Humbug Billy & The Tamlin Reel
Written by Mario Price & Lesley Neesham
This is a true story
The 1858 Bradford humbug poisoning involved the accidental arsenic poisoning of more than 200 people. Twenty people died and over 200 became seriously ill when sweets accidentally made with arsenic were sold from a market stall in Bradford, Yorkshire.
But how did sweets sweetened with arsenic ever come to be sold to the public?
The reason was the high price of sugar.
Sugar cane could not grow in the British climate so sugar had to be brought into the country. Whilst it is thought that Henry III’s court was using sugar as early as 1264, it was not until the 14th century that sugar was in general use in Britain. A luxury affordable only by the super rich, it was sold at two shillings a pound (or approximately £50 in today’s money). Sugar was so valuable it was kept in locked caddies.
In the 17th and 18th century sugar plantations in the West Indies supplied Britain with sugar, and trading ports such as Bristol grew rich on the trade.
By 1750, there were 120 sugar refineries operating in Britain but these could only produce 30,000 tons of sugar per year, so prices were very high. Vast profits were made in the sugar trade, to the extent that sugar was called “white gold”. The government recognised this and taxed it highly. In 1815 the tax raised from sugar in Britain was a staggering £3,000,000.
As the price of sugar was so prohibitive, it was often mixed with cheaper substances or ‘daft’ and then this inferior sugar would be sold on to the working classes. ‘Daft’ was a mixture of substances such as powdered limestone and plaster of Paris, not tasty but perfectly safe.
And so to Bradford in October 1858.
William Hardaker, known to locals as “Humbug Billy”, sold sweets from a stall in the Green Market in central Bradford. As was common practise at the time, his supplier and maker of the sweets – in this case peppermint humbugs – used ‘daft’ in his sweet production, supplied by a druggist in Shipley. Tragically on this occasion, due to a mistake at the pharmacy, 12 pounds of arsenic trioxide were purchased instead of the harmless ‘daft’. Both ‘daft’ and arsenic trioxide are white powders; the arsenic trioxide was not properly labelled and stored alongside the ‘daft’, and so the confusion arose.
The mistake was not discovered during the manufacture of the sweets, even though the finished product did look a little unusual. The sweets (lozenges) were made by Joseph Neale, who combined forty pounds of sugar, twelve pounds of arsenic trioxide, four pounds of gum, and peppermint oil, to create at least forty pounds of peppermint humbugs.
The sweets reportedly contained enough arsenic to kill two people per humbug.
Billy went on to sell the sweets from his market stall that night. Of those who purchased and ate the sweets, around 21 people died, with a further 200 or so becoming severely ill with arsenic poisoning within a day or so.
All involved were subsequently charged with manslaughter but none were convicted.
The Bradford poison scandal led to new legislation in order to protect the public from any similar tragedy. The 1860 Adulteration of Food and Drink Bill changed the manner by which ingredients could be used, mixed and combined. The UK Pharmacy Act of 1868 introduced more stringent regulations regarding the handling and selling of named poisons and medicines by druggists and pharmacists.
The abolition of the sugar tax in 1874 meant sugar became affordable to all.
Humbug Billy worked his market stall
Selling sweets to both the rich and poor
Candied sugar, peppermint in flavour
Buying from the local candy maker
Joseph Neal would work from dusk till dawn
Making sweets until the day was gone
Swapping sugar which was awfully nice
With powdered Gypsum which was half the price
Arsenic, won’t make you sick
They said don’t worry it will do the trick
So toxic a cocktail mixed
And all your ailments they will soon be fixed
Chemist Hodgson made his drugs in store
Selling potions down near Shipley Moor
‚Twas in In the fall of 1858
Indisposed, he was running late
Assistant William came to Joseph’s aid
And found some Daft of superior grade
Stood In A barrel on the cellar floor
He helped himself to a pound or more
Arsenic, won’t make you sick
They said don’t worry it will do the trick
So toxic a cocktail mixed
And all your ailments they will soon be fixed
Joseph took his precious batch of treats
Billy smiled and quickly sucked a sweet
Unaware of Williams toxic blunder
The little bags containing poisonous thunder
And on the morrow there were two that died
Blaming cholera for loss of life
Until they found out and the sweets were blamed
And now you know how Billy got his name
Arsenic, won’t make you sick
They said don’t worry it will do the trick
So toxic a cocktail mixed
And all your ailments they will soon be fixed
The men were summoned to the magistrate
To answer for their serious mistakes
They’d made enough to kill 2000 people
The poisoned batch for 21 so lethal
And though the people cried at such injustice
All were acquitted, shamefully discharged
So Humbug Billy’s sweets are still on display
And in the shops right to this very day
Arsenic, won’t make you sick
They said don’t worry it will do the trick
So toxic a cocktail mixed
And all your ailments they will soon be fixed