1882. Feb. Penrith Observer<\/em>.<\/p>\n Important Inn and Premises to be Let.<\/p>\n With immediate possession, that well-countenanced and old-established Market Day house known as the General Wolfe, along with the stabling, granary etc, situate in Little Dockray. Now in the occupation of Mr James Richardson, who is retiring from business. For particulars, apply to Mr J W Legat, Low Brewery, Appleby.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n James Richardson (1818-1903) had been the landlord of the General Wolfe since at least 1851.<\/p>\n He and his wife Alice (n\u00e9e Atkinson, 1820-1880) had raised their three children there.<\/p>\n And they had also raised some livestock!<\/p>\n The children were Henry, James, and Elizabeth.<\/p>\n James Richardson junior opened a drapery shop at number 8 Little Dockray \u2013 next door to the General Wolfe.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a florist\u2019s today, but you can pick out \u2018Richardson\u2019 on the tiles in the doorway.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Elizabeth married a butcher, Tom Walter Parker.<\/p>\n And Henry Richardson became a solicitor. Which proved handy when his family and wider family needed a lawyer for a will or financial case.<\/p>\n In 1884, Henry Richardson called on his dad for support, when he (Henry) represented the new landlord of the General Wolfe in an unusual court case.<\/p>\n Carlisle Express and Examiner,<\/em> December 6, 1884<\/p>\n NUISANCES FROM KEEPING PIGS.- John Kitchen, landlord of the General Wolfe Inn. Little Dockray, was charged by Penrith Local Board of Health with keeping pigs within 50 feet of dwelling house, contrary to the Board bye-laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Anyone (personal experience here!) who has ever lived near in a village near a piggery will appreciate why there might be a bye-law about keeping them in Penrith town centre!<\/p>\n Mr. Lamonby appeared for the complainant. He said the swine were kept in a stable.<\/p>\n Henry Richardson said they had measured through a stone wall.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Thomas Pollock, surveyor and inspector of nuisance for the Local Board of Health, said the farthest distance the pigs were from the General Wolfe was 34 feet.<\/p>\n Henry Richardson said the complaint had been made through spite, and the back door of the complainant was 56 feet 3 inches from the pigs in Little Dockray.<\/p>\n Pigs had been kept there for 50 years and residents didn\u2019t even realise they were there.<\/p>\n At this point Henry Richardson called his dad as a witness.<\/p>\n James Richardson said he had lived at the General Wolfe for more than 20 years, and all that time had kept pigs in the same place as the present tenant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n No one had ever complained.<\/p>\n The distance from the kitchen window of the General Wolfe to the place where the pigs were kept was 53ft 6in., and from there to Mr. Bird’s wash house was 56ft. 3in.<\/p>\n Sadly for Mr Kitching\u2019s case, this distance didn\u2019t wash with the court.<\/p>\n Cross-examined: he hadn\u2019t measured in a direct line but by the way they had get to the defendant’s pigs.<\/p>\n Given that the smell doesn\u2019t take the footpath to reach a neighbour\u2019s nose, the court were not impressed. But they didn\u2019t come down too hard on Mr Kitching either*.<\/p>\n The Bench fined the defendant one shilling, including costs.<\/p>\n it actually wasn\u2019t the only case of its kind that day. And Henry Richardson was on the losing side of the other one as well.<\/p>\n William Thornburrow, of the Ship Inn, Penrith, was also charged with keeping pigs within 60 feet of a dwelling house.<\/p>\n The Ship was in Middlegate \u2013 later demolished to make way for Burtons. William Thornburrow (born about 1849) and family were living there (source: 1881 and 1891 censuses<\/i>) The pigs, however, were being kept \u2018within a distance of 31 feet from a dwelling in Fell Lane\u2019.<\/p>\n Mr Thornburrow said the pigs had been removed since the summons was issued, but was also fined one shilling, including costs.<\/p>\n If at first you don\u2019t succeed<\/p>\n Curiously, both cases seem to have been repeats of ones from October 1884.<\/p>\n Mr Pollock said there were two pigs in the General Wolfe stable \u2013 not in a dirty state, but there was a smell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Henry Richardson said not through stone walls there wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Mr Pollock said Mr Thornburrow\u2019s stye was in a very dirty state and injurious to health.<\/p>\n The bench dismissed both cases as unproven. The board clearly decided to have another go two months later!<\/p>\n *The defendants were each fined one shilling.<\/p>\n As a comparison of worth, two years later a shopping list comprising flour, mustard, oatmeal, pepper, lard and coffee cost one grocer\u2019s shop customer 4s 5d (four shillings and five pence).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So you could say the fine was roughly the equivalent of 12 ounces of coffee.<\/p>\n In 1878, when Thomas Huddart, \u2018alias Satan\u2019, was charged with being drunk and disorderly near Little Dockray (his 16th appearance in court), he was given \u2018another chance\u2019 and fined the \u2018nominal sum of five shillings plus costs\u2019.<\/p>\n In 1883, a visit to the hairdresser would cost a woman 3d (so a one shilling fine was 4 hair cuts!).<\/p>\n Mind you, for men it was 2d. Some things never change!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pigs in Little Dockray – who knew? Well, it seems there were some snuffling about for decades (not the same pigs, obviously!) before anyone noticed. Some background: the Richardsons 1882. Feb. Penrith Observer. Important Inn and Premises to be Let. With immediate possession, that well-countenanced and old-established Market Day house known as the General Wolfe, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[271,186],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cumbria-history","tag-general-wolfe","tag-penrith"],"yoast_head":"\nPigs in Little Dockray<\/h2>\n
The expert witness<\/h2>\n
Pigs in Fell Lane<\/h2>\n
How bad was a one shilling fine?<\/h2>\n
<\/h4>\n
There is more on the history of Little Dockray in this post on consumption<\/a>.<\/h4>\n
There is more on William Thornburrow in this post on old Penrith pubs.<\/a><\/h4>\n