SALFORD HUNDRED 



ECCLES 



whole has now been reclaimed.' The corporation of 

 Manchester has a sewage farm there. 

 Dr. Aikin says of Eccles in I 795 : — 



The agriculture of the parish is chiefly conflned to grazing, and 

 would be more materially benefited by draining ; but the tax 

 upon brick, a most essential article in this process, has been a 

 very great hindrance to it. The use of lime — imported from 

 Wales, and brought by the inland navigations to the neighbour- 

 hood of our collieries — has become very general in the improve- 

 ment of the meadow and pasture lands . . . The advance of 

 population in the parish of Eccles [the effect of the great demand 

 for hands in our manufactures] has been attended with a due 

 care respecting public worship and the religious education of 

 children. . . . The excellent institutions of Sunday schools were 

 early patronised in Eccles parish, and continue to receive the 

 steady and liberal support of the parishioners. There are now, 

 it is calculated, near one thousand children regularly taught in 

 these schools, and with very considerable improvement.' 



Eccles gives a name to one of the parliamentary 

 divisions of the county formed of this parish and 

 Flixton ; it returns one member. 



There are three newspapers published at Eccles, the 

 Advertiser, established 1853 ; the "Journal, 1874 ; and 

 the Telegraph. 



The church of 52". MART stands on 

 CHURCH elevated ground about 200 yds. to the 

 north of the old market-place, and 

 consists of chancel with north and south aisles, south 

 transept with vestry on the east side, nave with north 

 and south aisles, south porch, and west tower. There 

 is also a building, now used as a strong-room and 

 motor-house, with entrance porch, on the north side 

 of the north chancel aisle. 



The whole of the east end of the church has been 

 rebuilt in modern times, but west of the chancel arch 

 the building, except the tower and south aisle, is of 

 early 16th-century date with some traces of 14th- 

 century work at the entrance to the rebuilt 

 south transept. The tower belongs to the 15th 

 century, and possibly incorporates in its lower stage 

 the masonry of an older structure. 



Where it was softest, branches, brushwood, 

 and hurdles (twigs and heath twisted 

 and plaited in frames) were laid down to 

 form a foundation, and the whole was 

 covered with sand and gravel two to three 

 feet thick as occasion required. Upon 



this, as it became compacted, were laid the 

 wooden sleepers for the rails, and the road 

 over the moss is now not inferior to that 

 on any part of the line.' The writer goes 

 on to speak of the efforts then being made 

 to reclaim the moss. 



^ The moss abounded with vipers : 

 Manch. Guardian N. and Q. no. 480. For 

 the Woolden Ringing pits on the moss, see 

 ibid.no. 848. 



' Country Round Mancl . 2l8-zi. 



45 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



