| The Poor Law consisting of a series of Parliamentary
Acts came into effect in 1601. It defined how a parish
would care for the poorer members of society who were in
need of financial or other assistance. The law was
administered at Vestry meetings that were attended by
the parish ratepayers. The Vestry was the decision
making body that was named after the room where meetings
were held.
The Poor Law was replaced by Poor Law Unions in 1834
(Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834) and Darlaston became
part of the Poor Law Union of Walsall. The Walsall Union
Workhouse was erected on Pleck Road and Darlaston's poor
were sent there.
The Poor Laws were part of an early system of local
government where decisions about local matters were
taken by the parish ratepayers. Local officers serving
the community were also elected at these meetings. In
1838 a Vestry meeting to elect a parish Constable and
his assistant the Headborough was so well attended that
everyone present had to move from the vestry into the
churchyard where the meeting took place. During the
proceedings John Howl was elected Constable and John
Hughes elected Headborough.
|
| The White Lion as
it is today. Meetings of the Local Board
were held in the old malthouse at the rear. |
|
In 1846 the old system of Vestry Government was
finally abandoned and a Board of Surveyors constituted.
The traditional supremacy of the church was not
completely ignored, as members of the Board were elected
by a show of hands at a Vestry meeting and the town's
accounts were also presented there. The members of the
Board were as follows:
| George
Jones - Chairman |
| David
Bowen |
John
Riley |
| William
Carter |
Samuel
Rubery |
| Charles
Green |
Samuel
Smith |
| Samuel
Mills |
|
|
| George Jones was succeeded as Chairman by Samuel
Rubery who in turn was succeeded by Samuel Mills. In
1858 John Harper became the elected Collector of Highway
Rates & Secretary of the Board at a salary of five
percent of the rates collected, and Joseph Horton became
Assistant Surveyor & Inspector of Nuisances & Lodging
Houses at a salary of £50. The Board's powers were
limited and meetings both infrequent and irregular, the
main business usually concerned the condition of roads
and buildings. From 1858 to 1869 a Board of Lighting
Inspectors was elected to improve the gas street
lighting. In 1869 the Local Government Act of 1858 was
adopted and a Local Board formed in preference to the
unsatisfactory Board of Surveyors. Twenty members were
elected by the ratepayers and the candidates included
almost everyone of note in the town. The results of the
December 1869 election were as follows:
| George
Addenbrooke |
William Marshall |
| G.B.
Butler |
Richard Mills |
| A.
Carter |
C. Moore |
|
William Corbett |
G. Perry |
| C.
Green |
M. Read |
| G.
Green |
Samuel Rubery |
| Job
Green |
James Slater |
|
William Harper |
Samuel Slater |
| Enoch
Horton |
E. Wilkes |
| George
Humpage |
William Winn |
The first meeting was held on 15th February, 1870 in
the upper room of the old malthouse behind the White
Lion in King Street. The following people were elected
as officers:
| Chairman - Mr.
Samuel Rubery; Clerk - Mr. Thomas Brevitt;
Medical Officer of Health - Mr. Samuel
Partridge. |
Mr. Samuel Partridge,
Medical Officer of Health.
From Hackwood's "A History of Darlaston",
1887. |
By 1870 the population had increased to 14,724 and
the high death rate in the area (25.6 per 1,000)
gradually reduced over the next few years, falling to
20.84 per 1,000 in 1886. During the smallpox epidemic of
1882 the Local Board rented a large house for use as an
isolation hospital.
The members of the Board in 1880 were as follows:
|
| James Slater. |
Chairman. A
solicitor with offices in Walsall Road. |
|
James Belcher.
|
Auctioneer, valuer, surveyor in Pinfold
Street |
|
Charles Bishop.
|
Ran a
clothes shop in Church Street. |
|
George Blackham.
|
Grocer
in Church Street. |
|
William Corbett.
|
Publican - Union Inn, Pinfold Street. |
|
Joseph Cotterel.
|
Developed coal pits, lived in Bell Street. |
|
David Etchells.
|
Factory owner - Bull Piece Works. |
|
Charles Green.
|
Maltster, Church Street. |
|
James Harper. |
|
|
Enoch Horton.
|
Ran
Horton & Sons, Alma Works. Nuts & Bolts. |
|
George Humpage.
|
Shopkeeper, Catherine's Cross. |
|
Moses Huskins.
|
Builder, lived in Bull Street. |
|
James Rose.
|
J. &
R. Rose, Willenhall Street. Made coach
bolts. |
|
John Shingleton.
|
Publican, The Green. |
|
William Simkin.
|
Clerk
to Slater & Co. solicitors. |
|
John Simpson.
|
|
|
William Winn.
|
Grocer, wine & spirit merchant. Pinfold
Street & Church Street. |
The Local Board remained in charge of local affairs
until the Local Government Act was Passed in 1894 and as
a result Darlaston became an Urban District on 1st
January 1895 with an Urban District Council. Councillor
Joseph Yardley, J.P. was elected Chairman after serving
on the Local Board for 12 years. He was born in
Darlaston in 1848 and worked as a brewer.
Councillors and Council Officers in 1901:
|
Joseph Yardley - Chairman |
|
Vincent J. Magrane - Vice Chairman |
|
David Etchells |
Richard Reynolds |
|
Charles Foster |
Samuel P. Robinson |
|
Richard Garrington |
John Shingleton |
|
James Harper |
James Slater |
|
William Harrison |
Nathaniel Thomas |
|
Enoch Horton |
Samuel Vosper Thomas |
|
Thomas Orton |
Daniel Tyler |
|
A.H. Partridge |
George Wiley |
|
James Pritchard |
William Winn |
|
Joseph Corbett - Clerk |
|
Samuel Partridge - Medical Officer of
Health |
|
John Cash Joynson - Surveyor |
|
Joseph Hingley - Sanitary Inspector |
|
Daniel Kimberley - Collector |
|
 |
|
|
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Proceed to
A New Town Hall |
|
