STUDIES IN LOCAL HISTORY

NO. 1. THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL

, nr. P. Hawkridge. C l i f tonl Comprehensive. School. ..

I flr. P. Livsey. Dinnington Comprehensive School. nr. I. G. Hawkridge. Planning Department, Metropolitan

J Borough of Rotherham.

CONTENTS

Pages

1. A P l a n o f t h e Nav iga t i on Canal now making f rom C h e s t e r f i e l d i n t h e County o f Derby t o t h e R i v e r T r e n t near S tockwi th i n t h e County o f Nottingham. Surveyed i n 1770. 2

2. The C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal - a background h i s t o r y . 3- 6

3. The C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal - fac t s , f i g u r e s and gene ra l in fo rmat ion . 7- 15

4. Seven documents i l l u s t r a t i n g t h e h i e t o r y o f t h e C h e e t e r f i e l d Canal, 1769 - 1845. 16-29

5. The Lime K i l n s a long t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal. 30-31

6. A d e s c r i p t i v e walk a long t h e Canal f rom K i ve ton Park t o Shireoaks, w i t h s i x i l l u s t r a t i o n s . 32-38

NOTE ON FURTHER RESOURCES

The f o l l o w i n g f u r t h e r resources on t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal a r e ava i l ab le . Please con tac t M r . Hop to f f , Loca l S tud ies L i b r a r i a n , Worksop P u b l i c L i b r a r y , Memorial Avenue, Worksop (Telephone: Worksop 2408)

a. A 16 mm f i l m "The C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal", i n co lou r , r u n n i n g t ime approx imate ly 30 minutes pub l i shed by T r i d e n t I n t e r n a t i o n a l . The f i l m deals w i t h t h e course o f t h e Canal f rom S tockw i t h t o Worksop.

b. The minutes o f t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal f rom 1 0 t h A p r i l , 1771 t c 1 0 t h October, 1779, ( i .e. t h e e a r l y years o f t h e cana l ) , t o g e t h e r w i t h va r i ous newspaper a r t i c l e s on t h e Canal. These may be used on l y a t t h e L i b r a r y .

2. THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL

A BACKGROUND HISTORY

The development o f t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal would appear t o have been promoted p a r t l y by t h e London Lead Company, which wanted a more access ib l e eh ipp ing p l ace t han Baut ry f o r t h e l e a d f rom i t s sme l t m i l l a t Ashover, p a r t l y by t h e Cavendiehes as owners o f t h e fu rnace and f o r g e a t Staveley, and p a r t l y by 0th- landowners w i t h p o t e n t i a l c o a l resources.

I n 1769 James B r i n d l e y surveyed a l i n e f o r t h e cana l and p resen ted p lane and es t imates t o a meet ing i n Workeop i n August of t h a t year. B r i n d l e y proposed t h e development o f a narrow cana l f rom C h e s t e r f i e l d t o Norwood, where t h e r e woulo be a l o n g summit tunnel , and thence p a s t Shi reoaks and Worksop t o Eas t R e t f o r d and t h e T ren t a t S tockwi th a t a c o s t o f E100,OOO.

A Canal Ac t was passed on 28 th march, 1771 which a u t h o r i s e d " A Company o f P r o p r i e t o r s o f t h e Canal Nav iga t i on f rom C h e s t e r f i e l d t o t he R i v e r o f Trent" , t h e Company's o f f i c i a l t i t l e , w i t h power t o r a i s e E100,OOO i n E l00 shares and E50,000 more i f necessary. Power was g ran ted t o make t o l l - f r e e roads up t o one m i l e l o n g f rom t h e canal.

By mid Ju ly , 1771, t h e f u l l c a p i t a l had been r a i s e d and work began on c u t t i n g t h e Norwood Tunnel - 8 ' 10" wide, 12' h i g h f rom i n v e r t and 2,850 yards long. I n l a t e 1774 i t was agreed t h a t downstream o f R e t f o r d t h e cana l would be cons t ruc ted as a broad waterway - i n c l u d i n g t h e s h o r t Drakeholes Tunnel which would t a k e c r a f t up t o 15' 6" wide.

Fo l l ow ing B r i nd ley l s death i n Autumn, 1772, John Va r l ey became Res iden t Engineer, a l though he was rep laced by Hugh Henshal l , B r i n d l e y ' s b r o t h e r i n law, i n l a t e 1773 a f t e r c e r t a i n f i n a n c i a l i r r e g u l a r i t i e s came t o l i g h t .

By 6 t h A p r i l , 1774, t he cana l was nav igab le f rom Shi reoaks t o below Worksop; by 3 r d August, 1774, t o Eas t Re t fo rd ; and by 22nd February, 1775, t o Hayton. The Noruood Tunnel was opened on 9 t h flay, 1775.

A t t h i s t ime i t was decided t o make a one m i l e l o n g branch f rom t h e cana l between Renishaw and S tave ley t o t h e t u r n p i k e road a t Norbr iggs; subsequent ly t h e Company took a l ease on a c o l l i e r y a t Norbr iggs w i t h t h e i n t e n t i o n o f i n c r e a s i n g t h e tonnage o f c o a l u s i n g t h e canal.

By 2nd A p r i l , 1776, t h e cana l was open f rom S tockw i t h t o K i l l a m a r s h and by 1 6 t h August, t o Norbr iggs, t h e whole l i n e be ing opened on 4 t h June, 1777, though C. Had f ie ld , t h e Canal h i s t o r i a n , concludee t h a t i t i s u n l i k e l y t h a t t h e T r e n t t i d a l l o c k was completed u n t i l t he Autumn,

Uhen completed, t h e cana l extended f o r 46 mi les, From C h e s t e r f i e l d i t f e l l 40' through 5 l o c k s t o S tave ley and rose by 73' th rough 14 l o c k s t o t h e Noruood Tunnel. The cana l then descended by 144' through 30 l o c k s t o Workaop. From Worksop t o t h e Trent , a d i s t ance o f 24 mi les , t h e cana l f e l l a f u r t h e r 105' through 16 l ocks , t h e l a s t 6 i n c l u d i n g West Stockwi th , t h e r i v e r l o c k , be ing broad. Reservo i rs were b u i l t a t Pebley, and l a t e r a t H a r t h i l l , Woodal l and Ki l lamarsh. The p r i v a t e Lady Lee branch cana l near Worksop, 3/4 m i l e long , r a n t o a quarry , and another branch a t Nether thorpe near S tave ley j o i n e d t h e Eas t I n k e r s a l l t ramroad which r a n t o p i t s near t h e Ade lph i Canal.

By 1789 E152,400 had been spent on t he works. T r a f f i c on t h e cana l was 74,312 tons o f which approx imate ly 42,379 t ons was coa l , 3,862 t ons was lead, 1,554 tons was i r o n , 7,569 tons was stone, and t h e r e s t corn, l ime , t imbe r and sundries.

Plans t o extend t he l i n e , o r connect i t w i t h S h e f f i e l d , were mooted and dropped and t he cana l Company con t inued t o t r a d e s t e a d i l y . By 1805 i t had been recognised by John P h i l l i p s i n h i s " H i s t o r y o f I n l a n d Nav iga t ion" t o be:-

" o f i nes t imab le advantage t o t he ne ighbour ing coun t ry , i n conveying coals , lead, stone, l i m e and o t h e r heavy a r t i c l e s ; which a r e now c a r r i e d a t o n e - f i f t h p a r t o f t h e usua l p r i c e o f l a n d ca r r i age , and w i t h equa l exped i t ion . It has always produced t o t h e subsc r i be rs a p r o f i t exceeding t h e i r most sanguine expectat ions".

I n 1842 a number o f b r i dges such as Dog Kennel B r i dge ho. 31) and Thorpe B r i dge @o. 36 were cons t ruc ted o r replaced.

The p r o p r i e t o r s o f t he C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal took t h e p r i n c i p a l p a r t i n fo rming a Ranchester and L i n c o l n Union Rai lway Company, which i n October, 1845 i ssued a prospectus t h a t i n c l u d e d i n i t s o b j e c t s t h e p a r t i a l convers ion o f t he cana l t o a r a i l w a y as p a r t o f a through l i n e f rom L i v e r p o o l t o Great Grimsby. A l i n e was t o r u n f rom Stave ley through Worksop t o Gainsborough w i t h a branch t o L i n c o l n and another from Worksop t o t h e Mid land Rai lway a t Beighton. These l i n e s were in tended as a counterbalance t o t h e S h e f f i e l d and L i n c o l n s h i r e J u n c t i o n Railway, p r o j e c t e d i n 1844 t o connect S h e f f i e l d and Gainsborough.

