A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



ceased to be a township, and the areas of Ribbleton, 

 Grimsargh and Brockholes, and Lea, Ashton, Ingol 

 and Cottam were reduced. 



Something has been said of Preston as a port. Dr. 

 Kuerden about 1682 found that a vessel of reason- 

 able burden might be brought up the river to Preston 

 by a knowing and well-skilled pilot. 97 The Ribble, 

 however, could only be used by small vessels. A 

 company was formed in 1 806 to improve the naviga- 

 tion, 98 and in 1838 was merged in the Ribble Navi- 

 gation Company, in which Preston Corporation took 

 shares. 99 The bed of the river was deepened at 

 Preston, the channel seawards was dredged and sea 

 walls were built. A dock was made at Lytham in 

 1841, and in 1843, owing to the increase of trade, 

 the corporation made a new quay near the border of 

 Ashton. In 1853 additional powers were obtained 

 for the reclamation of tide-washed land. 



Though there was a considerable coasting trade, 100 

 the navigation of the river continued unsatisfactory. 

 The corporation purchased the company's under- 

 taking in l883, 101 and began a comprehensive system 

 of improvement, the river course having since been 

 straightened below the town, and a large dock formed 

 in Ashton was opened in 1892. A small change in 

 the township boundaries followed the alteration of the 

 stream. The channel is kept open by dredging 

 and by a system of retaining walls to prevent silting. 

 The customs port extends from Preston to Hundred 

 End on the south side of the Ribble and as far as the 

 mouth on the north, and thence up to Blackpool. 102 



The parish has not produced many men of distinc- 

 tion. In view of its present industrial position the 

 first place may be given to Sir Richard Arkwright, 

 the inventor, who was born in the town of Preston in 

 1732. After following the trade of barber and wig- 

 maker for thirty years or more, living part of the 

 time at Bolton, he turned his attention to cotton- 

 spinning machinery. He and his assistant are said to 

 have set up a trial machine in a large house at Stony- 

 gate, Preston, but his first mill (1771) was built at 

 Nottingham and his second near Wirksworth in 

 Derbyshire. He purchased the manor of Crom- 

 ford, was made a knight in 1786 and acted as High 

 Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1786-7. He died in 

 I792. 103 



The most distinguished of the natives of the place 

 in the world of letters was the late Francis Thompson, 

 a lyrical poet of great genius and splendour of diction. 

 He was the son of a doctor, and born in 1859. He 

 was educated for the priesthood at Ushaw, but re- 

 nounced that calling, desiring to devote himself to 



literature. He fell into destitution, but his talents 

 were recognized and the later years of his life were 

 fruitful. He died in November 1907 ; in 1910 a 

 memorial tablet was placed on the house where he 

 was born. 



Lawrence Claxton or Clarkson, born at Preston in 

 1615, became a prominent sectary of the Common- 

 wealth times Presbyterian, Baptist, ' Seeker,' and 

 Muggletonian in turn. He published various tracts 

 and died in l66j. 1M 



Edward Baynard, M.D., is thought to have been 

 born at Preston in 1641. In 1719 he published a 

 poem entitled Health. His daughter Anne was noted 

 for her learning and piety. 106 



Josiah Chorley, son of Henry Chorley of Preston, 

 became the Presbyterian minister at Norwich, 1691, 

 till his death, about 1719. He published a metrical 

 index to the Bible. 106 



Richard Shepherd, born at Kendal, settled at 

 Preston, where he practised as a physician. He died 

 in 1761, having bequeathed his library to the town, 

 together with a sum for a librarian's salary and the 

 purchase of fresh books. The library, which was to 

 be strictly for works of reference, is now deposited in 

 the Harris Free Library. 107 The erection of this 

 building was due to the trustees of Edmund Robert 

 Harris of Ashton, who was born at Preston in 1804 

 and died in 1877, he having given them power to 

 establish an institution of public utility in Preston to 

 perpetuate the memory of his father and family. 108 

 His father was the Rev. Robert Harris, incumbent of 

 St. George's, Preston, from 1797 to 1862. In the 

 Harris Library is preserved also the art collection 

 bequeathed to the town by another native of it, 

 Richard Newsham, 1798-1883. 



Sir Edward Stanley of BickerstafFe, who succeeded 

 to the earldom of Derby in 1736, is stated to have 

 been born at Preston in 1689 ; he served as mayor 

 of the town in 1731. His descendant, the late 

 earl, took the title of Lord Stanley of Preston on 

 being raised to the peerage in 1886, and was guild 

 mayor in 1902. 



Arthur Devis, born at Preston about 1711, became 

 a portrait painter, exhibiting at the Free Society of 

 Artists, 1762-80. He died in I787. 109 



William Turner, son of a Nonconformist minister, 

 was born at Preston in 1714, and himself became a 

 minister at Wakefield. He contributed to Priestley's 

 Theological Repository. He died in 1 794- 110 



Edward Crane, born at Preston in 1721, was 

 educated at Kendal. He became a Nonconformist 

 minister at Norwich, but died young, in I749- 111 



97 Quoted by Hewitson, Preston, 214, 

 from which work the details in the text 

 have for the most part been taken. See 

 also Hardwick, op. cit. 391-400. 



88 Priv. Act, 46 Geo. Ill, cap. 121. 

 In 1821 the river was used by coasters 

 from Liverpool, Kirkcudbright, Dublin, 

 &c., as well as for coal flats and other small 

 craft. There was a good fishery ; Whittle, 

 Preston, 26, 27. A list of trading vessels, 

 the Inrgest being of 130 tons, is given 

 ibid. 345. 



99 The first steamboat on the Ribble 

 appeared about 1829 ; the second, built 

 at Preston, in 1834. 



100 < mot very long ago steamers sailed 

 regularly between Liverpool and Preston, 

 carrying grain principally. . . Formerly 

 considerable quantities of iron were 



brought by water to Preston. There 

 was also a large china-clay traffic up the 

 river. The outward cargoes of the 

 vessels consisted mainly of coal from the 

 Wigan district ' ; Hewitson, op. cit. 

 (1883), 224.' 



01 Loc. Act, 46 Ic 47 Viet. cap. 

 115, &c. 



102 In 1826 Preston was a creek of 

 the port of Lancaster; in 1839 it was 

 joined with Fleetwood, and became 

 independent in 1843. 



108 Diet. Nat. Biag. In Lancashire he 

 built a mill near Chorley, but it was 

 destroyed by the populace in 1779 in 

 spite of the protection of police and 

 military. 



104 Ibid. A Lawrence Clarkson, son 

 of Henry, appears among the burgesses 



80 



of 1622 and 1642; Preston Guild R. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.}, 88, 97. 



105 Diet. Nat. Biog. 



Ibid. ; Preston Guild R. 1 27. 



107 Hewitson, op. cit. 294-6. 



108 The trustees gave 100,000 in all, 

 of which 70,000 was for the building 

 and the rest for books and endowment. 

 The corporation gave the site. The 

 trustees also gave 40,000 to found the 

 Harris Institute, a successor of the Insti- 

 tution for the Diffusion of Knowledge, 

 founded in 1849. A third large gift 

 resulted in the Harris Orphanage in 

 Fulwood. 



K* 9 Diet. Nat. Biog. 



110 Ibid. ; Nightingale, Lanes. Noncmif. 

 i, 10-12. 



111 Diet. Nat. Biog. 



