William Charles (Charles) Land

• General Notes
  • Alderman and Mayor of Scarbough in 1878
    Notes for WILLIAM CHARLES LAND:
    Article from The Scarborough Pictorial, Wednesday, 4th March, l914.
    Personalities of the Past  XV11 -  Alderman W. C. Land.  Freeman of Scarborough and York.
    William Charles Land was one of those introspective kind of men who, although not a native of Scarborough, foresaw the possibilities before it of development, and , with a businesslike perception which can be readily appreciated, he made up his mind if possible to be associated with the progress which he anticipated - and anticipated aright - was in store for the borough.  The third son of Mr. Wm. Land, comb manufacturer, he was born in 1828 at York, in which city his father was highly esteemed, and of which he was a Freeman.  Thus comes the interesting fact that by reason of birth the subject of this sketch was also a Freeman of the ancient Minster city.  Mr. W. C. Land was educated at Mr. Crosby's School, York, and was 15 years of age when, in l843, he entered the office of and served his apprenticeship with Mr. T. Cabry, engineer to the North-Eastern Railway Company.  Nine years later Mr. Land proceeded to Ashford, Kent, to an appointment under the South-Eastern and Chatham Railway Company, at their works, but he had only been there a year when, in l853, he acceded to a request from the North-Eastern Co. to return to York, and undertake the supervision of a department in their engineering branch, which duties of responsibility he discharged with an ability which justified the confidence reposed in him.  It was in l854 that Mr. Land first came into touch with the town in the affairs of which he was subsequently to play a more than ordinarily prominent part.  Just about this time the destinies of Scarborough as the great English pleasure resort which it has become were beginning to shape themselves, and the trend of developments very soon manifested themselves to Mr. Land.  The result was that after visiting Scarborough in l854, Mr. Land decided to relinquish his position at York and enter the commercial world.  This resolve was duly carried out in 1855, and he commenced on South Cliff a business as grocer and wine and spirit merchant, which expanded into a flourishing establishment, which bore out Mr. Land's prognostications as to possibilities, and is still today carried on in Huntriss-row in the name of W. C. Land and Co.  In these early days of Mr. Land's connection with Scarborough, sixty years ago, the town was, of course not anything so wieldy or renowned as a pleasure resort as it is today.  Mr. Land lived to see the time, however, and had a good deal to do with events which led up to it, when the title of Queen of Watering Places was an accepted term of reference to the place of his adoption.  In the "fifties", for instance, South Cliff was but a sandhill in the desert to what it is now.  Only three shops were in existence, and there were less than a hundred houses when Mr. Land began his venture.  The young tradesman had come to Scarborough full of optimism and enterprise, however, and he lost little time in proceeding with the erection of houses in that part of the town where he had commenced business.  He once again anticipated events correctly, and there was a brisk demand for these residences, and very soon others began to spring up, thus being witnessed the beginning of this popular residential quarter of Scarborough as it is recognised today.
    In 1874 , on the advice of his medical man, Mr. Land ceased to take such a large interest in his business as previously, and thereupon turned his attention to public affairs.  The first phase of what developed into an active and useful municipal career was his nomination for a seat on the Town Council as a representative of the South Ward.  There were then only two wards in the town, and Mr. Land was successful in obtaining election the first time he went to the poll.  This was in November, l874, and his aptitude for public work so clearly manifested itself that it was only after four years' connection with the local governing body that he was singled out for the highest possible recognition and elected Mayor.  He filled the chief magistrates' chair during the year l878-9 and attended to the affairs of the borough with the assiduity and interest which had characterised his efforts on behalf of the burgesses from the outset.  There was nothing particularly notable in the way of local events during Mr. Land's Mayoralty, but he suffered a keen personal loss by the death of the Town Clerk, Mr. J. J. Moody, who was a valued friend, counsellor, and advisor.  The year before Mr. Land wore the civic chain a vital question in local affairs was that of the purchase by the Corporation of the Scarborough Water Company's property.  This having bearing on the direct control by the Council of the town's water supply, occupied time and attention of the city fathers to some considerable extent, and finally in December, l877, a resolution was passed favouring the purchase of the water company's property the action being approved by a poll of the town in the following year.  With this important issue decided and the transfer of the concern carried through, Mr. Land was elected a member of the Water Committee in the work of which he evinced a keen interest.  He proved himself very much alive in this capacity to the best interest of the borough, and in conjunction with the Medical Officer of Health, the late Dr. Taylor, was largely instrumental in preventing the town undertaking what it was afterwards generally conceded would have been the disatrous Jugger Howe scheme.
