DUDLEY LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH.

To the Ratepayers of the Parish of Dudley.

Fellow Ratepayers,

The Public Health Act being extended to the Parish of Dudley, you will in a few days be called upon to elect proper persons, as a Local Board, to carry out its provisions.

As it will necessarily entail a very heavy expense on the Parish, it is of the utmost importance that those persons should be elected who will faithfully discharge the weighty duties of their office, with a due regard to ECONOMY IN THE EXPENDITURE OF THE PARISH FUNDS.

Vote, then, for the following Fifteen Candidates (nominated by Messrs. Blackwell and Cochrane), who, if elected, will carefully guard the interests of the Ratepayers, and carry out the provisions of the Act at the least possible expense:—

Mr. Samuel Holden Blackwell

“ Elliott Hollier

“ Thomas Wood

“ Josiah Collins Cook

“ Alexander Brodie Cochrane, Jun.

The Rev. Dr. Browne

Mr. Thomas Lester

“ Alexander Patterson

Mr. John Finch

“ William Chrysostom Wood

“ William Timmins

“ Richard Smith

“ Edward Dixon, the younger

“ James Evers Swindell

“ George Thomson (Corngreaves)

A Ratepayer.

Dudley, 13th June, 1853.

N.B.—As ONLY Fifteen persons can be elected, any Ratepayer Voting for more than that number will lose the whole of his Votes. The Voting Paper must be carefully preserved by the Voter, as no second Paper will be given. When filled up it must be kept ready for delivery to the Distributor, who will call for it on TUESDAY, the 21st Instant, and who is the only person authorised to receive the same.

DUDLEY LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH.

TO THE RATE-PAYERS OF DUDLEY.

Fellow Ratepayers,

The most important Suffrage since the passing of the Reform Bill has lately been conferred upon the Rate-Payers of Dudley, by the introduction of the “Health of Towns Act;” and you are now called upon to Elect Fifteen fit and proper Persons to carry out the provisions of this salutary Measure. This day you have had 40 Names submitted to your notice, as parties wishful to have the management of the affairs of this Parish confided to them, and it now behoves you carefully to consider who and what class of masters shall rule over you! A cursory glance at the List of Names nominated for your approval, clearly shows that some are incapacitated from age and non-residence to attend to your interests, and others want the essential qualities of a practical knowledge of the working of the Act.

Recollect, fellow Rate-payers, that £25,000 may shortly be at the disposal of your elected Rulers, and this sum, too, will have to come out of the pockets of the Rate-payers!

Improvements we want, but we must be careful to whom, we trust these large powers to make those Amendments. Let us then elect a Class of Commissioners whom we know to be of honest purpose, independence of character, quickness of perception, mindful of the judicious improvements of the Town, as well as of the Pockets of the Rate-payers, and possess a conscientious determination to attend personally to the duties of this important office.

Beware, then, of committing yourselves to party purposes,—political tendencies—family cliques—or honorary and never attending members. Bear in mind that it is a very common practice to escape from one set of inefficient Rulers into the arms of another, often professedly more liberal but usually more tyrannical and inadequate to the duties they profess to fulfil,—past experience, in Dudley, teaches the necessity of this caution to the Ratepayers. Have practical, honest, business-like men, who will be fearless and judicious in the discharge of their duties, and spend your money as carefully as though it were their own. Recollect, that men who have something tangible to lose are the most likely to be careful about the spending of that fund which they will have heavily to pay to.

On Tuesday next you will be called upon for the Voting Paper left at your houses, write your Initials at once opposite the following names on the Voting Paper, and you will thereby elect such a Board of intelligent and responsible Commissioners, as will improve the Town and save your Pockets.

VOTE FOR

A FREEHOLDER AND RATEPAYER.

Dudley, June 16th, 1853.

DUDLEY LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH.

To the Ratepayers of Dudley.

