Monday 29 June 2020

Hull History Centre joins Google Arts and Culture!

Queen Victoria Square, 1920s (U DX336/32/9)

Throughout lockdown a small group of History Centre staff have been working to launch our Google Arts and Culture site. It went live in mid-June to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our official opening, and we're excited to be able to share some of our digitised content with you!

Initially we have about 170 images of items in our collections, which you can browse through. They mainly relate to Hull from the 1920s to the 1950s, and give a fascinating insight into how our city has changed.

Google Arts and Culture also allows us to curate stories using our content, and incorporating other features from Google such as Streetview scenes. We launched with 3 stories:

Monument Bridge, 1920s (U DX336/32/11)

Hull in the 1920s, where you can explore Hull through the lens of photographer Claude William Jamson

Petrol ration coupon (C DMX/337/18)

Transition from War to Peace, where you can find out what Hull was like following the end of the Second World War

Drawing of proposed Shopping Centre (L 711A)

and A Plan for the City, where you can discover how Hull was rebuilt after the war.

We're planning to add more content regularly so keep checking our site, or follow us on Twitter to keep up to date.

Wednesday 17 June 2020

William de la Pole

June 21st marks the death of William de la Pole 654 years ago. William rose to prominence, particularly during the reign of Edward III. Using Hull as his base he became an influential and wealthy merchant by importing wine and exporting wool and corn. William's newly acquired wealth enabled him to provide financial assistance to Edward III to help fund wars with France and Scotland. A significant royal money lender, William also gained political influence and he became Hull's first mayor in 1331. William also found himself in the service of Edward III, in the office of the exchequer and although William found himself in hot water with Edward III, he did manage to come away largely unscathed, laying the foundations for the de la Pole family dynasty. 

Portrait of William de la Pole, believed to be by T. Tindall Wildridge
Portrait of William de la Pole, believed to be by T. Tindall Wildridge

Tradition has it that William and his brother, Richard, came from Ravenser on the Spurn Point peninsula. Between the ports of Hull and Ravenser it was the latter that was initially of more importance. However, Edward I acquired Hull as a forward supply base for his campaigns against Scotland and this, together with Ravenser's demise and eventual loss by the mid-fourteenth century, saw Hull emerge as the principal port.

At the time of their arrival in Hull business was often a joint venture between the brothers. They imported wine from Gascony, while wool and corn were exported. Both brothers held office as chamberlains of Hull. Being leading merchants and political figures, it is not surprising that William and Richard became connected with central government. Richard, for example, became the king's chief butler, while William would later become Baron of the Exchequer.

Both brothers played a significant role in Hull's early development. The trade in wine, wool and corn brought prosperity and with it the town grew in size and influence. William acquired the manor of Myton. He also acquired land in Hessle, including property at Hesslewood and the quarry at Hessle. Cottingham was temporarily under control of both William and Richard. William also had estates further afield at Foston-on-the-Wolds and Nafferton.

To protect the town against Scottish incursions into Northern England William and Richard financed the early building of the town’s walls. The death of the last royal bailiff in 1333 led to William inheriting property in Hull including the great mansion house, which was later known as Suffolk Palace. It remained a residence for William and his decedents, as lords of Kingston upon Hull, until the 16th century. The site once occupied by Suffolk Palace is now occupied by Hull's former central post office, currently situate on the corner of Lowgate and Alfred Gelder Street.

Hull's General Post Office building, on the site of Suffolk Palace at the corner of Lowgate and Alfred Gelder Street
Hull's General Post Office building, on the site of Suffolk Palace at the corner of Lowgate and Alfred Gelder Street

The opportunity to lend to the crown arose when Edward III's usual source of money lending, Florentine bankers, fell into temporary difficulties and William and Richard stepped into the breach. Eventually however William and Richard's partnership ceased in 1331. Richard began to spend more time in London and at the time of his death in 1345 he was described as a citizen of London. William had now emerged as Hull's most important citizen. He represented Hull in Parliament. He became Hull's first mayor in 1331, involving himself in town politics such as the dispute to determine Sir John de Sutton's claim of exclusive rights of passage over the River Hull at Drypool. His ongoing mercantile activities in the export of wool, for example, made William a wealthy merchant in his own right.

