Climacterics in local history can rarly be pinpointed, but we can point with confidence to the year 1768 as being the turning point in the history of Strangeways, for on the second day of February of that year Francis Reynolds recorded in his letter book that:

"One Robert Norton, a Silk Dyer, has applied about the corner of land in Strangeways lane, where the water comes from the large fishpond at the top of the Park, to build a House and Dyehouse upon it; it is about 250 square yards. He the steward told him he might have it at 1 1/2d per yard for three lives, but he must build with brick, lime and mortar, and cover with slate. The waste water from the fishpond he will make use of as it comes to this plot of land." (8) The lease was granted on 31st October, 1768 at a twice yearly rent of £1.11.3, and Strangeways thus entered the period of its metamorphosis by thee Industrial Revolution.

 

Manchester from the Cliff, Higher Broughton [detail] (William Wyld)

The following February someone else had been attracted by the latent energy of the water in the pond, and made application. It was agreed that Messrs Thorpe and Co. should "... have Stringer's house and buildings at £40 per annum and keep in repair. They also want the waste water from the Canal, and will be told to take none but what runs over the fender. For they will build near where the old mill stood, and erect a wheel for grinding indigo for their own use, by this waste water." (9)

By March 13th the agent had come to some agreement with them, and was to draft a lease for Renolds' perusal, but this was arrested by Thorpe and Co. because

"... they desired I would delay it till they had set out all the buildings they intend to erect. They have already built a good brick building at the end of Stringer's house, covered with slate, and have underwalled with brick a good part of the old building towards the Pidgeon House ..."(10)

These were by no mean "all the buildings" for by the following December they had bullt "another house four stories high, ten yards long and five wide whichch will be covered vith slate." (11) Jut two months later they had "added to it anothor part of five yards and a dye house for the silk business." (12) and in May they continued their expansion having "... agreed with Philip Meyers to let him fix a snuff mill upon their water wheel so that it may do their busines and grind snuff also." (13) In addition, one Grimshaw desired "leave to fix a waterwheel to work a pair of fulling stocks in wet season when there is plenty of water. He does it now by horses, whlch is very expensive." (14)

Thorpe and Co. continued to expand; in October 1770 they "bargained with John Hulme, fustian dyer, (if I shall apprvoe of it), who is to build a new additional dye house ten yards long by three stories high. They are also now building at the side of the river, in the Dutch Barn meadow." (15)

Expansion continued apace; in December 1770 Thorpe and Co. laid "a lead pipe from the brook at the ntrance of the gardon to the new dyehouse at the side of the river in the Dutch Barn meadow to supply their new dye pans with water." (16)

The growth of industries in Strangeways clearly fits the maxim of "development when the customer appeared"; devolopment during this period lacked any real control from the landowner, whose sole interest was the revenue that accrued, and the nature and effects of this piecemeal development are made clear by Greenwood's excellent large scale map of 1794. (17) The industrial premises then in existence consisted of Mr Lomax's Printing Works, near the Hall and the river, two dye works opposite the Hall, Mr Smith's Prnting Works below the canal, the nearby brewery, and the dye works near the new Bowling Green. They form a disorderly medley scattered about the estate, and must have detracted considerably from its appearance.

We may contrast with these functional edifices the plain but imposing Strangeways Hall, (18) "with its well-grown trees whose branches spread far across the road and were almost met by others as fine growing in a large garden on the opposite side." (19)

Strangeways Hall

"Opposite to the park gates the road opened out into an almost semi-circular shape from which an avenue of trees provided a shady walk to the bank of the river Irwell. Close by the avenue and near to the river was a well-known bowling green, much frequented by business men a century ago." (20) The Park must have formed a very attractive feature with the tree-lined avenues and the lakes, the maze, shooting butts and bowlin green. The new bowling green was set amidst small allotments down towards the river, and formed a popular resort for Manchester businessmen.

