Notes from Parish Council Minutes 1895-1

Some notes from the Minutes of the first meetings of Stathern Parish Council 1895-1913

A complete transcript of the Minutes is to be found as a PDF in the Records Section of this website. It is a long document.

A dilapidated book containing the handwritten accounts of the first meetings of Stathern Parish Council came to light in Stathern in 2021. The book is a most valuable account of some aspects of the social history of the parish prior to World War 1. It was given back to the Parish Council and is is now archived and preserved at the Leicestershire County Records Office. The following is a brief snapshot of a few of the details.

The book commences with the first meeting of the Parish Council on 3 January 1895 in the Schoolroom, when six members declared their acceptance of office and Mr John Braithwaite was unanimously declared chairman.

Much of the business of the meetings was to elect the annual Chairman, to appoint four village Constables for the ensuing year, to appoint three Overseers of the Poor, and to approve payments for various persons for maintenance jobs, paying the sexton’s fees and paying some rents. It seems that in those days the Parish Council met quarterly, but they frequently formed ad-hoc and also on-going committees to discuss particular issues, and sometimes the whole council met as a committee.

There is not a full account of income to the Parish Council but in 1903 the minutes record that rent was collected for a private water supply from various named persons including the rector, the Plough Inn, the butchers shop, two persons ‘for milk cooling’, and two cheese factories. The total amount of rent was £10.00.

The council had an obligation to annually distribute proceeds from the Dixon’s and Guy’s Charities to usually three village widows in the form of 1 ton of coal each, and this was duly recorded every year. The council possessed a number of Parish Houses which were rented by poor parishioners. These houses seemed to be in a very poor state; they were probably wattle and daub mud walls construction - and needed constant repair, were unsanitary, and some were pulled down as " being utterly unfit for human habitation". Sometimes the occupant had to be ejected for not paying the rent.

There is much discussion in the minutes about the provision of a fresh water supply from a reservoir or tank, and the separation of foul drainage from fresh water. There was a particular problem of sewerage and drains in Blacksmith End and many debates about a scheme to lay new mains and an outfall. The village pumps and taps needed regular repairs and villagers had to pay an annual amount for any piped water which came from springs.

In 1898 there was a resolution “that the attention of the Sanitary Authority be called to the serious nuisance caused by the great number of pigs (upwards of 80) being kept by Mr Morris …in the centre of the village….”

The October minutes in 1904 record that “The clerk was unanimously requested to write to the Chief Constable asking him to supply new handcuffs for the use of the Parish Constable”.

In 1908 there was a separate Water Committee, Cemetery Committee, Sewage Outfall Committee and Allotment Committee. In 1910 there were ten nominations for six Parish Councillor posts. Two trustees of the Hands Charity were elected, as were two managers of the Stathern Council School, three Overseers of the Poor, and four Constables.

The parish council had several parish houses which they let out. Two in Blacksmith End were deemed unfit for human habitation and had to be pulled down. The parlous state of the causeways in the village were often discussed and the Hands Charity trustees were asked to help pay for repairs. Mention is made of the Washdyke, Dally Well, the City, the Goit (or Gote), the Sandpit and Sandpit Gardens, Toft’s Lane and the allotments (some of which appear to be at the junction of Wood Lane and Moor Lane). Pumps had to be repaired, hedges ‘plashed’, fences made, the Gote and Horse pond cleaned, the Rural District Council asked to carry out various repairs, and a Telegraphic communication with the village requested to be established.

In 1898 the minutes reported that “The question of making provision for washing sheep at the Washdyke was discussed and .....…it was unanimously decided to leave the arrangements in the hands of those who may require the same”

In 1907 the council received an application from the Miniature Rifle Club to be allowed to make a rifle range in the Sandpit. The parish council decided to form a committee to meet the Rifle Club Committee and report at the next meeting. However there is no report of this meeting until 1912 when “On the application of the Miniature Rifle Club and Boy Scouts it was decided that the members might use the Sandpit as a Rifle Range on proper precautions being taken to prevent any risk to the public".

In 1910 the question of lighting the village was proposed to the next meeting, but this does not seem to be considered any further.

In 1911 “Mr Shipman reported that the Sewage Farm Sub-committee proposed to try the experiment of planting the ground used for sewage purposes with osiers [a species of willow]. This was approved and it was resolved that Mr Robert Shipman’s tender of 12s/6d [about 62p in today's money] for the willows and grass on the sewage land be accepted”.

In 1911 the minutes record: “A letter was read from the Clerk to the District Council suggesting that the Parish Council should provide a suitable place as a receptacle for rubbish and offering on behalf of the District Council, if this was done, to have it cleaned from time to time” The Parish Council approved this but postponed the matter to the next meeting to enable members to consider a suitable site. At the next meeting the minutes state that it was resolved “that the receptacle for rubbish be placed on the left-hand side of the road to Toft’s Hill just before the first rise begins. The receptacle should be seven feet square and be fenced with a fence six feet high”.

In 1911 it was resolved “That the clerk should write to the Postmaster at Melton Mowbray requesting him to take steps to arrange for an earlier and quicker morning delivery of letters and a later despatch of the afternoon post”.

