Part 4

The nineteenth century as we have already seen, marked the turning point for Rushden. The population graph (*missing) clearly indicates how the population increased, especially at the end the century. Many of the town's improvements date back from this time. The material growth of Rushden is mostly, if not entirely due to the reputation the county has acquired as a shoe manufacturing centre, to the introduction of machinery and the adoption of the factory system. Machinery has doubtless contributed enormously to the quick production of shoes.

With this sudden expansion in the population at the end of the last century, new urban facilities such as shops etc. were necessary and as these grew, so Rushden became a magnet of attraction from the surrounding villages and it flourished at their declension. Many of the grandparents of the existing population of Rushden came from the surrounding villages such as Felmersham, Riseley, and Staughton. Most of these villages are in Bedfordshire and as the attraction was so strong,so the pople, mainly individuals, came into the area to work. However, other towns like Wellingborough, and Kettering, which were undergoing similar but smaller developments at this time drew their population from the surrounding smaller Northamptonshire villages.

From 1870 onwards, the population increased tremendously, and it became necessary for the town to be governed by a local Board of Health from March 25th 1891, until the establishment of an Urban District Council under the provisions of the Local Government Act of 1894. Since then, the council has been progressive and public spirited.(A quotation from an article of 1901 says, "The roads and footpaths are now well made, kept clean and well lighted so that visitors, who can compare what is, with what was, can scarcely believe it to be the same place".)

As the number of families increased, so the number of children increased. Fortunately or unfortunately this increase came at the time when various authorities were thinking more deeply about education. Rushden was no exception to this general feeling, and there was a demand for a certain amount of education. (Records indicate that at one time the parish church was collegiate. It was here where the monks and later the priests gave some form of education.)

In 1857, just previous to the real increase in population an irregular kind of day school was carried on by a private individual in an old building on the site now occupied by the Vestry Hall next to the church. The building had originally been the parish workhouse. However, this school soon became totally inadequate.

Then came Canon Barker to the town. Unlike many clergymen of his day, he was a genuine educationalist and was a firm believer in the National School System of education. At this time Gladstone's government was about to bring out an Education Bill, and most of the parish wanted to wait until its contents were known, but the enthusiastic Rector proceeded to establish a National School. In 1870, the Bishop of Peterborough laid the foundation stone and today, the school is still used as a Primary School, known as the South End School. Canon Barker also had in mind the very young children of the cobblers, and he started an Infants School in Coffee Tavern Lane and paid all the costs from his own pocket. In 1877, a school board was set up, after much disagreement from the church, and the non-conformists just managed to secure a majority on it, pledging themselves to an unsectarian education. Gradually new schools were built, and four large ones were erected within twenty years. This was some achievement for so small a town. Today the number of schools is still inadequate, especially for secondary education. All the grammar school children have to travel five miles to the nearest grammar school at Wellingborough, while the rest of the secondary stream attend one of the two secondary modern schools in the town.

Not only was the population visible to the local inhabitants, but also to the London Midland and Scottish Railway Authorities. It became obvious to them that the town offered plenty of scope for the building of a branch railway line, which would be very profitable, not only to the L.M.S.R. but to the people of the town. They were conscious of the fact that expanding industry needed raw materials and they hoped to a prosperous branch line. In 1894 the line from Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers was opened. Previously, the nearest railway was nearly two miles away at Irchester. Now Rushden was linked with the main L.M.S. line from London to Scotland.

Lighting was the next problem, not only for the streets and houses, but for the factories which were gradually being built. As the amount of work increased, so the need for longer working hours increased. Gas was first introduced into the town in 1864, and in 1893 the town’s own gas works was built, which also served the neighbouring borough of Higham Ferrers.

The boot industry brought prosperity and wealth to the town, and therefore two large banks were built in Rushden. At the same time factory after factory grew, together with new streets of houses and so the town entered the twentieth century a vastly different place from the Rushden, one hundred years previously.

But, the town could not escape certain evils. About 1880 a serious outbreak of typhoid fever raged through Rushden and it was traceable to the use of water from polluted surface wells in one part of the town. In 1895, a public water supply was started but this soon became inadequate as the town spread and in 1906, the Sywell reservoir, 10 miles away was opened to supply both Rushden and Higham Ferrers. (It is the joint property of the Rushden and Higham Ferrers Water Board, which is elected by the two councils. Rushden bears four fifths of the cost to run the board and the representation on the board if the same.) This water supply has proved most valuable for in 1921 when there was a record drought Rushden and Higham Ferrers were allowed to use as much water as possible, even for watering gardens, while many of the larger urban areas in the district were strictly limited to the amount used. (See Appendix 1.)

The town's sewage works are sited and situated outskirts of the town and well screened from houses. The total amount of water supplied to Rushden in 1957 was 189,280,000 gallons of which 35,972,000 gallons were used for trade purposes, 153,308,000 gallons for domestic purposes. (See diagram *missing).

