BYELAWS RELATING TO GOOD RULE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE BOROUGH

1st January 1902

GOOD RULE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE BOROUGH

WHEREAS –

Under section 23 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882, the Council of a Borough may from time to time make such Bye-laws as to them seem meet for the good rule and government of the Borough, and for the prevention and suppression of nuisances not already punishable in a summary manner by virtue of any act in force throughout the Borough, and may thereby appoint such fines, not exceeding in any case £5, as they may deem necessary for prevention and suppression of offences against the same.

NOW WE, THE MAYOR ALDERMAN AND COUNCILLORS OF THE BOROUGH OF SHREWSBURY, in Council assembled, at the Meeting holden pursuant to summons at the Guildhall is the said Borough of Shrewsbury, on Wednesday, the 1st day of January, 1902, there being present two – thirds and more of the whole number of the Council, and in exercise of the power vested in us by the said recited Act, DO HEREBY MAKE AND ORDAIN THE FOLLOWING BYE-LAWS for the good rule and government of the Borough:-

Interpretation of Terms

Throughout these bylaws the following words and expressions shall have the meanings hereafter respectively assigned to them, unless such meanings be repugnant to or inconsistent with the context or subject matter in connection with which such words or expressions occur, namely: -

i) "Street" means and includes any highway, public bridge, road, lane, footway, square, court, alley or passage (open to the public) whether a thoroughfare or not.
ii) "Public Place" includes any common, public park, pleasure or recreation ground, roadside waster, churchyard, chapel yard, cemetery, market (whether established under Charter or otherwise), to which the public have access for the time being.
iii) "Vehicle" means and includes any carriage, cart, wagon, dray or vehicle of any description drawn or propelled by animal or steam, electrical, or other mechanical power, but does not mean or include any bicycle, tricycle, velocipede, or other similar machine.

Sounding Musical Instruments
 1. No person shall sound or play upon any musical or noisy instrument, or sing in any street or public place – within 50 yards of any dwelling house or offices, after being requested to desist by an inmate of such house of office personally or by his or her servant, or by any constable instructed by such inmate or servant; provided that this bylaw shall not apply to properly conducted religious services except where the request to desist is made on the ground of the serious illness of any inmate of the house, and provided also that this bylaw shall not apply to a band belonging to any branch of Her Majesty's Navy, Army, Reserve, or Volunteer Forces, or to a band playing in any public park, pleasure or recreation ground.

Music near Churches
 2. No person shall sound or play upon any musical or noisy instrument, or sing in any street or public place (a) within 50 yards of any Church, Chapel, or other place of public worship.  Court of Justice, Theatre, Public Hall, Public Baths, Free Library, Public Concert Room, Public Lecture Room or Schoolroom, in which respectively any persons may be for the time being assembled, or of any Tent in which persons assembled for a religious service or public meeting, to the annoyance or disturbance of any of the persons so assembled after being requested to desist by any person so annoyed or disturbed, or any servant or person acting on his or her behalf or by any constable instructed by such person or servant: (b) within 100 yards of any Hospital, Infirmary, or Convalescent me or other building or place used for the reception and treatment of the sick, or any house in which any person is lying dangerously ill, after being requested to desist buy any person employed in any such hospital;, Infirmary, or Convalescent Home, building or place, or any inmate if such house, or by an constable instructed by any such person.

Fighting or inciting to fight

 3. No person shall in any Street or public place fight or incite or provoke any other person to fight.

Loitering
 4. No person shall wilfully and persistently loiter at or near the entrance of any church, chapel, or other place of public worship during the tome of Divine Service, or during the assembly thereat or departure therefrom the congregation, or in any churchyard or cemetery during the time of a Burial Service or Ceremony, in such a manner as to obstruct or cause annoyance to any person or persons going to, attending at, or returning from any such place of public worship, churchyard, or cemetery

Profane, obscene or threatening language
 5. No person shall in any street or public place, or in any place within view or hearing of any street or public place, use any indecent language, or gesture, or commit or solicit, incite or provoke any other person to commit any indecent act to the annoyance of residents or passengers.

6. No person shall in any street or public place, or in any place within view or hearing of any street or public place use any threatening, abusive, or insulting language, gesture, or conduct with intent to put any person in fear, or so as to occasion a breach of the peace.

Indecent Shows
 7. No person shall exhibit any indecent show in any street or public place, or in any place to which persons are admitted with or without payment of money.

Betting in Streets
 8. No person shall frequent and use any street or public place, either on behalf of himself or any other person, for the purpose of bookmaking, betting or wagering or agreeing to bet or wager with any person, or for the purpose of receiving, paying or settling bets.

Shooting Galleries, Roundabouts &c.
 9. No person shall in any street or on any land adjoining or near thereto, keep or manage, or cause to be kept or managed, a shooting gallery, swing boat, roundabout, or any other construction of a like character, so as to cause obstruction or danger to the traffic of any such street.

