Catalogue

High pollution caused early deaths in the Potteries.

The killer-smog of the potteries – average of death for men c1900                     aged thirty-four.

At one time every breath taken in the smoke polluted atmosphere of Stoke-on-Trent could bring you closer to death. Richard Ault looked at what it was like to live among the smoke and smog of the potteries at 150 years ago.

Generations of potteries grew up constantly surrounded by the thick, flowing smoke and smog which was as much part of the skyline as the bottle ovens. But the acrid, choking smoke that was pumped out into the atmosphere from the factories was more than just an inconvenience to housewives hanging out their washing. In fact, this killer cloud was so striking that even Karl Marx referred to the appalling chest diseases while visiting the area in the 1860s.

In 1891 an incredible 40% of all deaths caused by respiratory diseases. On average, men would die a month after retiring at 44, although women could expect a wheeze on to reach the ripe old age of 48. The London journalist and author James Greenwood was astounded by the grimly atmosphere when he visited the potteries around 1875.

A great piece of research to show how severe life was in the Potteries. Good article for students of health, living conditions and humanities. two pages.

Over the last fifty years I have acquired and transcribed what has become the only and largest collection in the world of the Manor Court Rolls of Manor of Newcastle-under-Lyme which included what is two thirds of Stoke-on-Trent from 1347 – 1927. It is from this extensive archive that an account appears of King Charles II visit to Penkhull.

Following the demise at the castle at Newcastle all manorial courts were held once every three weeks from c1530 in a large farmhouse in Penkhull and what is now known as the Greyhound Inn. No doubt many readers will know that Major General Thomas Harrison, the second in command under Oliver Cromwell was the son of a butcher and born in High Street Newcastle, the site of which is now occupied by the HSBC Bank. There is a brass plaque on the wall to this fact. It was Harrison with others who also signed the death warrant of Charles I.

During the Commonwealth period 1649-1660 Cromwell was designated the Lord Protector and appointed Harrison as the head of the former Royal Manor thereby receiving all rents and court dues. He is frequently mentioned as attending as head of the manor in the court rolls.
After the Restitution of Charles II, Thomas Harrison was executed on Saturday 13 October, 1660. Then Charles ll stayed at the Greyhound Inn whiles intending to do retribution against the family of Harrison – compelling story. two pages

Quite by chance I came across an article dated 26^th December 1846 which pre-dates the official published date of 1847. In the article recorded in the Potteries Mercury it first acknowledged the work of Prof Simpson, who had demonstrated chloroform for its anaesthetic properties on humans but in fact had applied numerous experiments on himself and others first which gave rise to its rapid increase by the of the medical profession in favour to that of ether. The interesting fact remains is that surgeons at Etruria had performed operations with the use of chloroform several months prior to the work of Simpson being published, such was their skill of administering the drug resulting in a number of successful operations. Two pages

In an old cottage found in Canada Cottage, Queens Road, Penkhull Stoke-on-Trent dates from 1814 during renovation of the kitchen, unearthed as a large deep well with water running through the bottom.

The well is 9m deep and is brick-lined in a manner that I’ve seen in other examples of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Stylistically, the bricks appear to be no earlier than the late 18^th century, but, equally, could be early 19^th century in date. The owners pointed out a small number of pottery sherds that had apparently been found above the sandstone slab used to cap the well – most of these pieces were early-mid 19^th-century in date but offer somewhat iffy dating evidence as they’re essentially unstratified finds. Since the find the current owners have made this into a feature of the house, Not only is it now flood-lit it has a plate glass top cut to size making a feature many others residents in the area would like Certainly worth a read.

Two pages with a number of photographs.