Gentlemen,

The Clerk of the Quackery establishment, with his usual “quickness of perception, honest purpose, and independence of character,” has thought proper at this particular season to address you on “the essential qualities and practical knowledge of the Public Health!” IT NOW BEHOVES YOU CAREFULLY TO CONSIDER “what class of Quackery you ought to support, so that YOUR MONEY MAY BE SPENT AS CAREFULLY AS IF IT WERE YOUR OWN.” Recollect, THAT MEN WHO HAVE SOMETHING TANGIBLE TO LOSE are the men most likely to be careful of the same.

£25,000 will have to come out of your pockets shortly (so says the Clerk), for “the judicious improvements of the Town,” and fifteen conscientious and determined Commissioners must be chosen.

Beware, then, of self-interested partisans,—political turncoats, and troublesome quacks—“past experience in Dudley teaches the necessity of this caution to Ratepayers.”

“O that estates, degrees, and offices,

Were not derived corruptly;—that clear honour

Were purchased by the merit of the wearer.”

A LOOKER-ON.

Dudley, 16th June 1853.

The Unitarian Chapel, 1853. This Chapel is situated in a retired arched gateway, in Wolverhampton Street, adjoining the old Post Office. It was originally built in 1701; but that structure unhappily shared the fate of many other Nonconformist Chapels, destroyed under Dr. Sacheverell’s fanaticism against Dissenters, for in 1714, it was burnt down by a lawless mob, but was shortly afterwards re-built by a Parliamentary Grant of £500. This comfortable and commodious chapel has been much improved and ornamented since that period, and it now seats 450 worshippers. There is also an excellent school attached to this denomination, known as Daniel Parsons’ Foundation School, having 150 children therein, under the able tuition of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. The life of Dr. Sacheverell reveals the impression that he was a learned madman, whose craze was to preach “the Church in Danger,” and that dissent ought to be stamped out by fire and persecution. He was appointed preacher at St. Saviour’s Church, Southwark, London, in 1705, where he preached his violent crusade against Dissenters, which commanded much attention at the time. For his intemperate language, both in and out of the pulpit, he got impeached by the House of Commons, and was suspended preaching for three years, but through some powerful Court influence, he eventually managed to get appointed to the valuable Rectory of St. Andrew’s, Holborn, London, where he died in 1724. During this period of our history, the Rev. John Palmer, B.A., of Trinity College, Dublin, was appointed on February 18th, 1833, the minister of this highly intelligent and wealthy congregation. Mr. Palmer was a gentleman of great mental power, and was a good and pleasant preacher, and during the nineteen years he held this appointment he secured the esteem and regard of all good citizens. Mr. Palmer, like many of his countrymen, was a very energetic politician, and his often expressed Radical opinions at times shocked the nervous sensibility of his friends. However, after 19 years of great zeal and energy in the sacred cause he had undertaken to uphold and propagate, we find him suddenly transformed into an officer of the Crown, for in 1853, he was appointed Crown Treasurer in the Island of Dominica, whither he departed, being succeeded after a time by the Rev. Richard Shaen, M.A., who only remained a few years as minister. Some of our “oldest inhabitants” are in possession of relics and curiosities of the old burnt chapel, in the form of oaken stands and curious boxes made from the ponderous oak timbers, which were not entirely consumed in the conflagration of the chapel. The Rev. Mr. Gibson is the present genial and courteous minister. The Election for the first Local Board of Health took place on June 23rd, 1853, with the following results:

Dudley Local Board of Health.—The election of this board was brought to a close on Thursday last, and the result is as follows, the first fifteen being elected:—Dr. Browne, 1,227; S. H. Blackwell, 1,161; E. Hollier, 1,135; A. B. Cochrane, 981; R. Smith, 974; T. Lester, 951; J. C. Cook, 887; J. E. Swindell, 872; I. Badger, 870; W. O. Wood, 848; E. Dixon, 844; A. Patterson, 841; G. Thompson, of Corngreaves, 812; T. Badger, jun., 801; J. G. Walker, 793; J. Finch, 754; E. Feny, 725; W. Haden, 676; T. Griffiths, 671; W. Timmins, 633; W. Harrison, 625; E. F. Smith, 615; E. L. Cresswell, 586; J. Renaud, 504; C. Cartwright, 495; J. Marsh, 491; J. Bagott, 485; T. Danks, 471; J. Owen, 466; T. Fereday, 374; J. Guest, 246; W. Harper, 121; D. Lloyd, 117; C. F. G. Clark, 113; W. Sheppard, 105. From an inspection of the list elected, it will be seen that, with few exceptions, the ratepayers have chosen the board from the most active and intelligent members of the Board of Guardians and the late Board of Highways and Town Act Commissioners, and we hope to see the “Health Act” now carried out in Dudley in its integrity, with advantage to the general social condition of the inhabitants, and with due regard to the pockets of the ratepayers.—Birmingham Journal.

