The Harrogate Wells Case of 1837: the venue for a gathering of the scientific elite

At York Castle, in March 1837, Joseph Thackwray, the owner of Harrogate's Crown Hotel, appeared before the Spring Assizes charged with digging a well in the immediate vicinity of a public supply of spa waters (The Old Sulfur Well) that formed a vital part of the local economy, reducing its yield. Both plaintiffs and the defendant fielded an array of distinguished witnesses, which included William Smith and John Phillips, whose statements centred around the question of whether Harrogate's mineral springs arose from a common source or if each spring arose independently. Their statements provide a snapshot of contemporary views on the geology and origin of the waters but have been largely ignored by subsequent workers. Following an opening address by the plaintiff's counsel, discussions with the judge resulted in a compromise without any of the witnesses being called to give evidence. Thackwray was found not guilty and an agreement was reached to share the water from his new well. Why the plaintiffs accepted the compromise is unclear as any gains they made were largely illusory whereas abstraction from Thackwray's wells remained unrestricted. Subsequent research has supported a common source for the springs although this is far from the ‘common subterraneous cavern or reservoir' postulated by the plaintiff's counsel.