Stockport (St. Mary)

STOCKPORT (St. Mary), a newly-enfranchised borough, a market-town, and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Macclesfield, N. division of the county of Chester; comprising the chapelries of Distley, Dukinfield, Hyde, Marple, Norbury, and Romiley, and the townships of Bramhall, Bredbury, Brinnington, Etchells, Offerton, Stockport, Torkington, and Werneth; and containing 84,282 inhabitants, of whom 28,431 are in the town, 39 miles (N. E. by E.) from Chester, and 179 (N. W. by N.) from London. This place, from its situation near a common centre, whence several Roman roads diverged, is supposed to have been a Roman military station. The fort is thought to have occupied the summit of Castle Hill, where the Saxons subsequently erected a baronial castle; from which, expressive of its situation in the woods, the town derived its name Stokeport, or Stockport. Though not mentioned in Domesday book, it is of considerable antiquity, and, till the Conquest, was a military post of some importance, most probably one of those laid waste by the Normans on their conquest of the island. In confirmation of this opinion may be adduced the name of an adjacent vill called Portwood, also omitted in the survey, the first notice of which occurs in the records of the lands of the Baron of Dunham, under the name of Brinnington, or the burnt town. In 1173, the castle of Stokeport was held by Geoffrey de Costentyn, against Henry II.; whether in his own right or not, is uncertain. The first baron appears, from the best authority, to have been Ranulph le Dapifer, progenitor of the De Spencers, from whom it passed to Robert de Stokeport, who, in the reign of Henry III., made the town a free borough. In 1260 it obtained the grant of a fair for seven days commencing on the festival of St. Wilfrid, and a market on Friday. During the civil war, it was garrisoned for the parliament; but Prince Rupert, advancing against it with a party of the royal troops, expelled the garrison, and took possession for the king: it was, however, subsequently seized by the parliamentarians, who retained it till the termination of the war. In 1745, Stockport was visited by the troops of the Pretender, both on their approach to Derby, and in their retreat; on the latter occasion, the bridge over the Mersey had been destroyed, and the rebels, with Prince Charles, were compelled to wade through the river, in order to effect their escape. Of the ancient castle not a vestige can be traced: a circular brick edifice was erected on the site by the late Sir George Warren, as a hall for the sale of muslin, for which article it was his wish to make the town a mart; but since the failure of that project the building has been converted into an inn.

Stockport is situated on elevated ground, of irregular and precipitous ascent, and the south-eastern portion is intersected by the Goit and the Tame, which at their confluence in the centre of the borough form the river Mersey. From the valleys through which these rivers run the houses rise in successive tiers round the sides of the hill, from the base to the summit; and the numerous extensive factories elevated one above another, and spreading over the town, present, when lighted during the winter months, a remarkably striking appearance. The most ancient part surrounds the church and market-place, on the high ground overlooking the Mersey, from the bank of which several steep streets, ascending the acclivity, lead to the market-place, whence various other streets diverge in different directions. Many of the houses at the base of the hill have apartments excavated in the rock, which is of soft red sandstone. The principal street, called the Underbank, follows the direction of the Roman road leading southward to Buxton; to the north of the church is the site of the ancient castle, and of the Roman military works. The town extends, on the south, a considerable distance along the road to London; on the north-east, by a bridge over the Mersey, to Portwood; on the west, in the direction of Cheadle; and towards Manchester by another bridge across the Mersey, on the north, into the suburban township of Heaton-Norris, in the county of Lancaster. The Wellington road was designed in 1824, with a view to cross the river without the necessity of descending from the high grounds on each side to the level of the vale of the Mersey. It consists of a noble bridge across the valley and the river, of eleven arches, of which nine are on the Cheshire, and two on the Lancashire, side. The arch over the river has a span of more than 90 feet, and is built of hard white stone from the Saddleworth and Runcorn quarries; some of the arches on the Cheshire side are carried over streets, the thoroughfare being continued underneath, and others are closed up, forming commodious warehouses. The expense of this work, which was completed in less than two years, was £40,000. Between Wellington and Lancashire bridges, is Vernon foot-bridge over the Mersey, forming an intermediate and more direct communication between the town and Heaton-Norris; it was built by subscription, the first stone being laid in 1828.

The town is well paved, and lighted with gas, and the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. An act of parliament for incorporating a gas company, and another for the construction of water-works, were obtained in 1825; and in 1837, the corporation obtained a general improvement act, under which they purchased the property of the gas company, the profits from which are applied to borough purposes. An act was passed in 1847 to establish public parks, to purchase or lease water-works, to erect bridges, and to make other communications within the borough. There are several newsrooms and libraries; and a mechanics' institute, to which use a theatre has been converted. The winding and throwing of silk, for which mills were first established here upon the Italian plan, have been nearly superseded by the cotton manufacture, which has for some years been the staple trade of the town; there are still some respectable silk factories, but the latter manufacture, ever since its introduction, has been rapidly increasing, and has attained, both for its extent and the perfection to which it has been brought, a very high degree of celebrity. Within the town, including Heaton-Norris and Portwood, are not less than fifty cottonfactories, worked by steam-engines and water-wheels; the printing of calico is carried on to a great extent, and there are many large dye-houses in the vicinity. The weaving of calico has spread over all the neighbouring villages, which in some instances have become virtually a part of the town. The manufacture of hats has been established; there are several thread manufactories, and connected with the various branches of manufacture, the construction of machinery affords employment to a great number of persons.

