1891

  A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE

 1891

EDUCATION IN 1891

  After the Boys' School the next one to be overcrowded was the Infants' School. The School Board agreed in January to appoint Mr Garside, a Pontefract architect, to prepare plans for a new room for that school.

  In April George Green and James Mills were fined 5s each for not sending their children to school regularly. The Mills child had only made 56 attendances out of a possible 117. The mother claimed the child was exempt having passed the fourth standard. James Fearnley, attendance officer, was represented by Mr Kaberry who said the child had failed in one subject and had to pass in all three to be exempt. James Fearnley said the Green child was employed by a farmer. The chairman of the Bench spoke out very strongly at farmers who employed under age children.

  The board election was due in September and the last decision of the old board was to agree to adopt the Free Education Act from September 1. Because of a blunder in filling in the nomination papers Alexander Alexander, Revd F G Stebbing and Jabez Savage were all disqualified from standing for the new board. Those elected were J Bennett 397 votes, George Senior 311, Henry Wardman 250, Alfred Higgins 203 and H Gledhill 169. Unsuccessful were Charles Cranswick 125 and Joe Blackburn 46.

  The first three elected were all described as colliery managers and the other two were local tradesmen. The two that failed worked at the local pits.

  By November there were 637 children on the register with an average attendance of 555. The new board agreed to raise Miss Cockerham's salary to £75 and Miss Farrar from £45 to £50. They also agreed to give back to Mr Fearnley one shilling a week of the two docked in 1888. The next month a £5 a year rise was given to assistant master Mr Cowey. 

NORTH FEATHERSTONE DRAINAGE AND LIGHTING

  In March Revd F G Stebbing wrote to the Local Board regarding the sanitary state of  Old Featherstone. He said some houses had no drains and the inhabitants threw used water into the street causing an offensive nuisance. Cows used the village pond and this could cause a serious epidemic. If the Local Board did nothing he would write to the Local Government Board who would not allow such a state of things to exist. He also wrote of the worst path in the district and there was still no gas installed.

  Mt Battye said the Local Board had first promised to drain Old Featherstone 12 years ago. The surveyor said he had seen Mr Lister's steward about the land required, and he believed something would be done before very long. A committee was formed to consider ways and means and report back.

  The selling of the Bradley estate to Mr Lister had removed the block on land for the drainage scheme and Mr Holiday, on behalf of Mr Lister, offered land for drainage on a 30 years lease at 30s per acre per year. The Local Board considered this offer was acceptable but other land was more suitable and could probably be bought. The surveyor estimated the total cost of the scheme was now £720.

  An outbreak of typhoid fever in North Featherstone gave the Local Board the final push they needed and it was agreed to accept Mr Lister's (now Lord Masham) offer. However it was found Lord Masham had put such stringent conditions on his offer that it was practically useless. It was decided to seek an interview with Mr Holiday (Lord Masham's agent). An application for a loan of £800 had been made but the Local Government Board had replied there would have to be a public inquiry.

  All the problems were sorted by November and it was also proposed as part of the scheme to divert a footpath past the east side of Featherstone Main Colliery which would shorten the distance from North Featherstone to the station by 200 yards. (This was probably the one Revd Stebbing was grumbling about.)

  Ackton Hall Colliery had installed generating equipment for electricity and the Local Board discussed if this could be used be used to light North Featherstone and whether or not it would contravene the Act which had given that district to Castleford Gas Company.

  Mr Holiday told the Local Board so long as Ackton Hall Colliery was worked by Lord Masham using electricity he would light North Featherstone with it. He offered to provide power for 24 lamps of 50 candlepower each for £20 a year plus 4d per hour when they were lit.

  Mr Denton said Castleford Gas Company had refused to supply gas, and the oil lamps were ineffective so he proposed accepting Mr Holiday's offer. The board voted five to three in favour.

MORE WATER PROBLEMS

  In January the Local Board instructed the clerk to give notice to all owners of property to make connections to the water mains if  they had not already done so.

  The reservoir was a constant source of trouble. Apart from the roof falling in when it was being built it leaked when it was filled which meant the board was paying for water it didn't use. Mr Paterson, the engineer for the water scheme, suggested the reservoir should be concreted at a cost of £60, but the board declined to accept this advice.

  The leakage got worse so the board had to tell Mr Paterson to go ahead. He wrote he had let a contract for £75. Mr Coward commented the original estimate had been £60. Mr Waller said he was afraid it would run (leak) at the finish, and it would be a fortunate thing if an earthquake swallowed it up.

  The board received a letter from Mr Firth of Scarborough, the original contractor for the reservoir, saying he had finished the reservoir and asking for settlement in a friendly way or his solicitor would be compelled to take action. The clerk said the board had not received Mr Paterson's final certificate and could do nothing.

