694 



LEEDS. 



Leeds, 



The general infirmary is a large and handsome brick 

 building of Roman architecture. It was founded in 

 1768, and was opened in 1771- It is 150 feet long, 

 and 38 wide. The court is 186 feet by 30 ; and the 

 back court, with the offices and gardens, is 186 feet by 

 120. An attic story was added to the central part of 

 the building in 1 792. Mr. Howard, who visited Leeds 

 in 1788, says, that this hospital is one of the best in the 

 kingdom. The average number of in-patients annual- 

 ly during the three years preceding 1816, was 764, 

 and the out-patients 1675. The house of recovery was 

 founded in Vicar Lane in 1802, and opened in 1804, 

 and is appropriated to the reception of poor persons af- 

 flicted with infectious fevers. 



_ The free grammar school was erected by John Har- 

 rison, Esq. and in 1692 was enlarged by Mr. Lawson. 

 In 1780, an excellent house was erected near the school 

 for the use of the master. , 



The mixed or coloured cloth hall, built in 1758, is 

 .a quadrangular building, enclosing an open area of 

 127^ yards by 66. It is divided into six covered streets, 

 each of which contains two rows of stands. Each stand 

 is 22 inches in front, and has the name of the clothier 

 painted upon it. The total number is 1 800. The num- 

 tber of master manufacturers, however, does not exceed 

 .1780, some of them having two stands. Each stand 

 originally cost three guineas ; but they are now worth 

 from 8 to 15. The hall is so completely lighted, 

 that the colours of the goods can be seen as distinctly 

 as, in the open air. 



The white or undyed cloth hall, built in 1775, is a 

 quadrangle 99 yards long and 70 broad, and is divided 

 -into five covered streets, each of which has a double 

 row of stands, the total number of which is 1210. Each 

 of these cost originally 30 shillings, but they now sell 

 from 3 to 8. A small hall was erected some years 

 ago in Albion street, for the use of those clothiers who 

 had not received a regular apprenticeship, and who 

 could not therefore be admitted into the other halls. 

 . The market for coloured cloths is held every Mon- 

 .day and Saturday at nine in the morning, and that for 

 white cloth on Tuesday at one o'clock. The market 

 commences by the ringing of a bell. At the end of an 

 hour a second bell rings; and at the end of a quarter of 

 an hour a third bell announces that the market must be 

 cleared. All the business is therefore completed in an 

 hour and a quarter ; and if any merchant remain in the 

 hall after the last bell is finished, he is fined five shil- 

 lings, and the same sum for every five minutes that he 

 continues there. After the cloths have been properly 

 fulled, and the uniformity of their fabric certified by a 

 leaden ticket affixed by the inspector, they are brought 

 to the market in the rough. The buyers purchase in a 

 few words, and the cloths are taken to the warehouses 

 to be examined. A part of the price is then paid, and 

 six months credit given for the balance. 



The new court-house and prison, at the bottom of 

 Park-Row, may be ranked among the first public 

 buildings of the town. The first stone was laid on 

 the 2d of September, 1811, and the edifice was com- 

 pleted in 1813. The principal front is towards Park- 

 Row, and consists of a portico of four Corinthian co- 

 lumns, and two wings, which have pannels highly 

 wrought in bas relief, containing the fasces, fleece, 

 wreaths, &c. The rotation-office, and the West Riding 

 magistrates' room, are on eaeh side of the vestibule, and 

 communicate with the great room, which contains an 

 elevated stage for the public, capable of containing 800 

 persons. There are also two galleries, one for the grand 

 jury, and a corresponding one for ladies ; a room for 



the counsel, and a retiring-room for the jury, which Leeds, 

 communicates with their bo^c. The casement story, ^-y- 

 which is entirely arched with stone, consists of an open 

 ground arcade, for the use of the military, beriind which 

 is a guard-room, and an engine-room, sufficiently large 

 to contain the whole of the town and fire-office engines. 



There are also on this story, gaoler's apartments, which 

 command the prison-court, in which are thirteen cells. 



The king's mills are held by a grant from the crown 

 by J. P. Neville, Esq. and all the inhabitants of Leeds 

 are obliged to grind their corn there. 



The water-works are near the bridge over the Aire, 

 and supply the town with abundance of soft water. 

 Adjoining to them are the vast warehouses belonging 

 to the Aire and Calder Navigation. 



The charity-school, in which 70 boys are taught 

 reading, writing, and arithmetic, and 50 girls reading, 

 writing, and knitting, was founded by Mr. Harrison. 

 The children are admitted at seven, and remain till 

 fourteen. 



The Leeds national school is a convenient and hand- 

 some edifice, for the instruction of 320 boys and 180 

 girls on Dr. Bell's system. It was begun in 1812, and 

 opened in 1813. 



A Lancastrian school was also erected in 1812, and 

 is a large and commodious brick building. 



A Wesley chapel, a very handsome and spacious 

 building, was erected in Maiden-lane in 1816. 



Leeds has an excellent circulating library, which was 

 established in 1768 by the exertions of Dr. Priestley. 

 It contains a large and excellent collection of books, 

 and some valuable manuscripts, which are deposited in 

 a splendid apartment, erected at an expence of 5000. 



Magnificent assembly rooms have been built in Leeds, 

 and dancing assemblies are held every fortnight during 

 the winter. The theatre was built in 1771 ; but dur- 

 ing four years previous to 1816 it was shut up. 



Besides the institutions we have mentioned, there is 

 a workhouse, built in 1636 by Mr. Sykes, several old 

 almshouses, founded by John Harrison, Esq. and con- 

 sisting of 20 dwellings, to which 1 2 more have been 

 added, and 10 new almshouses, founded by Mrs. Potter, 

 for the widows of deceased tradesmen. 



The principal manufacture of Leeds and its vicinity 

 is that of cloth. It consisted formerly of the coarser 

 kinds, but the superfine cloths are now manufactured 

 on a great scale. Swandowns, toilenets, kerseymeres, 

 and various other fancy articles are also made here. 

 Manufactures of sacking, canvas, linen, and thread, have 

 also been carried on to a considerable extent. Two car- 

 pet manufactories have also been established, besides 

 several cotton mills, manufactories for flat and green 

 glass, and for fine and coarse pottery goods. There are 

 also several founderies. On the banks of the Aire, and 

 its tributary streams, are mills for grinding corn, dyers 

 wood, rape-seed, for fulling cloth, and for driving the 

 machinery for the carding and spinning of wool. There 

 is likewise a large manufactory of steam engines carried 

 on by Mr. Mathew Murray, which, we believe, is the 

 largest in England excepting that of Messrs. Boulton 

 and Watt. 



Leeds is one of the principal marts of the woollen 

 manufactures in the west riding of Yorkshire, and a 

 great part of the cloths pass through the hands of die . 

 Leeds merchants. The manufacturers of mixed cloths 

 reside chiefly in the villages belonging to the parish of 

 Leeds, westward of the town, and at Dewsbury and its 

 vicinity, &c. The white cloth is made also at Dews- 

 bury, and in a district six miles distant from Leeds. 



The borough of Leeds, which includes the whole pa- 



