Was this just a mark of the stern, dictatorial, paternalistic, patriarchal know-whats-good-for yous? Well maybe, but the main reason that they did not consult so much was because they couldnt
As became clear to me when I started to plough through the minutes of the weekly Watch Committee meetings. They were brief, usually less than half a page of A4. The rest of the page was taken up by a list of those attending &, at the foot, the invariable Certified a true copy ..... Just like it says on the copy of a birth certificate
All copies were written out by a clerk. Although some kind of carbon paper clearly came in to use around this time, it was still a time consuming business. No wonder they were terse.
- Week 1 We have this problem. Alderman Bloggs to look into it
- Week2 Alderman Bloggs reported he had sorted it out or Recommended A. Agreed
Consultation had to be by hand-written letter or face to face meeting. In a city you probably walked to most meetings. No telephone. Telegraph was just becoming quite widely available, but that would be like texting in slow motion without the connectivity of the mobile network
Are things better now that there is no excuse not to consult the world & his brother & his mother-in laws cat? Dont we just have to spend more time collating all those responses, when they get round to sending them, & then deciding what to make of them
