A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Billingliam was loaded at Stockton and the bishop's 

 men took 6d. 'by custom.'*'- It is mentioned as a 

 port in 1543."' In 1565, however, Tees mouth 

 was not considered a convenient haven because Stock- 

 ton, the nearest landing-place, was lo miles inland."^ 

 In the I 7th century Stockton was a member of the 

 port of Newcastle.*** At that time it was ' a very in- 

 telligible port and one of more trade than any between 

 Hull and Newcastle. It had a great trade with 

 Holland for butter and le.id, and now will have one 

 with Denmark.' **" The Baltic trade was so important 

 that the Eastland merch.ints thought it desirable to 

 appoint a surveyor there in 1671.*' In 1677 a junk 

 of between 200 and 300 tons was launched, the largest 

 vessel till then known there, and another of the same 

 size was building.*** At the same time exports of corn 

 are recorded.*" The growing importance of the place 

 is shown by the transference to it of the Customs 

 officers in 1680 ; till then they had been stationed at 

 H.irtlepool.''" Free quays were set out under a royal 

 commission in 1683, and there were also the private 

 quays of James Cooke, Robert Jackson, Matthew 

 Wigginer, — Atkinson and Thomas Crow.'-" In 1 795 

 the vessels belonging to the port numbered forty-seven, 

 with a tonnage of 5,730, an average of 125 tons 

 each.'- During the 19th century the town and port 

 made great progress, the chief causes being the opening 

 of the railway in 1825 and the discovery of ironstone 

 in Cleveland about 1850. Various shipping companies 

 were formed from 1803 onward '^ ; the improvement 

 in the river navigation assisted trade and Stockton 

 began to be a bonding port in 1815."* The first 

 steamboat appeared in 1822, and in 1824 there was 

 one belonging to the port, ^* yet in 1831 the eighty 

 ships of Stockton had only 7,970 tons burthen in all,"* 

 showing a diminution in average size since 1795. In 

 1866, after Hartlepool and Middlesbrough had been 

 made separate ports, there were thirty-one Stockton 

 vessels with a tonnage of 6,109 ! '" '9°' there were 

 also thirty-one with 22,179 '°"^- The Tees Naviga- 

 tion Company, which controlled the river from the 

 making of the 'old cut' in 1808-10, was in 1852 

 superseded by the Tecs Conservancy Commission," 

 which has its headquarters at Middlesbrough. 



The port of Stockton now begins at Newport, half- 

 way between Thornaby and Middlesbrough. The 

 following bodies had power to levy dues in 1855 : 

 The Tees Conservancy Commission, for light dues, Sic. ; 

 Stockton Corporation, lessees of the Bishop of Durham, 

 for anchorage and plankage on ships and town dues on 



cargo ; Trinity House, Newcastle, for primage on 

 cargo ; the Trustees of Ramsgate Harbour, the Warden 

 and Assistants of Dover, the Bridlington Harbour 

 Trustees and the Russia Company."* 



The industries of Stockton are numerous and varied. 

 There is a considerable shipping trade, both foreign 

 and coastwise, from the quays along the river. The 

 foreign trade is chiefly with Holland and the Baltic 

 ports. The exports at present are chiefly iron and 

 coal from the mines of the surrounding district, the 

 imports are iron ore, timber, wheat, hemp and flax, 

 hides and tallow. Formerly wheat was exported, but 

 the local demand almost overtook the growth before 

 1800."" Lead was at one time the chief export, but 

 the trade was diverted to other ports.""' Coal was 

 imported until the opening of the railway reversed the 

 case.' The fisheries of the Tees have always been 

 important ; salmon are the chief fish taken.- There 

 was a dispute between the fishermen with draw nets 

 and those with ' haling ' nets in i 530 ' ; an order was 

 made that none should fish with ' kydyll ' nets for 

 smelts, &c., from Salthow (rSaltholme) upwards be- 

 tween 25 April and i August.'' 



The town contains large iron and steel works. 