  Wakefield Corporation were considering hardening the water because of lead poisoning. At a Local Board meeting it was said Featherstone had only iron pipes, and if they had wanted hard water they could have got it cheaper from Pontefract. They chose Wakefield because of the hardness of Pontefract water. The clerk said he thought they could not do it to Featherstone water. Dr Buncle was of the opinion chalk was already being added to the water. It was agreed to have it analysed.

  Wakefield Corporation wrote to the Local Board saying Featherstone water was as collected from the moors. The question of lead poisoning was under consideration and districts would be consulted before anything was done.

A SHEET - STOLEN OR NOT?

  Mary Jane Leadbeater, age 16 of Snydale, was a servant in the house of Thomas Hall, storekeeper and timekeeper at Featherstone Main Colliery. She received 5s a week and her food but lived at home. Mrs Hall found a sheet was missing and sent for her husband who went for PS Sparrow. The house was searched and eventually Mary Leadbeater opened a box where the sheet was found on top of some bonnets and other articles. Mrs Hall gave the girl into custody and she was walked to Pontefract Police Station. Inspector Quest on hearing the facts refused to lock her up and she was sent home by train after PS Sparrow gave her the fare.

  Through her mother she sued Mr Hall for £200 for false arrest and imprisonment. At Wakefield County Court, after hearing the evidence, the judge told the jury they would have to decide if the sheet had been stolen, and if it had did the master honestly believe she had stolen it. If they decided it was not stolen they would have to assess damages for the damage to the girl's position and the way she had been walked through the streets to Pontefract. The jury awarded her £45.
  The photo below, a detail from a postcard, shows the house at the entrance to Featherstone Main Colliery where Mary Leadbeater was a servant.

POACHING FOR RABBITS

  In August John Lister, John Mee and George Ward of Featherstone, and Oswald Wragg and Richard Colley of Purston were among 20 poachers found netting rabbits in Nostell Park. They were challenged by James Purdon, the gamekeeper, and eight assistants. A fight took place and stones were thrown and the poachers fled leaving 19 dead rabbits.

  In court James Purdon said he knew those named well and had seen them clearly on the night in question. Mr Lodge, for the defence, said it was difficult to prove innocence as the men had been held in the arms of their wives who could not be called to give evidence. He said there should have been an identity parade.

  Sons and lodgers were called to give alibis but all the defendants were found guilty. Wragg had 28 previous convictions. Mr Lodge asked for consideration for the wives and families, but the Bench said the stone throwing was a serious affair. Lister and Ward were given one month in prison, Mee three, and Wragg and Colley six months, all with hard labour. 
 

1891 NEWS ITEMS

JANUARY  The Express correspondent said he had gone to Featherstone and found the footpath between the station and post office a mass of ice with about 40 children sliding on it. He said it was a disgrace to the Board.

  At the Local Board meeting the surveyor was criticised for not spreading ashes on the icy footpaths. It was agreed to contact the owners adjoining Park Lane for permission to level and repair the roadway and take it over as a public highway. It was also agreed to repair Halfpenny Lane said to be in a dangerous condition. 

  Captain Williams left Featherstone Salvation Army for Barnsley and she was marched to the station by the band. Later the band marched back to the station to meet Captain James and his wife and children from Congleton in Cheshire. He was the first male to take charge in Featherstone.

FEBRUARY  James Perry, alias Kelly alias Arkwright, a collier of Victoria Street, was accused of attempted rape on Ada Fenn age 18. She was walking across the pit fields to North Featherstone when she was accosted by Perry who was still in his pit dust and pit clothes. He threw her to the ground but she screamed and struggled and got away. Perry said he was very drunk at the time and had no recollection of the incident. The court was told he had served 10 years for a similar offence and he was sent to the Assizes for trial. At Leeds Assizes he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 months in prison with hard labour.

  Featherstone Main Colliery Accident Fund held a special meeting to consider the case of Solomon Haines. It was decided his claim of £50 was much too large and it was also the general opinion of the meeting such a grant could not be made out of the funds. It was finally agreed to give him £15 and to have a special levy on a Saturday to raise the money. Solomon Haines said he was not satisfied with the decision and he would not take the money.

  The foundation stone of the new Featherstone vicarage was laid by Percy Hall. He was given a silver trowel and ebony mallet to mark the occasion. The vicarage was being built in a field given to the church by Langdale Sunderland in 1682. The contract price for the building was £1,873. The total estimated cost was £2,000 and £1,900 had been raised to date.

MARCH  At the Local Board meeting Mr Denton said unprincipled persons were still examining the voting papers for board elections. It was agreed the surveyor should keep the voting papers and make a list of all who asked to see them after the forthcoming election.

