Report on the state of the City of York and other towns. / By James Smith, Esq., of Deanston.
- James Smith
- Date:
- 1845
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report on the state of the City of York and other towns. / By James Smith, Esq., of Deanston. Source: Wellcome Collection.
7/80 page 1
![[ 1 ] • REPORT o» the CONDITION of the CITY of YORK. By James Smith, Esq., of Deanstox. Houses, 5958 ; population, 47,779 ; deaths, 2'4 per cent.; excess in number of deaths in 1841, 160 ; average age of death, 35 years 9 months ; average age of death of adults, 56 years 9 months; proportion of deaths under 5 years to total deaths, 31*3 per cent. The city of York is situated on the river Ouse, a tidal river. The chief portion of the city is within the ancient walls, which in the olden time were surrounded by a fosse of considerable extent. The older and principal part of the city stands on the eastern side of the Ouse, sloping from the river’s edge, with a gentle acclivity, and reaching a summit about 300 yards from the river, and from thence gently declining again into the general flat of the valley. The Foss, a small river coming from the east, and intersecting this division of the city, joins the Ouse by a lock, which has the effect of obstructing the natural flow of the stream, renders the river in a great degree stagnant, and causes the floods to inundate a considerable extent of the site of the city in that quarter. The flow of the stream of the Ouse itself is obstructed by a weir, placed across for navigation purposes, about five miles below the city. The waters of the Ouse overflow a portion of the site, near the margin on both sides, causing great loss, distress, and ill health to the inhabitants of the region. The city seems to have been placed in an extensive marsh, probably for defence in the olden times. The walls still remain of the original height, and so far shelter the city from the winds which blow towards the city over an extensive plain on all sides. But in calm weather they to a certain extent obstruct the ventilation ; and it is found that the streets and courts immediately under the walls are the least healthy. The ancient fosse at the external base of the walls has been for many years filled up, and the soil has been partially underdrained. I pereeived, however, that the [escape of the water in rainy periods is but slow, and towards the west the ditch has been less perfectly filled and drained, so that water stands over part of the surface at all times, and a mass of rushes indicates the presence of much under-water. •The streets are narrow, in many places curving and irregular, and the lateral streets and lanes are very narrow and ill ventilated. An important improvement was effected some years ago by opening out a roomy market-place in the middle of this division of the city; still there remains a great mass of very confined streets and courts. The chief slaughter-houses are in the very middle of this division, and a more confined and filthy locality I have never seen. There is no means of thorough cleansing the back premises, and the consequence is, a constant B](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30388703_0007.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
