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Local butchers of 1851
In DRIFFIELD Middle Street, which in 1851 was all one street, were six butchers' shops. Francis Lovell, who was born at Elmswell, occupied 24, Middle Street with his Housekeeper, Mary Tindall. Two nephews of Francis, Phillip and Francis aged 10years and nine years respectively, also resided there.
Charity Hodgson was a butcher at 54 Middle St. and she had two daughters aged 10 years and one year.
William Fielder, aged 45 years was a master butcher at 90 Middle St.
John Parrot, who was born at Skerne, occupied 31 Middle St. He was aged 60 years and his wife Jane was 58 years old. They looked after two grand daughters, Sarah Jane and Mary Jane. They employed a house maid, a butcher's assistant and an apprentice.
At 58 Middle St. resided William Slater, aged 25 years, a master butcher, and his wife Jane, aged 25 years. They had two daughters Mary and Elizabeth aged one and two years. A house servant, Jane Arnott, was employed and a butcher's apprentice William Hodskinson.
Octimus Young had a butcher's shop in Bridge St. but lived at 89 Middle St. with his wife Isabella and two young sons. Michael Walker had a butcher's shop in Bridge St. too but lived at 146 Eastgate.
At 145 Westgate Susannah Wilkinson had a butcher's shop and a lodger resided with her. At 177 Westgate another butcher's shop was occupied by Robert Richardson, his wife and six children.
Richard Morris was at 19 Mill St. with his wife Sarah, daughter Elizabeth and son John Thomas.
James Brunton, master butcher, lived with his retired father, his wife Christine and two children.
Many of the villages had their own butcher and after the wheelwright and the blacksmith, starting with a pair of wheels and shafts, made a cart to suit the needs of the local butcher, baker or pot-awker.
The Shambles, or Flesshammels in York, was once a street of butchers, The word 'shambles' derives from shamel meaning a bench or stall.
From the 15th to the 19th century this street was full of butchers' stalls. Tourists continue to point out that it is possible for two people to touch hands across the narrowest part of the street from the bedroom windows.
The problem of waste was a disgusting problem in medieval England. The general rule was that pigs might be kept on a man's own premises, and they might be sent to feed outside the town on the common land, driven there by the owner himself or by the common swineherd. Everyone knew, however, that there was plenty of pigs to eat the rubbish in the streets, and some people let them deliberately feed there and penalties had to be introduced to prevent this.
Beverley exempted swine with young from all penalties and imposed smaller fines than most towns,
At the sound of the 'Watch Bell' at day break, the good men of the watch speedily withdrew, and as they reached their homes the tradesmen of the towns were astir, together with cows and pigs let into the streets to be driven to the common land. There was a rattle of shutters being taken down.
Blacksmiths and butchers always started business extremely early. The blacksmiths because long distance travellers brought them custom even at dawn, and butchers because they wished to finish their slautering and cutting before purchasers were abroad.
Some trades were by their nature liable to create more noxious waste than others and butchers were notorious fowlers of the medieval streets. They were generally forbidden to slay any beast in the street.
Driffield's Cross Hill had been the site of a market since the 15th century. At the beginning of the 19th century Driffield had relatively few shops and most of the trade was done at the outdoor market on Cross Hill.
The market was rapidly outgrowing its site and was having to spread into surrounding residential areas, much to the annoyance of householders. Market days were getting so chaotic that a number of leading citizens, attenders at the meetings of the Vestry, presented a petition to the Lord of the Manor, the Hon. Marmaduke Langley, proposing a number of regulations.
A major regulation sought was that every tradesman displaying goods for sale should place them on a stall standing across the 'Channel', The 'Channel' was an overflow from a pond on Westgate near the junction with Mill Sreet and Cross Hill. This overflow eventually found its way towards the Beck in Cranwell Road.
When regulations were imposed in 1822 the butchers' stalls for the sale of meat had to be placed in a line across the 'Channel'. The reasoning behind this was no doubt that the stream would carry away waste materials, and water from the stream could be used for cleaning the area at the end of the market.
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Weather for Driffield
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
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Cloudy
Temperature: 8 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
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