Now! Then! Leeds Corporation prosecutes its own waste contractors, Messrs Kelly, and a Woodhouse Moor landowner, who have been colluding in the illegal dumping of faeces

2 March 1830: Leeds Corporation prosecutes its own waste contractors, Messrs Kelly, and a Woodhouse Moor landowner, who have been colluding in the illegal dumping of faeces

Leeds Mercury. 1867/03/04. The Night-soil Nuisance in Leeds. Leeds. Get it:

Excerpt

Magistrate Luccock said that he had accompanied Dr Robinson, the officer of health, and the chairman and several members of the Scavenging and Nuisance Committee to visit the places complained of by the inhabitants, and he assured Mr Ferns for Messrs Kelly that the faecal matter in Henrietta Street was so great that their shoes were made exceedingly disagreeable from walking upon it. The stench from the liquid manure as it ran into the stream which flows down into the river was scarcely bearable. A man who was working upon the place said that night soil was deposited there and then covered over. Of course that was the most condemnatory evidence that could possibly be given. They thought that immediate steps should be taken for the safety of the neighbourhood, and they ordered a quantity of lime to be put upon the place. He knew the difficulties Messrs Kelly had to contend with, but at the same time they were not justified in depositing night soil within the borough, for it was contrary to their agreement with the council. The only way in which they could have the nuisance remedied was to summon the owner of the land, Mr Grayson, for allowing faecal matter to be deposited there. Defendant said that he sold the land two months ago. Mr Luccock said that it was so important a matter that it should be attended to, and whether it was done by Mr Grayson or the gentleman who now holds the land it must be done immediately, for if the warm weather came on the immense quantity of privy manure on the land would make the stench perfectly intolerable. Mr Ferns said that he was informed that on no occasion had Messrs Kelly thrown matter within the borough, except bricks, stones, and other rubbish. Mr Luccock stated that they went down to the Midland Railway Station and actually trod upon the very stuff itself. And it was not only deposited at the railway station, but also near to Messrs Tetley’s brewery. [Adjourned. Outcome?]

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

The laxity is startling given that a cholera epidemic had killed 5,596 in the East End of London in 1866. Did the corporation allow the defendant time to sell the land? Why wasn’t the new owner summonsed? Etc.

Can someone locate Henrietta Street for me?

Note the foetal/faecal confusion.

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Original

THE NIGHT SOIL NUISANCE IN LEEDS.–On Saturday, at the Leeds Town Hall, before J. D. Luccock, Esq., and T. Tennant, Esq., Mr. Thomas Grayson, the owner of some property in Henrietta-street, Woodhouse-Moor, appeared in answer to a summons taken out by Mr. Swale, superintendent of nuisances, charging him with having deposited on his land in that street a quantity of offensive refuse from middens. Mr. Swale stated that the summons had been taken out in consequence of the complaints made by the inhabitants of the great nuisance arising from the deposit, which consisted of the broken pots, old tins, stones, and the usual solid rubbish thrown into middensteads in addition to the ashes and other refuse. Mr. Ferns announced that he was there to defend the case, but Mr. Swale objected to his appearing as he was not retained by the defendant, and it transpired that Mr. Ferns had been retained by Messrs. Kelly and Co., the night soil contractors, who were in fact the parties who had deposited the rubbish.-Mr. Luccock stated that he had personally visited the place and felt the stink arising from it, and if Mr. Ferns objected to him adjudicating upon it he was quite willing that the case should go before any other magistrate.-Mr. Ferns expressed his willingness that Mr. Luccock should take part in hearing the case. He was perfectly free to admit that in this instance rubbish from middens, such as broken bottles, pieces of tin cans, &c., had been deposited, but by placing cinders and other disinfectants upon it Messrs. Kelly endeavoured to prevent any objectionable smell.- Mr. Luccock said that he had accompanied Dr. Robinson, the officer of health, and the chairman and several members of the Scavenging and Nuisance Committee (of which he was himself a member) to visit the places complained of by the inhabitants, and he assured Mr. Ferns that the foetal matter in Henrietta-street was so great that their shoes were made exceedingly disagreeable from walking upon it. The stench from the liquid manure as it ran into the stream which flows down into the river was scarcely bearable. A man who was working upon the place said that night soil was deposited there and then covered over. Of course that was the most condemnatory evidence that could possibly be given. They were exceedingly concerned to hear it: they thought that immediate steps should be taken for the safety of the neighbourhood, and they ordered a quantity of lime to be put upon the place. He knew the difficulties Messrs. Kelly had to contend with, but at the same time they were not justified in depositing night soil within the borough, for it was contrary to their agreement with the Council, and would not be allowed. The only way in which they could have the nuisance remedied was to summon the owner of the land for allowing foetal matter to be deposited there.-Defendant said that he sold the land two months ago.-Mr. Luccock said that it was so important a matter that it should be attended to, and whether it was done by Mr. Grayson or the gentleman who now holds the land it must be done immediately, for if the warm weather came on the immense quantity of privy manure on the land would make the stench perfectly intolerable.-Mr. Ferns said that he was informed that on no occasion had Messrs. Kelly thrown matter within the borough, except bricks, stones, and other rubbish.-Mr. Luccock stated that they went down to the Midland Railway Station and actually trod upon the very stuff itself. Money was of no value compared with the health of the town, and that the men should every night deposit the night-soil and cover it over was a very serious and grievous thing. And it was not only deposited at the railway station, but also near to Messrs. Tetley’s brewery. They should make such arrangements as would prevent it, for it was absolutely necessary that they should do it.-Mr. Ferns remarked that his clients would desist altogether from making the deposits, but that so far as Mr. Grayson was concerned the summons could not be maintained.- Mr. Luccock said that it was necessary something should be done immediately, and they had appointed a committee to meet Messrs. Kelly on Monday.-Mr. Swale alluded to the difficulties the contractors had to contend with in disposing both of the ashes and the rubbish, from the public throwing their broken pots, &c., into the middens, and said that they could not be overcome until they were obliged to be kept separate.-Mr. Ferns did not think the separation could be carried into effect until an alteration in the construction be generally adopted.-Mr. Swale pointed to Liverpool and Manchester as places where an arrangement of the kind suggested had been carried out. -Mr. Luccock was happy to think that Leeds was a great deal cleaner than either Manchester or Liverpool. People might write letters in the newspapers, but he had been through the places to see if any middens ought to have been emptied, and with the exception of some in Paradise-street and two or three places about there, they were much cleaner than he had expected to find them.–The case was adjourned.

891 words.