Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways of Great Britain (1831) - Huddersfield Canal

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The following is a transcription of a historic book and may contain occasional small errors.

The following description of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was published in Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways of Great Britain (1831) by Joseph Priestley. Priestley based the description on "original and Parliamentary documents".

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HUDDERSFIELD CANAL.

34 George III Cap. 53, Royal Assent 4th April, 1784.
40 George III Cap. 39, Royal Assent 30th May, 1800.
48 George III. Cap. 12, Royal Assent 31st March, 1806.

Before we enter on a description of this bold, stupendous and useful undertaking, it may be necessary to premise that, in the year 1774, Sir John Ramsden, Bart, obtained an act for making and maintaining a navigable canal from the River Calder, at a certain point between a bridge called Coopers Bridge and the River Colne, to the King's Mill, near the town of Huddersfield, in the West Riding of the county of York. Sir John was then a minor ; but the measure met with the approbation of his trustees, inasmuch as it tended greatly to the convenience of the town of Huddersfield, whereof Sir John is nearly the sole proprietor. This canal was executed in due course ; and, in the year 1792, an act of parliament passed for making and maintaining a canal from Manchester to or near Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham ; and, in the year 1793, the work of this canal was in a great state of forwardness. It was then discovered, that if a communication could be formed between Sir John Ramsden's Canal and the Ashton, it would be the most direct line of conveyance between the east and west seas, provided a short cut was made extending the Ashton Canal at Manchester to the Duke of Bridgewater's Canal, which defect was obviated by the formation of the Rochdale Canal. With this impression a survey was made, in the year 1793, by Mr. Nicholas Brown ; and the measure obtained legislative sanction in an act, entitled, An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from and out of the Canal of Sir John Ramsden, Bart, at or near the town of Huddersfield, in the West Riding of the county of York, to join and communicate with the Canal Navigation from Manchester to or near Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham, at or near the town of Ashton-under-Lyne aforesaid, in the county palatine of Lancaster. Under the above act the proprietors, who are incorporated by the title of the "Huddersfield Canal Company," are enabled to raise in shares of £100 each, the sum of £184,000 ; and in case such sum should prove insufficient, they may raise £90,000 in addition, amongst themselves, or by creating new shares, or by mortgage. By the same act the following are to be collected as

For all Dung, Manure, Clay, Sand and Gravel, not passing a lock — ½d. per Ton per Mile.
For ditto passing a Lock — 1½d. per Ton per Mile.
For all Lime, Stone, Coal, Cannel, or other Minerals, not passing a Lock — 1d. per Ton per Mile.
For ditto passing a Lock — 2d. per Ton per Mile.
For all Timber, Goods, Wares, Merchandize and other Articles, not before mentioned — 3d. per Ton per Mile.
For all Stone, Lime, Coal, Cannel, Timber, Minerals, Goods, Wares, Merchandize, and all other Articles passing along or through the Tunnel on the Summit Level, or any part thereof, in Addition to the above Rates the further Sum of 1s. 6d. per Ton.
Fractions of a Mile to be taken as a Mile ; of a Ton as the Quarters of a Ton contained therein ; and of a Quarter as a Quarter.
Wharfage Rates to be demanded by the Company, or others having Wharfs on the Line of the Canal, shall not exceed Three-pence per Ton for the Space of Ten Days, after which Time an Additional Charge may be made for every succeeding Day of One Half-penny per Ton per Day. Vessels of less than Ten Tons are not to pan a Lock when the Water does not run over the Weir, nor of Fifteen Tons when it does, without Leave of the Company's Agent, to be given in Writing.

The company are required to make reservoirs for supplying the canal, sufficient to contain not less than twenty thousand locks of water, each lock containing one hundred and eighty cubic yards ; but none of this water, except in times of flood, is to be taken from rivers on the line. In case Sir John Ramsden sustains any loss in the annual income of his canal, in consequence of this company's building of warehouses, wharfs, &c. such loss is to be made good by the Huddersfield Canal Company.

As many mills are upon the streams and brooks from which the reservoirs of the company are to be supplied, it is provided that all persons concerned shall have access to the company's works, and that damages done shall be immediately repaired ; and as it is also proposed that a tunnel should be made on the summit level, under Pule Moss and Brunn Top, in the townships of Marsden and Saddleworth, whereby the waters in Brunn Clough and Red Brook Vallies may be diminished, such diminution shall be, from time to time, made up by water supplied to the streams running thereto, from the company's reservoirs on or above the summit level aforesaid. A lock not more than 8 feet wide, with a fall of not less than 6 feet, shall be made at the communication with Sir John Ramsden's Canal ; and that part of his canal between his navigation warehouses and the Huddersfield Canal, shall be cleansed and kept navigable by the said company at their will and pleasure, should the said Sir John Ramsden, his heirs or assigns, fail or refuse so to do ; and the said Sir John Ramsden is not to receive any tolls or rates for goods navigated from this canal to his warehouses. The provision respecting the supply of water to the streams in Brunn Clough and Pule Moss is necessary on account of the mills thereon.