 Shipbuilding and steam engine making are extensively 

 carried on, and ropes are made. The ropemaking 

 and shipbuilding industries date from the i8th century 

 at least.' In 1779 a frigate named Bellona was built 

 here for the navy, but was wrecked on its first voyage.' 

 At that time, on account of the war, three shipbuilding 

 yards had constant employment and another was tried 

 at Portrack.' The plan in Brewster's History of a 

 few years later date shows yards at Smithfield, on the 

 site of the North Shore yard, and a rope walk west of 

 the church ; there was another rope walk at Portrack. 

 Iron and brass founding is carried on, bricks and tiles 

 are made, and cement. In addition there are saw- 

 mills, corn-mills, sweet factories and breweries as well 

 as minor industries. 



There were in the early 19th century factories for 

 sail-cloths, damask and worsted. Damask weaving had 

 died out by 1830, but linen, sail-cloth and worsted 

 were still made, and lead was rolled and smelted. A 

 steam corn-mill was erected in 1821, and there were 

 other mills, besides foundries, breweries, shipbuilding 

 yards, roperies and brickworks.' A soap manufactory 

 was given up in 1 8 14." The Chamber of Commerce 

 was established in 1850,"^ and similar societies had 

 been formed in 1823 and 1832. 



Two Stockton tradesmen issued 'farthing' tokens 



^'^Ftai. Prior. Dundm. (Siirt. Soc), 

 241. 



^ L. and P. Hin. VIll, xviii (l), 200. 



** Cal. S. P. Dom. 1601-3, P- 573- 



"^ Ntvicaule Merchant JiJzienturcrs 

 (Surt. Soc), ii, i 5i-z. 



^ Cal. S. P. Dom. 1671-2, p. 376. 



«' r.C.H. Dur. ii, 308. 



*■' Cal. S. P. Dom. 1676-7, p. 573. 



"' Ibid. 356,424,434. 



*" Brewster, op. cit. 64. 



" Ibid. Ten quays are marked on 

 the plan of 1724. 



9» Ibid. 76. 



''Ibid. 194. " Ibid. 196. 



'^ Ibid. 195. 



^ Mackenzie and Rosi, op. cit. ii, 46. 



" Local and Pers. Act, i; & 16 Vict, 

 cap. 162. There arc many amending 

 and supplementary Acts. 



'' Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 192. There 

 were then twenty-two private quays, four 

 public quays, and five coal staiths (ibid. 

 >94). 



'* Brewster, op. cit. 69. Surtecs in 

 1823 stated that the wheat export had 

 become one of flour (op. cit. iii, 178). 



'* Brewster, op. cit, 73. Hull had 

 taken the place of Stockton. Surtees 

 (loc. cit.) found that Stockton had re- 

 gained this trade. 



' Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 197. 



' Brewster, op. cit. 59 ; Fordyce, op. 

 cit. ii, 191. 



■* Dep. Keeper^ s Rep. xxxvii, App. 41. 



^ Brewster, op. cit. 38-9. 



^ The following is part of a description 

 of Stockton written in 1784 : 'Abundance 

 of fine large salmon are caught here . , . 

 After the town is supplied, those which 



remain are carried by the fish machines 

 to York, Leeds, &c. The ale brewed 

 here is highly esteemed by the lovers of 

 that liquor. Much sail cloth is manu- 

 factured, and many ships, greatly admired 

 for their beauty and strength, are built 

 here ; a company of gentlemen are like- 

 wise engaged in the business of sugar 

 refining. Several ships are constantly 

 employed by the merchants of this place 

 in the London trade ; they also carry on 

 a traffic with Holland, Norway, &c. ; 

 their exports, consisting chiefly of lead, 

 com, butter, pork, &c., are very con- 

 siderable' {Genl. Ma^. liv [2], 736). 



^ Heavisides, op. cit. 189. 



^ Brewster, op. cit. 69-70. 



® Mackenzie and Ross, op, cit. ii, 40. 



^ Surtees, op. cit. iii, 180. 



"^ Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 197. 



356 



