LORD PARKER'S DRAINAGE OF HIS MINES.

209

perhaps, for the earliest potteries existing here, before coals were introduced; and also for the crates, or packages, in which the poor crate-men carried the goods on their backs to distant parts. * This will appear rather a stretch of the imagination; but the root of the word Sneyd has naturally furnished the idea, and fortifies our opinion, previously expressed, of the significancy of village names. The scythe, the armorial device of the lords of this and the adjoining townships, gives a sort of rebus of their surname, and affords a specimen of the ingenuity of the old heralds, in the adaptation of their emblems to the names or characters of the chevaliers on whom they were bestowed.

The principal estate in the hamlet of Sneyd is a farm of 150 acres or upwards, called emphatically "The Sneyd," belonging to the Earl of Macclesfield; and abounding, like all the rest of the hamlet, with mines of coal and ironstone, consisting of many separate strata, lying at various depths; five or six of which crop out (i. e. rise to the surface), within the distance of half a mile, up the acclivity from the town of Burslem, which constitutes the main feature of this portion of the Parish. The mines dip nearly towards the same point as the surface, (i. e. from east to west), at an inclination of about fifteen degrees from the horizon, affording a very extensive field of coal at a moderate depth. They have been wrought very largely for many years, and the heads or crops were, in early times, obtained with little labour.

In 1719, George Lord Parker (then Chief-Justice of the King's Bench, and afterwards Earl of Macclesfield, and Lord High Chancellor), obtained, from the owners of the low lands near Burslem Church, permission to drive a sough, or gutter level, from thence into his estate, by which his mines of coal were drained, without the aid of machinery, and a supply of coals afforded, adequate to the demand, for a period of about 60 years afterwards.

*See Dr. Plott, p. 109.

We defer any further remarks here, relative to the great coal-field of the District; enumerating only the Proprietors, or Firms, who are now engaged in working the mines within this part of the Borough; viz. the Lessees of the Earl of Macclesfield, (Sneyd Colliery Company), John Wedgwood, Esq. (Hamel Colliery), Hugh Henshall Williamson, Esq. (Pinnocks), Ralph Sneyd, Esq. (Sneyd Green), Cobridge Colliery Company (at Cobridge), and Ralph Clews and Co., Coals and Ironstone, (Jackfields). Considerable quantities of ironstone are raised by the latter firm; calcined (but not smelted) on the spot, and forwarded, by canal, to the South of Staffordshire.

The Earl of Macclesfield, John Wedgwood, Esq., John Bennett, Esq., the Devisees of Messrs. John and Richard Riley, Mr. William Tellwright, and H. H. Williamson, Esq., are the principal landed Proprietors in Sneyd.

A group of houses called "the HAMIL," situate about half a mile N.E. of the Parish Church, is the principal town-stead of Sneyd; at which are two houses of a respectable class, belonging to Mr. Joseph Alcock, and Mr. James Kelsall; but the principal messuage in the hamlet is "Bank House," a showy mansion on the summit of the ridge, erected by the late Mr. Richard Riley, just before his decease, in 1828, and now occupied by Mr. Joseph Twigg.

A subscription swimming-bath, supplied with warm water from the neighbouring engines belonging to the Bycars (or Bycrofts), Colliery, was constructed here, in 1816, but after a few years fell into disuse. Dr. Plott, who, among a multitude of things, treated on mineral springs, mentioned a sulphur water, of which he was told at Burslem; but finding, on trial, it would not stand the test of striking with galls, though persons that stood by testified that they had seen it do so at another time, he chose to pass it by.

*

Plott, p. 105.