An Act dated 7 t h August, 1846, au tho r i sed a l i n e f rom t h e Mid land Rai lway a t Staveley t o Worksop, t he cana l and r a i l w a y amalgamating as t h e Manchester and L i n c o l n Union Rai lway and C h e s t e r f i e l d and Gainsborough Canal. Power was g i v e n t o amalgamate u i t h t h e S h e f f i e l d and L i n c o l n s h i r e J u n c t i o n Railway. The c a n a l Company was t o be d isso lved ; however t h e new body was n o t t o d ispose o f any p a r t o f t he cana l b u t t o keep i t i n good order , p reserve i t s wa te r supp l ies , and ma in ta i n j u s t t o l l s .

The Company now gave n o t i c e t o t h e S h e f f i e l d and L i n c o l n s h i r e J u n c t i o n Rai lway (s. & L.J.) t o amalgamate, b u t as i t had a l r eady been absorbed by t h e Manchester, S h e f f i e l d and L i n c o l n s h i r e Railway, t h e Manchester and L i n c o l n Union was a l s o amalgamated w i t h t h a t Company on 9 t h Ju ly , 1847. I n 1848, t h e r a i l w a y Company undertook r e p a i r s t o t h e cana l and i t s s t r uc tu res .

A t about t h i s t ime t h e r a i l w a y Company e s t a b l i s h e d a s m a l l c a r r y i n g bus iness a long t he C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal, which i n 1854 c a r r i e d 7,811 t ons o u t o f a t o t a l o f 118,946 tons; i n 1888 t h e Company c a r r i e d 62,075 tons.

I n 1889 an Act was ob ta ined t o d i v e r t t h e cana l f o r t h e Company's own new r a i l w a y l i n e s between Beighton, S tave ley and Ches te r f i e l d . A t K i l l a m a r s h and Renishau a new l i n e a long t h e edge o f t h e Park was s u b s t i t u t e d f o r over a m i l e o f c u r v i n g cana l and w i t h two s m a l l d e v i a t i o n s a t W h i t t i n g t o n and C h e s t e r f i e l d reduced t h e l e n g t h of t h e cana l by h a l f a m i le . An ex tens ion i n t o a loop,

~ t h o r i s e d i n 1890, accompanied a d e v i a t i o n o f t h e s e c t i o n a l r e a d y a u t h o r i s s d uetween S tave ley and Whi t t ing ton , w i t h another a l t e r a t i o n o f t h e cana l th rough t h e i ronworks. The r a i l w a y s concerned were opened between Be igh ton and S tave ley Yorks on 1 s t December, 1891 and onwards t o C h e s t e r f i e l d on 4 t h June, 1892. Fo l l ow ing t h e Company's takeover by t h e Great C e n t r a l Rai lway i n 1892, i t gave up c a r r y i n g on a l l i t s canals, and by 1905 t h e tonnage f i g u r e s had f a l l e n t o 45,177 tons, o f which 7,174 were f rom t h e Trent , and 11,638 t o n s t o it; t h e main t r a f f i c s were c o a l (15,000 tons) and b r i c k s (11,000 tons).

By t h i s t ime the upper p a r t o f t he cana l had been s e r i o u s l y a f f e c t e d by subsidence. A s h o r t l e n g t h between Staveley and C h e s t e r f i e l d was unnavigable, even a f t e r f.21,000 had been spent on the Norwood Tunnel between 1871 and 1905 i n r s p a i r i n g damage and r a i s i n g the roof . I n 1908 a f u r t h e r co l l apse caused the tunne l t o be closed, which v i r t u a l l y ended t r a f f i c above i t , and below as f a r down as Worksop. I n 1955 when the Stockwith-Walkeringham t r a d e ceased, a l l commerciai t r a f f i c ended.

Consequently, i n 1960, t h e Government-appointed Redevelopment Advisory Committee recommended t h a t t h e s e c t i o n from C h e s t e r f i e l d t o Spink H i l l B r idge (8 m i l e s ) shouid be r e t a i n e d as a water channel, and t h a t t he s e c t i o n from Spink H i l l Br idge up to, and i r i c l u d i n g t h e Norwood Tunnel ( 6 miles), much o f which was d ry and/or a f f e c t e d by min ing subsidence, should be e l iminated.

With regard t o t he l e n g t h o f cana l eas t of t he Norwood Tunnel, t he Redevelopment Committee recommended t h a t t h e s e c t i o n from t h e t u n n e l t o Worksop ( 6 m i l es ) should be r e t a i n e d as a water channel and t h a t t he s e c t i o n from Worksop t o S tockwi th (25$ mi les ) should be redeveloped as a n a v i g a t i o n f o r p leasure c r a f t .

R e l i e f from s t a t u t o r y o b l i g a t i o n s ( t o make a commercial p r o f i t ) was ob ta ined by the B r i t i s h Transpor t Commission Act, 1962, when a M i n i s t e r i a l assurance was g iven i n the House t h a t t he l e n g t h from Worksop t o S tockwi th would be main ta ined in i t s present c o n d i t i o n u n t i l a dec i s i on had been reached on t h e Committee's r e s t o r a t i o n proposals. The m i n i s t e r was g i ven an under tak ing i n 1967 by t h e B r i t i s h Waterways Board t h a t no th ing would be done t o p revent t he r e s t o r a t i o n o f the sec t i on from morse Lock a t Worksop t o t he T ren t f o r the use o f p leasure c r a f t . Under t he 1968 Transpor t Act, t he C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal eas t o f Morse Lock, Worksop, was designated a c r u i s i n g waterway and a c e r t a i n amount o f r e s t o r a t i o n work has been undertaken on t h i s s e c t i o n by the B r i t i s h Waterways Board i n co-operat ion w i t h t he Re t fo rd and Worksop Boat Club.

The l e n g t h o f the cana l west o f Worksop, i n c l u d i n g morse Lock, i s des ignated a remainder waterway and under t h e p r o v i s i o n s o f Sec t i on 107 (ii) o f t h e 1968 Transport Act the B r i t i s h Idaterrrays Board i s g iven a du ty t o dea l w i t h i t 'kn the m o s t economicai manner poss ib le ( cons i s ten t i n t h e case o f a waterway which i s reta ined, w i t h t he requirements o f p u b l i c hea l th , and t h e p r e s e r v a t i o n o f amenity and s a f e t y ) whether by r e t a i n i n g and managing the waterway by developing o r e i i m i n a t i n g i t , o r d ispos ing o f it".

Thus s ince i t s fo rmal c losure t o navigat ion, under t he p r o v i s i o n s o f Sec t i on 17 o f the B r i t i s h Transpor t Commission Act 1962, l i t t l e money has been spent on the l e n g t h o f the C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal, w i t h i n t h e Borough o f Rotherham, o t h e r than t h a t necessary t o ensure a cont inuous water supply t o the c r u i s i n g l e n g t h below Worksop.

I n ob ta in ing the support o f the West R id ing County Counc i l t o t h e c losu re o f t he Canal the Board agreed t h a t a l l the l o c k s on t h i s s e c t i o n would be made sa fe by l ower ing the chamber w a l l s and depos i t i ng the b r i c k and stone removed from t h e w a l l s i n t o t he l o c k chambers; t h i s work was c a r r i e d o u t i n t h e e a r l y s i x t i e s .

. .ga inst t h i s background, the towing pa th hedges had become overgrown and the channel - s u f f i c i e n t o n l y f o r the r e q u i r e d f l ow o f water - h e a v i l y s i l t e d and choked w i t h weeds. The canal, there fo re , po r t rayed a p i c t u r e o f abandonment and neglect.

I n 1973 the K ive ton Park Rura l D i s t r i c t Counci l , a t t he suggest ion o f t h e Rotherham C i v i c Society, i n s t i g a t e d i n v e s t i g a t i o n s i n t o t he p o s s i b i l i t y o f i n c l u d i n g t h e summit pound and towing pa th i n a count ry park extending from South Anston t o H a r t h i l l .

I n 1974 a Working Pa r t y was e s t a b l i s h e d by t h e B r i t i s h Waterways Board t o cons idor t h e p o t e n t i a l f o r , and i m p l i c a t i o n s of, r e s t o r i n g t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal between f lorse Lock, Worksop, and t h e Norwood Tunnel. The f i n a l Repor t o f the J o i n t Working P a r t y has r e c e n t l y been pub l i shed (1978) by t h e B r i t i s h Waterways Board.

For f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n p lease con tac t t h e P r i n c i p a l Amenity O f f i c e r ( ~ o r t h ) , a r i t i s h Waterways Board, P.O. Box No. 1, 1 Dock S t r e e t , ieeds. LS1 1HH (Tel . No. Leeds 36741).

THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL

FACTS, FIGUIIES AND GENERAL INFOHPIHTION

Purpose

1763. P r o j e c t e d c a n a l f rom C h e s t e r f i e l d t o T r e n t f o r l e a d , c o a l and l i m e s t o n e , i r o n goods and p o t t e r y and t h e i m p o r t o f t i m b e r , co rn , b a r - i r o n , g r o c e r i e s and s t h e r 'London Goods1. Source -81Source m a t e r i a l on t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal': C. Hemingway, 1976.