If the interests of Sir John Ramsden, the Aire and Calder Proprietors, or the Calder and Hebble Navigation, should be injured by making, at any future time, a canal to the eastward, communicating with this or Sir John Ramsden's, full recompense is to be made to the injured parties by the Huddersfield Company, by authorizing them to receive all rates and tolls, in proportion to the length of such navigation and the tonnage thereon collected. In 1798 the part of this canal which lies between Huddersfield and Marsden was completed and opened ; and also the part between Ashton-under-Lyne and Stayley Bridge; besides these, another part from Stayley Bridge towards the west end of the tunnel was navigable ; but, owing to the very heavy expense incurred in the works of the tunnel, and the deficiency arising from many of the subscribers not being able to pay up their calls, the canal was greatly retarded. Besides this deficiency, the company were only able to borrow £14,182 on mortgage, which sum, with the amount actually paid by the subscribers, had all been expended on the works, they therefore obtained, in 1800, a second act, entitled, An Act for enabling the Huddersfield Canal Company to finish and complete the Huddersfield Canal ; and for amending the Act, passed in the Thirty-fourth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, for making and maintaining the said Huddersfield Canal. By this second act the committee are empowered to make calls, from time to time, not exceeding £20 per share in the whole, and they may raise, by new shares, or on promissory notes payable at distant times, and bearing lawful interest, any sum or sums necessary for completing the said canal, not exceeding in the whole, the sum of £271,000, mentioned in the first recited act.

The work being thus supplied with funds, proceeded towards completion ; but the cost and difficulties attendant on its execution were so much beyond calculation, that the proprietors were, six years afterwards, compelled to apply a third time to parliament, and obtained, in 1806, another act, bearing as title, An Act to enable the Huddersfield Canal Company to raise a further Sum of Money for the Discharge of their Debts, and to finish and complete the Huddersfield Canal, and for amending the several Acts passed for making and maintaining the said Canal.

This canal, which is fitted for small craft of 7 feet wide, and such as navigate upon the Staffordshire and southern canals, and what Dupin calls of the narrow section, is capable of passing boats with twenty-four tons burthen; and, by a reference to the map, it will be seen that it commences on the south of the town of Huddersfield, and pursues a south-west direction, winding its course past Slaithwaite, nearly parallel with one of the branches of the River Colne, for the distance of seven miles and a half, which river it crosses in three places by appropriate aqueducts, and, by an ascent of 436 feet, distributed among forty-two locks, it arrives, near Marsden, at the summit level, which is higher than that of any other canal in the kingdom, being at an elevation of 656 feet above the level of the sea ; the summit level is thence continued for nearly half a mile, when the canal enters that extensive chain of mountains well known to travellers going from Manchester to Huddersfield, (through which it passes under the part designated Pule Hill and Brunn Top, generally called Standedge,) for the distance of five thousand four hundred and fifty-one yards, and emerges therefrom into the vale of Diggle in Saddleworth, continuing to near Wrigley Mill, making the whole summit level four miles ; it then glides along the valley, alternately on the north and south sides of the River Tame, past Dobcross, Scout, and Stayley Bridge, to its junction with the Manchester, Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham Canal, near Duckinfield Bridge, having passed a further distance of eight miles and a quarter, and through a descent of 334£ feet, which is equally divided among thirty-three locks ; crossing the River Tame in four different places, and making the whole length of canal nineteen miles and three quarters.

In passing from the summit level to Ashton-under-Lyne, there are two other tunnels ; one at Scout, two hundred and four yards long, excavated through a strong sand rock, and the other near its extremity at Ashton, one hundred and ninety-eight yards long, cut through a complete body of fine sand.

The principal tunnel at Standedge, or, as it is generally called, the Marsden Tunnel, is 9 feet wide and 17 feet high; the depth of water through it is 8 feet, leaving 9 feet from the surface of the water to the spring of the arch ; there is no towing-path in the tunnel ; the boats are therefore haled through by manual labour, which is effected in about one hour and twenty minutes; those at Scout and Ashton have each a towing-path.

There are now four lines of communication between the east and west coasts ; first by way of the River Trent, and the Trent and Mersey ; second, by way of the Aire and Calder, and the Leeds and Liverpool ; third, by the Aire and Calder, Calder and Hebble, the Rochdale, and the Duke of Bridgewater's ; and fourth, by the Aire and Calder, Calder and Hebble, that of Sir John Ramsden, the Huddersfield, Ashton-under-Lyne, Rochdale, and the Duke of Bridgewater's ; which last line is the shortest by nine miles and three quarters. This canal passes through a very populous and manufacturing district, full of valuable stone, but nearly void of every article for manufacturing purposes ; its beneficial effects are therefore very obvious, not only as being the shortest line of communication from Manchester to Hull ; but, at the same time, affording the greatest facility to the manufacturers in procuring coal, lime, timber, cotton, wool, dye-wares, iron, &c. and that of exporting their goods in a manufactured state.

Mr. Outram was the engineer who made the original estimate, which amounted to £184,000 ; but it appears that upwards of £300,000 has been expended. Mr. Clowes, Mr. Nicholas Brown, and other engineers, have also been engaged in prosecuting the works ; and although the proprietors have not reaped the fruits of their patriotic undertaking, there is a prospect it will eventually be productive, as the revenue has of late years greatly increased.