Council Minutes: 1862-68

Minutes of Council. 1862–1868.

1862 September 22.

Aldermen.

Charles Williams David
William Bradley Watkins
William Alexander
Thomas Morgan
Richard Lewis Reece
James Pride.

Councillors.

Edward Whiffen
Henry Bowen
Charles Redwood Vachell
Montague Grover
Archer Langley
Hugh Bird
Thomas Evans
John Bird
William Nell
Thomas Hodge
Henry Clements
George Smart
George Watson
Daniel Jones
Richard Henry Michell
John Owen
Edward Mason
John Winstone.
Town Clerk, Benjamin Matthews.

Treasurer's Salary raised to £100 per annum.

Novr. 10 Monday. John Bird elected Mayor.

Hugh Bird, Deputy Mayor.

Jenkin Jones, Water Bailiff.

Amended Bylaws passed and entered.

Address of congratulation to be presented to Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, on the latter having attained his majority.

The Report of the Committee under the Public Libraries Act, 1855, with an estimate of expense for the ensuing year having been read: Resolved, that the Report as read be adopted, and that the sum of £450 be paid by the Treasurer of the Corporation to the Committee of the Free Library.

That the Town Clerk be requested to apply to the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury under the said Act, for permission to rent the existing Reading Room and house adjoining in Saint Mary's Street as yearly tenants at the rent of £40.

Piece of land near Longcross Barracks demised to the Board of Ordnance in 1844; now confirmed by the Corporate Seal being affixed to the Lease.

Decr. 22. Cardiff to co-operate with Newport in endeavouring to obtain the dispatch of the mails for Gloucester and South Wales by the direct route from Swindon to Gloucester.

1863 March 9 Monday. Special Meeting. £300 voted to the Mayor for defraying the expenses attending the festivities on the occasion of the marriage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra.

March 23. Address of congratulation to be presented to Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Also to Their Royal Highnesses.

May 11. Resolution of Free Library Committee, that in consequence of the overcrowded condition of the rooms now temporarily occupied as a Free Library, the Committee ask the attention of the Council to the necessity of speedily providing a permanent building, and respectfully suggest as a suitable site the unoccupied ground on the Bulwarks—the Waterloo site appearing to be, in consequence of the recent alteration, too small for the erection of a suitable building.

The Harbour Master reported that vessels frequently anchored in the channel of the river Taff and by doing so caused collisions, and suggested that buoys should be placed to shew where the river commences.

Resolved, that buoys be placed in the river, and that proceedings be taken against the Canal Co. in the event of their continuing to deposit refuse in the river.

June 22. Corporate Seal set to a Lease to Dr. Wallace of a piece of land having a frontage of 37 feet to Saint Mary Street, for 75 years at £17 per annum.

Land in the Hayes to be let to Mr. Smart for a Gospel Hall. (fn. 1)

Augt. 10. Resolved, that rewards be offered to persons giving information, on conviction of parties discharging ballast in the roadstead.

Clock to be placed above the door of the Police Station (fn. 2) in Saint Mary Street.

Mr. Winstone gave notice that at the next Meeting he should call the attention of the Council to the desirability of extending the Borough so as to include Roath, Canton, Leckwith and Penarth.

Septr. 21. Committee appointed to enquire as to the expediency of amalgamating the districts of Roath, Canton, Lequith and Penarth.

Proceedings to be taken against the Glamorganshire Canal Co. for depositing ballast on the banks of the Taff in such a situation as to wash into and obstruct the navigation of the river.

Town Clerk to apply to the Commissioners of the Treasury for permission to rent of the Trustees of the Young Men's Christian Association and Literary Institute the building belonging to them in Saint Mary Street, for 10 years at £100 per annum.

November 9 Monday. John Bird re-elected Mayor.

Mayor's salary to be £200.

Hugh Bird, Deputy Mayor.

Decr. 21. The Mayor reported that proceedings had been taken against persons for depositing ballast in the Taff, and a fine inflicted.

The cottage in Mill Lane, now in lease to Messrs. Vachell, is to be purchased and pulled down.

Decr. 31. Resolved, that the offices of Town Clerk and Clerk to the Local Board of Health be henceforth amalgamated.

1864 Jany. 7. Mr. Town Clerk Benjamin Matthews resigned that office. Mr. Montague Grover resigned his Councillorship and was elected Town Clerk.

Resolved, that of the £250 salary as Town Clerk and Clerk to the Burial Board, the portion applicable to the office of Town Clerk and Adviser to the Board of Health be £175 per annum.

Feby. 8. Addresses of congratulation to be presented to Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales upon the birth of a Prince.

May 9. £25 voted to the Churchwardens for the purpose of illuminating the face of the clock in the tower of Saint John's church.

Augt. 8. Ten guineas voted to the Glamorganshire Horticultural Society.

Septr. 19. Town Clerk to apply to the Trustees of the Library and Museum in Crockherbtown that the custody of their books and collections be entrusted to the Council and be removed to the Free Library.

Novr. 9. Wednesday. Alderman James Pride elected Mayor.

John Bird, Deputy Mayor.

1865 Augt. 14. Vote of thanks to G. T. Clark, esq., for his gift of the portrait of John Bruce Pryce, esq., the Senior Magistrate of this County. The Council will with peculiar satisfaction place it in their Council Chamber.

Septr. 25. The Ivy Bush inn, Saint Mary Street, leased to W. Mitchelmore, who is to pull down the premises within 2 years.

