CHAPTERS IN THE HISTORY OF ECCLES
By
T. SWINDELLS

OTHER COMMERCIAL CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENTS

Although the opening of the Bridgewater Canal was probably the most important commercial enterprise of the eighteenth century, it appears to have had little effect upon the village of Eccles, which for many decades after the opening continued to pursue the uneventful tenour of its way. Agriculture continued to be the principal occupation of the residents, until at length handloom weaving came to be general; and with the earlier decades of the nineteenth century was witnessed the building of silk and cotton mills.

Perhaps the most important industrial undertaking founded in the district was the foundation of the firm now known as Nasmyth, Wilson and Co. It dates back about eighty years, and events of such general importance have been associated with the firm that a brief account of its development should be included in this volume.

James Nasmyth, the son of Alexander Nasmyth, and belonging to a family which was connected with Tweeddale for many centuries, was born at York Place, Edin­burgh, on August 19th, 1808. The family of Alexander Nasmyth was a large one, consisting as it did of seven daughters and four sons, the youngest of the latter being James. His father being a man of artistic and literary tastes, James Nasmyth received a good education, but from his earliest years he showed a strong inclination for mechanical matters. As a youth he experimented in the construction of various engines and machines, and at the age of nineteen he made a road locomotive, which was used for trade purposes.

Having heard of the fame of Henry Mawdsley, the engineer, who had settled in London, young Nasmyth went there in 1829 and obtained employment. He was enthusiastic in his work, and when, in 1830, the opportunity offered for a lengthy holiday, he spent it in visiting Liverpool, where he saw and examined Stephenson’s famous locomotive, “The Rocket.” After inspecting the railway buildings, he walked to Manchester. The story is told that when he arrived at Patricroft he sat on the canal bridge resting. Liverpool Road and Patri­croft Bridge in 1830 were widely different from what they are to-day. The canal ran through open fields, and save for a few cottages in the neighbourhood, the land round the bridge was quite open. The railway line had just been made, and as the young engineer sat on the bridge he concluded that an engineering works, bounded on the one side by the railway, and on another by the canal, with a public road on a third side, would be conveniently situated for business purposes. The site at Patricroft struck him as being almost ideal.

Having completed his holiday he returned to London, but upon Mawdsley’s death in 1831 the young Scotchman again came north, and after spending two years in Edinburgh he again visited Manchester. There he made the acquaintance of Edward Tootal, the merchant, of York Street, to whom he named his idea of commencing business as an engineer. Mr. Tootal introduced Nasmyth to John Kennedy, a cotton spinner, who resided at Ardwick Hall, and who also approved of the project. Kennedy moreover took him to Dale Street, where there was a disused mill, in an upper room of which Nasmyth started operations. He was soon afterwards introduced to Daniel Grant, who was one of the brothers immor­talised by Dickens as the Cheeryble Brothers in his novel, Nicholas Nickleby. Grant was living in Mosley Street, and he invited Nasmyth to his house. There the young engineer’s prospects were discussed, and when Grant found that the whole of his capital amounted to sixtythree pounds only he told him that he might draw on him to £500, on which he was to pay 3 per cent. interest, no security being required.

The Dale Street venture prospered, and orders were received in a manner that exceeded Nasmyth’s expectations. Matters went along all right until, as the result of an accident, fresh premises were required. An order had been received for the making of a high-pressure engine of twenty horse-power, which was required to drive the machinery connected with the Londonderry Distillery. The engine had been built, and was satis­factory in every way. For purposes of packing and shipment it was taken to pieces, and the parts were being duly packed, when the men holding one end of the engine beam dropped it upon the floor. The result was disastrous. The heavy mass crashed through the floor into the room below. When we know that that room was occupied by a glass cutter, whose shelves, cupboards, and benches were filled with samples of glass ware, we can realise what a scene presented itself to the eyes of the landlord when he was called in to see the results of the mishap. A bull in a china shop may do a considerable amount of mischief, but not more than the engine beam did in that glass cutter’s room in Dale Street. Needless to say, Nasmyth received an urgent request to close his tenancy there, and he was compelled to look out for new premises.