At the southern end of the spur, below the park, lay the new Manchester workhouse, the mortar of which had scarcely set when Greenwood drew his map in 1794. It must have been an awesome sight, th massively built "Poor Law Bastille" overlooking the town. It's history belongs not to Strangeways but to Manchester itself, but it must have cast a sombre shadow over its surroundings. For the site the Overseers pald Lord Ducie an annual chief rent of £100. (21)

Development continued at a slow pace throughout the rest of the century and the period of the Napoleonic wars, but it is during the latter period that we can begin to detect signs of impending change, of the realizatlon of the full potential of the site for development. Amongst the Ducie muniments is an unfortunately incomplete document, entitled "Observations and Cursory Remarks upon the Property of Lord Ducie in the County of Lancaster." (22) Most of what survives deals with the properties within Manchester itself, only the end portion, or what remains of it, dealing with Strangeways. Internal evidence sugsests that it was made in the first few years of the nineteenth century by Lord Ducie's steward, assisted by one Joseph Holland, an old tenant and overlooker. One of the most recent developments described is Messrs Caister and Fray's new brewery, built at a cost of almost £5,000, and including a new brew house, stable granary, cooperage, counting house, yard and reservoir, on a site just below the canal. Realizing the attraction of the water, the steward recommended increasing the supply as much as possible by the maintenance of the ditches and enlargement of the ponds, "by taking all the clay that may be requisite for bricks from out of the shallowest parts of them, and by removing the brick earth from that part called the island of the lower pond; as many thousand cubic yards of clay will be wanted for the making of bricks whenever the current of building is turned to Strangeways." (23)

The writing was by now clearly on the wall for the old Strangways; the future expansion of Manchester was already clearly recognized and anticipated, and steps were now being taken to actively encourage it. Furthermore, amongst the cursory remarks is a suggestion that a new road be laid from Strangeways Stile, at Hunts Bank Bridge, to tbe Hall gates, thus bypassing the narrow and inconvenient old road. In 1814 Harrison, the then steward, was responsible for the demolition of buildings at Walkers Croft for the trustees of the new road which was to be made through Strangeways from Hunts Bank. The improvement was in fact completed by 1816, though traces of the old alignment survive to this day in what was afterwards named Brewery Street. (24)

By this time enlargements and extensions had already been made to the Work house, to cope with the increasing numbers of paupers, but there was also erected on the same bank below the park a public building of more overtly philanthropic aspect. This, the Ladies' Jubilee Charity School, had its origins in 1806, when a plan was published with the aim of setting up a foundation for the education of poor girls, particularly destitute orphans, to prepare them for domestic service - domestic servitude, in the words of a contemporary writer, with revealing innocence - but the realization of which was deferred till 1809, when a house was purchased in Broughton Lane, just to the north of Strangeways, as temporary premises for the charity. In the November of that year the rules and regulat1ons drawn up by Dr Bardesley were approved, and on the last day of the year the Ladies' and Gentlemen's Committees met at the Mosleyy Arms to finalize arrangements for the opening of the school. At the school the girls were "decently and neatly clothed in blue stuff frocks, blue stockings, and straw bonnets, and on Sundays wear white aprons and tippers", and received instruction in reading and writing, knitting and sewing, and in the general duties of domestic service. (25) The same writer sums up admirably the philosophy of the foundation.

"In a manufacturlng ditrict, where the temptations to poor parents to avail themselves of the earnings of even infancy, in cotton factories etc., and where their own parental duties are so often neglected while they labour for bread; where the personal labour of hearty young women is so much wanted in manufacturies, it is scarcely to be wondered at that good servants are become scarce. The Ladies' Jubilee, by its provision for regularity of conduct and economy of time, promises to find an antidote for the evil by producing sample of what good female servants ought to be, and to secure the objects of its care from the dangers of ignorance and vice which are unhappily the almost oonstant attendants on unprotected poverty." (26)