  There were complaints about the state of Gas House Lane. The surveyor said the board were responsible for 15 miles of road, and if the Board repaired Gas House Lane it would only be fair to repair the other lanes. The board agreed to carry on with Park Lane but not any other lane or footpath.

  The Salvation Army celebrated its fourth anniversary and the inauguration of a new brass band conducted by Job Yates. (The previous references to a band probably referred to the Normanton Salvation Army Band.)

  At the St John Ambulance Society meeting for the presentation of certificates Revd Burgon suggested a Hospital Sunday and a 2d or 3d levy at the collieries. Mr Bennett said Featherstone Main had given £800 this year to various hospitals.

APRIL   A case of smallpox from Featherstone was taken to the Workhouse Hospital. The Guardians wrote to the Local Board pointing out the Public Health Act required local authorities to provide isolation premises. The Board told the surveyor to look for a suitable site. An approach to Mr J O Greaves of Wakefield for some of his land for a hospital site was turned down. He offered to sell the Board all his five acres but the board declined.

  Thomas Brook of South Featherstone cut his throat but he was found in time. He was stitched up by Dr Steven and taken to the workhouse hospital.

  Mr Battye and Mr Earle were the two retiring members of the Local Board. Mr Battye said the election was unfair and the district should be split up into wards.

  A benefit concert was held in Purston National School for Fred Pickard and William Paley, two old inhabitants rendered almost incapable of working through illness. The concert included clog dancing, comic songs, step dancing, singers and piano solos.

MAY Alethia Holroyd age 15 was in court charged with stealing a pair of boots from Henry Gledhill, pawnbroker, and then sending someone else to pawn them. She pleaded guilty and because of a previous conviction for stealing she was sent to Wakefield Jail for 10 days and then to a reformatory for five years "where she would be taught better and have an opportunity of mending her life".

  John Waller was unanimously re-elected chairman of the Local Board. A rate of 1s 2d was fixed for the half year (the highest yet).

  Mr Denton said the Public Health Act empowered the board to compel owners to level, flag, channel and light their streets. He did not wish to go so far, but some streets were still the mud they were since the houses were built - plus animal refuse. Ashes could be obtained from the collieries but they blew about in dry weather, and dross was expensive. The streets should be named and all the houses numbered to facilitate a register of voters. It was agreed the highways committee should investigate and report back.

  Dr Buncle was unable to attend because he had flue. He and Dr Steven had attended over 500 cases but there had only been one death. Mr Bennett suggested an increase in the number of Board members, dividing the district into wards and new premises. The board discussed these proposals but took no decisions.

 Paynes' Theatre, "a large and commodious place", opened in Featherstone to packed houses.

JUNE  Mrs Elizabeth Hall aged 57 of Purston Hall died suddenly from an acute attack of bronchitis on May 28. She had cleared the debt on Purston Church, borne most of the cost of the choirmaster and organist, and paid for the annual choir outing and Christmas treat. Her death cast a gloom over the village. She was interred in the family vault at Pontefract Cemetery on June 1 and most of Purston and Featherstone turned out to see the cortege leave the hall. There were five mourners' coaches and a long string of private carriages. Most shops closed at the time of the funeral.

  Thomas Lee went to Annie Addy's house to persuade her she should have him. When his advances were refused he went to William Lee's house and cut his throat with a razor. He was taken to Adam Walker's house and Dr Steven sent for. It was said Thomas Lee used to lodge with John William Addy but was turned out after making advances to Addy's wife.

  The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway had a concessionary fare of 7d return to Wakefield by one train only. The company decided to extend this to five trains a day. The enlarged ticket below is from the Featherstone Heritage Group.

 

 

  The miners' demonstration at Barnsley was held on a Monday. All the local collieries were closed and miners from all three paraded the streets before going to the station. Featherstone Main had sold 423 tickets and Ackton Hall and Snydale combined 663.

JULY  Dr Steven told the Local Board there were 80 cases of measles in the district, mostly in North Featherstone. In answer to a question from Mr Denton he said the lack of drainage was probably the main reason.

  The board agreed all the houses in the district would be numbered at the expense of the board.

  Ackton Hall Colliery sold 328 tickets for the annual excursion to Blackpool.

  A charity cricket match was held for William Green of Purston, late captain of the cricket club, who had been seriously injured at Snydale Colliery. The cricket club played Payne's Theatrical Company who turned out in stage costumes or as clowns. The game was not taken seriously and some clowns were given sallies. The Featherstone Brass Band toured the streets before the game and played at the ground. About 800 people turned up and £8 was raised.