Finding nothing in Manchester that suited him, he, with all convenient speed, secured six acres of land at Patricroft, and proceeded to erect an engineering works. Nasmyth’s works are still there, larger now than ever before, and finding employment for great crowds of men. The name of Nasmyth will ever be associated with the invention of the steam hammer, concerning the origin and improvement of which a diversity of statements have been made. When Nasmyth commenced business at Patricroft he started alone, but soon afterwards took Holbrook Gaskell in as a partner, the firm becoming Nasmyth, Gaskell and Co. One of his first orders was to supply the tools, which were to be of unusual strength and size, required in the construction of the engines for the Great Western steamship.

Whilst this matter was in progress requests were sent to various firms for tenders for the supply of the enormous paddle-shaft of the vessel, but no tenders were submitted. No firm would undertake to produce it, because in neither England nor Scotland was there a forge-hammer powerful enough to produce it. In his difficulty Mr. Humphries, the engineer of the Steamship Company, wrote to Nasmyth asking what he must do in the matter, and asking if he thought cast iron might be used. Nasmyth, after pondering the matter over for half an hour, sketched in his pocket book a design for a steam hammer, and sent his proposal in. However, before anything could be decided, the suggestion of working by means of a screw instead of paddle wheels came up, and was adopted. The proposed steam hammer was consequently not realised for some years. In the meantime Nasmyth showed his drawings to several engineering friends, among whom was Schneider, the proprietor of a large ironworks in Germany. In 1842 news was brought that the German had registered the machine in Germany, and steps were taken by Nasmyth to protect his rights in England.

The first steam hammer was completed in 1842, and did not prove to be entirely satisfactory, but Robert Wilson, the manager of the works, and afterwards partner with Nasmyth, introduced various improvements, with the result that orders poured in from all parts of the country. As completed and perfected by Wilson, the steam hammer was so completely under control that whereas it could fall at one time with a power represent­ing many tons, the next stroke could be so gentle as not to damage a watch-glass. When, therefore, the steam hammer is referred to it should be remembered that whereas the credit for the application of the idea remains with James Nasmyth, that of making the application really practicable should be assigned to Robert Wilson.

Needless to say the Patricroft works were kept busy for many years, and, acting in accordance with the spirit of the age, the successive partners have met the changes of time in such a way that the firm of Nasmyth, Wilson and Co. still remains in the front ranks of engineering concerns.

James Nasmyth did not confine his thoughts and energies to business. Like most busy men he had hobbies that occupied his leisure hours, and he took his share of work in the management of public business. His principal hobby was the study of astronomy, and so thoroughly did he study the science that he built a fine telescope in his garden at Patricroft. By means of this instrument he secured a series of pictures of the moon, together with a map of its surface, which he exhibited at the great Exhibition of 1851, and for which he obtained a gold medal. The house and garden at Patricroft can still be seen, but both have long since lost their attractive­ness. James Nasmyth retired from business in 1856, and died on May 7th, 1890.

What the population of what is now known as the Borough of Eccles was when James Nasmyth commenced operations at Patricroft is not known, but it must have been small. From the census returns for 1831 we learn that the population of the Parish of Eccles, which included Cadishead, Clifton, Hollins Green, Irlam, Little Houghton, Worsley, Swinton, and Pendlebury amounted to 28,083. The Manchester Directory for 1838 includes a directory for the Parish of Eccles, from which the following list of names of the more important amongst the residents has been taken:—