DUDLEY LOCAL BOARD OF HEALTH.

TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE PARISH OF DUDLEY.

The Board, in entering upon the important duties entrusted to them by the Ratepayers, have earnestly to request the co-operation of their fellow parishioners in carrying out the objects for which they have been appointed. They invite suggestions, and solicit information, and their Officers will give immediate attention to any subject directly or indirectly connected with the Public Health.

OFFICERS.

Mr. William Henry Brooke, Solicitor, Wolverhampton Street, has been appointed Clerk to the Board, and all general communications should be addressed to him.

Mr. John Bateman, Wolverhampton Street, has been appointed Surveyor,—and

Mr. John Castree, Railway Parcels Office, Wolverhampton Street, Inspector of Nuisances.

All communications respecting these two departments of the Board should be addressed to these Officers respectively.

The BOARD take this opportunity of announcing that in enforcing the large and searching powers and directions of the Public Health Act, they shall be always desirous of avoiding, as much as possible, any compulsory interference with the management of property, and any unnecessary intrusion on the privacy of the parishioners. But that extensive inspection and inquiry will be unavoidable, since the state of drainage of every house must be ascertained, in order to be rendered perfect. Interference, however, and compulsion will, in every case, be less in proportion as the parishioners shall themselves kindly co-operate in bringing about that better state of sanitary arrangement which the Act requires, and which is so essential to the public health and welfare.

By Order of

The Local Board of Health, Dudley;

W. H. BROOKE,

Clerk to the said Board.

Dudley, August 2nd, 1853.

The following appeal to the Churchmen in this town was attended with success—

Dudley, July 8th, 1853.

Sir,

The adjourned Meeting of the Inhabitants of this Parish to take into consideration the best means to be adopted for the liquidation of the Salaries of the Officers, and other debts, (amounting according to the accounts presented at the last meeting to nearly £800), due in respect of the Churches of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. James, will be held in the Vestry of St. Thomas’s Church, on Wednesday morning next, the 13th instant, at Eleven o’clock, when your attendance is respectfully and particularly requested.

Signed,

T. FEREDAY,
E. HOLLIER,

} Ex-Wardens of St. Thomas’s.

Died, November 3rd, 1853, Mr. Geo. Bailey, Senior, formerly a Grocer and Provision Dealer, in New Street. Aged 79 years.

Died November 18th, 1853, Mrs. Henry Parkes, of Wolverhampton Street. Aged 44 years.

December 26th, 1853. A very heavy fall of snow took place this day, and continued at intervals until January 11th, 1854. All train and road traffic was suspended, and the snow drifts were 16 feet deep in many localities. The privations and sufferings amongst the poor were very great.

1854. Died January 20th, Mr. John Rann, of Hall Street, Printer. This wonderful and active old man was known to be the oldest man in Dudley, having attained the age of 98 years.

January, 1854. A new Organ was erected in St. Edmund’s Church, at a cost of £360. This sum was raised by public subscription, and the highly-esteemed Rev. Jno. Davies, M.A., was the Incumbent of the Church at the time.

January, 1854. The Metropolitan Association for the Improvement of the Dwellings of the Poor, was adopted in Dudley with much eclat. Dr. Browne was appointed Chairman, and Mr. Wm. Barns, Solicitor, Secretary, with a powerful and influential Committee. February 1st, 1854. This day a deputation of Church attendants at St. Edmund’s Church presented the Rev. A. Kerr Thompson, M.A., Master of the Dudley Grammar School, with an address from the congregation thanking him for his services as Evening Lecturer in that Church.