  Two long trains were needed to take 1,065 people on the Featherstone Main excursion to Liverpool. They left at 5am and arrived back at 1am the next morning. Many trippers visited the docks to see the ocean liners.

  Francis Banks applied for the transfer of the beer licence she held to her son Samuel Banks. On her behalf Mr Kaberry said the trade was 104 gallons a week and if the application was refused the local parents would send their children to the public houses, especially for supper beer, thus exposing them to the danger of having their minds contaminated by the language used by the colliers who crowded such houses. Superintendent Whincup opposed the application on the sole ground there were sufficient facilities available without this licence. The Bench allowed the transfer.

AUGUST  The Local Board accepted the resignation of Mr Watson as rates collector and passed plans for houses for Samuel Lister now Lord Masham. The photo below from the Tony Lumb Collection shows Masham's Terrace between the pit and the sidings.

 

  Martha Mills, a young girl, found a piece of paper near a pond in the field opposite Gledhill's pawnshop. On it was written "Dear mother, I am drowned in Phipp's pond". It was taken to the police and a large crowd gathered at the pond. William Hobbs used a grappling iron but no body was found.

  Charles Smith lodged with the Williams in Victoria Street. Mrs Williams heard strange noises from Smith's room and found he had cut his throat. Dr Steven stitched his wound and he was taken to Clayton Hospital.

  There were many complaints to the Burial Board about the curator of the cemetery filling in graves with sand and rock and demanding 2s 6d to put soil on top for plants. He was instructed to use one uniform system of filling in graves with soil and raising above ground level unless the owner wished it to be flat. Even then it was to be ready for placing plants on the grave.

  The Featherstone Model Brass Band conducted by Joseph Moxon gave two concerts in the cricket field to raise funds for new instruments. They realised just over £3.

  There were 13 applications for the post of rates collector. It took the Local Board six votes to reduce them to one - Joseph Battye of Prospect House. At the same meeting the board approved an extension to the Junction Hotel and a hotel at the bottom of Station Lane for Mr Cowling. (This was never built.)
  The photo below from the Tony Lumb Collection shows the extension behind the original building complete with clock.

SEPTEMBER  Mrs Fielding, the cleaner at the Girls' School, asked for an extra 2s a week because of the new infants' classroom. The School Board turned her down so she resigned. Joseph Turner was appointed at the same wage out of which he had to find his own cleaning materials. 

  At the Local Board meeting the surveyor said it had cost over £300 in 12 months for the hiring of team labour (men and carts) for sewerage, scavenging and repairing roads. The board considered having its own men and carts but the surveyor said the work was very irregular varying from seven horses and carts to none. It cost 7s a day for a horse, cart and man, 7d per ton per mile for dross leading and 3d a ton for filling. It was agreed to defer the matter.

NOVEMBER  James Speight of Leeds had put in a tender of 1s 9d per yard for asphalting the cemetery paths, but he withdrew it because he said it was further from the station to the cemetery than he had thought. He said he would do a first class job for 2s 6d. The Burial Board decided to spread ashes and see the winter out.

  James Maxwell's house and shops in Station Lane were bought at auction by Henry Gledhill for £820.

  The Featherstone, Purston and Snydale Flower Show Committee held a meeting in the Boys' School to discuss the new Allotments Act which made it the responsibility of the Local Board to provide allotments. It was decided to have three sections - north and south of the railway and Purston. So far 31 people had said they would have a plot and others were expected to apply.

  Day's Menagerie and Museum of Animals was in Featherstone. At the Friday night performance a half-grown lion escaped from its cage and made towards the entrance, but Mr Bartlett, the lion tamer, grabbed it before any damage was done.

  John Yates of West View was collecting a petition for a deputy registrar to be stationed in Featherstone or Purston. So far he had got 836 signatures on a scroll 9ft 6ins long. After the petition had been forwarded to the Registrar General he replied that Mr Lang, the Pontefract registrar, would establish a weekly attendance at South Featherstone and a monthly attendance at North Featherstone.

  At the Local Board meeting a letter was read from Mrs M A Allison, the owner of homes in Allison Street said by some to be the worst houses in Featherstone. She wrote she was quite willing to pay her share for improvements and the delay was a matter of neglect by her agent Mr Searly.

  Mr Denton asked the board what had been done about the disgraceful state of the streets. The surveyor replied some ashes had been put down. The board agreed to serve notices under the Public Health Act on the owners of five streets in Featherstone.

  William Young of Green Lane, aged more than 70, returned from Pontefract by train and was shaking hands with someone still on the train when it moved off. He fell between the carriage and platform and lost all the fingers of his left hand and his leg was nearly severed. He was taken to Clayton Hospital but died soon after. The inquest jury's verdict was accidental death.