SHARXBROOK. 



SHEFFIELD. 



6S3 



Union, in the parish of Aston-upon-Treut, is situated on the left bank 

 of the river Trent, which here forms the boundary of the county, in 

 X. lat., 1' 21' W. long., distant about 6 miles S.E. from Derby, 

 and 120 miles N.N.W. from London. The population of the town- 

 ship and ecclesiastical district of Shardlo-.v in 1851 was 1121. The 

 living of Shardlow is a perpetual curacy iu the archdeaconry of Derby 

 and diocese of LichfleM. Shardlow Poor-Law Union contains 46 

 parishes and township?, with an area of 72,630 acres, and a population 

 1 of 32,318. The population is chiefly agricultural. Plaster or 

 gypsum mine* give employment to some of the inhabitants of Shard- 

 low and Aston. 



SHARNBROOK. [BEDFORDSHIRE.] 

 SHAWNEETUWN. [iLUSoii] 

 IBET.] 



SHEEPSHED. [LEICESTERSHIRE.] 



,:r\VASH. [DEVONSHIRE.] 



SHEEUNK.SS, Kent, a town ia the parish of ilinster-in-Sheppey, 

 is situated at the north-west point of the Isle of Sheppey, on the 

 right bank of the river Medway, at its junction with the Thames, in 

 . I' E. long., distant 20 miles Tx'.N.E. from Maidstone, 

 and 47 miles E. by 8. from London. The population of the town of 

 Sbeerne** in 1351 was 8549. The living of Sheerneas is a perpetual 

 curacy in the archdeaconry of Maidstone and diocese of Canterbury. 



In the time of Charles I. the site of the town was a swaiup, at the 

 extremity of which, after the Restoration, a fort was built and 

 mounted with twelve guns, to secure the passage up the Medway. 

 When the Dutch war broke out, it wa intended to augment the 

 fortifications; but on the 10th of July 1637 the Dutch forced their 

 way up the Medway, beat down the defences, and took the fort, which 

 was incomplete. It was soon restored on an enlarged scale, and has 

 been from time to time augmented by additional works ; and a dock- 

 yard, which has been made one of the finest in Europe, was 

 established. In 1798 the mutiny of the fleet at the Nore excited great 

 alarm. In 1827 Sheerneas suffered from an extensive conflagration. 



The town consists of three parts Shcemess proper, including the 

 fortresses and dockyards, and the suburbs of Blue-town and Mile- 

 town : an outer line of fortification* comprehend* Blue-town within 

 its incloture, but not Mile-town. The place has been much enlarged 

 within the last few yean. It is lighted by gas, and partially paved. 

 The garrison, or fortress, occupies the extreme point of the island ; 

 the principal batteries front the Thame*. A Urge fleet of ships in 

 ordinary generally lies off Sheerneas. The wharf front* the Medway. 

 The dockyard, store-house*, sail-loft*, 4c., occupy an area of 60 acres. 

 Close to the dock-gate* is a handsome chapel, the appointment to 

 which is in the Board of Admiralty ; and in Mile-town is a new gotliic 

 church. There are place* of worship for Wealeyan Methodist*, 

 Baptist*, and Roman Catholic* ; a National school for boys and girls ; 

 and a saving* bank. A county court is held in the town. Saturday is 

 the market-day. The trade is chiefly dependent on the dockyard ; but 

 tome shipment* are made to London of corn and seed, the produce of 

 the Isle of Sheppey, and the oyster-fishery is prosecuted to some 

 extent. There are copperas-work* at a little distance. Sheemess is 

 resorted to in summer for ea hething. A loug jetty ha* been carried 

 out into the river for landing pewengen. . 



