2) Census
According to the census, the four largest categories in 1851 were the shopkeepers and tradesmen, agriculture, transport and inns, and others. The fact that 30% of the people working on the high street were shopkeepers and tradesmen proves that in 1851, it was a very successful occupation and businesses flourished. Also, many of the people working on the high street lived there too, which shows that the high street was not only a place of work but a place for domestic dwellings.
B) Main Investigation
i) How useful are the following sources in arriving at an accurate understanding of Dartford High Street in the mid nineteenth century?
Existing Buildings
The existing buildings are relatively useful as they give us a good indication of what time periods they were built in. The huge amount of building that had taken place during the mid nineteenth century suggests that this was a rich and prosperous time for Dartford. Also, buildings like Bull’s Head Yard and One Bell Corner give evidence of industry in the mid nineteenth century. The function of certain existing buildings is quite obvious; for example, by the Bull and Vic’s large entrance, we can tell that it was used for coaching at some point. This shows that Dartford was a place that people stopped at on the way to Dover or London.
However, it is not easy to be sure about the original function of the existing buildings as they have been re-developed. The existing buildings can only help us on the architectural side of the High Street, but the public health and knowledge of the people is not known just by looking at buildings. It is also not always easy to be sure of the date of the buildings, as they have been re-developed.
In conclusion, existing buildings are helpful in understanding the appearance of the High Street, but not necessarily their functions. They can also be compared to the 1860 engraving to see how much has changed over the years.
1851 Census
The census is very useful in telling us what Dartford High Street was like in the mid nineteenth century because it gives information on the occupations of all the people who worked on the High Street. It helps us understand the function of the High Street, and gives us an indication as to how busy it was. It is a reliable source as the survey was taken by neutral officers, and all information was kept confidential. The data was only revealed 100 years after it was taken and cannot be biased. However, the census tells us nothing about the appearance of the High Street, but indicates that migration took place in Dartford. It is also unreliable because it is not certain that everybody was present the day that the census was taken.
Dunkin’s History of Dartford, 1844 (Source A)
Source A, a history of Dartford written by John Dunkin in 1844, talks about what the High Street was like in his own time. It is quite descriptive, and gives the opinion of someone who actually lived there. It’s quite reliable because Dunkin was a historian, and gives an indication of the function of buildings. However, it is clearly biased, and his motives are questionable, as he would be making money by printing his history of Dartford. There is a limited detail on appearance, and it may only be describing certain areas of the High Street. Also, this was written in 1844, 4 years before the Public Health Act was enforced, and also before the railways, so the conditions would seem better than they actually were.
In conclusion, it’s relatively useful because it is a primary source, but it may not be completely accurate, and may only be describing a small area of the High Street.
Report to the General Board of Health (Source B)
Source B, a report written by William Ranger in 1849 to expose the state of Dartford, was written after the Public Health Act (1848) was imposed. The intention was to collect evidence to force through changes, so the report contained a lot of negative views. It is reliable because it is an official enquiry, and is useful because it suggests something to do with appearance, and it talks about living conditions of the lower class. However, there is nothing on architecture, nothing on function, and it conflicts with other sources. It could also only be highlighting the worst areas of the high street, and is only a preliminary enquiry. Moreover, it is only a section of the report, so there is not enough detail.
In conclusion, it’s quite useful as it is an official enquiry and is after the Public Health Act, but it is not a complete source and there is no information on function and architecture of buildings.
1860 Engraving (Source C)
Source C, a picture of the High Street in 1860, is reliable as it is a primary source. It is useful because it gives a strong view of the appearance and a good indication of the function of the High Street. It can also be compared to the current High Street, to show how Dartford has developed since the mid nineteenth century. It is not as reliable because the artist is unknown, so his motives are not known. Also, we cannot be sure if all parts of the High Street have been included in the engraving.
In conclusion, it is fairly accurate, but we do not know who the artist is, and therefore his motives are questionable. The source may also be selective on its information. It does, however, give an appearance of the coaches and how the public were dressed.
ii) How useful is Peter Boreham’s account (Source D) in arriving at an accurate understanding of Dartford High Street in the mid nineteenth century?
Source D, an extract from Dartford through Time, was written by P. Boreham and was published by Dartford Borough Council in 1990. There are many good points about this source, which makes it reliable. Boreham was a historian, so he should know what he is writing about. As the book was written in 1990, it is less likely to be one-sided. There is evidence that Boreham had used Source A and Source B because he quotes information from them. For example, Boreham says “Housing conditions in parts of the town, particularly around Waterside and Bullace Lane, were atrocious.” Bullace Lane was mentioned in Source B, so this suggests that Boreham used this source in his research. Also, Boreham says “Local directories illustrate the wide range of shops.” This is mentioned in Source A. The source should be accurate as it is aimed at students, and there is a sense of responsibility to stick to facts as it will be used for educational purposes. Boreham’s findings were supported by the museum and local knowledge, so they should be quite authentic. The purpose of this source is to inform us about the history of Dartford, but Boreham has been quite selective in his findings. He was lucky to have a wide range of information and sources to work with, so the source is quite balanced, with both negative and positive statements about Dartford. There is a possibility that some of the information in the source was taken from the 1851 census. Boreham says “There were at least ten public houses in the High Street.” This may not necessarily have been taken from the census, but is still useful as it gives us an indication as to how many people actually lived on the High Street itself.
However, it is not as useful as the other sources, because it is taken from a book about the whole of Dartford, not just the High Street. Also, Boreham has already interpreted what Dartford was like in the nineteenth century, so there is no opportunity for us to make our own minds up. Another weakness of this source is that it is secondary and has been simplified because it is for secondary school students.
In conclusion, Source D is reasonably useful in giving us a balanced understanding of Dartford High Street in the mid nineteenth century because it describes the appearance of Dartford, and the function of the High Street, to a certain extent. It is balanced and reliable as it was meant for teaching secondary school students about the history of Dartford. Also, it was written in 1990, so Boreham had the chance to refer to, and get information off other sources, making his report more accurate.
iii) What was Dartford High Street like in the mid nineteenth century?
Based on the four sources, the census, and existing buildings, we can come to an accurate and detailed conclusion about what Dartford High Street was like in the mid nineteenth century. A lot of changes took place in Dartford during this period, mostly due to three major reasons. The industrial revolution changed the function of a few buildings on the High Street, and made Dartford become a wealthier town. We can tell that the mid nineteenth century was a prosperous time for Dartford, and there was a lot of architectural development, which was noted when we did our preliminary investigation on existing buildings. The second event which caused a major change in the High Street was the introduction of the railways. This caused the coaching business to die down, and made not only Dartford, but other towns across the country become more prosperous. The third major point was the Public Health Act in 1848, which improved public health in Dartford and specifically on the High Street. The sources also imply that there were many inns on the High Street at the time, meaning that the High Street was very busy, and many people stopped there on the way to London or Dover. The 1851 census tells us that 30% of the people working on the High Street were shopkeepers and tradesmen, meaning that the High Street was a busy marketing town in the mid nineteenth century and many of the people who worked on the High Street lived there too.
In conclusion, the sources are very useful in telling us what the High Street was like in the mid nineteenth century. Dartford High Street was a prosperous town, convalescing in such aspects as industry and transport. There was a lot of building work done at the time, and there were many people passing through Dartford regularly. The general public health of the town improved through the nineteenth century, more notably after the Public Health Act was enforced. Overall, from the evidence and this whole investigation, we can say that that Dartford was a typical town in the mid nineteenth century, just like most other towns at the time.
