A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



urban area ; Ashton on the west ; Maudland, St. 

 Peter's, Moor Brook, Park and Deepdale on the 

 north ; Ribbleton and Fishwick to the east. Each 

 ward has now an alderman and three councillors, so 

 that the total membership is unchanged. The town- 

 ship boundaries were altered in 1894, so that those 

 of the township or civil parish of Preston coincide 

 with those of the municipal borough. 73 Preston 

 became a county borough under the Act of 1888. 

 As a parliamentary borough it has been known since 

 1295. 74 By the Reform Act of 1832 the town 

 continued to return two members, but Fishwick was 

 added to the borough. No change was made in the 

 boundary till 1888, when the enlarged municipal 

 borough, together with the township of Fulwood, 

 became the parliamentary borough, there being still 

 two members. 



The borough court, a survival of the old manor 

 courts, is held every third Friday by the recorder, for 

 the recovery of small debts. The town has also its 

 police force and court 75 and a quarter sessions court. 76 

 A county court is held there, as also county quarter 

 sessions. The county council has its offices and 

 meetings in Preston, as the most central point for 

 Lancashire. 77 The Preston Rural District Council 

 also meets in the town. 



An artificial water supply, in addition to the wells, 

 was begun as early as 1729 78 ; but an efficient 

 modern supply was not opened until 1832, 79 when 

 a private company made a reservoir at Grimsargh. 



In 1853 the works were acquired by the town and 

 fresh reservoirs have continued to be formed according 

 to the needs of the district supplied. 80 



Lamps for lighting the streets on dark nights were 

 first supplied in 1699, the corporation providing 

 them. 81 Fr. Dunn, a Jesuit stationed at Preston, 

 having seen gas used at Stonyhurst, advocated its 

 introduction in Preston, which was thus the first pro- 

 vincial town in England to be lighted with gas, in 

 1 8 1 6. 82 A private company, formed in 1 8 1 5 and 

 incorporated in 1839, supplies it. 83 The Electric 

 Supply Company supplies electric light, with which 

 the principal streets are lighted. 



The first tramways were opened in 1 879 w and 

 have been greatly extended. They are now owned 

 by the town and worked by electricity. The corpora- 

 tion also supplies electric power. 



The grammar school seems always to have been 

 governed by the corporation ; various other educa- 

 tional institutions and libraries have now been added. 

 The Free Library was opened in the Town Hall in 

 1879, 85 but transferred to the Harris Free Public 

 Library and Museum in 1903. 86 A science and art 

 school are held in the Harris Institute. 87 The 

 Victoria Jubilee technical school was opened in 

 1897. 88 



The corporation has carried out the usual works 

 for sanitary purposes. 89 It has erected a large town 

 hall, 90 a public hall or corn market 81 and a covered 

 market. 92 It owns several parks and recreation 



73 Loc. Govt. Bd. Order 31607. 



74 See above — introduction. 



75 About 1800 the watchmen were pro- 

 vided by private subscriptions and a 

 corporation grant. In 1832 a police 

 station was opened in Avenham Street, 

 the force numbering six men. A new 

 station, with magistrates' court, still 

 used, was opened in Lancaster Road in 

 1858. The bench of magistrates was 

 anciently regulated by the charters, as 

 already described ; since the passing of 

 the Municipal Reform Act in 1835 the 

 justices have been appointed by the 

 Chancellor of the duchy. 



There is also a fire brigade, with 

 station in Tithebarn Street. In 1271 

 Thurstan de Holland complained that 

 one Henry son of Mirre had destroyed 

 one of his houses at Preston ; but it was 

 shown that there was a fire in the town, 

 and Thurstan's house and some others 

 had been destroyed to check the flames ; 

 Curia Regis R. 201, m. 7 d. 



76 The seneschal, later the recorder, is 

 named in the charters of 1566 and 1663. 

 He presides at the three weeks court and 

 the quarter sessions of the borough. 



71 The offices, at the west end of 

 Fishergate, were opened in 1882. The 

 chief county officials have their offices in 

 the building. 



The prison, at the east end of Church 

 Street, was erected in 1789 to replace the 

 old house of correction in the Friary. 