Survey

James B r i n d l e y , a s s i s t e d by John Var ley , surveyed t h e p roposed r o u t e . An a p p l i c a t i o n was made b u t t h e b i l l w i thd rawn and a second o p i n i o n sough t f r o m a fir. Grundy.

B r i n d l e y l s l i n e was t h r o u g h Worksop and R e t f o r d . Grundyls s u g g e s t i o n was f rom S t o c k w i t h t o Bawtry, t h e n t h r o u g h Scrooby, B l y t h and C a r l t o n , r e j o i n i n g B r i n d l e y ' s l i n e a t Shireoaks.

c o s t - 3 r i n d l e y ' s p r o p o s a l - £94,908-17s.-0d. 45 m i l e s l o n g Grundy 's p r o p o s a l - 571,479-6s. -93d. 40 m i l e s l o n g

S i i n a i e y ' s i i n e was f i n a l l y adop ted though Mr. Grundy l a t e r h e l d a m e e t i n g a t t h e Ange l Inn , Bawtry t o t r y t o e n l i s t s i l p p o r t f o r y e t a n o t h e r l i n e . ( r e f : York C o u r i e r 2.10.1770. ).

k c t o f P a r l i a m e n t - The Roya l Assent t o t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Cana l A c t was g i v e n on t h e 2 9 t h March, 1771. The news was r e c e i v e d w i t h r e j o i c i n g i n C h e s t e r f i e l d and R e t f o r d .

P r o v i s i o n s

The s ~ b s c r i p t i o n was t o be opened and work o n l y begun o n t h e c a n a l when E100,OOO had been subscr ibed. There was t o be no d e v i a t i o n o f more t h a n 60 y a r d s f rom t h e surveyed l i n e o f t h e cana l .

h a t e r was t o be o b t a i n e d f rom wa te rcou rses w i t h i n 1,000 y a r d s o f t h e l i n e o f t h e cana l , o r w i t h i n 5 m i l e s o f t h e summit o f Norwood H i l l , o r 3 m i l e s o f t h e end o f t h e c a n a l a t C h e s t e r f i e l d , o r o u t o f t h e Doe Lee w i t h i n 3 m i l e s o f t h e cana l . The r i g h t was g i v e n t o b u i l d r e s e r v o i r s , s i d e c u t s and d r a i n s .

No power was g r a n t e d t o t h e p r o p r i e t o r s o f the Company to b u i l d r o a d s o v e r one m i l e f r o m t h e Cana l and such r o a d s as were b u i l t were t o b e under a m i l e i n l e n g t h and t o l l - f r e e .

A u t h o r i t y was g r a n t e d t o c a r r y t h e c a n a l t h r o u g h gardens and l a w n s where necessary, p a r t i c u l a r l y t h o s e o f R i c h a r d S i t w e l l a t K i l l a m a r s h and R i c h a r d S t a n l e y a t Worksop.

There was t o be no b u i l d i n g o f m i l l s o r c u t t i n g o f t imber by the Company. The Company uas no t t o a l t e r t h e course o f the Bonder Beck wi thout the consent o f t h e Duke o f Leeds and John Hewitt, owners o f Shireoaks Hal l .

Provis ions

There was t o be a r e s t r i c t i o n on the e rec t ion o f quays, m i l l s , warehouses o r o ther b u i l d i n g s w i t h i n an area marked by the bridleway from Wales t o Woodall and another from Thorpe S a l v i n t o Anston, the proper ty o f t h e Duke o f Leeds.

'. . . o r t o make more than one towing path t o the s a i d canal on any o f the s a i d lands so s i t u a t e w i t h i n one thousand yards o f the s a i d four houses, which towing path s h a l l be on the opposi te s ide o f the s a i d respect ive houses.

There were t o be r e ~ t r i c t , i o n s on towing paths on the no r th s ide o f the canal betueen a c lose ouned by the Duke o f Leeds on the Thorpe t o Kiveton Park gate, or, on the south east o f the canal, on l a n d owned by Robert Rogers i n the Par ish o f Babworth.

The canal was not t o be made w i t h i n 200 yards o f Whystone Hal l .

Stavqley forge was t o be suppl ied w i t h water a t the Company's expense.

There was t o be no obs t ruc t ion o r wastage o f water t o be caused t o the r i v e r Rother o r the m i l l s owned by the Duke o f Nor fo lk c a l l e d Woodhouse Corn and S ick le m i l l , Treeton Corn m i l l , Wiston Corn m i l l and Nowch o r Cankleu Corn m i l l .

The water o f t h e R ive r Rother was no t t o be used f u r t h e r east than t h e west s ide o f Norwood H i l l .

Steps were t o be taken t o preserve Burwel l Spring i n H a r t h i l l which suppl ied Kiveton House.

Rates - Id. per m i l e p e r t o n l ime. 13d. per m i l e per t o n coal, lead, t imber and stone. 3d. per m i l e per ton soap, ashes, s a l t , salt-screw, f o u l s a l t and grey s a l t , soot, bone-dust, pigeons' dung, rape o r co le seed dust, rags o r tanners' bark f o r manuring lands and grounds l y i n g w i t h i n townships through which the canal passes.

Exemptions - f o r hay, corn i n the straw, smal l rubbish o r wastestones f o r making roads (not tu rnp ike) c a r r i e d f o r l e s s than 5 miles.

- a lso f o r dung, s o i l , marl, ashes o f c o a l and t u r f f o r improve- ment o f lands and grounds i n the towns o r hamlets through which t h e canal passes.

Boats - Boats under 20 tons had t o have the consent o f the Company t o use the canal.

Masters' names and places o f abode were t o be pa in ted on the ou ts ide o f boats.

Narrow boats, 70' x 7' c a r r y i n g 20-27 tons, were t o be operated.

Warehouses

Land owners were empowered t o b u i l d warehouses.

Distance Stones

m i l e stones were t o be erected.

Width o f Canal

The l a n d t o be used was n o t t o exceed 26 yards i n breadth, o r where t h e canal was h igher o r c u t 5 f e e t deeper than the surrounding land, 60 ft. Add i t i ona l space was a l so t o be a v a i l a b l e where the re was a t u r n i n g spot o r where a crane was s i tuated.

Penal t i e s

For des t roy ing the works, 7 years t r a n s p o r t a t i o n t o America. For o b s t r u c t i n g the works, &5 maximum, E2 minimum f i n e o r a p e r i o d o f time i n the House o f Correct ion.

Income and Div idends

Whilst t he canal was being cons t ruc ted a 5% d iv idend was t o be paid. I n 1797 3% was paid, though by 1800 t h i s had r i s e n t o 6%. In 1825 and 1826 a d iv idend o f 8% was paid. ( re f . H.A.S.T. Vol. 7). I n 1797 the gross income was E10,883.0s.-9d. r i s i n g t o E13,683.158.-3d. i n 1806.

Opposit ion

There was, i n t he l a t e 1760's. much support from the businessmen o f t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d area f o r t he i dea o f a canal t o l i n k C h e s t e r f i e l d t o t h e Trent. The main opposi t ion, as i n o t h e r canal enterpr ises, came from vested i n t e r e s t s . For instance, i n 1720 the I d l e was made navigable t o Ret ford, having been navigable before 1575 t o Bawtry. The boatmen on the I d l e , who b e n e f i t t e d from the ex is tence o f the t rade rou te from North Derbyshi re t o Bawtry f o r t he expor t of lead, were threatened by the proposed navigat ion. There was a l s o oppos i t i on from those, such as the owners o f t he Don Navigat ion, who were concerned t h a t the supply o f water t o t h e i r nav iga t i on from t h e R i v e r Rother might be af fected.

Support

The C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal Act l i s t s many notab le l o c a l p e r s o n a l i t i e s and l a n d owners who gave t h e i r support t o t h e canal. London merchants were a l s o anxious t o avo id the l ong l a n d hau l t o t he R ive r I d le , because o f t he h i g h c o s t o f road t ransport . The Cavendish fam i l y a l s o supported the venture because i t would prov ide an improved o u t l e t f o r i r o n from Staveley.

meetings were h e l d t o discuss the proposals f o r t h e canal a t t h e Red L i o n i n Worksop. People, who were expected Prom a v a r i e t y o f towns and c i t i e s , were t o meet a t 11.00 a.m. on t h e 4 t h August, 1769 and aga in i n January 1770.

Line o f Canal

These e a r l y meetings l e d t o an a l t e r a t i o n i n the l i n e o f the canal and i t was repor ted i n the Derby "mercury" o f 2nd February, 1770 t o be from Uorksop through Ret ford and Drakenholes t o the Trent a t Stockwith. I t was l a t e r suggested by Br ind ley t h a t the canal might be l i n k e d t o the Cromford Canal and South Yorkshire Navigat ion Canal Company.

Delay

The nav igat ion was l a i d aside f o r a year i n order f i n a l l y t o decide on the l i n e of the canal. ( l e t t e r from Mr. S a v i l l e t o Mr. Arklow, Nott6, Rec. o f f i c e ) .

