Moldgreen Local Board

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Moldgreen Local Board was the local authority body primarily responsible for issues relating to public health in the Moldgreen Local Board District and was formed in circa June 1859 with an initial membership of twelve persons.

Typically elected by local rate payers and property owners, Local Boards were formed following the Public Health Act 1848 and the subsequent Local Government Act 1858, and had responsibility for the oversight of sewers, water supplies, public toilets, street cleaning, slaughterhouses, pavements, and burial grounds within their district.

The Moldgreen Local Board District covered an area within the separate adjoining townships of Almondbury and Dalton, and included: Dog Kennel Bank, Grove Place, Longley Hall, Moldgreen, Primrose Hill, Ravenknowle Hall, and Storths. The section of the Wakefield & Austerlands Turnpike Road (now Wakefield Road) from Somerset Bridge eastwards to the junction with Dalton Green Lane fell within the district.

During 1857, a number of meetings had been held at the Kaye's Arms Inn, Moldgreen, "at which it was decided to take the necessary steps to have the Public Health Act [1848] brought into operation in that locality". Alfred E. Dickens, inspector to the General Board of Health, held a meeting at the inn on Wednesday 6 May to hear evidence in favour of the submitted petition. As Moldgreen was not classified as a district, Dickens stated that it would be necessary to define a boundary and then submit a new petition.[1]

Alfred E. Dickens held a second enquiry on Thursday 18 February 1858 in which he stated that he felt the boundary of the district should include only a portion of the township of Dalton, as he had received a number of objections to it being applied to the entire township, and also that it should include a portion of the township of Almondbury. The inclusion of land in Almondbury — partly to gain access to an unpolluted water supply in Penny Spring Wood for the proposed district — proved highly contentious, as did the fact that two-thirds of the roads in Dalton would fall outside the proposed local board district, which would mean an sharp increase in rates for those outside the district. At the close of the enquiry, Dickens took a show of hands and "an immense majority voted against the application of the [Public Health Act 1848]".[2] and "Proposed Application of the Local Government Act to Holmfirth" in Huddersfield Chronicle (05/Feb/1859).</ref>

The passing of the Local Government Act 1858 led to the promoters of the failed first petition reapplying under the new Act, and this time they met with success. Nominations for the members of the local board were taken during May and June 1859.[3] The results of the election were as follows:

successful candidates unsuccessful candidates
name votes name votes
Isaac Robson (dyer) of Westfield 323 Thomas Leigh (gentleman) of Smithy Lane 180
Joseph Byram (ironmonger) of Storths 309 Richard Armitage (ironfounder) of New North Road, Huddersfield 170
George Senior Tolson (manufacturer) of Greenhead 305 William Armitage (seedsman) of Primrose Hill, Almondbury 150
Richard Poppleton (butcher) of Kilner Band End 296 Joshua Whiteley (commission agent) of Primrose Hill, Almondbury 150
Thomas Brook (land surveyor) of Colne Villa, King's Mill Lane 295 John Edward Taylor (manufacturer) of Almondbury Common 127
William Edwards Hirst (wool merchant) of Elm Bank 290 Benjamin Askwick (butcher) of Moldgreen 124
John Day (manufacturer) of King's Mill Lane 287 James Brown (wheelwright) of Kirkheaton 111
John Taylor (manufacturer) of Newsome, Almondbury 277 Thomas Midgley (manufacturer) of Almondbury 111
William Crowther North (corn miller) of Seed Hill, Huddersfield 267 Henry Sikes (manufacturer) of Almondbury 106
John Smith (drysalter) of Moldgreen 265 John Midgley (innkeeper) of Almondbury 106
George Gelder (manufacturer) of Rookery Mills 261 Read Holliday (chemist) of Edgerton 106
James Brooke (manufacturer) of Clare Hill, Huddersfield 251 John Sykes (solicitor) of Almondbury 98

Several nominees withdrew from the election:

  • George Calvert (painter) of Hoyle Ing, Occupation Road, Moldgreen
  • John Gardiner (surgeon) of Storths, Moldgreen
  • George Scholefield (boot & shoemaker) of Storths, Moldgreen
  • James Brook (broker & joiner) of Buxton Road, Huddersfield
  • William Day (manufacturer) of Moldgreen

The first meeting of the Moldgreen Local Board took place on Tuesday 14 June 1859, when manufacturer George Gelder was appointed the chairman and Frederick William Jacomb was appointed the clerk.[4]

An inaugural dinner of the new members of the local board was held at the Commercial Inn on the evening of Wednesday 13 July 1859, to which they invited Mr. W. Moore, the Constable of Huddersfield, and members of the Huddersfield Improvement Commissioners. Amongst the issues discussed at the dinner were the need to secure a water supply for the district, to erect gas works, to improve Huddersfield Long Bridge (this was eventually replaced by Somerset Bridge in 1873), and to build a new road to Almondbury (Somerset Road was completed in 1870).[5]

The Moldgreen Local Board was abolished on 7 September 1868 when the district became an individual ward within the new Municipal Borough of Huddersfield.

Moldgreen Local Board District

The extent of the local board district (taken from the early 1890s O.S. maps) is given below. The district is shaded in green whilst the townships of Dalton and Almondbury are shown in red.

Further Reading

Notes and References

  1. "Proposed Application of the Public Health Act to Moldgreen" in Huddersfield Chronicle (09/May/1857).
  2. "Proposed Application of the Public Health Act to Moldgreen" in Huddersfield Chronicle (20/Feb/1858).
  3. A nomination form was printed in the Huddersfield Chronicle (21/May/1859).
  4. Jacomb posted a public notice in the Huddersfield Chronicle (16/Jul/1859) detailing the remit of the Local Board.
  5. "The Local Board of Health, Moldgreen" in Huddersfield Chronicle (16/Jul/1859).