In 1913 The Allotments Committee asked to have the Parish House in the City, which was in a ruinous condition, pulled down.

In 1913 the Chairman was requested to enquire and report as to the Insurance of the Council against damage to passers-by through the defective condition of any of the Parish Houses

In 1913 the minutes state that “The drainage of the Allotment Gardens was discussed and the Clerk was requested to see Mr Scott [the Duke of Rutland’s steward] and ascertain what the Duke of Rutland would be willing to do in the matter”.

From the beginning of the Minutes in 1895, there are comments and concerns about the sewage disposal in Stathern and the problems it was causing. In 1903 the minutes record that “A letter from the Clerk to the Rural District Council enclosing a report from the County Medical Officer on the insanitary condition of the village, was read, when it was decided to postpone the discussion of the question until the next meeting”. At the next meeting this was fully discussed, and the Parish Council’s reply to the District Council was “Without wishing to dictate to the district council or to interfere with their authority, the Council would venture to make (on their invitation) the following suggestions:

That any scheme for the Sanitary drainage of this Parish should, to be effective, be a comprehensive one, not piece meal, that is to say that they would wish pure streams to be kept pure from the drainage of the other parts, and that the money required for such scheme should, with the consent of the County Council, and Local Government Board, be borrowed on the rates of the Parish, and the repayment extended over thirty years.
That such scheme should be carried out by the advice and under the directions of a competent Surveyor who has had experience in such matters and that the opinion of the County and District Medical Officers should be respected.
That all present sewers and culverts should be utilised as far as possible.
That all sewage should be brought to one point and dealt with as a whole at the bottom of the village
That all streams of pure water should be cut off from the sewage as far as possible
That orders be made to regulate the keeping of Pigs in the centre of the Parish so as to prevent the nuisance as at present prevailing

A year later, In 1904, the Parish Council discussed “….a plan for a Sewage Scheme (at an estimated cost of £1200 exclusive of the land required for the outfall)", and after considerable discussion a Parish Meeting was to “be called to discuss the question”.

There is no record of the Parish Meeting, but the scheme seems to have been approved because, in 1905, the Parish Council agreed to spread the work over several years to avoid applying for a loan. They also thought the Rector’s request for £20 per year for two acres of land [which was glebe land] required for the outfall “rather excessive”. In 1906 the Rural District Council wrote to the Parish Council asking them to undertake the “management of the land at the sewage outfall” so the Parish Council appointed a committee to do this. There is nothing further in the Minutes about the sewage disposal until 1912 when it was reported that "the tank at the Stathern Sewage Farm had been cleaned out but more trenches needed to be cut".

In 1912 the Parish Council were concerned about the quality of the water from the pump on the Green and sent a sample for analysis to the Sanitary Inspector of Melton Rural District Council. He replied by letter that "Dr Robinson states that the water is hard water and a very fair water for drinking purposes"

In 1895 the Clerk was asked to write to the GN&L&NW Joint Committee “……calling their attention to the danger to persons walking or driving to and from Harby and Stathern Station on dark nights and asking the company to place lamps on the side of the road leading from the station to the public road"

In 1898 the minutes state: “The application of Charles Dickman to be allowed to join Eliza Barker in the occupation of her Parish House was considered when on the proposition of Mr J Howitt and seconded by Mr R Flack the whole Council were appointed a committee to inspect and decide as to what should be done”. There is no record of what the outcome was!

In 1899 the minutes state: "A letter from the Inspector of Nuisances was read complaining of a nuisance near the Parish House and the Clerk was instructed to see that the nuisance was abated". This seems to have been Mr Morris' pigs. In 1900 the Parish Council wrote to the County Council about this "....as the District Council had failed to remove the nuisance as requested, the County Council be requested to take the necessary steps to have the said nuisance removed as early as possible". The fate of Mr Morris' pigs is not recorded!

In 1900 the minutes record ”...….the Clerk was requested to write to the District Council calling their attention to the very sharp curve in the road leading from the Green to the Blacksmith’s and between Mr Howitt’s corner and Mr Pearson’s gate and suggesting that if it is possible to acquire a piece of adjoining land from the Marquis of Granby the road be widened at that point as the present condition of the road is in the opinion of this Council dangerous for vehicular traffic”.

In 1900 the minutes record that “Mr Barke handed to the Clerk the sum of one pound, the amount received from Mr Freestone for the Centenary Walnut trees”

In 1911 (and other years) it was reported that in relation to the Cooke's Charity, the Churchwardens reported that 12 penny loaves had been distributed in church after each Sunday morning service.

In 1912 the minutes record: "The Clerk was requested to see Mr Pointer and Mrs Booth as to the nuisance caused by emptying ashes into the roadway near their houses and instructed them to abate it". At the next meeting in 1913 "The clerk reported he had seen Mr Pointer and Mrs Booth respecting the nuisance in the Toft's Lane caused by their throwing ashes etc on the side of the road but they have not abated the nuisance" Unfortunately the Minute Book ends with the next meeting so we don't know what happened next!

The book is unfortunately incomplete, with the final pages and back cover missing. It finishes on 31 March 1913 when Mr John Warren was chairman of the Parish Council.

RKH

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