Staking ou t the Canal

Despite the delay, the l i n e o f the canal was t o be staked ou t by flr. Varley. ( ~ e r b y mercury, 11.5.1770. ) . Subscr ipt ions

Books fo r subscr ip t ions opened a t Chester f ie ld , Worksop and Ret ford (11.5.1770. Derby mercury).

Inspect ions

During the b u i l d i n g o f the canal two committee members were t o accompany the Clerk o f Works on f o r t n i g h t l y inspections. The superv is ion o f money appears t o have been r a t h e r l a x because dur ing 1774 John Varley was found t o have been embezzling money from the Company, us ing an a u t h o r i t y which al lowed him t o r e q u i s i t i o n money from the Rev. flr. Peacock who was treasurer.

Br ind ley d ied a t Turnk i rs t , Staf fs . 27.9.1772. John Varley was t o l d t o c a r r y on w i t h the work, fo l lowing the ideas o f James Brindley, u n t i l a successor was appointed. Company minutes 7.10.1772.

Hugh Henahall (Br indley 's brother- in- law) was appointed P r i n c i p a l Engineer. He was engaged t o make fou r surveys a year, being p a i d 150 guineas a year. mr. Henahall had already succeeded Br ind ley as engineer on the Trent and Plersey Navigat ion (ref. Derby mercury 30.10.1772.) which probably i n f l uenced the Ches te r f i e ld Canal Company i n i t s appointment on 25.11.1772. When the canal was completed, he was asked t o devote 10 days a year t o navigat ion.

Varley

John Varley, whose character had already been questioned, was the sub jec t o f numerous inves t iga t ions dur ing the b u i l d i n g o f the canal. A f t e r being caught embezzling money he was, i n August 1773, asked t o exp la in the wastage o f br icks. He was a l so accused o f having l e t the cont rac t t o w a l l t he Norwood tunnel t o h i s bro ther a t an extravagant pr ice. Varley was brought before the committee on t h i s occasion and asked t o provide a f i d e l i t y bond o f f500 and

t o sack h i s two brothers and f a t h e r who were working on the tunnel. Rr. Varley would seem t o have been w e l l t rea ted by the company, who erected a house f o r him a t the east end o f the tunne l fo r the use o f h imse l f and h i s fami ly w h i l s t he was enployed there. There must, however, have been ser ious quest ion marks against h i s name from an e a r l y atage, f o r a t the same t ime as grant ing him a house, he was a lso made responsib le f o r the mistakes and neglect o f the workmen i f he could no t p o i n t out the offender ( re f : Company Rinutes 10.6.1775). H is fa the r and bro thers recur as thorns i n the s ides o f the company before being g iven t h e i r marching orders. For instance, 31 yards o f br ickwork i n Norwood Tunnel had t o be taken down by Thomas Varley because i t was out o f l i n e , and Francis Varley and Sarwel Knock, who had set out the work, were ordered t o pay, a long w i t h Thomas, f o r t h e rebu i ld ing, cos t ing E1.16s.Od. per yard (company Minutes 3.8.1773). I t would appear t h a t the Varleys l e d a charmed existence f o r i n flay 1774 Francis Varley senior, Thomas Varley and Francis Varley j u n i o r were again ordered t o be dismissed immediately and John Varley was t o enter a fu r the r bond o f E500 f o r var ious sums o f money improperly disposed of. One of the c o n t r i b u t i v e f a c t o r s may have been the non-completion o f tunne l work by Thomas Varley, amongst others. (company minutes 24.1.1774.).

f l a t e r i a l s and Cost

Reference has a l ready been made t o the cost o f l i n i n g the Norwood tunne l w i t h b r i c k s as being E1.16s.Od. a yard. The b r i c k s used on the l o c k s and i n the tunne l were t o be 9" x 4" x 28" (Refs: Derby Mercury 26.11.1773, Company I l inu tes 17.11.1773).

A nr. Handbury o f f e r e d t o do the brickwork between the 10 ft. wheel and the Breast Wheel on L i t t l e Moor, which invo lved 220 yards o f tunnel, f o r E2.13s.Od. a yard. Fortunatus Lawrence was contracted t o get and l o a d s u f f i c i e n t Psnnyholme stone f o r making 4 l o c k s a t 33d. per cu. ft. f o r the working and set t ing . He was t o be p a i d Id . per cu. ft. f o r ob ta in ing t h e stone. (Company minutes 2.3.1774.). Bricks, l i m e and stone were t o be taken from B r a n c l i f f Ground t o Cloworth town end. (company minutes 21.8.1775.). For c u t t i n g the canal from Dam Bottom t o Shepherds Aqueduct, Jonathan 300 was t o be p a i d 2s.44. a yard, w h i l s t Ralph Shepherd was t o be p a i d 2s.6d. f o r c u t t i n g the canal from the aqueduct t o the f o r e s t and 3 guineas f o r making a v a l l e y i n the f i e l d ad jo in ing the fores t . (company l l inu tes 6.4.1774.). Timber from Welbeck, 7s. per ton. Lime burning a t H igg in F i e l d l i m e k i l n cost ls.4d. a chaldron. 1,000,000 b r i c k s were t o be made by Edward Lewis and John Day a t 13s. pe r 1,000. (company f l inutss 13.7.1774.).

It was decided t h a t the coa l dug i n the process o f c u t t i n g the canal was only f i t f o r burning lime.

Bridges

The dimensions o f the br idges were t o be:-

Under main roads - over 21' wide over 5'3" h igh (from crown o f arch)

Under bye roads - over 15' wide

Other bridges, f o r pedestr ian movement, were t o be over 12' wide and 4'9" high, from croun o f arch.

Those t h a t had already been b u i l t were t o be a l tered.

A mole catcher was t o be employed a t 2s. 6d. a mile. (3.8.1771.).

I n January 1775 the company boats were gauged and numbered and i n February o f t h a t year boats 1 - 5 were l e t t o Mr. Peacock and mr. Grant a t 10s. pe r boat per week. It does no t appear t o have been a very successful par tner - sh ip f o r i n flay 1775 the company took back the boats u n t i l someone cou ld be appointed who would look a f t e r them properly.

Admin is t ra t ive Sections

The canal was t o be d i v ided i n t o fou r d i s t r i c t s f o r the purposes o f administ rat ion.

(a) Ches te r f i e ld t o west end o f Norwood Tunnel. (b) Nomood Tunnel. (c) East end o f Norwood Tunnel t o Retford. (R. 1dle). (d) Retford t o Stockwith.

(company minutes 3.8.1773. )

B r i c k K i l n s

Reference i s made t o 15 b r i c k k i l n s around the Norwood Tunnel. I n August 1773 these were t o be closed, a l l except 3 o r 4, because s u f f i c i e n t b r i c k s had already been produced f o r foreseeable needs.

Cuts - Certa in cu ts were t o be made from the canal. I n A p r i l 1774 an es t ima t ion waa made o f the cost o f making a c u t t o the stone quarry i n l and owned by John Hewitt. A s ide c u t was made from the canal a t Doe Lee t o the Turnpike

Road (company Minutes 4.10.1775. ).

A f u r t h e r a ide c u t was t o be made from Norwood end t o the H o l t i n K i l lamarsh (company minutes 4.10.1775.). Reference t o a s ide c u t near Norbrigge C o l l i e r y (Company minutes 3.9.1778. ).

Accidents

I n June 1773, E1.4s.Od. was pa id t o George F i r t h f o r g i v i n g treatment t o Edward Bunting who l a t e r d ied from i n j u r i e s received i n the Norwood Tunnel.

Norwood Tunnel

The t u n n e l was f i n a l l y completed on 9 t h May, 1775. Three vesse l s s a i l e d through t h e t u n n e l w i t h 300 people on board, t h e journey t a k i n g 1 hour 1 minute. The t u n n e l was 2,850 yards long, 12 ' h i g h and 9'3" wide. The maximum d i s tance be lou t h e su r f ace o f t h e h i l l s i d e was 108 ft.

An a u c t i o n was h e l d a t John Var ley ls house, i n J u l y 1775, which i s r e f e r r e d t o as be ing a t Pennyholme, H a r t h i l l , o f machinery used on t h e Norwood Tunnel. Th i s comprised:-

3 horse-g ins - wheel d iameter 14 ft., 11 ft. and 10 ft. w i t h p u l l e y s o f 3 ft. 6 ins . and 2 ft. 8 ins .

3 water engine wheels 20 ft., 1 6 ft. and 17 ft. diameter.

9 t u r n b a r r e l s and s tand t rees . 20 ya rd pump t rees . 1 wind engine. 2 p a i r s o f sm i th ' s bel lows. 4 horse water tubs. R o l l e r s f i x e d i n frames f o r s l i d e rods, drum wheels and cha ins and s l i d e and pump r o d j o i n t s .

