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The Water Bearers had their own Guild, known as the "Brotherhood of Saint Cristofer of the
Waterbearers" with a hall that stood where Liverpool Street Station is today. After 60 years the
guild was dissolved when the Water Bearers came under the control of the City Chamberlain.At the
beginning of the 17th century Parliament authorised the construction of an aqueduct for bringing
water to London from Chadwell and Anwell in Hertfordshire. These powers were not used and eventually
Hugh Myddleton offered to undertake the work at his own expense provided he be allowed to
keep any profits. To this the City agreed and the aqueduct known as the New River came into
being though not before Myddleton had come into conflict with many landowners who tried to have
the Act empowering the aqueduct repealed. To add to his difficulties, when almost within sight of
London, his money ran out and he could get no further backing. He appealed to James I to help
him and the King agreed on conditions that profits of the enterprise were to be shared between
them 50-50. So the New River was completed discharging its precious liquid into a converted pond
at Clerkenwell. Myddleton was created a baronet but the company was not the immediate success
that had been hoped. Charles I realising this, agreed to surrender his inherited share in the New
River Company for a perpetual rent of £500. known as the "King's Clog". This payment later
reduced by the deduction of Land Tax is still made each year to the Crown by the Metropolitan
Water Board.
The New River Company, having completed its aqueduct first began distributing water in
1613 and for this ourpose used wooden water mains but the New River Company did not prevent
the London Bridge waterworks from prospering. Peter Morris's first two water wheels weredestroyed
in theGreatFire in 1666 but it was notlong before four new wheels were in operationsupplying
water to houses in Southwark as well as in the City. These waterworks however greatlyendangered
navigation through the Bridge and despite the efforts of eminent engineers such as
Brindley and Smeaton who designed water wheels to mitigate this, there came the time when by
Act of Pariiament the wheels were dismantled.
Harvey was Lumleian Lecturer in 1615. By a strange chance the notes of his lecture of 17
April 1616 found their way into the British Museum where they were discovered in 1886, written
originally in a mixture of Latin and English and contain the following:-
"It is plain from the structure of the heart that the blood is passed continuously through the
lungs to the aorta as by two clacks of a water bellows to raise water. It is shown by application
of a ligature that the passage of blood is from the arteries to the veins. Whence it follows that
the movement of the blood is constantly in a circle and is brought about by the beat of the heart.
It is a question therefore whether this is for the sake of nourishment of the heart, the blood cooled
by warming the limbs being in turn warmed by the heart".
This is the first analogy of the heart to the water pump. The device of the water pump appears
to have provided an essential concept in Harvey's eventual discovery though this is not mentioned
in his classic paper.
Quarantine
In August 1709 the first of several orders in Council enacted what was to be the continuous
quarantine policy for England placing a quarantine on all ships and persons from infected areas
to be performed in prescribed places. No one should board these ships without a licence and no
Master should go on shore or permit any passenger or member of his crew to do so without a
licence: otherwise the ship was forfeited to the Queen. Persons going on shore were to be returned
to quarantine. After detention the ship could be certified and proceed on its way: after
quarantine also the cargo would be opened and aired. These remained the rules for more than
100 years.
The infected areas in 1721 included all ships from the Mediterranean in view of the plague
in Marseilles and district. There were stern and precise penalties for violation. Continued evasion
made the offenders liable to the death penalty as felons. The King could take preventive steps
such as establishing lazarets or erection of lines about infected places and prohibit persons or
goods passing the same or the burning of specified goods liable to quarantine.
If plague appeared on a ship northward of Cape Finistere the commander was under order to
head for New Grimsby in the Scilly Islands and required to remain there during the King's
pleasure. This was repealed in 1756 but St. Helen's Pool in the Scilly Islands was specified the
appointed place in lieu of New Grimsby. Ships were required to perform quarantine at Malta and
other specified ports.
In 1765 government provided £5,000. maximum towards building a lazaret.
After 1st January 1789 every ship liable to quarantine must hoist a signal in case of falling
in with another ship or within 4 leagues of the British Coast. This signal should consist of a
large yellow flag by day and a light by night at the "Main Top Mast Head".