[Report 1884] / Medical Officer of Health, Newcastle-upon-Tyne City & County.

  • Newcastle upon Tyne (England). City & County Council.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1884] / Medical Officer of Health, Newcastle-upon-Tyne City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/168 (page 4)
    f f 4 Ist. The engineering features of the water works, and quality, quantity, and mode of supply. 2nd. The purity of the supply. We have, therefore, although reporting jointly on the general features of the case, each devoted his attention more particularly to the details of that part which fell naturally under his department. Thus, while we concur in the report as a whole, it is to be understood that the responsibility for engineering statements rests with myself, and, for sanitary and medical matter, with the medical officer. The analyses of samples of water taken by us have been made by Mr. J. Pattinson, and, where other analyses are quoted, the authority is given. HISTORY ^ OF THE WATER SUPPLY OF NEWCASTLE. Before discussing the present state of things, it may be interesting briefly to run over the various steps which have, frorn time to time, been taken to supply Newcastle with water. These date from a very early period, and the first commencement of enterprise in this direction appears to hav% been by the monks of the various religious houses in the Town, and to have ])een undertaken for the benefit of themselves, and their monasteries,^ and retainers. Brand mentions a spring, at the top of Pandon Bank, supposed to have supplied the house of Carmelites. The Black Friars, about 1264, made a conduit from a spring in the W^arden’s Ulose, which supplied their monastery, and was carried ‘forward into the Town. The Grey Friars, about 1342, were granted the sole use of the Seven Head Wells, which seems to have been a spring of some note in those days. Probably these three springs were those mentioned by Leland, the antiquary, about 1538, where he says: There be three hedds of condutes for fresch water to the Town.” The population at that time would not exceed 6,000 to 7,000 souls, most, if not all, of whom would be dependents, in some way, of the various religious houses; and, no doubt, these springs supplied the greater part of the inhabitants