The want and desire for a hospital had been felt in Rotherham for many years. The accidents and injuries which were so regularly reported in the Rotherham and Mexborough Advertiser are clear examples of why the hospital was so seriously needed. The Dispensary on College Street, was founded in 1828 at a cost of £2000, and while it working hard to care for the town, it was no longer able to provide Rotherham with adequate healthcare and therefore the decision was taken to merge with the new hospital. And so on Wednesday 19th January 1870 the foundation stone of Rotherham Hospital was laid by Earl de Gray and Ripon.
At 12 o’clock most of the shops in the town closed and people gave themselves up to merriment. All the church bells were pealing and flags and streamers hung from lamp posts and trees; every window held people leaning out to watch the parade and the streets were filled with people. Just before one o’clock the procession set off from the Mechanic’s Hall in the centre of town, proceeding along Bridgegate to Wellgate along Mansfield Road and Talbot Lane to the High street before turning to the site of the new hospital.
Due to the cold seasonal weather the ceremony was short and simple. After introducing the day’s event Earl Fitzwilliam invited Earl de Grey to step forward and lay the stone. At this point Mr Guest Esq. came forward and presented Earl de Grey with the handsome engraved trowel and mallet made especially for this occasion. The items were a gift to the town from Mr J.G Needham, Silversmith of College Road, Rotherham. To mark the day and to preserve the memory it had been decided that a document be inserted into a phial which was placed inside a cavity in the foundation stone. This document detailed the events of the founding day and all the hard work which went into raising the money for the hospital.
To mark the ceremony of the occasion the Rotherham Rifle Volunteer band played “Old Hundredth” after which Rev Dr Senior of Wakefield led prayers. Then amid the cheering of the crowd Earl de Grey spread the mortar and the stone was slowly lowered. The band then played “Rule Britannia” as the Earl tapped the stone into place with the mallet.
[Possibly put in stone mason thing]
Earl de Grey then offer his congratulations to the people of Rotherham for the commissioning of this building which would prevent human suffering and provide a means of recovery for all. He also offered his congratulations to the town for being able to provide subscription from all areas of society.
The ceremony then concluded. While most of the town hosted parties and celebrations in many of the local taverns there was a formal banquet held at the Mechanic’s Hall at 3pm which had been prepared by Mr Brown of the Prince of Wales Hotel. Earl Fitzwilliam proceeded over the feast, hosting many of the local dignitaries. Throughout the evening many toasts were offered: to the town, to the band, to the subscribers, to the medical profession, to the committee, to Earl de Grey, to Earl Fitzwilliam. A toast proposed to the ladies brought the evening to a conclusion. The evening’s entertainment was provided by a group of singers from Sheffield under the organisation of Mr C. Harvey.
And so ended the first day in the hospital’s physical existence; there was much hard work to be done before it was ready to receive its first patients in May 1872, nevertheless, the path towards improving the healthcare for the people of Rotherham had been laid down that day.
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