Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the city of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland / by Robert Rawlinson, Superintending Inspector.

  • Rawlinson, Robert, 1810-1898.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the General Board of Health on a preliminary inquiry into the sewerage, drainage, and supply of water, and the sanitary condition of the inhabitants of the city of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland / by Robert Rawlinson, Superintending Inspector. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to accomplish which the entire site must be pierced with a net¬ work of sewers and drains.* The modern city of Carlisle has been much improved of late years ; the old city walls have been thrown down; manufactures have been extended, public buildings have been erected, roads have been improved, streets have been re-formed and paved, land has been judiciously laid out in the suburbs, water-works have been established ; and with proper sewers and drains, sys¬ tematic regulating and cleansing, the wise, benevolent, and philanthropic citizens will see the physical condition of the working man improved, his comforts increased ; and, his moral character raised. Sanitary works are essentially works of economy, and they are enemies to man and to society who make them otherwise. It may serve the temporary purpose of ignorant malice to represent them as ruinously expensive and oppressive ; and men may even be found who wilfully distort every statement made relative to works of improvement, but as in all other things untrue, this can only have a temporary effect. Ancient Form of Government. It does not appear when the first incorporation of the bur¬ gesses took place, or what was the original constitution. By the recitals of a grant made by Edward III., it seems that preceding it, and even from time immemorial, the city had been governed by a mayor, bailiffs, and coroners; but when this body politic had its commencement there is no evidence to prove. The city has had many Royal grants and great privileges : the first named is one of Henry II.; this was burned in an attack made by the Scots : it is recited and confirmed by the charter of Henry III. By this charter the citizens were exempted from the payment of toll, passage, pontage, and all customs belonging to the King; with the privilege granted of having wood for fuel and for their erections within the forest of Carlisle. Subsequently great part of the city suffered by accidental fire, and the records were a second time destroyed. Edward I., in the 21st year of his reign, by charter, dated the 23rd day of June, recites the grant of Henry III. from the in- rollment of it in his Chancery, and stating that it had been lost by fire, confirmed it verbatim. Edward III. also secured to the burgesses their privileges by charter. Richard II., in the fifth year of his reign, also granted the citizens a confirma¬ tory charter. The rights and privileges of the city were con- * In constructing the proposed sewers and drains, the Corporation may probably add considerably to the interesting collection in their Museum, if' they issue o.ders to the superintendants of the work, to claim all remains of antiquity discovered, as the property of the Corporation.