1183 



YORKSHIRE. 



YORKSHIRE. 



1191 



2850 yards upon the summit level of the canal. The Dearne and Dove 

 Canal commences at Swinton, in a side-cut which forms part of the 

 Don or Dun Navigation, and proceeds north-west to the aqueduct for 

 conducting tha Banialey Canal across the river Dearne, near Barnsley, 

 a distance of 9 j miles. It has a branch of 2 miles to Worsborough, 

 which communicates by a railway with extensive collieries near 

 Stainborough Hall ; and there is also a branch canal of 24 miles, 

 belonging to Earl Fitzwilliam, to the Elsecar iron-works. The Der- 

 went River Navigation u sufficiently noticed in the account of the 

 river in a previous column. The Drimeld Navigation commences in 

 the river Hull, at Aike Beck Mouth, about 4J miles N. from Beverley, 

 aud half a mile N. from the junction of the Lcven Canal. For a dis- 

 tance of 5 j miles northward the navigation is chiefly in the natural 

 bad of the river, and it extends a short distance up Frodingham Beck, 

 the chief feeder of the Hull, which has a short private cut to Foston 

 Mills ; but a little north of the junction of Frodingham Beck with the 

 Hull the canal proceeds by an artificial cut of nearly 54 miles, partly 

 parallel with the Hull, to Driffield on the north-west. The Don or 

 Dun River Navigation is described already under the river Don ; so 

 likewise U the Foe* Navigation under the river Fait. The Hedon | 

 Haven Navigation, from the Humber to Hedon, in the promontory of 

 Holdernees, U simply a natural creek or stream improved for the 

 purpose of navigation. The Haddersfield Canal is one of the most 

 stupendous works of the kind, considering its limited extent, ever 

 execute.!. TbU canal, which is 6tted for small craft 7 feet wide, and 

 is capable of admitting boats of 24 tons burden, commences on the 

 south of the town of Huddersfield, and takes a south-west direction 

 by SUithwaite, being nearly parallel to one of the branches of the 

 river Coloe, a tributary of the Calder, which it crosses by aqueducts in 

 three place*. Approaching Marsdeu in the same direction, it rues 436 

 feet by 42 locks, and thereby attains its summit level, which is rather 

 more than 956 feet above the level of the tea at low water, and higher 

 than any other canal in the kiugdom. This level it maintains for a 

 distance of 4 miles, of which a distance of 5451 yards, or more than 

 3 mile*, U in a tunnel under the mountain ridge generally call-d 

 SUndedge. At there it no towing-path, the boat* are hauled through 

 this tunnel by manual labour in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

 Emerging from the tunnel at Digglm, the canal pursue* the same 

 direction by Saddleworth along the valley of the Tame, which river 

 it crosies several time*, and after running parallel with the boundary 

 of Lancashire for (oine miles, it turn* westward near Dukinfield, and 

 pines for a very short diatauce through that county to its junction 

 with the Asbton Canal. Iti total length is 19] miles. By thii means 

 a water communication U obtained between the en-Urn and western 

 shore* of the ialand. The Hull and Leven Canal extend* about three 

 mile* eastward from the river Hall to Levcn, for the conveyance of 

 lime, manure, corn, and other produce. The Knottingley and Ooole 

 Canal, forming part of the Air* and Calder Navigation, has been 

 i. -. !y ; . I : 



The Lreds and Liverpool Canal, which is partly described under LAN- 

 CASHIRE, commence* at the north-western termination of the Aire and 

 Calder Navigation at Leeda Bri.lge, proceed* a short distance along 

 the river Aire, and then enters an artificial channel, which pursue* a 

 north-western oonne to Shipley, whi-re it receive* the Bradford CanaL 

 y it proceed* westward to New Mill, where it crosse* the 

 Aire by an txteosive aqueduct ; after which, to the neighbourhood of 

 GdTgrave, it continue* a winding course to the north-west along the 

 northern bank of the river. At Bingley, a short distance beyond the 

 New Mill aqueduct, the canal rise* suddenly by a aerie* of lock* a 

 height of 88 feet 8 inch**, and thereby attain* a level which extend* 

 for 18 mile* without a lock. Bevond UargTAve the canal turn* south- 

 west, oroest* the Aire again by a large aqueduct, and run* southward 

 acroe* the Craven Moon, attaining at the summit-level at Greenber- 

 field an elevation of 411 feet 4 inch** above the Aire at Leeds, and 

 about 600 feet above the level of the sea at low water. On the summit- 

 level it receive* a branch from lim> stone-quarries at Uainhill Rock ; 