SHKFKIKI.H, West Biding of Yorkshire, a market-town, a muni- 

 cipal and parliimentary borough, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, 

 in the pariah of Sheffield, U situated near tt.e junction of the river 

 Sheaf (from which the town U named) and three other riven with the 

 Don, in 53* 22' N. lat, 1* 28' W. long., distant 50 miles S.S.W. from 

 York, 162 miles N.N.W. from London by road, and 1624 >ile* by the 

 Great Northern railway. The population of the borough of .Sheffield 

 1 wa 135,310. The borough U goveru-d by 14 aldermen and 

 42 councillors, one of whom is mayor; and returns two members to 

 the Imperial Parliament The living U a vicarage in the archdeaconry 

 and dioess* of York. Sheffield Poor-Law Union contain* 4 town 

 ship*, with an area of 10,950 acre*, and a population in 1951 of 

 103,620. 



8h*m*ld became a parliamentary borough and acquired the privilege 

 of returning two member* under the Reform Act It received a char- 

 ter of incorporation _a* a municipal borough on August 24th 1843. In 

 population and commercial importance it ia the second town of the 

 county. With the exception of the single level outlet towards Don- 

 caster, Sheffield is encompassed by an amphitheatre of hills pleasingly 

 diversified in their appearance and culture. The manor of Sheffield 

 ia mentioned in Domeeday Book. In the early part of the reign of 

 Henry I. .it was in the ponessioo of the family of De Lovetot, who 

 bad her* their baronial rrairUnce. They founded an hospital, called 

 St. Leonard* (uppre*sed in the reign of Henry VIII.), upon an emi- 

 nence still called Spital Hill, established a corn-mill, erected a bridge 

 over the Don, and fixed here the nucleus of a town, which from the 

 natural advantage* of the locality afterward* rose into importance. 

 In 1298 Edward I. granted a charter to hold a weekly market and an 

 annual fair in Sheffield. Sheffield had about this timo acquired a 

 reputation for iron manufactured, especially for fmulcbion heads, arro 

 pill, and an ordinary kind of knives called whittles. The leading 

 branches of industry in the place became permanently settled here 

 before the introduction of steam, which ha* since been employed to 

 lustain iml extend them. Sheffield Manor acquired celebrity iu the 



reigu of Elizabeth by the imprisonment there of Mary, queen of Soots. 

 After being for some time confined iu Tutbury Castle, in Staffordshire, 

 she was, iu 1570, removed to Sheffield Castle, and shortly afterwards to 

 ihe Sheffield manor-house. She left Sheffield iu 1584, having spent 

 'ourteen years of her imprisonment in this neighbourhood. Tha 

 Duke of Alva caused many artisans to emigrate from the Netherlands 

 uto England, where they were well received by Queen Elizabeth, and 

 ;he general rule was adopted of settling all of one craft in one spot. 

 The workers in iron were, by the advice of the queen's chamberlain, 

 the Earl of Shrewsbury, settled on his own estate at Sheffield, and the 

 neighbourhood from this time became known for the manufacture of 

 shears, sickles, knives of every kind, and scissors. Iu 1616 the 

 Sheffield estates passed by marriage into the possession of Thomas 

 Howard, earl of Arundel, who, on the restoration of Charles II., was 

 restored to the title of Duke of Norfolk, forfeited by his ancestor iu 

 the reign of Elizabeth. In 1624 the cutlers obtained an act of incor- 

 poration. In the contest between Charles I. and the Parliament, Sir 

 John Cell, with troops from Derbyshire, took military possession of 

 the town and castle ; but the Duke of Newcastle, at the head of the 

 ruyal army, having taken Ilotherham by storm, marched to Sheffield, 

 when the Parliamentarians fled into Derbyshire. A garrison was left 

 in Sheffield Castle under Major Thomas Beaumont, who held the town 

 and castle till after the battle of Marston Moor, when, being besieged 

 by 12,000 Parliamentary infantry, the castle was obliged to capitulate 

 0:1 August 10th 1644. It was then demolished by order of Parliament. 

 No vestiges of it remain ; but the names of Castle-Hill, Castle-Green, 

 and Castle-Folds, still indicate its site. 