Using Hull as his main base William could now provide loans to the crown independently from his brother Richard. William became looked upon favourably by Edward III and It was under Edward that William increased his portfolio of estates in Ripon and Norfolk. He also became Baron of the Exchequer (1339-1340) the position a gift from the king. William was also knighted.

William now found himself increasingly acting on behalf of the crown. He spent time in London and abroad in protracted negotiations. He was particularly influential in negotiations with Flanders, firstly to encourage Flemish weavers to settle in England. Beverley's Flemingate is named after those Flemish weavers who settled in the town, and secondly to allow Edward III to land his army at Antwerp.

He made important contributions to the war against Scotland, not only through loans but also supplies. Hull was used to supply the army and provide ships and men for the campaign. The war with France created further opportunities for William. By now he had monopolised exports of wool which allowed him to help finance the war with France. However, the finance collapsed. William was largely unscathed and continued to provide loans to the crown. In return he acquired the royal manor of Burstwick in Holderness, at the time the most valuable of all the royal estates, much to the frustration to Edward III.

However, things soon turned sour for William. In 1340, furious at his inability to finance his French campaign, Edward III took his frustration out on those financiers he felt responsible, including William de la Pole. William found himself imprisoned in the Tower of London, before spending the next six months in Fleet Prison. Prosecution was brought against William and much of his land was seized, including Burstwick. Proceedings, however, were annulled as Edward once again required financial assistance and William provided the funds. William also took advantage of Edward's partial bankruptcy, which enabled William to recover some of the debts still owed to him.

By 1345 William appears to have somewhat reduced his role in providing loans to Edward by withdrawing from one of his financing operations. To further compound Edward's woes, the Black Death (1347-8) ruined many English financiers including those who had financed the Crecy campaign and siege of Calais. William avoided responsibility for their debts. However, he was not out of the woods yet. Some of his former associates continued to hold William responsible. In the meantime, Edward managed to shake off his reliance on royal financiers and turned against William. The charges of wool smuggling threatened William with ruin. William escaped trial by remitting all outstanding royal debts and renouncing his claim to Burtswick which Edward had earlier confiscated. William, however, still retained a considerable fortune.

In his later years William founded a hospital for poor persons, which would be succeed by the Carthusian Priory, established by his son in 1377, better known today as the Charterhouse. Today the building dates from 1780 but its initial concept was very much the brain child of William de la Pole.

William de la Pole died on 21 June 1366. A statue of William de la Pole by Hull's pier commemorates his legacy and importance to the early development of Hull. The town familiar to William has changed over the centuries. However, many of the Old Town's streets follow the original medieval layout of the late 13th and 14th centuries. Some street names have since changed. For example, in William's day, Whitefriargate was known as Aldgate; and High Street was previously Hull Street. The only buildings familiar to William today would be Holy Trinity and possibly St. Mary's church.

Unveiling of the statue of William de la Pole, originally situate on Prospect Street, before being relocated to Nelson Street by the pier [C DI]
Unveiling of the statue of William de la Pole, originally situate on Prospect Street, before being relocated to Nelson Street by the pier [C DI]

William's importance to Hull cannot be under estimated. Edward I may have realised Hull's strategic importance, but William certainly helped exploit its economic development. William also laid the foundations for power and prosperity for the de la Pole family over the next two hundred years. His son Michael, for example, would surpass his father in the political arena rising to position of Chancellor. But unlike his father, Michael forged a military career, serving under Edward, the Black Prince and John of Gaunt in the wars against France. But that is another story....

Neil Chadwick, Project Officer

Thursday 4 June 2020

Together we will beat this: A look at the fight against infectious disease in Hull

Whilst working from home, I have been researching and writing a new source guide exploring archives held at Hull History Centre about public baths, washhouses, and swimming pools.  It led me to write this blog about some of the public health measures put in place to help to stop the spread of disease during the last two centuries. Just a year ago we probably thought that developments in public health, sanitation, vaccination, and medicine had assigned epidemics on the scale we are witnessing today to the history books. We have clearly still got lessons to learn now and as we move towards, what might be, a quite different future.

