Leeds Engine:Histories: Employees

Employees


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Health Care
Even in the days before the National Health Service great strides were made in the improvement of health care for the masses. Leeds Mercury regularly carried details of contributions to organisations such as the Leeds Public Dispensary, Leeds General Infirmary and the Leeds Workpeople's Hospital Fund. Monies raised amongst the local engineering firms were regularly amongst the largest contributors to these organisations. So that the contributors knew their money was being put to good use the entries in Leeds Mercury also carried details of the numbers of cases treated, house calls made and prescriptions issued.
Visits to the doctors were however expensive and for many common ailments people would often rely on home-made herbal remedies passed down from generation to generation.

External Website Links
Much more about daily life in the Hunslet area of Leeds can be found on the Hunslet Remembered website.
Steamindex's reproduction of extracts of David Joy's diaries[8]

Bibliography
Leeds Mercury, 6th June 1890[1]
The Basic Industries of Great Britain, Lord Aberconway, 1927 [2]
Pease, J. (2003). The History of J&H McLaren of Leeds. Landmark Publishing, Ashbourne, UK. ISBN 1-84306-105-8.[3]Look for this book in Amazon.co.uk
Displays in Leeds City Museum[5]
The Leicester Chronicle, September 17th 1864[5]
Leeds Mercury, 17th August 1850[6]
Leeds Mercury, 7th July 1856[7]
Leeds Mercury, 6th June 1890[9]
Leeds Mercury, 15th October 1851[10]
The Foundries, Machine Shops, &c. in Leeds and other Towns in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Report and Evidence published in British Parliamentary Papers, Child Employment Volume 15, 1857-8.[11]
Leeds Mercury, 12th January 1850[12]
Leeds Mercury, 19th June 1895[13]
Proud Heritage, A History of Thomas Smith & Sons (Rodley) Ltd, Frederick H. Smith 1947[14]
Leeds Mercury, 24th May 1851[15]

Acknowledgements
With thanks to Sheila Bye for providing some of the material used in this article and pointing me in the right direction for other sources of material.
This article was produced by Andrew Johnson and Kris Ward, any feedback or contributions about the Leeds engine making industry would be greatly appreciated.