The importance of Stockport, as a manufacturing town, has been materially promoted by the facility and the abundance of its supply of coal from Poynton, Worth, and Norbury, and the neighbouring districts on the line of the Manchester and Ashton canal. This canal joins the Peak-Forest canal (a branch of the latter extending to the town), and affords a direct communication with the principal towns in the kingdom. The Manchester and Birmingham railway passes through the borough, and crosses the valley of the Mersey by an immense viaduct, which is considered one of the most magnificent works connected with railways. The viaduct is 2180 feet long, 31 broad and 106 above the level of the stream, and is supported on 22 semicircular arches of 63 feet span, with two abutment arches of 18 feet span: the piers are of stone, 10 feet thick, and 40 feet high before the springing of the arches; the rest of the structure is of brick. There is a short railway to Guide-Bridge, near Ashton, on the Manchester and Sheffield line; it was completed in 1847, and is called the Stockport and Ashton Junction. In 1846 an act was passed for a railway to Birkenhead; and in the same year an act was obtained for a railway to Buxton, Bakewell, Matlock, and Ambergate, there to join the Midland railway. The market, held on Friday, is more abundantly supplied with corn, meal, and cheese, than any other in the county. In the higher part of the town (the Hill-gate), convenient shambles, covering an area of 2000 square yards, were built in 1827; but the inhabitants do not use this market, preference being given to the general one in the centre of the town. The fairs are on March 4th and 25th, May 1st, and October 23rd, for cattle.

Stockport was anciently incorporated, and retained the office of mayor, though little more than nominal, until the passing of the Municipal Corporations' act. The government is now vested in a mayor, 14 aldermen, and 42 councillors, under that act: the municipal and parliamentary boundaries, which contain 2505 acres, are co-extensive; the borough is divided into six wards, and the number of magistrates is 17. By the act 2nd of William IV., cap. 45, the town was constituted a parliamentary borough, with the privilege of sending two members; the mayor is returning officer. Petty sessions take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday; and courts leet and baron are held twice in the year, at which the lord of the manor appoints two constables and other officers to the number of 50, who are sworn into office at an adjourned court. The powers of the county debt-court of Stockport, established in 1847, extend over part of the registration-district of Stockport. The churchwardens are chosen by the lords of the manors of Bramhall, Bredbury, Brinnington, and Norbury, who from time immemorial have represented the parish in ecclesiastical matters.

The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £70. 6. 8., and in the patronage of Lady Vernon; net income, £1882. The ancient church, supposed to have been erected in the fourteenth century, having fallen to decay, was rebuilt with the exception of the chancel, at an expense of £30,000, by act of parliament passed in the 50th of George III., and an extensive cemetery added to it. The present structure is a handsome building in the later English style, with a lofty square tower crowned by a parapet and pinnacles; the pillars of the nave are carried up to the roof, producing an unusual but impressive effect, from the loftiness of their elevation. The chancel, which was in the decorated style, has undergone considerable alteration, but still retains some of the ancient stone stalls, which are of elegant design; and several of the old monuments have been preserved. St. Peter's district church, a neat edifice of brick, was built in 1768, at the expense of William Wright, Esq., of Mottram St. Andrew, to whom a handsome mural monument has been erected in the centre of the north aisle: the living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £220; patron, the Rev. H. Wright. The church dedicated to St. Thomas was erected in 1825, by the Parliamentary Commissioners, at an expense of £14,555, and is in the Grecian style, with a tower surmounted by a cupola; the principal entrance is at the east end, through a noble portico of six lofty Ionic pillars, and the interior of the edifice is handsomely decorated. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £110; patron, the Rector of Stockport. A church district, called St. Matthew, was formed in 1844, and endowed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: the living is in the gift of the Crown and the Bishop of Chester, alternately. Other incumbencies are noticed under the heads of Bredbury, Distley, Dukinfield, Hyde, Marple, Norbury, Portwood, Romiley, and Werneth. In the town are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, the New Connexion of Methodists, the Society of Friends, Primitive and Warrenite Methodists, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. A public cemetery has been established; the grounds are several acres in extent, and a neat chapel has been erected.

The free grammar school was founded in 1482, by Sir Edmund Shaa, citizen and goldsmith of London, who endowed it with £10 per annum, to which several benefactions have been added. The Goldsmiths' Company, who are the patrons, have erected a handsome schoolroom, with a house for the master, in the later English style, at an expense of £4500, on a site in the Wellington-road presented by Lady Vernon. The master has a salary of £225, and the usher one of £105. The national school, established in 1826, is a spacious edifice of brick fronted with stone; 2000 children of both sexes are instructed in the establishment. The Stockport Sunday school, upon a very comprehensive plan, admitting children of all denominations, was established in 1805; and an extensive building of brick, four stories high, was erected for its use, at an expense of £10,000, raised by subscription: there are 4000 children belonging to the institution; and attached to it are four branch schools, in the vicinity of the town, built at a cost of £6000, in which 1500 children are taught. On the eastern side of the old churchyard are six almshouses, founded by an ancestor of the late Sir George Warren, in 1685, for aged men: the allowance was augmented by Humphrey Warren, Esq., who died in the middle of the last century; and the late Lady Bulkeley bequeathed £1200 vested in trustees for the same purpose, and £1000 for the poor of Stockport. An infirmary was erected in 1833, on the Wellington-road, at an expense of £6300, raised by subscription; it is an elegant stone structure, forming a prominent feature in the approach to the town. The poor-law union of Stockport comprises 17 parishes or places, 15 of which are in the county of Chester, and 2 in Lancaster; and contains a population of 85,672.

Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.