By Wilfrid Edgecombe, M.D., F.R.C.P., F.R.C.S.
The history of the Harrogate and District General
Hospital
Strange and bizarre
A curious entry appears in the minutes of 1887. A strange and
bizarre individual, Dr T Deville, who lived in a house in
Parliament Street, set back with a small garden in front, on the
site now occupied by a furnishing firm, offered to open his house
for the inspection of his treasures. An elderly man, he affected
the dress of long ago: knee breeches, white stockings, buckle shoes
with coat and ruffles en suite. A truly arresting anachronism, he
was one of the sights of Harrogate in those days. The amount
realised from his exhibition was £4 4s 1d.
In the immediately following years the news from the minutes was
of administration and changes of appointments. In 1889, for
example, it was resolved that the Sunday collections from the
churches be divided equally between the Cottage Hospital and the
Royal Bath Hospital. In 1890 the land in Skipton Road. formerly
considered as a possible site for the new hospital, was bought by
the late Mr Samson Fox, who gave the sum of £75 to the hospital.
This money was claimed by the Charity Commissioners and only
returned by them after prolonged negotiation.
The year 1891 marked the celebration by the Friendly Societies of
their 21st anniversary, when a collection was made for the hospital
which realised £21 10s. Mr C Allanson resigned from the post of
honorary treasurer which he had held since shortly after the
foundation of the hospital in 1870, and was replaced by Mr Gilmour.
The matron, Miss A S Jones, resigned after three years' service to
be succeeded by Miss Dobson. Miss Jones had followed a Miss
Atkinson, who resigned after a complaint had been lodged against
her by Dr N Williams.
Then, in 1892, the hospital suffered the loss of its patron by
the death of the Earl of Harewood, and its honorary secretary by the
death of Mr Hobkinson, who had held the office since 1878. Mr
Milner took the latter's place, and later, in 1894, Mr J F Royce
was appointed secretary with a salary of £40. It is noteworthy that
the salary of the matron at this period was only £40 per annum.
In 1894 the first mention is made of a further enlargement of the
hospital, an enlargement urgently required to meet the increasing
demand. Accordingly a fund, known as the "Clarence Fund" was
inaugurated by Mr W H Breare, and realised £322. Plans were drawn
up by Mr Marshall, the architect for the erection of a new ward, to
be entitled the Clarence Ward, at an estimated cost of £2,000. In
the following year these plans were accepted but it was not until
September, 1896, that the building was completed and formally
opened by Mrs Greenwood, the wife of the president The occasion was celebrated by a procession through the
town to the Valley Gardens, where an open-air concert was staged.
The total cost of the enlargement, including the furniture, was £2,850, and the number
of beds was thereby increased to 35.
At this period there seems to have been some controversy over the
name of the hospital. Suggestions were made to change the Harrogate
Cottage Hospital to (1) The Harrogate Hospital and Dispensary, (2)
The Harrogate Infirmary, late Cottage Hospital, and (3) The Royal
Clarence Infirmary and Cottage Hospital. The first of these was
recommended and approved in December, 1895 but later, at a special
general meeting on March 2nd, 1897, the resolution was rescinded and
the name changed to the Harrogate Infirmary and Dispensary. This
title remained until 1903 when the term "Dispensary" was dropped
and the hospital called simply The Harrogate Infirmary. Later, when
the new hospital was opened in 1932, it became finally the Harrogate
and District General Hospital.
In 1894 the matron, Miss Dobon, resigned after three years'
service, and a new matron, Miss Lawson, was appointed at a salary of
£40.
In 1895 Mr Allanson was elected chairman of the hoard of
management on the death of Mr R Ellis. The total receipts of the
hospital during the year amounted to £1,093 and the expenditure was
£851. In the following year there were 264 in-patients and 1,148
out-patients. From thence until 1899 nothing of moment occurred
beyond the erection of a mortuary at a cost of £284, thus avoiding
the need to use the town mortuary.
In 1898 an extension was made of the medical staff by the
appointment of Dr G Y Myrtle and Mr M A Ray as honorary out-patient
surgeon, and Dr E Pronger as ophthalmic surgeon. In 1900 a ladies'
cricket match was organised for the benefit of the hospital and took
place on the Harrogate Cricket Club ground. Its proceeds were £37
18s. At the annual meeting in 1901 the rule was enacted that
honorary medical officers must retire at the age of 65. Also in this
year occurred the death of Dr T A Myrtle, when a Myrtle Memorial
Fund amounting to £326 was subscribed for the endowment of a Myrtle
Cot in the hospital.
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