospital in Peasley Cross, then part of Sutton, played an important role too.

Fenwick Allen leased part of a house from Michael Hughes for £20 per year, although it cost Hughes £462 to carry out repairs. A.G. Kurtz of the alkali works funded the hospital, which opened with just nine beds in January 1873. Each patient had to pay a shilling a day with Martha Walker, a Quaker lady who had served in the American Civil War, serving as the first Matron assisted by three orphan girls from Whiston workhouse.

Martha wanted the best for her patients and soon ran up a debt of £1000 and as a consequence was forced out in October 1875. Kurtz gave the hospital a loan, bought the whole house and three acres surrounding it and presented it to the town. A penny-a-week fund paid off the debt by 1882 and by 1894 the number of beds in the 'Cottage Hospital' had increased to 50.

The unveiling of the spectacular new £100 million hospital in 2008 with its purple, yellow, red, orange and green zones ended a link with the past. How many readers of this page have been grateful for the care that they have received in the old Rennie, Gamble, Garton, Hammill, Pilkington, Kurtz and Bishop wards and clinics? All named after early benefactors or medical pioneers of St.Helens Hospital who helped to improve and save lives in Sutton and St.Helens.

Download John Spear's 1885 report (3mb .pdf)

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Next: Part 19) Old Sutton Pubs; | Research Sources, References & Bibliography

Sutton Beauty & Heritage's History Pages:

01)  Township of Sutton & St.Helens        |      02)  Lords & Masters
03)  Michael Hughes of Sherdley        |      04)  The Sherdley Estate
05)  Sutton's Halls & Houses        |      06)  Dr. Henry Baker Bates
07)  Religion in Sutton        |      08)  Rev. Henry Vallancey
09)  Education in Sutton        |      10)  Mineworking in Sutton
11)  Sutton Manor Colliery #1        |      12)  Sutton Manor Colliery #2
13)  Clock Face Colliery        |      14)  Bold Colliery
15)  Industry in Sutton Township        |      16)  Sutton Transport
17)  Sutton Transport Timeline        |      18)  Health & Sanitary Conditions
19)  Old Sutton Pubs        |      20)  Sport in Sutton
21)  Sutton Boxers & Wrestlers       |      22)  Rapid Rise of Sutton Harriers
23)  Leisure & Entertainment        |      24)  Sutton Celebrations
25)  Sutton Streetnames       |      26)   Pudding Bag
27)  Notorious & Curious Crime      |     28)  Sutton Tragedy #1
29)  Sutton Tragedy #2       |      30)  What's Wrong With Sutton?
31)  How Sutton Has Changed        |      32)  Memories of Sutton Part 1
33)  Memories of Sutton Part 2       |      34)  Memories of Sutton Part 3
35)  Memories of Sutton Part 4       |      36)  Memories of Sutton Part 5
37)  Memories of Sutton Part 6       |      38)  Memories of Sutton Part 7
39)  Sutton Trivia & True Facts       |      40)  Clog Clatters in Old Sutton
41)  Research Sources, References & Bibliography

Plus 13 Heritage Photo-Albums:

   Sutton's Lords & Masters;     Sherdley Estate;     Religion & Education;
   Transport;     Sport, Leisure & Entertainment;     Sutton Streets;
   Sutton Manor Colliery #1; #2; #3; #4;      Clock Face Colliery;
   Bold Colliery;     Sutton Industry;

Sutton Beauty & Heritage Main Home Page

This website has been written and researched and many images photographed by the Sutton Beauty & Heritage site owner, Stephen Wainwright. All rights are reserved but my images and text content can be re-used, although I would prefer a credit. High resolution versions of many photographs can be supplied on request at no charge. Other images are used for heritage and educational purposes and are believed to be in the public domain. This site takes a responsible attitude to copyright and, where appropriate, I endeavour to obtain permission from rights holders. This is not always possible and you are encouraged to contact me via the contact page to resolve any rights issue or if you require accreditation for the use of any photograph on this site.

Sutton Beauty & Heritage strives for factual accuracy at all times. Please do also get in touch if you believe that there are any errors, with details of any corrections contained within the site's update history page, which also details the regular updates. Many individuals from all over the world have kindly contributed Sutton information or photographs. If you would like to participate in this project, I would be delighted to hear from you and this website always credits any assistance given. Do also consider contributing any recollections of old Sutton that you might have for the Sutton Memories pages, which are proving very popular. I respond quickly to all emails and if you haven't received a response within 12 hours, please check your junk mail folder or send your message again. Thank you! SRW