Steam Organs &c
 10. No person shall in any street or on any land adjoining or near thereto, use or play, or cause to be used or played, any steam organ or other musical instrument worked by mechanical means to the annoyance or disturbance of any residents or passengers.

Noisy Animals
 11. No person shall keep within any house, building, or premises, any noisy animal which shall be or cause a serious nuisance to residents in the neighbourhood.  Provided that no proceedings shall be taken against any person for an offence against this Bylaw unless the nuisance be continued after the expiration of a fortnight from the date of the service on such person of a notice, alleging a nuisance, signed by not less than three householders residing within hearing of the animal.

Posting Bills without permission, &c
 12. No person shall post, paste, or affix , or shall cause to be posted, pasted, or affixed, any bill, notice, or placard in, upon or to, any building, public lavatory, drinking fountain, pump, or any wall, fence, embankment, gate, door, pillar, tree or post in or abutting on any street or public place, or upon any road side, bank or rock, without the permission of the owner or occupier thereof, or of the person having the charge or care thereof, or unless authorised so to do by law, nor shall any person unless authorised by law, or witch such permission as aforesaid, deface by writing or other marks any such building or things as are before specified in this Bylaw.

Tobogganing on Highways
 13. No person shall practice tobogganing in any street or public place to the injury of such street or public place, or to the injury, fear, or personal danger of any person therein.

Carrying dangerous or offensive Articles along Footpaths
 14. No person shall in any street, or public place to the inconvenience or danger of any other person, carry or convey along any footpath any bag of soot, lime, or other offensive substance, or any pointed or edged tools or implements not properly protected.

Carrying Offal through Streets

 15. No person shall carry or convey through or along any street or public place the undressed carcass of any animal or any offensive offal, unless the same be properly covered.

Street Cries
 16. No person shall, for the purpose of hawking, selling or distributing any article whatsoever, shout, or use any bell, gong, or any noisy instrument, in any street or public place in such a manner as to be or to cause a nuisance or annoyance to residents, or to the persons occupying shops, warehouses, or offices in such street.

 17. No person shall in any street or public place for the purpose of selling or advertising any article or obtaining custom, tout or importune to the annoyance or obstruction of passengers.

Unsecured Bulls
 18. No person shall drive or lead or cause to be driven or led in any street or public place any bull exceeding the age of 12 months unless it is properly secured by a ring through its nose, with a rope or staff attached to such ring, and kept under proper control; or being the occupier of any field or enclosure through which there is a public highway, bridle road or footway, permit any such bull to be at large in such field or enclosure.

Replace with 1907 Good Rule and Government – (hand written note)

Bathing
 19. No person shall within 200 yards of any street or public place unless effectually screened from view, bathe from the bank or strand of any water or from any boat thereon without wearing a dress or covering sufficient to prevent exposure of the person.

Life Buoys
 20. No person shall wilfully damage, interfere with, or remove any life buoy, life buoy stand, or any tackle connected therewith.

Throwing paper, orange – peel &c on Streets
 21. No person shall, for the purpose of advertising, throw about or deposit in any street or public placard any bill, placard, or other paper; not throw or lay and leave on any street or public place any bill, placard or other paper which shall have been torn off or removed from any bill-posting station.  No person shall throw down, deposit, or leave any orange peel or other fruit rind upon any footpath.

Throwing Glass &c on Streets
 22. No person shall place, deposit, throw or leave any article of glass, or any broken glass, or other sharp substance, not being road material, on any street or public place in a position where the same is likely to cause injury or danger to passengers, or damage to property.

Defacing Streets or Public Places
 23. No person shall wilfully deface any part of any street or public place by writing upon or marking the same with chalk, paint, tar, or any other article.

Pulling down Notices
 24. No person shall maliciously or wantonly pull down, deface or damage any authorised public notice affixed upon any building, wall, post, gate, fence, door, tree in or abutting on any street or public place whereon such notice may lawfully be affixed.

Squirts, Teazers, &c
 25. No person shall in any street or public place with intent to annoy or disturb any person use any squirt, teazer, sprayer or similar article or means for the purpose of throwing any liquid or powder at any such person, or at any animal or use upon any such person any scratcher, toy rattle, or other means for producing sudden and startling noises.

Trees, &c., overhanging Streets.
 26. Where any tree, hedge or shrub, overhangs any street so as to obstruct or interfere with the light from any public lamp or to interfere with any free passage or comfort of passengers, the Town Council may serve a notice on the owner of the tree, hedge, or shrubs, or on the occupier of the premises on which such tree, hedge or shrub is growing, requiring him to lop the tree, hedge or shrub so as to prevent such obstruction or interference, and in default of compliance within a reasonable time, such owner or occupier shall, on summary conviction thereof, be liable to the penalty hereinafter provided.