 and this level continue* beyond the point where the canal enters Lan- 

 cashire at Fuulridge, near Coloe. The length from Leed* to the 

 summit-lock at Oreeaberfield is 4 1 miles. This great undertaking was 

 48 Tear* in prognes, and wa* not completed so as to allow vessels to 



nfrom Lred* to Liverpool until 1816. The Market Weighton Canal 

 iportant both for the purposes of navigation and the drainage of 

 the low levels through which it U conducted. It commences at a 

 point called New Hirer Head, near Market Weighton, in the East 

 Riding, and pursues a nearly straight course to the south, joining the 

 Hutub- r by a sea-lock very near the confluence of the Ouse aud Trent, 

 passing through Walling Fen, which contain* 20,000 acre* of land. 

 The Ouse River Navigation U described among the rivers in a previous 

 pen. The Poeklington Canal was formed for the conveyance of coal 

 and lime to, and agricultural produce from, the neighbourhood of 

 Poeklington. in the East Riding, near the Wold*. It commences in 

 the river Drrwrat, at East Cottiogwith, and runs nearly parallel with 

 one of it* feeder* in a circuitous north-eastern course, to near Pock- 

 Hogton. It* length U about 8| mile*. Sir John Ramsden'* Canal 

 emanK** at the river Calder, at Cooper'* Bridge, and runs south- 

 WM* far about Sf mile* to Hu.Hrmfi- Id. In addition to it* import- 

 ance a* a link in the communication across the island by the Hudders- 

 neld Caual, this navigation ha* been the chief mean* of raising the 



town of HudderaSeld, the greater part of which was built on Sir John 

 Ramaden'a property, to its position as one of the principal markets for 

 woollen goods in the county. The Ripon Canal is a short cut parallel 

 with the river Ure, for connecting Ripon with the navigable part of 

 that stream. The Rochdale Canal commences in the Calder aud Hebble 

 Navigation, at Sowerby Bridge wharf, near Halifax, aud runs west-by- 

 north along the valley of the Calder to Hebden Bridge, where it turns 

 with the river west-by-south, leaving the county near Totimorden, 

 where it enters LANCASHIRE. This canal is mada of sufficient size to 

 receive vessels capable of navigating the tideways of the Humber and 

 the Mersey. The Selby Canal is a short cut connecting Selby, on the 

 Ouse, with the Aire at West Haddlesey. The Sheffield Caual com- 

 mences in a cut communicating with the river Don or Dun at Tinsley, 

 and pursues a course of little more than four miles, nearly parallel 

 with the Don, to Sheffield, crossing by an aqueduct over the road from 

 Worksop to Attercliffe. The Stainforth and Keadby Canal commences 

 in the River Don Navigation, near Stainforth, and proceeds eastward 

 by Thorne into Lincolnshire, where it joins the Trent at Keadby, 

 crossing tlie county boundary near Crowle. Its total length is 15 

 miles, of which about half is in Yorkshire, and passing through a very 

 flat country, it has no lock, except at its junction with the Trent. The 

 Thanet Canal is a short branch from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal 

 to limestone-quarries near Skipton, formed by the Earl of Thauet 

 under an Act of 1773. The River Ure Navigation is noticed under the 

 river itself, and a part of it also under tho title of the Ripon Canal 

 Nearly all the canals of Yorkshire have been either leased or purchased 

 by the several railway companies. 