ANDREW, EMMELINE, Boarding School, Eccles.
ANDREWS, RICHARD, Rope and Twine Maker, Winton.
ASHCROFT, GEORGE, Slater, Eccles.
BALL, Rev. JOHN, Barton.
BAMBER, RICHARD PARR, Surgeon, Barton.
BARLOW, GEORGE, Joiner, Eccles.
BARLOW, JAMES, Joiner and Builder, Eccles.
BARLOW, Mr. THEOPHILUS, Barton.
BARRATT, JOHN, Chairmaker, Eccles.
BARTON, JOHN, Shoemaker, Eccles.
BAYLEY, JAMES, Shoemaker, Eccles.
BAYLEY, WILLIAM, Commission Agent, Eccles.
BENNETT, WILLIAM, Land Surveyor, Eccles.
BERRY, SARAH, & SON, Nankeen Manufacturers, Eccles.
BINDLOSS AND PRESTON, Silk Throwsters, Eccles.
BINDLOSS, WILLIAM, Silkman, Yew Tree Cottage, Eccles.
BIRCH, THOMASINA, Cakemaker, Eccles.
BLACKBURNE, AMOS, Beer Retailer, Eccles.
BLEARS, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
BLEARS, JOSEPH, Jolly Carter, Winton.
BOARDMAN, WILLIAM, Shuttlemaker, Eccles.
BOLTON, MARY, Victualler, Brown Cow, Winton.
BOWKER, ALICE, Victualler, Waggon and Horses, Peel Green.
BRADBURN, JAMES, Road Surveyor, Eccles.
BRADBURN, JOHN, Joiner and Builder, Eccles.
BRADBURN, WILLIAM, Grocer and Cakemaker, Eccles.
BRADBURN, JAMES, Deputy Constable, Barton.
BRADSHAW, JOHN, Butcher, Eccles.
BRAMALL, Rev. WILLIAM, Patricroft.
BRIGGS, THOMAS, Butcher, Eccles.
BRITAIN, WILLIAM, Hatter, Patricroft.
BROUGH, THOMAS, Provision Dealer, Draper, etc., Patricroft Bridge.
BUCKLEY, Mr. RICHARD, Barton.
BUCKLEY, THOMAS, Joiner and Builder, Barton.
BURGESS, PETER, Shopkeeper, Patricroft.
BURGESS, Mr. SAMUEL, Barton.
BURTON, THOMAS, Beer Retailer, Eccles.
BURY, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Winton.
BURY, JAMES, Vestry Clerk and Assistant Overseer of Barton, Winton.
CARTER, WILLIAM, Wheelright, Peel Green.
CATTERALL, JOHN, Victualler, Hare and Hounds, Eccles.
CHADWICK, JAMES, Nankeen Manufacturer, Eccles.
CHEADLE, JOHN, Assistant Overseer, and Registrar of Births and Deaths for Barton, Eccles.
CHORLEY, CHARLOTTE and JANE, Boarding School, Monton.
CHORLEY, MARY, Shopkeeper and Beer Retailer, Eccles.
CHORLEY, ROBERT, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
CLEGG, JAMES, and Co., Nankeen and Tick Manufacturers, Eccles.
CLEGG, JOHN, Silk Manufacturer, Eccles.
CLEGG, ROBERT, Merchant, House, Eccles.
COLLINS, JOHN, Saddler, Eccles.
COOKE, RICHARD, Tailor, Eccles.
DACK, WILLIAM, Shoemaker, Barton.
DARBISHAW, JAMES, Butcher, Barton.
DAVIES, THOMAS, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
DAWSON, JAMES, Nankeen Manufacturer, Barton.
DEAN, DAVID, Shopkeeper, Patricroft.
DEAN, JOHN, Shoemaker, Eccles.
DEAN, THOMAS, Watchmaker, Eccles.
DICKINSON, WILSON, Saddler, Eccles.
DUNSTAN, Mrs. ELIZABETH, Barton.
DUTTON, JOHN, Victualler, Jolly Thrasher, Barton.
ECCLES, THOMAS, Joiner, Eccles.
ELLINTHORPE, Mr. CHARLES EDMUND, Eccles.
FAULKNER, JAMES, Overlooker of Railway, Patricroft.
FILDES, THOMAS, Shoemaker, Eccles.
FISH, ALICE, Victualler, Oddfellows’ Arms, Eccles.
FISH, WILLIAM, Shoemaker, Eccles.
FLETCHER, Mrs. BETTY, Barton.
FLETCHER, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Barton.
FLETCHER, RICHARD, Bobbin Turner, Barton.
FOULKES, EDWARD, Attorney, House, Irwell Grove, Eccles.
FOULKES, EDWARD, Jun., Attorney, House, Monton Green.
F0ULKES, JOHN, Attorney, House, Monton Green.
FRANCE, WILLIAM, Painter and Plasterer, Eccles.
FRAY, JAMES, Postmaster, Eccles.
FRYFER, Mr. GEORGE, Eccles.
