Social history
The Ranger report
Dirty old town
One hundred and fifty years ago, a young engineer named William Ranger visited Halifax for the first time. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock of seeing people living in overcrowded, dirty conditions.
The Public Health Act had been introduced in 1848 and two years later a petition was raised by the Halifax ratepayers to the General Board of Health in order that the Act could be enforced - hence the reason for William Ranger’s visit.
The main enquiry concentrated on the areas surrounding Orange Street, Crib Lane, Cross Hills and the City, as well as Winding Road, Square and the north side of the Parish Church. These were areas which lay in the shadow of the mills and where the homes of the unskilled workers were situated.
If the inspector recommended improvements, (which Ranger did), the Council would then be entitled to borrow money to improve sanitation.
Ranger also conducted another survey of conditions in the Northowram / Southowram townships. Parts of Haley Hill were very overcrowded. Here there were instances of twelve people occupying three beds. In Middle Street one privy served two hundred and twenty one people.
In his conclusion, Ranger urged the introduction of the Public Health Act in order that families would be provided with “a greater prospect of immunity from sickness and an addition to their too scanty comfort”.
At the end of the report there are some interesting statistical tables which list life expectancy by rank. Gentry and merchants could expect an average life expectancy of fifty five years. This was in stark contrast to the twenty two years of a labourer.
The full report by William Ranger is available to view on microfilm in the Reference Library Reference Library, Halifax, and on Calderdale Council's online visual archive From Weaver to Web