Having received a sufficient grounding, the girls were put out to service under the aegis of the Ladies' Committee, and upon their departure were provided with

"... one stuff gown and petticoat, one do flannel, two shifts, two pair of shoes (one of them good ones), two bedgowns (printed or gingham), two check aprons, two coarse brats, two calico night caps, two do day caps, two pocket handkerchiefs, one double shawl, one do cut for handkerchiefs, two pairs of black stockings, two pockets. Wages expected to be given to the chlldren are £3.10. 0 per annum." (27)

In 1810 work began on the erection of a permanent building in New Bridge Street (its later name) and was completed within a few months, the removal being completed for the new year.

"The building is neat, of brick intermixed with just as much stone as to take off the air of heaviness which a building entirely formed of brick always exhibits. On the top, over the centre of the door, is placed a stone tablet on which is the following inscription: "Jubilee Female Charity School. Erected 1810 by Public Subscription in Commemoration of the Fiftieth year of His Majesty George III.'" (28)

The building, and the life led by the girls, were certainly spartan, and many found themselves unable to continue. Girls were initially admitted between the ages of nine and eleven, but in 1814 this was raised to from eleven to thirteen. The Ladies' Committee kept a maternal eye over the institution, making their three weekly visitation, reprimanding or even expelling the renegades, presenting silver thimbles and books as prizes. Mrs Boutflower, wife of the Medical Officer, procured three dozen noggins and a dozen trenchers from Wrexham, presumably treen, and Miss Whitlow provided prayer books. The girls were ept busy with pins and needles by the acceptance of work from subscribers and others.

"Mrs Hacker's pattern for stays was approved. The price of knitting worsted socks was fixed at 6d each pair, and stockings such as the children wear to be knit for 1s per pair ... making sheets 8d per pair, a woman's coarde shift 4d, and running stockings 2d, and marking 2d for a dozen letters. Men's coarse shirts (dowlas) 8d, a coarse Irish do 1s each ... gentlemen's cravats to be made for 2d the large size and 1/2 d the smaller size." (29)

Admissions to the Ladies' Jubilee Charity School, 1810-1850 (30)

Year Number admitted Expelled Failed to return returned to family Died

1810 16 1 1 1

1811 8 1 2 1

1812 4

1813 4 2

1814 9 2 2

1815 7 2

1816 11 1 2 1

1817

1818 6 1

1819 12

1820 9 2

1821 8 4

1822 8 1 1

1823 6 2

1824 8 1 1

1825 7 1

1826 4

1827 10 1 2

1828 6 1

1829 9

1830 6

1831 9 1

1832 7 3

1833 13 3 2 1

1834 12 5 2

1835 14 7 3 1 1

1836 2 1

1837 14 1 1 1 2

1838 9 2 2 1

1839 11 3 1

1840

1841 13 4 2 3

1842 12 1 1 1

1843 8 3 3 2 1

1844 13 5 2

1845 8 2

1846 8 2 1 2

1847 12 4 5

1848 2

1849 6 3

1850 8 2 2 2

Mrs Hacker was also "desired to apply to Mr Terry at Cheetham's Hospital for knitting and sewing to employ the girls." (31) In later years it was to be this school that caused no little bother to the good ladie, for in l836 "At this meeting it was determined the following eleven children should be expelled from the school for continued disgraceful conduct ln allowing and encouraging the boys from the Bluecoat School to visit them etc., etc." (32) When feelings had cooled, only three girls were in fact expelled, and when the problem recurred three years later, offenders were subjectod to solitary confinement in the evening. (33)

The Ladies' Jubilee Charity School flourished for many yeare with the help of its wealthy patronage. Lord Ducie had given the site in Strangeways, and never ¢ollected rent for the site, which was on permanent lease. The school continued to produce subjects for many years who were suitable for domestic service, but changing social conditions made it redundant, and the one thousand and ninth and last pupil was admitted in January, 1855.