Payment o f Labourers

Workmen were be ing p a i d a t a r a t e o f 2s. o r 3s. a day, w i t h 1s. a day be ing p a i d t o t h e l o d g i n g house.

R e s t r i c t i o n s on Nav iqa t i on Times

Boate were n o t t o move on t h e cana l between 9.00 p.m. and 4.00 a.m. i n t h e summer and 5.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. i n w in te r .

Damage t o t h e Canal

Tenants o f t h e Duke o f Leeds were t o pay f o r r e p a i r s t o t h e Norwood Tunnel a f t e r they had damaged a 19 yard s t r e t c h w h i l s t o b t a i n i n g c o a l ove r t h e arch. (Company Minutes 3.9.1777. ) . I n s p e c t i o n o f Lacks

A house was t o be b u i l t a t t h e west end o f Norwood Tunnel t o be used by a person appointed t o i n s p e c t t h e Norwood Locks. (Company Minutes 16.10.1777.).

R a i l Road

A R a i l road was t o be made from Norbr iggs C o l l i e r y t o t h e s i d e c u t nearby u s i n g rammed r a i l s 5" x 4" as s leepers a t 2 ft. dis tance, and c a l l e d t h e Newcastle Ra i l road . The development o f t h e Newcastle Rai lways t o Glasshouse Common l e d t o inc reased trade. (H.A.s.T. Vol. 7.).

Reservo i rs and Feeders

M r . D ixon was t o s e t o u t an in tended feeder from Thorpe Wood t o t h e summit s e c t i o n o f t h e canal. (Company Minutes 24.3.1775.). A r e s e r v o i r was t o be made across t h e v a l l e y a t t h e sou th corner o f Norwood, near Woodall. A r e s e r v o i r was t o be made near H a r t h i l l . (Company Minutes 28.4.1796.).

Repa i rs and Replacements

The r a i l w a y c o n t r a c t o r had d i v e r t e d t h e water course a t Dog Kennels ridge endanger ing t h e banks. The b r i d g e a t Sh i reoaks was t o be widened by t h e company a t t h e Duke o f Leedsv expense. The bot tom l o c k ga tes on Nos. 51, 63, 39 and 27 l o c k s were t o be renewed. D e v i a t i o n s t o t h e cana l were cons idered i n 1847.

BUS INESS 1777

Lead C o a l s L i m e Corn S t o n e I r o n Timber S u n d r i e s

Tons -

T h i s a b s t r a c t d e t a i l s t h e k i n d s o f c a r g o e s c a r r i e d by t h e b a r g e s a l o n g t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d Canal d u r i n g i t s f i r s t y e a r o f f u l l o p e r a t i o n .

BUSINESS 1826

Lead Coal Lime Corn S t o n e I r o n Timber S u n d r i e s

Tons -

R e f e r e n c e s

Derby Rsrcury . C h e s t e r f i e l d Cana l Company minutes. H.A.S.T. Hunter A r c h e o l o g i c a l S o c i e t y T r a n s a c t i o n s .

4. SEVEN DOCUmEMTS ILLUSTRATING THE HISTORY OF THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL, 1769 - 1845 I " A Cursory View o f t he Advantaqes o f an In tended Canal" 1769

(a) T h i s anonymous pamphlet i s an appeal f o r subsc r i be rs f o r the p lanned cana l t o l i n k C h e s t e r f i e l d w i t h t he Trent . The move came f rom t h e owners o f l e a d and coal-mines near t h a t town and they formed t h e Company which secured t he Ac t o f Par l iament i n 1771. The l i s t o f subsc r i be rs was headed by t h e Duke o f Devonshire, t he Duke o f Newcastle, and Lo rd Scarsdale o f Kedleston.

(b ) The au tho r i s keen t o p o i n t o u t t he advantages t o people l owe r down t' canal, t o encourage a r e t u r n t rade. He env isages t i l e s f rom Retfoso, m a l t from Worksop, and l i m e f rom t h e a rea between K i v e t o n Park and Shi reoaks pass ing i n l and .

(c ) He makes p l a y w i t h t h e names o f t h e Duke o f Br idgewater , p i onee r o f cana l b u i l d i n g , and James B r i nd ley , t h e Duke's engineer. I n August 1769 B r i n d l e y had presented h i s p l a n and es t ima te o f t h e c o s t t o a meet ing a t Worksop.

I 1 A P lan o f t he In tended Naviqable Canal f rom C h e s t e r f i e l d t o Bawtry, surveyed 1769

Th i s map has been mod i f i ed by a subsequent owner. I t o r i g i n a l l y showed, n o t B r i n d l e y ' s scheme, b u t t he a l t e r n a t i v e one which would have taken t h e cana l through C a r l t o n and B l y t h t o Bawtry, t h e r e t o j o i n t h e e x i s t i n g R i v e r I d l e Nav iga t i on down t o Stockwith.

The map showe some o f t he comp l i ca t i ons o f p l ann ing a canal , e e p e c i a l l y i n r e l a t i o n t o t he water supply. I n t h e Act o f Par l iament , t he company had t o promise t o pay f o r water d i v e r t e d f rom Pebley D ike and St. N i cho las Sp r i ng t o t h e p r e j u d i c e o f Peck M i l l and Wood m i l l . Wood R i l l i n L i n d r i c k Dale was a water-powered c o r n m i l l s e r v i n g Anston and ne ighbour ing farms. I t drew i t s supply f rom Anston Brook and t h e p r o p r i e t o r s , who i n tended t o use Aneton Brook as a feeder f o r t he canal, had t o widen it. They even undertook t o keep c l e a r t h e watercourses f eed ing Anston Brook, f rom Laughton Common across what was then D inn ing ton Common (Ee lmi res and C r a m f i t ~ i k e s ) and t o r e p a i r f lonk's Br idge and PlarrBecks B r i dge i n Dinn ington.

I 1 1 A P lan o f t he nav ioab le cana l now makinq from C h e s t e r f i e l d , i n t h e County o f Derby, t o t h e R i v e r Trent, surveyed i n 1770

From "The Gentleman's Magazine", flay 1772.

T h i s map shows the f u l l l e n g t h o f t h e Canal as i t was b u i l t between 1771 and 1777. I t c o s t E160,OOO i n t h e end, 50% over B r i nd ley l s est imate, b u t he had n o t s tayed l o n g as Resident Engineer, d y i n g i n August 1772. H i s 8

successor, John Varley,. o n l y l a s t e d a year and t h e Canal was completed by Br ind ley ls cousin, Hugh Henshal l .

One p o i n t about t h i s map i s t h a t , l i k e the p reced ing one, i t underest imates t h e even tua l l e n g t h o f t h e Norwood Tunnel, 2850 yards. The map a l s o l eaves o u t t h e l a r g e r e s e r v o i r s t h a t had t o be b u i l t above H a r t h i l l and Woodhall t o feed t he canal.

The p l a n shows a number o f b r i dges over t h e Canal. I n t h e Act, b r i dges were proposed between Shi reoaks and Norwood a t "Long meadow i n Anston"

(presumably t he b r i d g e a t ~u rne rwood ) , "Old Sp r i ng Close" (pudding D ike) and "Dule-Hole Close" ( D e v i l ' s ole) . The b r i d g e s now c a l l e d Thorpe Br idge and Dog Kennel B r i dge c a r r i e d e x i s t i n g p u b l i c roads.

I V E x t r a c t s f rom t h e "Derby Mercury" 1776 - 77

(a) These e x t r a c t s r e c o r d t h e p a r t i a l opening o f t h e cana l i n August 1776, t h e f o rma l opening a t C h e s t e r f i e l d i n June 1777 and an e a r l y a d v e r t i s e - ment f o r t h e c a r r i a g e o f goods on t h e canal.

(b ) The p r a i s e o f t h e navv ies ' conduct r e f l e c t s u n f o r t u n a t e exper iences elsewhere, perhaps where they were l e s s w e l l l ooked a f t e r t han the: appear t o have been on B r i n d l e y ' s p r o j e c t s .

(c ) The e x t r a c t s s e t t h e cana l ' s b u i l d i n g i n a con tex t o f Enc losure Acts and war news f rom America.

V Abs t rac t o f Tonnaqe and Expend i tu re f o r 1789

These f i g u r e s show t h a t 12 years a f t e r t h e opening o f t h e cana l i t was n c t f u l f i l l i n g expectat ions. The income was below e s t i m a t i o n and a l a r g e p r o p o r t i o n o f i t had t o be used t o pay i n t e r e s t on t h e deb ts t h e Company had incur red . A f t e r t h i s and a f t e r pay ing o f f some o f t h e i r debts, t h e r e was o n l y money l e f t t o pay a 15 d i v i d e n d on t h e o r i g i n a l shares. I t i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t these shares were s e l l i n g below p a r f o r s e v e r a l years. L a t e r bus iness improved and 6% became t h e average d iv idend, s t i l l something o f a disappointment.

