Petition of the Inhabitants of York supporting the bill from the York and Newcastle Railway Company

Transcription

1 Petition of the Inhabitants of York supporting the bill from the York and Newcastle Railway Trustees of the National Museum of Science & Industry Version 1.0 January

2 Reference Code(s): GB Title: Petition of the Inhabitants of York supporting the bill from the York and Newcastle Railway Dates: c Level of Description: Fonds Extent & Medium of the unit of the unit of description: Three sheets of paper, each 69.5 cm wide by 77.5cm long, stitched together. Name of creators: The Inhabitants of the City of York and its Vicinity Administrative/Biographical History: York is the traditional county town of Yorkshire and was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to form a municipal borough The municipal borough comprised of the ancient liberty made up of the walled city, some of the city parishes extending north and east, and the open tracts of land comprising Knavesmire and Bishop's Fields on the south and west. During this period York was also a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. Census returns show that the municipal borough was populated by 28,842 people in 1841 and 36,303 in Archival history: It is unknown how the petition passed to the donor. It is likely that the donor was a descendant of George Hudson. Immediate source of acquisition or transfer: Donated to the National Railway Museum 1979 Scope & content: The address is To the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled from the undersigned inhabitants of the City of York and its Vicinity. The subject is a bill before Parliament from the York and Newcastle Railway to improve their main line and make new branches in County Durham. The petition sets out various reasons in four paragraphs requesting that the above mention bill may pass into a Law. There are approximately 750 signatures on the three sheets of paper lined and ruled in five columns. The petition is undated but is probably from between 1845 and In the 1830s the York and North Midland Railway and the Great North of England Railway opened. These lines put York on the line from London, Leeds and Hull to 2

3 the north. These railways were followed by lines to Scarborough, Market Weighton (later to Beverly) and Harrogate in , and two years later the line reached Edinburgh. York was then established as the most important junction on the East Coast route to Scotland south of Newcastle. These railway lines were supported by George Hudson ( ) MP. Hudson was an influential York citizen and railway promoter whose career attracted much controversy. He was the leader of the Tories on York City Council, which paved for his election as Chairman the York and Newcastle was a short-lived railway ( ) which joined with the Newcastle and Berwick Railway in 1847 to form the York Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information: None Accruals: None expected System of arrangement: Single item Conditions governing access: Access is given in accordance with the NRM access policy. Material form this archive is available to researchers through the Search Engine reading room. Conditions governing reproduction: Copies may be supplied of items in the archive, provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NRM s terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation. Language: English Physical Characteristics & technical requirements: Large piece of paper loosely stitched together- requires large surface in order to examine Finding aids: Outline description on NMSI inventory database Existence and location of originals: Not applicable Existence and location of copies: None known Related units of description in NRM archives: For objects, images and general printed material relating to York and surrounding railways please contact the NRM. Inventory number Description Large rolled petition requesting the election of George Hudson to the Board 3

4 of Directors of the Eastern Counties Railway, because "the present constitution of the Board of Directors is unsatisfactory especially in relation to the non-residence of so large a proportion of its members..." Letter from Josiah Carter to Mr Theaker regarding Mr Theaker's move to the Leeds & Thirsk Railway. Comments on a proposal by the 'Directors at Derby' to reduce the wages of the porters in the yard from 17/- to 16/- and commenting on the resulting effect it will have on the workers. Comments on 'George Hudson's view of economy' in relation to this situation. Dated 12 December joined sheets of parchment making an address to the House of Commons from the inhabitants of the Borough of Sunderland in respect to a Bill to authorise an extension of the Durham and Sunderland Railway to the town of Bishop Auckland, wishing the Bill to be passed Petition of the Electors of the Borough of Sunderland supporting George Hudson, Mp, against unjust attacks and unmeasured abuse Collection of engineering drawings from Gateshead (York Newcastle & Berwick Railway (YNBR), North Eastern Railway (NER)) and Darlington (Stockton & Darlington Railway (SDR), North Eastern Railway (NER), London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), British Railways (BR)) Works. Gateshead drawings were transferred to Darlington c1863 where the consecutive numbering system was continued in the drawing register ( ). 4

5 Related units of description elsewhere Repository Description The National Archives Kew Richmond TW9 4DU England Tel: Website: York City Archives York Explore Learning Centre, Museum Street, York YO1 7DS England RAIL 1155 Special Collections: Leeman Collection- for records re George Hudson RAIL 527 North Eastern Railway RAIL 232 Great North of England Railway RAIL 667 Stockton and Darlington Railway RAIL 770 York and North Midland Railway RAIL 772 York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway More records are available within the RAIL series for records relating to George Hudson Contains various records relating to railways surrounding York. Including accounts from private collections, plans, notices and council agreements Tel: Website: Northumberland Archives (formerly Northumberland Collections Service) Woodhorn Queen Elizabeth II Country Park Ashington York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway Co : survey book, reports 5

6 NE63 9YF England Tel: Website: 5 Publication note: Archivists Note: Description prepared by Alison Kay (Project Archivist), December 2010 Rules or conventions: Catalogue created in accordance with ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description (Second Edition), International Council on Archives, Ottowa 2000 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families: ISAAR(CPF) National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names Date of descriptions/revisions: Not applicable Useful Publications relating to this archive: For further publications see the NRM s library catalogue Arnold, Anthony J. George Hudson : the rise and fall of the Railway King : a study in Victorian entrepreneurship / A.J. Arnold and S. McCartney. London : Hambledon and London, Beaumont, Robert. The railway king : a biography of George Hudson / Richard Beaumount. London : Review, Bailey, Brian J. George Hudson : the rise and fall of the railway king / Brian Bailey. Stroud : Alan Sutton, Cole, Beverley York through the eyes of the railways / [written by Beverley Cole ; edited by Christine Heap ; photographs by Lynn Patrick]. [York, : National Railway Museum, 1994]. Fawcett, William A descriptive catalogue of the deposited railway plans in York City Archives / W. Fawcett. York : University of York, Dept. of Electronics, Hoole, K. (Kenneth), 1916-The railways of York / by K. Hoole. Clapham : Dalesman,

7 Peacock, A. J. (Alfred James) George Hudson, : the railway king / A. J. Peacock. York : A.J. Peacock, Mayhew, Margaret The railway king / Margaret Mayhew London : Hamish Hamilton, c1979. Lambert, Richard Stanton, The railway king, : a study of George Hudson and the business morals of his time / by Richard S. Lambert. London : Allen & Unwin, The noble city of York / edited by Alberic Stacpoole and others. York : Cerialis Press,