Historically legislation was put in place to improve conditions and manage public health in direct response to outbreaks of infectious disease; for example, the typhus and cholera epidemics of 1847 meant an urgent demand for clean bodies and clothes. The Public Baths and Wash-houses Acts of 1846 & 1847 were passed giving local authorities the power to establish facilities. Construction costs were to come out of the Poor Rate and paid back over time. As well as providing large scale systems for water and sewage removal, road paving and other urban improvements, Hull Corporation were keen to demonstrate a sense of civic consciousness and pride by building visible signs of its progressiveness. Very intricate architectural designs, kept at the Hull History Centre, of both East Hull and Beverley Road baths, show us the lengths leaders would go to ensure that their buildings would be both functional and ornamental.

Interior view of Beverley Road swimming baths looking out from viewing gallery

In the mid-1800s a major challenge that Hull faced in the fight against infectious disease was its popularity as a trading port. Ships regularly came into Hull from Hamburg in the 1840s and were partly blamed for easing the spread of cholera in Britain, with Hamburg once a cholera hotspot. Also, the second wave of Russian flu is said to have arrived by sea into Hull in Feb 1891 claiming as many as 57,980 victims from all levels of society in England & Wales. The Russian flu was the first pandemic to strike the country in nearly 40 years. During the intervening years, Britain had gone from a largely rural nation to a predominantly urban one. By the 1881 census 67.8 per cent of the population of England and Wales lived in towns and cities, working in cramped and inadequately ventilated buildings where there was no escape from the coughing and spluttering of their colleagues.

Colour illustration showing a ship docked at North Eastern Railway Riverside Quay

Hull also soon became celebrated as the best route in Europe for passengers looking for a new life in the Americas, Australasia, and South Africa, with its newly built docks and increased railway connections. Rather than sailing directly to their desired location or through more expensive ports like London, Hull was a much cheaper option. The demand for transmigration through Hull was so great, and emigrants had such a poor reputation for personal hygiene standards, that immediate relevant legislation was required. Byelaws and acts of parliament were soon passed to improve general sanitary conditions and to counter the detrimental effects on inhabitants as well as those who were just visiting or passing through. The Kingston upon Hull Urban Sanitary Authority was created in 1851. Rail companies established waiting rooms and special facilities for the many thousands of emigrants who passed through the port. The North Eastern Railway Company built an emigrant waiting room on Anlaby Road near Paragon Station in 1871 which was forced to double in size by 1881. It had facilities for the emigrants to meet the ticket agents, wash, use the toilet and take shelter. The intention was to quarantine them until they were ready for passage to their destination. 

The connection between personal cleanliness and disease continued to evolve nationally, particularly after the formation of germ theory in the 1880s, when knowledge increased about how various diseases could be transmitted. Schools began teaching health education. This, and improved literacy rates generally, meant that many people could read government pamphlets about personal hygiene, fresh air, clean clothing, good diet, and exercise-all thought to render the body less susceptible to disease. More stringent building regulations also improved the quality of working-class housing. Hull Corporation, between 1890 and 1910, condemned and demolished 779 houses, mostly those in narrow passages and alleys. They also introduced a programme for the systematic conversion of privies to water closets in 1912. Hull City Archives holds records relating to privy conversions and compulsory purchases made by the corporation. 

Paperwork relating to the conversion of outdoor privies at Ivy Villas

Public health initiatives continued to increase both locally and nationally. Hull appointed its first Medical Officer of Health in the 1870s. Such officers played a key role in local authorities all over the country, tackling and advising on environmental health and infectious disease. An important function of the Medical Officer of Health was the publication of annual reports. Those for Hull cover 1879-1989 and include birth and death statistics as well as information relating to population and housing. The information that the reports contain evolved over time, as did the measures put in place to improve people’s health and wellbeing.

A year ago, few people had heard of phrases containing ‘Social Distancing’ and ‘Isolation’ in the context that we have now become accustomed to hearing them. Public health has rapidly moved to the top of government agendas throughout the world. With a huge growth in population, increased and relatively cheap travel opportunities in the modern world it is inevitable that infectious diseases can travel further and at greater speed. Throughout history nothing has killed more human beings. We have come a long way; life expectancy at the dawn of the 19th century was just 29 years globally. However, the current pandemic has taught us that there is still a long road ahead of us as we look to the future. Just like things changed and evolved for our ancestors, current and subsequent public health measures might mean that many facets of our lives, that we once took for granted, may start to look, and feel quite different.

Elspeth Bower, Librarian/Archivist (Hull City Archives)