The reasons f o r t he s h o r t f a l l were probably : (1) An overes t imate o f t he demand f o r C h e s t e r f i e l d coal . (2) Unfavourable c o n d i t i o n s l a i d down i n r ega rd t o t h e water supply,

e s p e c i a l l y between S tave ley and Norwood.

V I Ordnance Survey of South Yorkshi re , 1815 - 17

T h i s shows t h e cana l and i t s neighbourhood d u r i n g i t s most a c t i v e per iod . There were p u b l i c whar fs a t Dog Kennel Br idge, Peck M i l l Lime Works, Pudding Dyke, mr . G i l l ' s Lime Works, and Turner Wood Lime Works. T h i s shows t h e predominance o f l i m e as an e x p o r t f rom t h e area.

I n a d d i t i o n a t t h i s t ime t h e q u a r r i e s i n No r th Anston and by Dog Kennel B r i dge were known f o r t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f l a r g e r o l l i n g o r edge s tones f o r c rush ing l i n s e e d and making gunpowder. These were sh ipped down t o t h e Trent . Some weighed 6 - 8 tons.

The boats, which t h e Act s a i d should be p a i n t e d b l ack w i t h t h e i r names i n whi te , were 70 f e e t l o n g and 7 f e e t wide. They c a r r i e d 20 - 22 tons and i n 1794 c o s t E90 - E l00 new. The owners p a i d t h e bargemen by t h e t o n c a r r i e d , i n s t e a d o f a weekly wage. Apparent ly l o n g w a i t s a t l o c k s o r a t t he Norwood Tunnel, when t h e bargemen would absent themselves i n t h e pubs, l e d t o a h i g h r a t e o f t h e f t .

V I I P a r t o f a "P lan and s e c t i o n o f t h e proposed Manchester and L i n c o l n Union Rai lway and t h e C h e s t e r f i e l d and Gainsborouqh Canal" c. 1845

T h i s map shows n o t o n l y t h e p lanned r a i l w a y which was t o take t h e c a n a l ' s t r a d e away b u t some f e a t u r e s a long t h e cana l which have been a l t e r e d since. P a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e a t i n g a r e t h e b u i l d i n g s a t Pennyholm above t h e t u n n e l

entrance, the layout o f the bui ldings a t Dog Kennels and the l i n e o f Broad Bridge Dyke br inging water t o the summit l e v e l from the reservoi rs above Uoodall.

DOCUflENT 1 "A CURSORY VIEW OF THE ADVANTAGES OF AN iNTENOED CANAL", 1769

-" _, -- - . * .,., -. v - - '. u ....,-. .-." -. -~

. , ~ - .- a*,.' . .nTk . r e . . . . . . . .i.. ..:a . - . - - - --- - . . , < y . . . . . - . - .7. ...

.r . -

.L--.L-&a&% - ..*-- - . .. - . - . OLLC UT PBAenJng ' l N 3 U 1 H 3 A I U 3 H l 01 A8H30 10

. . -v .-.-&.2-=*~ ,.. "- , -

.7- . . . .- . . . a - .

. , . ,. - - < .

AlNf l03 3 H l N I 0 1 3 I J U 3 1 S 3 H 3 WOU1 3NINVW . I , , . IlON l V N V 3 318V3IAVN 3 H l 10 N V l d V 111 lN3Wfl300

---.

-. I , * \

.. .

- -, - - & Q N D . U ~ ~ w r * a s i ) f ~ a : ' ; a . ' b the Courfc of t h e Irft fcfions hi, Uaje+

, . r e n t Tiola to the Hou re of Peer&, a& the bill% i d ~ d i n g thofe f i P d by comma on^ N O T I C E is h

" Moaned to 253, which is the gmatefi N u m b r H A T the COMMi$ . Pprrcd in aky one Seifionr for m a y Years pi?. &d Pcrc ' immediate1 after the D u l h of

;:& .x)oqj&'of ~ o r r ~ u a r; u b d , -ivd his of Abhnce ; but 'b*t g~H.11t

F t p v - a pa a - ~ c l m ~ o * &,the T t c r ' s

Percy nturn to America with a %mn=n of great Importance* and will em- h r k far that Purpofe on board a Frigate which k :chi1 for New-Yak the middkof mxc Monjh.

4 con(i&abk Quantity of Ordna- Stores .*b &ippb in * few Days for Miaorca and

GW?t.r* in - of any Attack upon thofe G8rrifons. P R O P ' this Morning fome Cck and wounded Soldiers For PRINTJXC .

from Ncw-York, were landed out of the Gar. &proin Wdtgn* is arrived in the

Rim. , , T h e Printer which took thgBdPy, Cullp,

ad thestart, bar b u n t ime Ren gpitii hoDun. kirk 8 and i! i s well known, that he was fitted out tbcre for the Purpoi' of privateering, and ia

bcfi failingVcffe1 of the three that war'lately purchafed at Dover.

Letters frore South-Carolina mention, that - by an A& of tbe AlIimbIy there an .of ab- jumtion to th=Suprtrp*cp. of Enghnd w* a=d, b rb icb all who nfoftd to t a b hid h t g f ere abliFd to quit t h Province in 60 bal6. with their Fami.= and Eti&s, not to return under

of Death ; in Confequerrcc of * late Lieu:. Goternor, fomc of the Clergy, m y Merchants, and orhn8, together with all aha CUB-Houfe Officers, w m preyrrin ta . lun t ha t Prorime ; one Vefftl, on boar8 of r b i i *m kreral Fugi:ivcs, was taken, m d

- broagbt into Bamuda, b one of hir MajcRg'r E rdun . -Oa . b-. PJ

8 N w - ~ w ~ , &d J+ 2, dr t- b Q/iWL Cepty&.Ir. u Qur pppm-- fot)-d Smfr

osFTroo a brvc had in their Expedition mDan- --bury in 8onneAicui; but (bey arc printed un- der erle Dirdtion of !be General, and therdfore tBeTruth is kept a: much as poffible from us. But this we are certain that a gmat Number of the Soldiers and fame of the officers who n t n t from this City are not returrrcd, they therefore are either killed, deferted, or taken Priboers, and the Soldiers arc forbid Ih iog W. B. The above is in g o d Xcpair. pap 3 r h t fbhjcOa priacipa

any thing; bu t rhue Teens a ~ l m r a i n d in cwry Countenance. Seven1 Waggon Loads of Wounded ire brought in. By what I can learn, tbc General begins to believe, that all the Force Errgland can fend will never be able to iubduc the Americans ; we have plenty of Provifions ' fu t rh arrived from Corke; but we are forced to l i re entirely on Salt P~.ovifions, which bas thrown pat Part of our Army into the gurvy. 1 find tbis priratdy by a S d o r , whom 1 hare bccn a Friend to; for no Letters ate f u & d to. go from beme till they have been infpeaed, btcaufe no

lhould be to but approved of by the General."-L. d. PQP.

CURRENT PRICES of STOCKS. ~~k stock, I 3-4tb a 5-8ths: 1ndiadino;-. South-

fia, dltto, 93 '-id{. N- ~ n n u l t a e , ( ,, j - p h a a l-%thr. Thrm per sent. Bmk Annuities red. 7% 1-b4lf a Djno WY. *-half. 3-4ths. Four per Cent. 8;;:: r f l r , & I-Btgs a 3.Sths india Bonds, 11, a nr. pram, tfcrrry TIr&- ,,I. 87s. 6d. S c r l p 97 a 96 7-Xth1. Om- mum 1-8ths s j-4tho premium. -- F

D E R B Y : Printed and Sold by f 0 H N D R E W R Y, in the MARK@T-PLACII ; ofwhom may be 'lad gre, Sdd dCo by Mcilh. Rm, Trirnff, Roano, apd Almond, LLookhllerd,ln D a b ; Mn. Cote, PYirl wwtb; Mr. Calow, CbzprjWd; Mr. WrlJon R ~ r k

4pkm,; M,. Maden, uwu,t( Mr. S d t . W M j h r r b j Mr. .fir&, WmM U I. St~nltorb. /.mulI-Py9; Mifa AIILp% -1 Yr: D a . 4My-44 A& of Mr. Jor w Woon. Roper and Fmcint .Net Maker In M8*$8Yi Mr. W. Baa, Shopkeeper, fa 8- i 1. H o r k y , war &c BWL- , Pbcut fmrU enn 81 18. Qd. u s h Timr ol l~lrniclll, tad lupr ia Yrop0ttjp0,ckttm I 0 k roar PoR-paid,

150 C H E S T E R F I E L D C A N A L

whole mum wm r a i d ; and in cane the above sum was insufficient, they might raise! among themselves, or hy the adnlislion of new subscribers, or by mortgage of the ratm iuld duties, the additional run1 of &50,000. The work to be managed by a committee, under tI1~. control of the assembly. The act, which is very

long, w n h many claullee h r the protection of private property; particularly such as belong to the Dukes of Norfolk and Leeds, and Lord B y m a Imrnediatel) on the passing of the act, the worke were commenced, under the direction of Mr. Brindley, and eo wn- h u e d until hie death, in September, 1774, when they were wn- ducted and finished by Mr. Henshall, his brother-in-law, in 1776. From the Trent to Retford, the canal is constructed for vecrmels of fifty to sixty tom burthen; the remaining portion in h r mch ae carry about twenty tons only.

