Insanitary Stotfold

The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 created poor law unions, each run by a Board of Guardians, centred around towns, which included a union workhouse for the poor of the union area. The union was also responsible for other matters, such as public health. Stotfold was in the Biggleswade Union. The Stotfold Poor Law Union minute book of 1868 to 1871 ends with a description of the sanitary conditions of the major settlements in the area, including Wrestlingworth for 3rd May 1871 [ref: PUBWM10]. The entry for Stotfold is below.

“At Stotfold there are some abominable places, where diarrhoea (typhoid?) is prevalent”.

“One called The City is got at through some stinking pigsties; to five houses, with twenty five or thirty people, there is one wretched privy; there is no back way, all the slops are thrown out in front of the doors”.

“Another, Known as Little London, is approached through a lane, along the side of which is a filthy ditch, which runs from the river, and from which the people get the only water that they have to drink; for eight houses, with forty people (eight of whom live in one close room), there are only two filthy privies”.

In 1875 sanitation ceased to be a function of the poor law unions and was transferred to sanitary authorities, in Stotfold’s case Biggleswade Rural Sanitary Authority. These were replaced in 1894 by the newly created district councils, in Stotfold’s case, Biggleswade Rural District Council. This was replaced in 1974 by Mid Bedfordshire District Council and in 2009 the new unitary council (incorporating the functions of the former district councils with the abolished county council) of Central Bedfordshire became responsible for all sanitary matters.