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

History of Sutton in St.Helens, Lancashire
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Part 10) Health & Sanitary Conditions in Sutton (St.Helens)

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John Spear's report on the continued prevalence of fever in the borough of st.helens 1885
During the nineteenth century there was a large rise in Sutton's population which emulated its large-scale industrialisation. In June 1856 the Vicar of Sutton Church, Rev. Henry Vallancey, said in a letter how Sutton's population had "increased largely" since he'd arrived in the township in 1848 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 was leading to much illness 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:
Pasted Graphic 1  the pollution of the atmosphere by chemical fumes and coal smoke is, as is well known considerable.  Pasted Graphic 3
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:
 Pasted Graphic 1 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.  Pasted Graphic 3

Watery Lane in St.Helens Junction, Sutton, St.Helens
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 in St.Helens Junction, for example. The report stated that nine thousand houses in St.Helens were still scavenged under the midden system:

Pasted Graphic 1  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.  Pasted Graphic 3
The report made eight recommendations which included calling for the widespread introduction of a "water-carriage system of excrement removal " and "the removal of the large and defectively constructed cess-pit middens from confined situations should be considered imperative."

It would take time for the improvements to have any beneficial effect on the hard working folk of Sutton and St.Helens. 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 frequent.

John Spear's report on the continued prevalence of fever in the borough of st.helens 1885
The Spear's Report on the 'Continued Prevalence of Fever'

Working in Sutton's chemical factories considerably shortened lives due to the fumes and through liver damage caused by drinking excessive amounts of beer. The chemicals rotted their teeth and so workers 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. The pressure from trade unions and legislation, combined with improved living conditions and sanitary disposal led to a gradual improvement in the populace's health.

Despite the high death rate from typhoid and other diseases, shortened lives and a high child mortality rate, the population of St.Helen was rising year-by-year with far more births and deaths recorded. In fact Spears 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 was, of course, playing a major role in the growth of the newly constituted borough and county borough both in terms of industrial output and population.

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

Next:   Part 11) Old Sutton Pubs;

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