RATES OF TONSAGE AND WHARFAGE.

a. ....................................................... Lhc 1 per Ton, per Mile.

Coal. Lead, Tirnter, Stwe, and all 0 t h Ooodq Wares and) atto. ditto. ........................................... k h a n d i z e soap. ~shes, w t , Saltscrow. P O U ~ wt, and arty salt, soot,

Bone-dust, hgeona' Dung. Rape or Cole Seed Dust, to bc

h d s &all be cut through by this Canal, such Land8 bung in any Township through which it pease% aod

uacd f a the manuring of Lan& of any Persona whose

Rags or T a n n w ' Bark.. ................................ EXEMFTlOH PROM TOLL

Hay. and Corn in the Straw, not mld, but t o be laid up in the Outhouses of the Owner; Small Rubbish or Waste Stoaes, Oravel and Sand far the rrpeir of Rosds, (not being Turnpike) In my Tonoship through which Lhe Canal psaaca. md ,.

which ahall not be carried more than Five M i l e Dung. Soil. Marl. A h a d C o a l and Turf, fm th Impmvammt of lan& lying in any -a

Townahip through wbich the C a d m l l paas. and belonging to Persons w b e e .,

Lande may be taken fm the Cannl, pmvided tbm aapted A r t i c h do not par a Lock. cxceut when the W a t a is running o m the Gauge or N i c k oftbe . -

U any Iron lronaone. Cocrls, Lime for the lmlmpmvemnt of Lank or 0 t h rrhadrcr. -in on the Wherfa longer than Twenty-folour Hours, then mch I a t i o n a l Rate to be pald M may be S ~ T X ~ upon.

Flftg F e t of Round, a Folzy Feet of S g u m M , hah, or Elm Tlmber,ar M y F e t d Fir, or DaL. BaLL, Poplar, and other Tunber Wood, chall bc deemed One Ton.

A Tun d Cal a Lrnwtme to be Twmty-two Hundred Weight of One Hundred nod Twelve Pam& e~ch

V a t b under Twenty T o m not to pam Lxkn withoot leave adem they pay fm that Weight. f3 -* RAm. +

fi be -id by any Lurd OJ the Manor er LkDm Q? L d d w h ~ may mecl Wharf#. a.

Forevay d s r l p t l o n o f G ~ a ~ ~ h a ~ d L a c f m ~ p r i c d l a ~ S u D O y l 8 ps%.

ABSTRACT OF TONNAGE AND EXPENDITURE FOR 1789 II

CLAXENC:E RAI1,WAY. l b l

I J p to the year 1788, the whole of the works had cmt about A'] !,Y,IW, and the following in a atateoicnt of the inwnic: rind c*xpcnditure of that year :-

INCOME .4NI) EXI'ENDITCRE. E. 8 . d.

The ( 3 r w lncorne in that Year, wnn.. ............................... 8.320 0 tl Expenditure, which included Inwreut to thr Amount olf2.870. ex.

cluarve of ................................................ 5 8 5 4 0 ' ' Nett locome ........................................................ 2,780 (r 3

Upon wh~cn a 1)lvidend of One per Cent. only was pad, arr~ountlng to f90U

A t o i c ~ b l e idea of the traffii. upontthis canal, a t that period: (forty years ago) may be formed, from the following return of tonnage made by the proprietors, in 1789.

R m U m OF TONXAGE. Tom.

coal..... ............................................... 42,379 Lead .................................................... 3.862 Lime.. ............................................... 3,8.5 5 Con1 ................ .. ............................. 4.366 Stone .................................................... 7,580 lron ................................................... 1.554 l'lrnber .................................................. 8,444 I Sundrie, ................................................ 7,180,

74,312 -

E. u. d. Upon which the Dutier and W h d a g e amounted to ................. 9,303 9 6

Sixteen years after this period the proprietors divided six per cent. and the undertaking has been gradually improving.

The chief objects of this canal are the export of coal, lime, and lead from Derbyshire, and, of the produce of the iron fiunaces in the neighbourhood of Chesterfield; and corn, deab, timber, groceries, &c on the other hand, are conveyed into the county of Derby.

CLARENCE R A I L W A Y

9 1V. Cap. 01, ROYal &D?Ut 23rd my, 1828. 10 Gew~c IF'. Csp. 108, Royai h n t 1st June. 1828.

THE line of railway contemplated by the a d of 9th George IV. commeimd at the River Teeg near Havertora Hill, about four ~nilea north-eab-t of Stockton, and proceeded in a weekrly direction,

1 DOCUMENT V I I PART OF "PLAN AND SECTION OF THZ PROPOSED NANCHESTER AND L INCOLN UNION RAILWAY AND THE CHESTERFIELD AND GAINSBOROUGH CANAL", c.1845

5. THE LIME KILNS ALONG THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL

"I w i l l concen t ra te on t h a t s t r e t c h o f t h e cana l between Wales and Shireoaka. Between t h e two v i l l a g e s t h e cana l crosses t h e f lagnesian l imes tone r idge . Hence t h e convenience o f t h e l o c a l stone and c o a l l e d t o some s m a l l eca le l imeburn ing. The r e s u l t a n t l i m e was g r e a t l y i n f e r i o r , i n t h e eyes o f a n i ne teen th cen tu ry farmer, t o t h a t brought f rom Derbyshi re , s i nce t h e Yo rksh i re l i m e con ta ined a h i g h l e v e l o f Magnesium and t hus remained i n a c a u s t i c s t a t e f a r l o n g e r t h a n t h e farmor cons idered des i rab le . The o n l y aav ing grace f o r t h e Yorksh i re p roduc t was i t s l ow p r i c e , and i t was t h i s which tempted many users i n Not t inghamshi re and L i n c o l n s h i r e t o purchase l i m e f rom Thorpe S a l v i n o r South, Anston, r a t h e r than f rom f l a t l ock o r Bakewell.

There seems t o have been k i l n s on t h e cana l a t Thorpe S a l v i n f rom t h e e a r l y n i ne teen th o r l a t e e i gh teen th century . They were a sma l l -sca le a f f a i r r u n by Joseph Holmes t o supplement h i s income as a Pub l i can a t t h e l o c a l inn. I n t h e e a r l y 1830's he seems t o have decided upon an expansion o f h i s bus iness and went i n t o p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h W i l l i a m Holmes (poss i> l y h i s aon). T h i s p a r t n e r s h i p l e d t o t he c o n s t r u c t i o n o f new k i l n s on t h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e c a n a l (South Anston s ide) upon a grander scale.

Un fo r tuna te ly , Joseph and W i l l i a m chose a poor t i m e t o expand t h e i r l i m e business. A r a p i d downturn i n l i m e sa les, r e f l e c t i n g t h e poor s t a t e o f a g r i c u l t u r e , l e d t o t h e Holmesl p a r t n e r s h i p d isappear ing from t h e scene. The a rea t hen eeems devoid o f any a c t i v i t y i n l imebu rn ing u n t i l t h e 1870's when b u i l d i n g a c t i v i t y l e d t o l i m e aga in reach ing a reasonable market p r i c e .

T h i s t ime t h e l i m e was used as mortar, n o t as a s o i l cond i t i one r . I n t h e 1880's two f i r m s were produc ing l i m e a long t he n o r t h banks o f t h e canal: Thomas Chambers and a p a r t n e r s h i p c a l l e d 6 i l l and Noble. Both these f i r m s disappeared w i t h t h e sudden slump i n t he b u i l d i n g t r a d e d u r i n g t h e 1890's and t h i s r e a l l y marked t h e end o f l i m e p roduc t i on on t h e Yorksh i re sect ion".

fl. HUTT, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS.

L I R E KILNS

The open t o p o r chimney would have been f i l l e d w i t h a l t e r n a t e l a y e r s o f l i m e - s tone and wood o r coal . The k i l n was f i r e d and l e f t t o burn. A t i n t e r v a l s t h e b u r n t l i m e would be r a k e d o u t f rom t h e f l u e s a t t h e bottom. The l a r g e r lumps woulo be hand p i c k e d f o r use i n b u i l d i n g and t h e s m a l l e r d u s t i e r l i m e would be used on farm land.

The j o b was cons ide red q u i t e dangerous, e s p e c i a l l y i f t h e r e was any need t o approach t h e t reacherous s u r f a c e on t h e t o p o f t h e k i l n d u r i n g burn ing.