GARSIDE, JAMES, Hat Manufacturer, Barton.
GARNETT, THOMAS, Butcher, Patricroft.
GASKELL, HOLBROOK, Engineer, House, Patricroft.
GERRARD, JAMES, Blacksmith, Patricroft.
GILES, Rev. WILLIAM, Boarding School, Barton Hall.
GLEAVE, THOMAS, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
GOODIER, JOHN, Corn Miller, House, Eccles.
GOODIER, JOHN AND JOSEPH, Millers, etc., Mode Wheel, Eccles.
GRAY, THOMAS, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
GREAVES, MARGARET, Victualler, Unicorn, Peel Green.
GREENWOOD, JOHN, Coach Proprietor, Eccles.
GREGORY, GEORGE, Tailor, Eccles.
GREGORY, JOHN, Tailor, Eccles.
GREGORY, JOSEPH, Tailor, Eccles.
GUEST, ALICE, Dressmaker, Eccles.
HACKING, ELIZABETH, Boarding School, Patricroft.
HAMPSON, Mr. RICHARD, Barton Cottage.
HARGREAVE, WILLIAM, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
HARRISON, JOHN, Victualler, Duke of York, Eccles.
HARRISON, JOHN, Joiner, Patricroft.
HARRISON, LEONARD, Victualler, Church Inn, Barton.
HESKETH, ANN, Shopkeeper, Barton.
HESKETH, WILLIAM, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
HEYWOOD, THOMAS, Shopkeeper, Barton.
HILTON, Mr. JAMES, Eccles.
HINDLEY, HENRY, Beer Retailer, Patricroft.
HINDLEY, JAMES, Beer Retailer, Barton.
HINDLEY, JOHN, Shoemaker, Eccles.
HINTON, WILLIAM, Tailor, Barton.
HOLDEN, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
HOLT, JAMES, Manufacturing Chemist, House, Monton.
HORSFALL, BETTY, Straw Hatmaker, Eccles.
HOWARD, DANIEL, Manager, Patricroft.
HUGHSON, JAMES, Shoemaker, Patricroft.
HUNTER, CHARLES, Nankeen Manufacturer, Eccles.
JOHNSON, PETER, Bookkeeper, Canal Side, Barton.
JONES, EDWARD, Cooper, Eccles.
JONES, RICHARD JENKIN, Manufacturer, House, Eccles.
JONES, ROBERT, Manufacturer, House, Gildabrook Cottage.
KAY, JAMES, Tailor, Eccles.
KAY, THOMAS, Plumber and Glazier, Eccles.
KELLER, JONATHAN, Gardener, Eccles.
KERFOOT, JOHN, Cotton Manufacturer, Patricroft.
KERF00T, LEIGH, Shopkeeper, Peel Green.
KILNER, PETER, Plasterer, Barton.
KILNER, WILLIAM, Nankeen and Florentine Manufacturer, Eccles.
KING, GEORGE, Beer Retailer, Barton.
LAMB, JOSEPH, Beer Retailer, Eccles.
LAMB, WILLIAM, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
LANCASTER, WILLIAM, Coal Owner, Eccles.
LANCASTER, WILLIAM, Bricklayer, Barton.
LANGSHAW, JAMES, Tinplate Worker, Eccles.
LANSDALE, RICHARD, Victualler, Blue Bell, Monton.
LIVSEY, ANN, Shopkeeper, Barton.
LOMAX, JOHN, Coal Dealer, Eccles.
LOMAX, ROBERT, Bricklayer, Eccles.
LONGSTAFF, JOHN, Druggist, Eccles.
L0NGW0RTH, ROBERT, Shopkeeper, Patricroft.
LORD, ABRAHAM AND EDMUND, Silk and Worsted Dyers, Eccles.
LORD, JOHN, Victualler, Patricroft Tavern, Patricroft.
LORD, JOSEPH, Victualler, Bassoon and Fiddle, Barton.
LORD, Mr. SAMUEL, Barton.
LOWE, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Barton.
McCLURE, WILLIAM, Silk Manufacturer, House, Barton.
MARSDEN AND WALTON, Corn Millers, Barton.
MARSDEN, REV. WILLIAM, Vicarage, Eccles.
MATTHEWS, CATHERINE, Victualler, Trafford Arms, Barton.
MEADOWS, Mrs. ELIZABETH, Barton.
MELLOR, THOMAS, Haircutter, Eccles.
MEMORY, THOMAS, Tailor, Eccles.
MILNER, Mr. BENJAMIN, Winton.
MILNER, MR. DANIEL, Winton.
MILNER, MRS. MARY, Winton.
MILNER, THOMAS, Wine Merchant, House, Winton.
MOSLEY, JOSEPH, Shopkeeper and Beer Retailer, Eccles.
