The Corporation of the City of London may be regarded as the first
Commission of Sewers in the exercise of authority over such places as
regards the removal of the filth of towns. In time, but at what time
there is no account, the business was consigned to the management of
a committee, as are now the markets of the City (Markets Committee),
and even what may be called the management of the Thames (Navigation
Committee). It is not at all necessary that the members of these
committees should understand anything about the matters upon which
they have to determine. A staff of officers, clerks, secretaries,
solicitors, and surveyors, save the members the trouble of thought
or inquiry; they have merely to vote and determine. It was stated in
evidence before a Select Committee of the House of Commons on the
subject of the Thames steamers, that at that period the Chairman of
the _Navigation_ Committee was a bread and biscuit baker, but “a
very-firm-minded man.” In time, but again I can find no note of the
precise date, the _Committee_ became a _Court_ of Sewers, and so it
remains to the present time. Commissions of sewers have been issued
by the Crown since the 25th year of the reign of Henry VIII., except
during the era of the Commonwealth, when there seems to have been no
attention paid to the matter.
As the metropolis increased rapidly in size since the close of the
last century, the public sewers of course increased in proportion,
and so did Commissions of Sewers in the newly-built districts. Up to
1847 these Commissions or Court of Sewers were _eight_ in number, the
metropolis being divided into that number of districts.