6. A DESCRIPTIVE WALK ALONG THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL FROM KIVETON PAHK TO SHIHEOAKS

The K ive ton Park end o r t h e Norwood Tunnel can be reached v i a t h e p u b l i c f o o t - p a t h from t h e K i ve ton P a r k - H a r t h i l l Road (Hard Lane) a t a p o i n t approx imate ly 600 yards south o f K i ve ton Park crossroads. The f o o t p a t h which i s on t h e oppos i te s i d e o f t he road from K i ve ton Park C o l l i e r y , runs eastwards approx imate ly a iong t h e l i n e o f t h e Norwood Tunnel. To t h e nor th , ac ross t h e marshland, l i e s t h e Sheff ie ld-Worksop r a i l w a y l i n e . The marshland i s b i s e c t e d by Broad B r i dge Dike which supp l i es t h e summit l e v e l w i t h water f rom H a r t h i l l R e s e r v o i r / ~ e b l e ~ Pond.

A f t e r approx imate ly 600 yards, t h e pa th curves t o t h e l e f t above t h e eas te rn p o r t a l o f t h e Norwood Tunnel. The tunnel , which was opened on 9 t h flay, 1775, i s understood t o be 12 ' h igh, 8 t10" wide and 2,850 yards long. The ent rance t o i t was b r i c k e d up f o l l o w i n g t h e c l o s u r e o f t h e tunne l , as a r e s u l t o f subsidence, i n 1908. W i t h i n t h e v i c i n i t y o f t h e t u n n e l ent rance can be seen t h e remains o f a number o f b u i l d i n g s used by t h e t u n n e l keeper etc.

The p u b l i c f o o t p a t h f o l l o w s a r o u t e on t h e n o r t h e r n s i d e o f t h e cana l th rough an a rab le f i e l d . I t i s much more i n t e r e s t i n g , however, t o c l i m b down i n t o t h e cana l c u t t i n g and walk a long t h e towing p a t h on t h e sou th bank o f t h e cana l ( no t a p u b l i c r i g h t o f way). The f o o t p a t h i s overgrown and uneven, and c h i l d r e n w i l l need c l ose superv is ion.

For t h e f i r s t few hundred yards t h e cana l i s r e l a t i v e l y deep ( 3 l 6 " ) and c l ea r . Upon e n t e r i n g t h e i n d u s t r i a l area around K i ve ton Park S t a t i o n t h e cana l becomes overgrown w i t h reeds and t h e water f l ows through t h e s i l t e d cana l i n a c l e a r narrow channel no more than 4 l wide. Approximately 600 yards from t h e t u n n e l ent rance Broad Br idge D i ke en te r s t h e cana l on t h e n o r t h e r n side.

W i t h i n another 250 yards i s t h e l imes tone Dog Kennels ' B r i dge which was b u i l t i n 1842 (note t h e keystones on e i t h e r s i d e o f t h e b r i dge ) . The dss ign o f t h i s b r i d g e was governed by t h e need t o t r a n s f e r t h e tow ing p a t h t o t h e n o r t h e r n bank o f t h e cana l i n accordance w i t h t h e wishes o f t h e l o c a l landowner.

Note: The su r f ace o f t h e tow ing p a t h over t h i s s t r e t c h i s s u b j e c t t o water- - logging. For 300 yards a f t e r Dog Kennel B r i dge t h e cana l i s dominated by t h e works o f t h e K i ve ton Park S t e e l and Wire Works.

The s tone w a l l on t h e boundary o f t h e Companyts s t e e l s t ockya rd i s a l l t h a t remains o f t h e m a l t k i l n s , a p a r t f rom t h e d e r e l i c t M a l t k i l n cottage. Note a l s o t h e Malthouse co t t ages on t h e sou th bank o f t h e canal.

Again on t h e south bank o f t h e canal, approx imate ly 500 yards f u r t h e r on, a r e t h e remains o f a wharf and d isused l i m e k i l n s i n Peck M i l l Bottoms.

Peck m i l l Bottoms Stop Gate

The f u r t h e r eastwards one goes t he c l o s e r t oge the r t h e cana l and t h e r a i l w a y become. The c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p between t he two, p h y s i c a l l y and economical ly, i 8

cha rac te r i sed by t h e remains o f a stone w a l l e d r a i l w a y wharf nex t t o t h e t ow ing path. Note t he mooring r i ngs .

The r a i l w a y i s a t i t s c l o s e s t t o t h e cana l a t t h e r e d b r i c k e d Thorpe Br idge (1842) which c a r r i e d Thorpe B r i d l e Road over t h e canal.

The cana l t h e n curves t o t h e r i g h t and l e f t . Approx imate ly 100 yards f u r t h e r on t h e r e i s a good view nor thwards th rough Thorpe Low Wood o f t h e d isused Anston Quarry.

Note t h e d isused l i m e k i l n s .

To t h e south a r e t he ex tens ive Fo res t r y Commission woodlands known as Hawks' Wood.

Dule Hole Stop Gate

D e v i l s Hole Br idqe

On the sou th bank o f t he cana l can be seen s tone o r concre te boundary p o s t s w i t h t h e i n i t i a l s 'G.C.' marked on them (Great C e n t r a l Rai lway company).

Approximately 300 yards from D e v i l s Hole B r i dqe can be seen a r u l e s t o n e on t h e south bank. The number '16' represen ts t h e d i s tance i n m i l e s f rom C h e s t e r f i e l d .

To t he n o r t h o f t h e cana l i s t h e o l d Har ry C r o f t s mine which i s now used by a r e f r a c t o r y p roduc t s manufacturer.

300 yards f u r t h e r on can be seen an o l d l imes tone quar ry on t h e sou th side. The quar ry and assoc ia ted l i m e k i l n s can be reached by c r o s s i n g Pudding D i ke Br idge (1804).

Pudding D ike w e i r on t h e n o r t h bank i s used t o r e g u l a t e t h e l e v e l o f water i n t he summit l e v e l and l o c k f l i g h t .

To t h e l e f t i s a d isused b r i c k f i e l d .

On t he r i g h t hand s i d e oppos i t e t h e house i s t h e s i l t e d remains o f a w ind ing hole.

Soon a f t e r t h e house i s a p o s t bea r i ng t h e l e t t e r s 'C.C. ' (Cheaterf i e l d Canal company).

Lock F l i c i h t

Top T reb le l o c k s a r e t he f i r s t o f a s e r i e s o f 23 l o c k s on t h e Thorpe/~urnerwood l o c k f l i g h t by which t h e cana l descends 92'6" i n 1 r u l e 13 chains.

Thorpe Locks Br idge (1835) which i s l o c a t e d a t t h e t a i l o f t h i s 3 r i s e s t a i r c a s e c a r r i e d t he p u b l i c f o o t p a t h between L i n d r i c k Dale and Thorpe Salv in . J u s t by t h e b r i d g e can be i d e n t i f i e d t h e remains o f t h e o l d cana l s t a b l e s w h i l s t on t h e oppos i te bank o f t he cana l can be d iscerned t h e remains o f t h e l o c k keeper 's co t tage and garden.

Lock No. 23 Lock No. 24 Limestone Lock Low Treb le Lock M i l es tone Lock B r i ckya rd Double Lock. The a r a b l e l a n d on t h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e cana l i s where Cooper's B r i c k y a r d used t o be. Browns Lock Turnerwood Double Lock Turnerwood Br idge

Midway w i t h i n t he l o c k f l i g h t i s t h e ve r y a t t r a c t i v e se t t l emen t o f Turnerwood which has devaloped around a s h o r t pond between locks . Note t h e remains o f a wharf on t h e oppos i t e bank which was used f o r l o a d i n g s tone f rom Turnerwood Quarry.

Quar ry lock Lock No. 36 Lock No. 37

Feeder Lock. A t t h i s p o i n t t h e B r a n c l i f f e Feeder, which i s f e d f rom Anston arook, R i v e r Ryton, and which f l o w s v i a B r a n c l i f f e Grange t o t h e no r t h , e n t e r s t h e l o c k f l i g h t .

Stone Lock One S l i d e Lock Turnerwood Lock The s m a l l se t t l emen t o f C i n d e r h i l l Dukes B r i dge The Ryton Aqueduct forms t h e boundary between South Yo rksh i r e and Not t inghamshi re .

Note: - Upon t h e f o rma l c l o s u r e o f t h i s l e n g t h o f canal , under t h e B r i t i s h T ranspor t Commission Act, 1962, a l l l o c k s were made ' sa fe ' by l o w e r i n g t h e chamber w a l l s and d e p o s i t i n g b r i c k and s tone removed from t h e w a l l s i n t o t h e chamber.

Thorpe Low Wood

Thorpe Bridge

Hawks Wood

Top Treble Lock

Milestone Lock

Turner wood

STUDIES IN LOCAL HISTORY

NO. 1. THE CHESTERFIELD CANAL

, nr. P. Hawkridge. C l i f tonl Comprehensive. School. ..

I flr. P. Livsey. Dinnington Comprehensive School. nr. I. G. Hawkridge. Planning Department, Metropolitan

J Borough of Rotherham.