Though Sheffield maintained its staple manufactures, it did not, 

 during the 17th century, increase much iu commercial importance. 

 With the 18th century the business of the town began rapidly to make 

 progress. In 1700 the town-ball was built, where the town business 

 was transacted and the sessions held. In 1751 the river Don was 

 made navigable to Tiusley, within three miles of Sheffield, but it was 

 not till 1819 that the water communication was continued to the 

 town by the opening of the Sheffield and Tinslcy Canal. It was how- 

 ever in the hitter half of the ISth century that the town made its 

 moat rapid advances. The art of silver-plating, invented by an inge- 

 nious mechanic named Thomas Bolsovcr, wua so extensively applied 

 hero as to be soon generally known as Sheffield plate; the composition 

 called Britannia metal was also invented nnd very largely manu- 

 factured here ; lead-works and silk- and cotton-mills were established ; 

 and the merchants opened for the first time a direct communication 

 with the continent ; while towards the end of the century steam- 

 power was employed in the manufacture* of the town. Stage-coaches 

 too were started to run to London ; a bank was opened in the town ; 

 shambles and market buildings were erected; and reservoirs were 

 formed in the neighbourhood for supplying the town with water. 



I i.iring the present century Sheffield has been steadily advancing iu 

 prosperity and importance, and now displays all the features of a 

 manufacturing town of the first class. As most of the merchants 

 and principal manufacturers reside in the country, there are few 

 dwelling-house* of a superior grade, but of late the shops ill the 

 principal streets have been rendered more ornamental, various good 

 public buildings have been erected, and the general appearance of the 

 town has been much improved. The streets are all well paved and 

 lighted with gas. Sheffield in 1851 possessed 70 places of worship, of 

 which 26 belonged to Methodist*, 23 to the Church of England, 10 to 

 Independent*, 4 to Baptists, and one each to Quakers, Unitarians, 

 Roman Catholics, Irvingiles, and Jews. The total number of sittings 

 provided wu 44,180. The old parish church, a spacious cruciform 

 gothic structure, 240 feet long by 130 feet broad, with a tower aud 

 lofty spire rising from the intersection, stands near the centre of the 

 town. In the interior are several interesting monument* and pieces 

 of sculpture. St. Paul's, erected in 1721, and St James's, in 1789, 

 are iu the Grecian style. St. George's, built by the Parliamentary 

 Commissioners in 1825, at a cost of more than 14,0002., is a handsome 

 and commodious edifice, in the style of the 14th century, with a lino 

 western tower 139 feet high. The Roman Catholic chapel, opened in 

 1850, is in the decorated style, and cost about 80001. It is cruciform, 

 with a tower, surmounted with an elegant croeketed spire 200 feet 

 The Royal Free Grammar school, founded in 1649, free to 30 

 buys for classics, has an income from endowment of about 1502. a year ; 

 it is under the care of a head and three other masters, and hail SO 

 scholars iu 1854. Wesley College, an extensive aud handsome range 

 of building*, erected in 1838 at a cost including the price of six acres 

 of land, used as pleasure-grounds of about 15,000/., has accommo- 

 dation for about 250 boarder.'. It U un:ler the care of a governor, 

 who is a!o chaplain, a bead master, and 16 other teachers. The 

 number of scholars in 1853 was 150. The Collegiate Proprietary 

 school, founded in 1835, is under a principal and 8 other teachers, and 

 had 79 scholars in 1854. A Charity school, founded about 1710, sup- 

 port*, clothes, aud educate* about 100 boys : another, founded about 

 1786, provide* instruction, clothing, and maintenance for 70 girls. 

 There are several National, British, and Infant schools; three Wes- 

 leyan day school* ; a Roman Catholic school ; the People's College ; a 

 Ragged school ; a School of Design ; the Sheffield Library, estal 

 in 1771, which ha* about 20,000 volumes, and about 280 subscribers ; 

 the Mechanic! aud Apprentices Library, commenced in 1824, which. 