NASMYTH, GEORGE, Engineer, House, Green Lane, Patricroft.
NASMYTH, JAMES, Engineer, House, Green Lane, Patricroft.
NASMYTH, GASKELL AND Co., Bridgewater Foundry, Patricroft.
NEWMAN, Mrs. ESTHER, Barton.
NEWBURY, JOHN, Basketmaker, Barton.
OGDEN, JOHN, Slater, Eccles.
OLDFIELD, CHARLES, Blacksmith, Barton.
OLDFIELD, RICHARD, Blacksmith, Barton.
OWEN, JAMES, Shoemaker, Barton.
PARR, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Patricroft.
PARR, JOHN, Gardener, Barton.
PARR, WILLIAM, Shopkeeper.
PEARSON, ROBERT, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
PENDLEBURY, THOMAS, Blacksmith.
PHILLIPS, WILLIAM, Victualler, Grapes, Eccles.
PILLING, MARGARET, Victualler, Golden Cross, Barton.
PLACE, JAMES, Blacksmith and Farrier, Eccles.
POLLITT, RICHARD, Shopkeeper, Winton.
POLLITT, STANLEY, Victualler, George III., Eccles.
PRESTON, EDWARD, Silk Manufacturer, Eccles.
RACE, JOHN, Organist, Barton.
RAMSDALE, JAMES, Overlooker of Railway, Barton.
RENSHAW, THOMAS, Shoemaker, Barton.
RIDSDALE, JOHN, Shoemaker, Eccles.
ROBERTS, RICHARD, Shopkeeper, Barton.
ROBINSON, THOMAS, Shoemaker, Barton.
ROE, RICHARD, Surgeon, Eccles.
ROGERSON, ELIZABETH, Victualler, Boat House, Barton.
ROGERSON, THOMAS, Victualler, King Charles, Barton.
ROGERSON, EDMUND, Schoolmaster, Barton.
ROSSON, JAMES, Auctioneer, Eccles.
ROULSTON, EDWARD, Shopkeeper, Patricroft.
SCHOLFIELD, Mrs. ANN, Patricroft.
SENIOR, JOHN, Brewer, House, Eccles.
SHARPLES, ROBERT, Schoolmaster, Barton.
SHELMERDINE, Rev. WILLIAM, Patricroft.
SHERLOCK, JAMES, Draper, Eccles.
SIMCO, JAMES, Tailor, Barton.
SLATER, MRS. ELIZABETH, Barton.
SMITH, GEORGE, Shopkeeper, Winton.
SMITH, JAMES, Shopkeeper, Barton.
SMITH, Mrs. MARGARET, Eccles.
SMITH, SAMUEL, Tailor, Eccles.
SORBY, WILLIAM, Surgeon, Eccles.
SPEAKMAN, JAMES, Shoemaker, Patricroft.
SPENCER, JOHN, Manufacturer of Quilts, etc., Patricroft.
SUTCLIFFE, Mrs. JOSEPH, Barton.
TATTERSALL, JOHN, Manufacturer, House, Barton.
TETLOW, Mr. WILLIAM, Barton Lodge.
THORLEY, CHARLES, Butcher, Eccles.
THORLEY, LOT, Hairdresser, Eccles.
TOMLINSON, RICHARD, Plumber, Eccles.
TRAVIS, THOMAS, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
TRENBATH, Mr. THOMAS, Peel Cottage, Winton.
TURNER, THOMAS, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
TURNER, LUCY, Victualler, Bull’s Head, Eccles.
VALENTINE, RICHARD, Shopkeeper, Barton.
WAKEFIELD, JOHN, Slater, Eccles.
WALKER AND McCLURE, Silk Throwsters, Patricroft Mill.
WALKER, JAMES, Stonemason, Eccles.
WALKER, PETER, Manufacturer, House, Patricroft.
WALKER, THOMAS, Nankeen Manufacturer, Peel Green.
WALTON, SAMUEL, Plumber and Glazier, Eccles.
WARD, WILLIAM, Victualler, Duke of Wellington, Eccles.
WARLOW, JAMES, Shoemaker, Barton.
WATSON, JOHN, and Co., Blacklead Pencil and School Slate Manufacturers, Bentliffe.
WELCH, WILLIAM HENRY, Surgeon.
WHITTAKER, WILLIAM, Merchant, House, Higher Bentliffe.
WILKINSON, JAMES, Professor of Music, Barton.
WILKINSON, JOHN, Victualler, Bowling Green Inn, Barton.
WILKINSON, SAMUEL, Victualler, Cross Keys, and Engraver, Eccles.
WILSON, GEORGE, Shopkeeper, Eccles.
WILSON, WILLIAM, Grocer and Draper, Eccles.
WOOD, JEREMIAH, Wheelwright, Eccles.
WOOD, JOHN, Coal Dealer, Barton.
WORTH, WILLIAM, Linen Draper, Eccles.
WROE, GEORGE, Agent, Eccles.
YATES, CAROLINE, Straw Hatmaker, Eccles.
YATES, Mrs. MARY, Winton.

