Bury and Norwich Post 6 Sep 1870: Robert Sayle cattle with foot and mouth disease
FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE. The foot-and-mouth disease has made its re-appearance in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, and in Huntingdonshire, cases being reported at Wisbeach and at Porte Holme. On Saturday last, Mr. Robert Sayle, draper of Cambridge who has a farm at Trumpington, another near the Cambridge Railway-station, and we believe a third farm at Southey, Norfolk, was summoned before the County Magistrates for neglecting to report to the police the existence of the foot-and-mouth disease in five of his cows. The evidence went to show that Mr. Sayle had several head of stock grazing in a field at Granchester, near Cambridge, and that these had the disease, five of them in an advanced stage. Mr. Sparrow, veterinary surgeon, was called in by the police, and said he found the cattle all suffering from the complaint. The matter was reported to Mr. Sayle, who directed his foreman to go to the veterinary surgeon, and the latter referred him to the police, whereupon the foreman told Mr. Sparrow that the disease was all around. The foreman told the Magistrate that on the morning after seeing the Inspector of cattle he reported the case to the police, but the officer denied receiving any such report. The Bench, however, dismissed the case.