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Welcome to a brand of
Mathematical
Services.
When trying to better yourself, it's usually a little more savoury totake others along with you ....
Woolcombers Report 1845, Case: Nelson Court, Bradford, UK.
"A great many woolcombers reside in this Court. It is a perfect
nuisance. There are a number of cellars
in it utterley unfit for human dwelllings. No drainage whatever. The
visitors cannot find words
to express their horror of the filth, stench and misery which abounds
in this locality and
are unable to bear the overpowering effuvia which emmenates from a
common sewer which runs from the Unitarian Chapel beneath the
houses. Were this to be freely described the committee might subject
themselves to the charge of exaggeration. We trust that some of those
in
affluent circumstances will visit this abode of misery and disease."
Here is a 1906 map of central Bradford with the place described
highlighted. This area is now occupied by the Margaret Macmillan Tower,
housing Bradford Archive
Services and the Local Studies library (well worth a visit) from where
I
acquired this information, from it's extensive basement.
There were many religious denominations operating in Bradford in the
1st half of the 19th century, broadly
classified as between church (or England or Anglican, the original) and
chapel (non-Conformists new comers,
new industrialist with a belief). Non of these seemed to help the
unhelped 'working' man. They were mostly pre-occupied with trying to
promolgate their faith as opposed to any others, and get the working
man to fit in with their way of thinking - an improvement in living
conditions was just a bribe for this.
Again, yet again, sort of begs the point of life. For example the
church
was often preoccupied with complaints to chapel that they reduced the
wages of the working man so that he could no
longer pay church or chancel taxes, never mind his living conditions.
I've had a look at The Unitarian beliefs and these
seem highly technical believing in the 'oneness' of God. Anyways it
seems they were a very small but wealthy
denomination. Seems to fit - they could aford a sewer whilst no else
arounnd them could!
First serious point - I think Bradford Council should capitalise more
on selling its commisioned works
of the intriguing histories of Bradford. I reccommned 'The Chartist
Risings in Bradford' - D.G. Wright (ISBN 0907734081)
I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I read the histories of the
Chartist 'revolution' to overthrow
the political system (by violence) in the UK. It seems in January 1840
a certain John Smith, an orange seller,
met at his cellar in Nelson court with others to plot an uprising. But
this was tharted because
the group had been infiltrated by an informer, John Harrison, a brothel
keeper, and that the action ran into awaiting police.
Oh well, nice try, you took the wrong working man on your team (mate).
My psychiatrist once told me that he saw a few 'working ladies', and
that I wasn't like them.
But am I like a 'working' man?
Paul D. Foy:
I saw a working lady in Wetherspoons, Leeds, UK, the other day, and I
wasn't like here. Didn't have the same fingernails.
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