Huddersfield Improvement Commissioners

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
This page is currently under construction and isn't complete yet!

Under the terms of the Huddersfield Improvement Act of 1848, a Board of Improvement Commissioners was authorised to take responsibility for highways, public health and policing within the 1,200 yard radius boundary from the Market Place established in the 1820s.

The Huddersfield Improvement Commissioners initially comprised 21 individuals — 3 of these were selected by the Trustees of J.W. Ramsden (who attained his majority in 1852) and the remaining 18 were to be elected with 6 to retire each year by rotation.

Councillors were delegated onto a variety of committees, including:

  • Watch Committee — day & night watchmen, policing and public order
  • Lighting & Fire Committee — street lighting and fire brigade
  • Drainage Committee —
  • Paving Committee — pavements and streets
  • Scavenging & Nuisance Committee — night soil and manure collection
  • Hackney Coach & Lodging House Regulation Committee —
  • Rates & Finance Committee —
  • Byelaws Committee —
  • General Purpose Committee —
  • Burial Grounds Committee

Chronology

The following pages provide annual summaries of the activities of the Improvement Commissioners:

Further Reading