PARISH OF BURSLEM AN ANCIENT CHAPELRY OF STOKE. 211

We conceive that this supposed mineral water was nothing but the oozing of some beds of iron pyrites in the coal strata hereabouts, which yield water strongly impregnated with sulphuric acid, that acts very powerfully in corroding the pumping-barrels, and other iron apparatus, used in draining the mines; an evil which the ingenious Brindley sought to avoid, by introducing wooden pumptrees lined with leather.*

The isolated portions of Sneyd Hamlet, to which we have alluded, consist of the Mansion-House, and adjoining manufactory of Enoch Wood, Esq. in the Town of Burslem; a manufactory and tenements adjoining, situate in the Holehouse, Burslem, late the property of Mr. Joseph Machin, deceased; and a manufactory (now Messrs. Davenport's) and some adjoining property at Longport, late the property of Mrs. Williamson, and intersected by the Canal, consisting of the Company's wharf, and the Packhorse Inn. These three properties are rated to the repair of the highways in Sneyd only.

THE PARISH OF BURSLEM

Embraces, as well the Township so called, as the contiguous Hamlets of Sneyd and Rushton Grange, and the Lordship of Abbey Hulton, which latter juts out to a considerable distance eastward, its farthest limits being near four miles from the Parish Church; this Lordship is not, however, included within the Borough of Stoke.

Previously to the year 1808, Burslem was one of the chapelries belonging to the Parish of Stoke, which were separated by an Act of Parliament, passed in 1807, and made distinct Rectories, as will be particularized in our account of Stoke. The Chapelry of Burslem was, however, always held to be a separate Parish for the maintenance of its Poor; and, it does not appear that it was ever contributory to the support of the Mother Church of Stoke.

See page 164.

When, and by whom, the ancient Chapel of Burslem was founded, cannot be ascertained. Its venerable, though rude and humble stone tower, exhibited in the above plate, has been thought, by architectural judges, to be of Norman erection, and of the date of the 12th or 13th century; and, as the several hamlets of the Chapelry were part of the possessions of Robert de Stafford, shortly after the Conquest,* we are disposed to assign the first erection of the chapel to the Barons Stafford; whilst they retained the Seigniory of Burslem.† The three hamlets of Burslem, Sneyd, and Hulton, have been exclusively taxed to the repair of Burslem Church, from time immemorial; and each, formerly, for an equal third share; but part of the lands within Hulton have always claimed

See chap. II. p. 27. (We speak rather dubiously as to the Hamlet of Sneyd.) + See p. 184.

OFFICE OF CHURCHWARDEN.

213

exemption; and the Vill or Hamlet of Rushton has been, and still is, altogether free from the impost of churchrates, as well as tithes; and we doubt not, that these immunities were conceded to the Monks of Hulton, on the erection of their Abbey, in respect of such of their lands as they themselves farmed, or had in hand, and which comprised the Grange, or entire Vill of Rushton, with about half the Lordship of Hulton.

An ancient custom prevailed, by which three Churchwardens were annually appointed,-one for Burslem, one for Sneyd, and one for Hulton; and the occupiers of certain ancient messuages and farms, in those three Townships, (16 in Burslem, 13 in Sneyd, and 14 in Hulton), were bound to serve the office in rotation. This custom, with a list of the names of the tenants then liable to serve, is recorded in the Parish Register, under the date of 1657, and attested by the minister, as being the then ancient order in the Parish; and we believe it continued to prevail, generally, until the year 1789, or thereabouts, when, on account of the decay of many of the ancient messuages, and the alteration of property, it was broken through; and the appointment of the three Churchwardens has since been made, without regard to the old routine; but so that one of them is, yearly, nominated for each hamlet, besides a fourth chosen of late years by the Rector. As the ancient order of choosing Churchwardens may be matter of interest to the curious local enquirer, we shall insert in the Appendix a copy of the entry of 1657, with subsequent columns for the purpose of identifying the sites of the ancient messuage houses, which, as regards the Town of Burslem, we believe we are enabled to do with undoubted accuracy, though the sites, in several instances, can only be ascertained by referring to the map of the date of 1750, inserted hereafter, with the names of occupiers.*

* See Appendix, No. XIV.