This list cannot be dismissed without a few brief notes. The entry Bindloss and Preston reminds us that members of both families still reside in the borough, and also that our list of street names includes Bindloss Avenue and Preston Avenue. Joseph Blears was in those days the landlord of the Jolly Carter, Winton, which house for many years was notable for a murder which took place there, and which will be referred to in a later chapter. Mr. Robert Clegg was a partner in the firm of Clegg and Bonsfield, who were in those days perhaps the leading timber merchants in Manchester. The name of William Dack, shoemaker, will be familiar to many residents of Patricroft. The list includes two persons, who are described as being “overlookers of railway,” this presumably meaning in present day parlance “ platelayers.” The name of Richard Lansdale, as landlord of the Blue Bell at Monton serves to remind us that for several centuries members of the Lansdale family have been closely associated with Worsley and the neighbourhood. Our directory includes six other entries under the name of Lansdale, all connected with the district. The Rev. W. Marsden was, of course, the Vicar of Eccles. He had a brother who was a notable preacher amongst the Wesleyan Methodists, and who was one of the first preachers to conduct service at the Great Bridgewater Street Chapel. Richard Roe, surgeon, is to-day repre­sented by the well-known manufacturers of flying machines. John Senior, who resided at Barton, was senior partner in the Sandiwell Brewery, Salford, and John Watson and Co. manufactured blacklead pencils at the old mill that stood up to a few years ago at Bentcliffe. It may be noted also that in the Eccles of those days there were no fewer than twenty-one fully-licensed houses, in addition to half-a-dozen beer sellers; and also that there were about half a dozen boarding schools in the district.

From this list it will also be gathered that in those days there were few mills or works in Eccles as compared with the numerous important concerns now connected with the Borough. In 1838 Nasmyth’s stood almost alone as an industrial concern. The silk and other mills in the district ranked very far behind the great engineering firm.