Blacksmiths &c. to close doors opening into Streets
 27. Every blacksmith, whitesmith, nailsmith, or person who uses a forge, having a door, window, or aperture fronting or opening into or towards any street, shall keep such door, window, or aperture so closed during the period between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise on the following morning, as effectually to prevent the light from shining through the doorway, window or aperture and upon such street.

Hoisting or delivering Articles into or from Cellars &c. without
proper tackle

 28. No person shall hoist, lower, take in, or deliver any article or thing into or from any building, cellar, or vault, without having and using fit, proper, and sufficient ropes and tackle in good order and condition, nor shall any occupier of any building, cellar or vault, wilfully or negligently permit or suffer any article or thing to be hoisted, lowered, taken in, or delivered out of any building, cellar, or vault, without fit, proper and sufficient ropes and tackle, in good order and condition.

Pushing up Shutters &c. from Cellars
 29. No person shall push up into any street, from any cellar window, or opening in any building, or in any footpath window or flap to the danger annoyance or inconvenience of any person.

Coals, Coke or other Fuel in certain Streets
 30. No person shall shoot, throw down, place or deposit, any coal, coke, or other fuel in any part of any of the following streets, between the house of Eleven o'clock in the forenoon and six o'clock in the afternoon, viz: Castle Gates, Castle Street, Pride Hill, Mardol Head, Shoplatch, St. John's Hill, Mardol, Smithfield Road, Chester Street, Market Street, Princess Street, The Square, High Street, Milk Street, Wyle Cop, Dogpole, Belmont, Beeches Lane, Town Walls.

Washing Carriages &c.
 31. No person shall to the annoyance of passengers after the hour of eight of the clock of the morning (or at any time during frost or snow), wash, or clean any carriage, wagon, cart, vehicle or conveyance of any description whatever, or any part thereof, in any street.

Driving beyond walking pace in St Julian's Friars, &c.
 32. No person shall drive any horse, ass or mule drawing any wagon, cart, timber carriage, dray or other carriage in or along St. Julian's Friars, Meadow Place, Claremont Hill, Princess Street, or the lower end of Belmont, for a distance of 100 yards measuring from the Crescent beyond a walking pace so as to endanger the life or limb of any person, or to the common danger of passengers.

Not locking or properly securing with a brake loaded Wagons, Timer Carts, &c. in descending streets
 33. No person having the charge of any timer or stone carriage, or any four wheeled carriage whatsoever, loaded with goods or other things, shall permit the same to descend any or either of the hills or streets called Castle Gates, Pride Hill, St. John's Hill, Swan Hill, Dogpole, Wyle Cop, The English Bridge, Claremont Bank, Claremont Hill, Port Hill Bank, The Mount, Cross Hill Bank, Belmont or Belmont Bank, without having the wheels thereof locked, or properly secured with a brake securing the whole of the descent.

Running Wagons or Carts so as to damage kerbings or footpaths
 34. No person shall be negligence cause or permit any carriage, wagon, cart, or other vehicle or conveyance to run or be drawn against any of the kerbings of the foot-paths, so as to injure the same.

Lights upon Vehicles
 35. Every person who shall cause or permit any vehicle to be in any street or highway during the period between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise, shall provide the same with a lamp or lamps so constructed and capable of being so attached as when lighted to show to the front a white light visible within a reasonable distance to persons meeting or approaching the vehicle.  If only one lamp is so provided it shall be attached to the off rightside of the vehicle.

36. He shall also, if the vehicle is used for the purpose of carrying timber or any load projecting more than six feet to the rear, provide the same with a lamp or lamps so constructed and capable of being so attached as when lighted to show to the rear a red light visible within a reasonable distance to persons overtaking the vehicle.

37. Every person or being in charge of such vehicle as aforesaid in any street or highway during such period as aforesaid shall keep such lamp or lamps properly trimmed, lighted and attached.

Turning on or off Lights. &c. in Streets
 38. No person shall in any street or public place wilfully and unlawfully turn on the light of any public or private lamp, used for lighting such street or public place, or turn off or on the light in any of the water standards.

Penalties
 39. Every person who shall offend against or act in contravention of any of the foregoing Bylaws shall, upon summary conviction for any such  offence be liable to a penalty not exceeding Five Pounds.

And the Council of the said Borough do hereby declare and direct that the several Bylaws and Ordinances hereinbefore mentioned and contained shall come into operation on the first day of March, now next, and be and remain in force and effect within the said Borough until duly revoked, annulled, or altered.  And further, that from ands after the said first day of March, the Bylaws made by the Council of the said Borough on the twenty-fifth day of February, one thousand eight-hundred and fifty – two, and every clause and part thereof shall be and the same are hereby revoked, annulled and made void.