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Establishing and Regulating the Market, and for Enlarging and Improving the Market-place at Hanley, in the county of Stafford."--(this is the title of the Act.) The preamble states, that for many years past a market had been held on part of the waste lands within the manor of Hanley, on Wednesday and Saturday weekly; that the original lease of the site of the Market-house had been then lately surrendered, and a new lease granted by the Lords of the Manor, to 21 persons; the Act then appoints the said 21 Lessees to be Governors and Managers of the Markets, gives them the usual powers for conducting the same, and authorises the survivors to fill up vacancies, so that all new Trustees be inhabitants of Hanley or Shelton, or exercise some business, profession, or calling within three miles thereof, and possess a certain qualification by estate. The Trustees are invested with ample power to purchase land or buildings for the enlargement and improvement of the Marketplace, and the approaches thereto, and to borrow money for those purposes. The tolls and profits, after discharging the debts of the trust, the costs of erections, charges of management, &c., are directed to be applied to public objects and purposes for the benefit and advantage of the inhabitants of Hanley and Shelton, at the discretion of the Trustees.

The Trustees, soon after the passing of the act, determined to remove the original Town-hall or Markethouse, which formed an inconvenient obstruction in the street, and they then enclosed an area, which was theretofore the site of a piece of stagnant water, called Hadley's-Pool, with a covered shed for the convenience of the poultry and butter-market, and for keeping dry the standings, &c. when not in use. To this building are attached lock-up houses for lodging disturbers of the peace and other offenders. They afterwards purchased a house and land in Tontine-street, near the Market-square, and erected thereon a very commodious Market-house

ACT FOR REGULATING HANLEY MARKET.

363

for the use principally of the butchers, which is faced on two sides with ashlar, and has an elegant open front, ornamented with Doric columns on the west side, from the centre of which rises a handsome stone cupola for a bell. The cost of this structure exceeded £3500. It was first opened for public use in August, 1831. The interior has five spacious alleys with stations for the butchers and other dealers, and on the back of the building is a weighing-house and other offices. The vegetable-market is holden in the square, formerly the Lower Green, which the Trustees propose still to enlarge and improve, and for this purpose they have made a purchase of the spacious premises, known for a long period as the Swan Inn, (the principal inn of the place,) which they have it in contemplation to pull down, and on part of the site they propose to erect a Town-hall, or suit of rooms for public purposes. They have expended many thousand pounds already in the prosecution of their plans for improving and enlarging the market, and opening the avenues thereto, and from their large and increasing income, arising from the tolls, they will, in a few years, be enabled to execute further important works for the general benefit of the place, according to the directions of the act. The Market-square has been well paved, and the accommodation both to buyers and sellers is altogether very complete; the market is extremely well attended on Saturdays, and partially on Wednesdays. The tolls are nearly on the same scale as those of Burslem,* but their annual product exceeds the latter, and now amounts to £1512, (they being farmed at that sum for the current year, commencing in September, 1840.)†

* See page 238.

It is curious to observe, that at the time of the surrender of the first lease in 1812, the Tolls produced, after payment of the expenses of collection, only just sufficient to defray the salary of the organist of Hanley-chapel, amounting to twenty guineas annually, which is a charge that has always been paid out of the proceeds of the market.

We hope the liberality of the Trustees will enable us to present a view of the new Market-house, as a finish to this long chapter.

We shall not give any further details peculiar to Hanley than to observe that the township has always maintained its own highways in repair distinctly from Shelton, and has, by means of the annual assessments for that purpose, preserved a correct and well-known geographical record of its limits. The highways are now superintended by a Board of Surveyors appointed annually, and their excellent condition, both in the carriage-ways and foot-paths, shew the care and expense lately bestowed upon them, and which have principally been done within the last 30 years, for prior to that period the foot-paths were generally unpaved, and the highways in very bad plight. Disputes existed also with regard to the liability to repair certain public highways in Hanley, the burthen whereof was supposed to belong to the tenants of the adjoining lands, but these questions are, we believe, now at rest.

The area of the Township of Hanley is 483 acres only, and the principal land-owners are John Smith, Esq., The Trustees of the late Mr. Charles Chatterley, Job Meigh, Esq., William Ridgway, Esq., Joseph Mayer, Esq., and Messrs. Baddeley.

CHAPTER XVII.

Hanley and Shelton.

HANLEY AND SHELTON ONE CONNECTED TOWN.-POTTERS OF PAST DAYS.

MOCK MAYOR'S FEAST.- DRINKING PARTIES. AMUSEMENTS. THE

ROUGH FLEET.-POLICE ACTS.-CHIEF BAILIFFS.-PUBLIC MEETINGS. -MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS, VIZ. THE OLD HALL, THE NEW HALL, AND OTHER FIRMS. MESSRS. FOURDRINIER'S PAPER-MILL.— WATER-WORKS OF JOHN SMITH, ESQ. WOOD-WALL WELL. IRON FOUNDERIES.-FURNACES OF EARL GRANVILLE.-BRITISH GAS COMPANY.-SILK-MILL.-FLINT AND COLOUR-MILLS.-COBALT MERCHANTS

AND

REFINERS. ENGRAVERS AND ARTISTS.

BANKING-ESTABLISH

MENTS. PRIVATE DWELLING-HOUSES.-MR. C. MEIGH'S PICTURE-GALLERY.-PROFESSIONAL PERSONS.

IN the present Chapter we mean to speak of Hanley and Shelton, and their historical and descriptive character in conjunction; for, as for, as they are not marked by any perceptible limits, and the dense seat of their united population is upon and about the ancient and now invisible line of demarcation by which they were divided from each other, upon the original partition of the country into Vills or Hamlets, so are they alike identified in matters of police, and in all that concerns a social and commercial community.

Hanley and Shelton, thus viewed, constitute the central seat of the Potteries; the Middle Town, and the chief Town of the Borough of Stoke; and, should a common name be thought desirable for a place so circumstanced, none so appropriate could be fixed upon as that of Middleton, which, though a very common one in England, does not at present belong to any town in Staffordshire. The two Townships contain nearly a third of the total popula

tion of the Borough, and according to the tables given in our third chapter,* the increase of inhabitants within the last century appears to have been at least eighteen fold; having advanced from about 1000 to upwards of 18,000 in number.

Several enterprising and successful potters during that period established themselves here; such were the individuals or firms of Heath, Hollins, Palmer, Taylor, Twemlow, Yates, Baddeley, Chatterley, Hassells, Mayer, Whitehead, Wilson, Ridgway, and others; several of whom became eminent in particular branches of the trade, and acquired independence of fortune, or considerable opulence, by their industry and skill; and of whose descendants a few are yet found among the living race of manufacturers. The by-gone worthies of Hanley and Shelton, (like the rest of their brethren in the district,) were most of them homely, hearty, and convivial men, who having outstripped the corporators of the neighbouring Borough of Newcastle in wealth, thought it rather derogatory to be outvied by them in their annual civic dinners. They therefore, near sixty years ago, commenced a goodly practice, which has been kept up until the present day, though not without some intermission, of holding a mock Mayor's feast, called also the venison feast, on account of the yearly donation of half a buck, which the noble Marquess of Stafford contributed to the entertainment. The first nomination of Mayor took place on the 18th September, 1783, when, (according to the record,) "Mr. Stephen Chatterley was appointed to the "honour of being Mayor of Hanley and Shelton." His successor, Mr. Ralph Baddeley, was inaugurated on the 30th September, 1784, on which occasion seventy gentlemen, (including some Newcastle visitors and strangers,) were assembled at the civic feast, whose names are registered in the Corporation Book,' from which we are

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