    Prior to the sale the Water Committee had procured the necessary power to obtain water from the Jugger Howe Beck and Fylingdale Moor, in addition to their existing works at Cayton Bay and Osgodby at a proposed expenditure of £80,000.  Thanks toa timely intervention by Mr. Land, however, the scheme was abandoned, and what might have entailed serious consequences to the wealth of the town averted.  Dr. Taylor conveyed to Mr. Land one day grave doubts as to whether the water to be procured from the suggested source would be pure and stated his definite opinion that it would be unfit for human consumption.  Mr. Land lost no time in acquainting the Town Council of the risk they would be laying themselves and the town open to and his step was duly justified when a proper analysis confirmed the view of Dr. Taylor and resulted in the condemnation of the water for drinking purposes.  The scheme was at once shelved and in its  stead that at Irton proceeded with successful results.  During the construction of the Irton Waterworks, Mr. Land was chairman of the committee.  This was only one phase of his valuable services to the borough and during his long connection of 21 years with municipal administration he participated in much notable work.  His first fifteen years' membership of the Corporation was as a councillor and then for six years he sat as an Alderman.  He was an unceasing worker on behalf of the town he had become so much engrossed in and between the years of l874 and1895 he brought his wisdom and keen insight into business matters to bear on a number of matters of local import, in a variety of capacities, among which were the chairmanship at one time or another of all the important committees.  He had much to do with the development of the picturesque features of Scarborough, particularly during the time he presided over the deliberations of the Parks and Pleasure Grounds Committee from 1890 to 1895.  During the latter year he served on over forty committees and among other public improvements in the nature of parks, pleasure grounds, and other open spaces in which he closely interested himself he  had the gratification of witnessing the completion of the Holbeck Gardens scheme, which was finally carried through before his connection with the Corporation came to an end.  Mr. Land was a Conservative in politics, although he never allowed those views to obtrude and influence the part he took in local affairs, and when his term as an alderman expired, it was deemed advisable by political adversaries to unseat him.  In 1893 however, the Conservatives had obtained a majority on the Town Council, and the election of aldermen again coming forward, the party with which he was identified altered the constitution of the Aldermanic Bench and co-opted Mr. Land, and he remained an alderman of the Borough until the time of his death.  Further recognition of his services to the town was forthcoming in October 1903, when the respect in which he was held by all sections was indicated by a unanimous decision to confer upon Alderman Land the freedom of the Borough.  With due ceremonial this honour was bestowed upon him together with the Earl of Feversham and Councillor Darley, and thus Alderman Land had the unique destinction of being a freeman of the city of his birth, York, and also of the town of his adoption - Scarborough.
    Other phases of Alderman Land's life may be briefly mentioned.  During his Mayoralty he was chairman of the Cliff Bridge Co., this being the time when the Grand Hall and other buildings were being erected in place of the building destroyed by fire, and subsequently served on the committee.  He was also an active member of the Harbour Comissioners, the Charity Trustees, the South Cliff Co., the Savings Bank, the South Cliff Tramway Co., and other bodies.  He sat on the Board of Guardians and the School Board:  was raised to the magistracy in 1908, and also held the post of warden at St. Martin's Church.  Mr. Land was also a Freemason, and one of the most esteemed brethren of the craft.  He married in 1851 Miss Mary Winteringham, daughter of Mr. Robert Winteringham of Boroughbridge and died in July, l908.  He is still survived by the one son of the marriage, Mr. W. H. Land.
    

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