The actual fluctuations in the population must now be considered. The town is still expanding rapidly owing to the erection of three large council house estates. Private building has also been quite extensive, but those houses have obviously avoided the council estates. The need for these houses had been due to the continued growth of population, although it is nothing compared with the growth at the very beginning of the century. Let us first look at the graph showing the growth of the population since 1801, when the first census was taken. From 1801 until 1861 the population increased steadily. The effect of the boot and shoe industry had not yet produced any great results.

But from 1861 until 1901, the population rose by leaps and bounds, from 1,748 in 1861 to 12,447 in 1901. Again, this was due to the changeover from the hand-made shoes in the craftsman's own home, to the more modern production by machinery in factories. There was room for more labour. The period from 1901 until 1921 did not produce exorbitant figures as had the previous year. The first world war accounted for part of the slowing up in the growth of the population and over 400 men from the town lost their lives in that war. The slump of the 1920s greatly affected the main industry and consequently people contemplating moving into the town, for some time turned away from the idea. The 1931 census however shows that the population started to increase quite rapidly. The slump was over and once again the boot industry attracted outsiders. In 1941 Rushden records its highest ever population of 17,600 (estimated by the Registrar General as no census was taken). This was due to the number of people evacuated from the London area during the war. (see Appendix 2)

At the beginning of the century the council realised that it must do something about this formidable rise in the population, but it was not until 1914 that they started to erect houses. Of course, they were immediately halted in their enterprise owing to the war and only 41 houses were erected until 1920. In 1921-1922 the number increased rapidly, but for the next four years the rate of building was slowed right up in owing to the slump. However, after this, the average number of houses erected continued to rise and in 1935-36, 96 houses were built, again World War II put an end to building houses, but in 1945 the council started again and from then until 1949, they completed 230 houses (Up to date the record for the most number of council houses completed in one year is 118 in 1952-53. The graph, as a whole, shows that the council erect a great number of houses one year and then the number decreases the next and so the figure alternates).

The map (*missing) showing the growth of the town clearly brings out the development of houses along the roads leading out of town. Most of these houses were built between 1920 and 1938 and are all private houses, most of them semi-detached or detached houses. This arterial development is common in most towns and provides homes away from the centres of towns, away from the noise and confusion of such areas, but on the main route ways leading into the town.

Unfortunately the new large housing estates have been built without the provision of adequate shopping facilities and many women have to travel over one mile to the shopping centre.

Attention must be paid to the graph which shows how the number of houses erected compares with the rise population. From 1871, the great increase in population was far too great for the number of houses erected and it was not until 1921 that the number of inhabited premises managed to keep pace with the growing population. From 1945 the number of premises has steadily increased and in fact is now increasing at a greater rate than the population.

The average number of persons per dwelling in 1861 was 4.7 and it gradually increased to 5.0 in 1881, but from 1891 until 1939 the average number decreased to 4.2, but in 1941 rose to 4.6 owing to the large number of people evacuated from London. After the war it again increased slightly but from 1951, the average number of persons per dwelling has fallen and is now about 2.4. As the number of houses, both council and private continues to increase at a greater rate than the population, so the average number of people per dwelling will continue to fall.

This increase of the population has also affected the agricultural life of the town. The latest agricultural statistics show that in Rushden, only 40 people are employed in agriculture. Although this figure cannot be compared with earlier figures, as they are not available, it is almost safe to say that gradually the number is diminishing. This is due to two reasons. Firstly more and more land is being used for building purposes and secondly the farms are gradually becoming more mechanised. There are ten farms in the parish and therefore the average amount of labour for each is limited to 4 persons. (One of the largest farms situated in the parish is the Manor Farm, and the present farm house dates back to 1606. This farm covers roughly 500 acres and employs 5 full time, and an ex-student who has just obtained a Ph.D. in agriculture.)

The amount of land available for agriculture is slowly diminishing, especially from 1900 to 1957, as the urban area spreads. The whole parish covers 5,777 acres and last year only 1,990 acres were available for agriculture, compared with 3,027 acres in 1900. In 1867, 68% of the land available for agriculture was arable, but in 1900 this figure was reduced to 35% and in 1957 it rose again to 65%. Despite this rise the number of cattle have continued to rise and therefore the number of cattle per field devoted to grass must have increased considerably. With a continued expansion in the population, all available land has had to be used for agriculture. Despite the increase in the number of cattle in the parish, many of the milkmen obtain their milk from outside the parish and therefore more fields are used for arable farming. In 1867, 36% of the arable acreage was under wheat; this figure diminished to 25% at the beginning of the century, but last year it rose again to 30%. The mill at Wellingborough has probably had some effect upon the figure. (Most of the wheat grown locally is sent to the Whitworth Mills at Wellingborough where it is mixed with the harder Canadian Manitoba Number One.)

Many of the smaller plots of land which previously had been left fallow or completely redundant, are now used for growing such crops as potatoes and in 1957, 20 acres of land were devoted to 'second earlies'. Other small fields are used for the growing of fodder crops, and again, in 1957, 315 acres were devoted for this use.

