hea 3 Longe Report 1862 employment of children – Potteries.

Filthy, unsanitary areas of Pool Dam and Seabridge of Newcastle like in 1872? describes areas of Newcastle under Lyme as filthy, unsanitary areas of Pool Dam and Seabridge perhaps of Newcastle like in 1872. Mainly small cottages and hovels all occupied at the time and occupied by the poor population of the town. It was reported to be entirely neglected by the Newcastle authorities with a filthy sewage stream or brook about ten feet wide running through the area of Pool. In time of flooding the water from the stream rose at least eighteen inches to flood nearby properties and in some of the adjoining houses together with the condition of the cesspools and privies loaded with excrement, leaking and horribly offensive, give rise to a large number of complaints from many of the inhabitants and classed as disgraceful.

The water supply was from wells sunk into the ground along saturated with the filth of generations upon generations of inhabitants. Some of these wells are said to be dry many times during the year. The attention of the Newcastle Corporation was reported as paying no attention to the area nor enforcing the rules regarding sanitation etc.

The main problem was that from 1738 the populations of the district had increased causing additional issues of water and sanitation. The areas covered for the stats are:- Tunstall, Burslem, Sneyd, Rushton Grange, Hanley and Shelton, Penkhull, Boothen, Stoke, Fenton and Longton and Lane End.

This report is a perfect study for colleges or people interested in Social History. Three x A4 pages.

Following the long struggle to overcome the serious stability of the Etruria buildings caused by industry with smoke and subsidence followed by an even longer struggle and different opinions a site at Hartshill was chosen belonging to the Mount estate and was subsequently purchased from Mr. Frederick Bishop, Solicitor of Hanley.
The foundation stone was laid on the 23rd of July 1860 by Sir John Heathcote, MP, the money being raised by a gift from the Prince Regent, out of the revenues of the Duchy of Lancaster and a legacy of £1,000 bequeathed by Mr John Rogers of the Watlands. The expenses of the additions were principally defrayed by a fancy bazaar held at Newcastle which realised the sum of £940 and with the additional receipts of an oratorio held in the new parish church of Stoke (opened in 1830) which yielded the sum of a further £800. Mr John Tomlinson of Cliffe Ville, at Hartshill displayed great zeal in establishing a firm start of this new Infirmary.
It was a time before the NHS and government funding, so as an ambitious product the finances depended upon the potteries folk to support this project on the principal it was a public hospital. Factory workers agreed to a few pence stopped from their wages, all churches had a special Infirmary Sunday with special services and the hope of more generous giving – all going to the hospital funs.
It also depended upon numerous benefactors who would pay the cost of the building of additional wards and operating theatres of which all would display the names of the benefactor responsible.
All this went on for nearly 100 years until the NHS took over the responsibility of all hospitals in July 1948. Since this date the hospital went from strength to strength both in its structure but also the medical services it provided. 11 x A4 pages and many photographs and nearly 5,000 words