 A court-house was built in 1829 

 adjoining. The new county sessions 

 house, already mentioned, has replaced 

 it. The county police offices are part of 

 the new building, in which is also the 

 County Hall, used for the meetings of 

 the county council. 



78 The town records mention five 

 principal wells : Mincepitt, near the 

 gas company's land ; Market-place, 

 1654 ; Fishergate, 1666 ; Lady WeU, 



west of Friargate ; Goose Well, outside 

 Church Street bars. The old ' cistern ' 

 was built in Avenham in 1729, R. 

 Abbot, a Quaker, was the maker. See 

 Hewitson, Ct. Lett Rec. ; Hardwick, 

 Preston, 445. In 1743 a new cistern 

 was made at Syke HilL from which 

 water was distributed through wooden 

 pipes ; see Hewitson, Preston, 378-80. 



79 Priv. Act, 2 & 3 Will. IV, cap. 27. 



80 1 6 & 1 7 Vict. cap. 48. See Hewitson, 

 op. cit. 381-3. Further large reservoirs 

 have lately been constructed at Longridge. 

 The works supply not only the borough 

 but several adjacent townships, north and 

 south of the Ribble. 



81 Ibid. 267. 



82 Hardwick, op. cit. 444 ; Gerard, 

 Stonyhurst, 125. The first works were 

 in Avenham Lane (Glover Street). 



83 Act 55 Geo. Ill, cap. 22 ; 2 & 3 Vict, 

 cap. 3. Additional gasometers have been 

 erected in North Street and at Ribbleton 

 and Walton-le-Dale. 



84 Hewitson, Preston, 208-9. An 

 omnibus service to Fulwood began in 

 1859, superseded by the tramway in 

 1879. Other tramway lines, from 

 Ribbleton through the town to Fisher- 

 gate Hill and to Ashton, were opened in 

 1882. 



85 Ibid. 287 - 98. The new Harris 

 Library, built for it between 1882 and 

 1893, was opened in 1894. Dr. Shepherd's 

 library (1759) is housed with it. The 

 Law Library, founded in 1831, is a 

 private subscription one ; the building is 

 in Chapel Walks, Fishergate. 



86 Ibid. 3 1 2—14. The museum was at 

 first (1841) in Cross Street. An 

 observatory, privately founded, was 

 acquired by the corporation in 1879 and 

 a new building erected in 1881 in Deep- 

 dale Road. 



67 The building was erected in 1849 

 in Avenham Lane as an Institute for the 



Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, originally 

 organized in 1828. Declining in use- 

 fulness it was re-endowed by the trustee! 

 of £. R. Harris as a Technological and 

 Science and Art School in 1882; 

 Hewitson, op. cit. 235, 276. 



88 This building, in Corporation Street, 

 is managed by the council of the In- 

 stitute, who have acquired the old 

 buildings of the School for the Blind 

 (1871), which has been removed to 

 Fulwood. 



89 For example, baths and wash-housei 

 were opened in 1850 and refuse destruc- 

 tors in 1887 and 1892. 



Formerly there was a public cold water 

 bath at the western end of the town, 

 called the Spa Bath. It was closed about 

 i860; Hewitson, Preston, 242. There 

 was a spa well there ; ibid. 385. 



90 This building was opened in 1867. 

 See Hewitson, op. cit. 359-66. 



91 It was first erected by the corpora- 

 tion in 1822-4, and after enlargement 

 was re-opened in 1882. There is accom- 

 modation for 3,600 auditors It hai a 

 large organ. The corn market is held 

 there on Saturdays ; at the front are sold 

 eggs and poultry. The pork market was 

 formerly held at the rear, but was dis- 

 continued in 1 88 1 ; Hewitson, op. cit 



2 54- 



92 It is in Lancaster Road, on the lite 

 of the old 'Orchard,' and was built in 

 1870-5. Fruit and vegetables are sold 

 there ; Hewitson, op. cit. 308. 



In Whittle's Preston (1821), 1:6-10, 

 is a description of the former markets. 

 The Old Shambles, a street leading from 

 the Market Place to Church Street, were 

 on the east side of the Town Hall. The 

 Strait Shambles, erected in 1715 t>f 

 Thomas Molyneux, went north from 

 Church Street opposite Avenham Street 

 They were pulled down in 1882 to make 

 room for the Free Library. Separate 



96 