With well over half of the total acreage of the parish having been used for building purposes, it is obvious that much food has to be brought from some of the more rural areas. Most of the greengrocers of the town have contacts with merchants from the surrounding villages where they can purchase more food stuffs e.g. cabbages and lettuces.

The town’s abattoir is still used but whereas 50 years ago it could supply enough meat for the town, today much imported meat is sold in the shops. This again has been due to the growth in the number of people in the town. All the town’s mutton comes from either other areas of the British Isles or from abroad, as in 1957, there were ten sheep in the whole of the parish. As the town’s population has increased, so the number of pigs has increased from 304 in 1867 to 738 in 1957. There are placed in various parts of the town, pig bins into which can put waste food. These are then collected and the food given to the pigs.

As the town spread and became more modernised and mechanised, the number of horses to be found in the parish declined. At the beginning of the century there were 130 horses, but in 1957 there were only 13. Up to 1950, the Co-operative Society used only horses for delivering their bread and milk; the local dairy-men used horses and carts and the railway used them too. All these have now been replaced by mechanised transport.

On all four sides of the town are to be found the allotment fields. These are owned chiefly by the allotment committee but the large area of the allotments to the east of the town is now being reduced owing to the building of council houses.

The main industry of the town is the manufacture of boots and shoes. One glance at the pie diagram [*missing] showing the distribution of labour soon makes this evident. Two thirds of the working population of the town are concerned with boots and shoes but for the past few years, the number of people employed in this industry has remained constant, and except for new buildings replacing older ones gutted by fire, no new boot factory has been constructed since the war. It is interesting to note that the percentage of women working in the boot industry out of the total female working population is larger than that of the male workers. There is, of course, plenty of scope for women in this industry.

At the same time, however, smaller factories, especially for engineering purposes have been built on the outskirts of the town. Small industries like this should be encouraged in a place where the majority of the population is dependent upon the industry. (See Appendix 3).

Of course, the shoe industry has introduced other industries to the town. Leather manufacture employs nearly six hundred people while over four hundred people are employed in the production of cardboard boxes for the actual shoes. The machines used in the factories have to be attended to frequently and so there became the need for an engineering department to deal with such work. Unfortunately, however these are directly connected with the main industry and if unemployment was to come to the boot and shoe workers, many of these other workers would also be affected.

The great expansion of the town since the war has encouraged many building firms and over 500 people are employed in this work. Most of the building has been connected with the new council house estates, but now more private houses are being built and many of the odd plots are being used for this purpose.

The map [*missing] showing the distribution of the various industries of the town clearly shows where the factories are situated. They are mostly positioned around the centre and oldest parts of the town with only the two new factories catering for light industry, outside the urban area. This present situation creates chaotic traffic problems at the peak times during the day. The High Street, as it is, cannot take all the traffic entering the town, and therefore some has to be diverted. At lunch times and tea times the traffic in the High Street is often brought to a standstill because of the density of cars, lorries and cyclists. It seems as if the whole of the population has suddenly beseiged the centre of the town. The schools considered it too dangerous to allow any child in the area after mid-day, and so they allowed the schools to finish the morning session at 11.50am but this made matters worse for children having to go home via the centre of the town reached this point at about 12 o'clock and become part of the crowd.

The same map [missing] shows only the number of various industries and not the size and therefore although there are more shoe factories than any other business, the number of people employed in each factory is far greater than in any other individual firm dealing with any other industry. Consequently the number of workers employed in the shoe industry overshadows all other industries.

Appendix 1.

Sywell Reservoir is capable of holding 236,000,000 gallons and covers nearly 70 acres. Due to silting of the bed however, this is most probably considerably less. The estimated quantity of water available from this source per day is almost 330,000 gallons. In the dry seasons the yield from this source is considerably reduced as the reservoir depends upon springs and rainwater from the surrounding catchment area.

The treatment of the water consists of three slow sand-filters with a total area of 2,000 square yards, a clean water tank of a capacity of 150,000 gallons, a pumping station, and a chlorination plant. From Sywell the water is pumped into the service reservoir on the Bedford Road, which has a capacity of 826,438 gallons and into the Wymington Road Reservoir which holds 262,000 gallons. This later reservoir is used mainly as a reserve.

Appendix 2.

The graph showing the growth of population from 1921 to 1956 is based upon the Registrar General's figures which are only estimations. It does, however show the remarkable increase between 1938 and 1941. The figure for 1942 however shows a sharp decrease of about 1400 people. Some of the evacuees returned after the Battle of Britain and more of the town's men folk were called away for war service. As the war progressed, so more of the evacuees returned to London. In 1945, when the war finished, the downward trend in the population was halted, and from that year it started to climb again. As many of the men were demobilised from the forces, so the population increased. The birth rate increased tremendously and it is this huge bulge in the population which is giving the Education Authorities of today many headaches concerning the education of these children.

Appendix 3.

Compare this with the growth of Corby, where the sole industry was iron and steel. Now Mr. John White has introduced quite a large shoe factory there, and together with other firms, interested in other industries, has helped to lighten the risk of mass unemployment.