Roadt and Railwayt. The great north road from London to Edin- 

 burgh, by Coldstream or Berwick, enters Yorkshire from Nottingham- 

 shire at Bawtry, and proceeds in a tolerably direct course to the north, 

 inclining a little westward, by Doncaster, Boroughbridge, and North- 

 allerton, to the border of Durham, near Darlington. A branch leading 

 also to Edinburgh, by Carlisle, leaves this line at Boroughbridge, 

 proceeds nearly parallel with it by Leeming and Catterick, and after- 

 ward* turns westward by Greta Bridge, aud enters Westmorland near 

 Brough : while another route from London to Edinburgh leaves the 

 first-mentioned road at Ferrybridge, proceeds north to Sherburn aud 

 Tadcaster, and then inclines north-west to York, from which city it 

 proceeds north-north-west by Ea*ingwold and Think, and rejoins the 

 direct road a little south of Northall.-rton. The road to Whitby 

 branches off at York, and runs pretty direct north-north-east through 

 New Mai ton and Pickering : aud from the latter town is a branch to 

 Scarborough. Another branch from the great north road enters 

 Durham at Yarm, near Stockton ; and there are numerous other con- 

 nections with towns in Yorkshire aud Durham. The road from London 

 to Hull and Scarborough, through Lincolnshire, enters the county by 

 a ferry across the Humber near Barton, to the west of Hull, aud 

 proceeds northward through Beverley and Driffield, with collateral 

 branches to Bridlington and New Maltou. The road from London to 

 Leeds and Ripon enters Yorkshire from Chesterfield a little to the 

 south of Sheffield, and passes through that town, Barnsley, Wakefield, 

 Leeds, Horrogate, and Ripley, to Ripon, in a course nearly due north, 

 and beyond the latter place it inclines north-east, and crosses the great 

 north road to Thirsk. bkipton is approached by a road which extends 

 from Manchester to Clitheroe, and then enters Yorkshire with a north- 

 eastern course, and also by a road from London, through Bedford and 

 Nottingham, which enters the county near the eastern boundary of 

 Derbyshire, and passing by Rotherham, Barnaley, Huddersfield, Halifax, 

 Skipton, aud Settle, crosses the northern extremity of Lancashire, and 

 enters Westmorland by Kirkby Lonsdale, whence it is continued to 

 Kendal. Notwithstanding the difficult nature of the country, abund- 

 ant lines of road have been formed in every direction between the 

 several town* of the woollen district in the West Riding, and also 

 between the West Riding and Lancashire. 



Of the railways of Yorkshire it is unnecessary to particularise such, 

 a* have been formed merely for communication with mines and 

 quarries, for the most part by private individuals, and without parlia- 

 mentary power*; but one railway of this class is worthy of mention 

 because of the peculiar interest attached to it as one of the first, if 

 I not absolutely the first, formed under the powers of an Act of Parlia- 

 | meut, as well as being probably the first upon which locomotive 

 j engines were regularly employed. This is called Brandling's railway, 

 ! from the name of its constructor and proprietor, and sometimes, from 

 : the collieries with which it communicates, the Middleton railway, and 

 it wa* formed under an Act granted to Charles Brandling, Esq., aud 

 other persons, in the year 1758. It connects the Middleton collieries, 

 about 3 miles to the south of Leeds, with that town ; aud on this 

 road, about the year 1811, was introduced a kind of locomotive engine 

 patented by Mr. Blenkinsop, which was propelled by a toothed wheel 

 working into a rack-rail 



The Yorkshire passenger railways may be noticed in connection 

 I with the companies to which they severally belong : 



1. London and Norlk-Walern. This company has taken at a rental 

 dependent on the dividend of the parent line, the Huddersfield and 

 | Manchester and the Leeds and Dewsbury railways. The former joins 

 the Sheffield line near Ashton, aud terminates at Huddersfield, passing 

 through the ' Back-bone of England ' by a tunnel three miles long, 

 close and parallel to the tunnel of the Huddersfield and Manchester 