Messrs. Luard &; Shirley, Lord Bute's Solicitors, write that, under the Bute Dock Act 1830, the Marquess is entitled to lay down all buoys in and near the channel of the river, and that the Corporation therefore need not go to the expense of preparing new buoys as he understands they proposed to do.

Resolved, that the Water Bailiff report as to the effect upon the navigation, of the buoys placed in the Taff by the Bute Trustees; and that a Special Committee be called to consider whether they interfere with any of the rights and privileges of the Corporation.

Ordered, that the tender for new buoys stand over for the Special Meeting.

Octr. 2. Special Meeting. The Water Bailiff reported that the buoys lately laid down by the Bute Trustees greatly impede the navigation of the river Taff.

Resolved, that the Trustees be respectfully requested to remove them.

Octr. 16. Special Meeting.

Resolved, that the Council cannot agree that the Bute Trustees have the rights and powers to lay down buoys, which they claim to exercise under the Bute Dock Acts.

That the Corporation of Cardiff having from time immemorial and at their own costs buoyed the river Taff, and kept the channel well defined and the approaches thereto clear and open to all vessels frequenting the Port, and inasmuch as the buoys from time to time laid down by the Corporation have been found sufficient, it was unnecessary for the Trustees to lay down buoys outside their mud cut, and their doing so was an uncalled for interference with the duties and privileges of the Corporation of Cardiff.

The Trustees are requested to have the buoys immediately removed.

Novr. 9. Alderman William Bradley Watkins elected Mayor.

James Pride, Deputy Mayor.

Report of the Committee to consider the expediency of taking proceedings to recover the old bed of the river (fn. 3) near Saint Mary Street read and adopted.

20th. Special Meeting. Resolved, that in as much as the buoys recently placed at the mouth of the river Taff by the Trustees of Lord Bute are an obstruction to the navigation, the Water Bailiff be directed forthwith to remove the same and deposit them in a place of safety.

Resolved, that the Surveyor be directed to deposit rubbish in the old bed of the river Taff, and that the boundaries of the property claimed by the Corporation be staked out, and that Counsel's Opinion be taken to ascertain what right either the Corporation or the Board of Health have to the same.

Decr. 18. The Mayor reported that the buoys put down by Lord Bute's Trustees had been removed, and that the Trustees had brought an action against the Corporation and all parties engaged in the removal.

Colonel E. R. Wood writes from Stouthall, Swansea, that he is prepared to bear his moiety of the expense incurred in obtaining the Opinion of Counsel relative to the old bed of the Taff.

1866 Feby. 12. Memorial to be presented to the County Roads Board, praying that the west, north and Crwys Bychan turnpike gates be removed beyond the Borough of Cardiff, and that the Pengam turnpike gate be abolished.

Thomas Mathews to receive a monetary reward for the information upon which Mr. Elliott was convicted for throwing rubbish into the harbour.

£2. 10s. to be paid for towing back the six buoys when they broke adrift during the gale on 25 November last.

April 4. Committee appointed to manage the interests of the Corporation in the Cardiff Theatre.

May 14. Edward Stelfox is to be paid for any anchors, cables &;c. he may raise until the next contract is taken, at the same rate as he was paid for the same work under the last contract.

That the Water Bailiff procure the spare buoy suggested in his Report.

June 25. The Surveyor of the Post Office writes that he is taking steps to fix a site for a new Post Office at Cardiff, as requested.

Augt. 13. Corporation contributed £250 towards the "Hamadryad" Seamen's Hospital, Cardiff.

Septr. 5. Corporation is to sell to the Post Office authorities the piece of land part of the Town Hall Yard, as shewn upon the plan produced, required for a new Post Office. (fn. 4)

Novr. 9. Alderman Charles Williams David elected Mayor. John Bird, Deputy Mayor.

Decr. 17. Water Bailiff reported the Bute Trustees had taken possession of the buoys.

1867 April 26. Mr. Town Clerk Montague Grover resigned.

June 24. Town Clerk is to be also Clerk to the Board of Health, Clerk to the Burial Board and Clerk under the Cardiff Markets Act; and the salary for all the appointments shall be £450. He shall perform all the duties in any way appertaining to those several appointments, and be the Attorney and Solicitor and general Law Clerk to the Council and to each Board; and shall provide all clerks, accountants and other assistants that may be necessary for the performance of his several duties.

The Town Clerk shall also be paid a guinea a day whenever necessarily absent from Cardiff upon business of the Council, and shall also be paid all expenses out of pocket.

He shall be allowed to continue private practice.

He shall have custody of all charters, muniments, deeds, books and documents belonging to the Corporation.

Suitable offices and all stationery shall be provided for the Town Clerk and his assistants, and the offices shall be open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Augt. 12. George Salmon elected Town Clerk.

Ordered, that the Schedule of Documents handed over by Mr. Montague Grover to Mr. George Salmon be entered upon the Minute Book of the Council; and that the Town Clerk make a return or schedule of the several documents in his possession, to each Mayor as soon after his election as conveniently may be.

Septr. 23. F.C. Webber, Post Master of Cardiff.

Boundary Commissioners will meet on 10 October at the Town Hall, to consider the extension of the Borough.

Novr. 9. Saturday. Alderman Richard Lewis Reece elected Mayor.

James Pride, Deputy Mayor.

Rate of 1d. in the £ made by way of grant to the Free Library.

Decr. 16. There being no Alderman present, Councillor Henry Bowen took the Chair.

1868 March 23. By a majority of one, the Council refused to sign a petition in favour of the Sunday closing of public houses.