Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 14.djvu/740

 71(5 LIVERPOOL first a public trust, the corporation never having derived any revenue from them, though the common council of the borough were the trustees, and in the first instance formed the committee of manage ment. Gradually the dock ratepayers acquired influence, and were introduced into the governing body, and ultimately, by the Act of 1856, the corporation was entirely superseded. Under the present constitution, the management is vested in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, consisting of twenty-eight members, two of whom are nominated by the Board of Trade and the rest elected by the dock ratepayers, of whom a register is kept and annually revised. The affairs of the board are of considerable magnitude. The revenue is derived from tonnage rates on ships, dock rates on goods, town dues on goods, with various minor sources of income. These amounted in the year ending July 1, 1881, to 1,226,497. The amount of debt outstanding is 16,284,881, for which a rate of interest averaging 4| per cent, is paid. Down to 1843 the docks were confined to the Liverpool side of the Mersey. Several attempts made to establish docks in Cheshire had been frustrated by the Liverpool corporation, who bought up the land and kept it in their own hands. In 1843 a scheme was privately concocted for the construction of docks at Birkenhead. Plans were prepared by Mr Rendel, C.E., the money subscribed, and arrangements made with the Admiralty, the corporation being kept in ignorance of the proceedings. Application was then made by private individuals to purchase 200,000 square yards of land on the margin of an inlet called Wallasey Pool. The common council, which had been reformed in 1836, innocently fell into the snare, and in the ensuing session of parliament a rival scheme of docks for Birkenhead was brought out and passed. The great expectations which were entertained of their successful competition with Liver pool have been signally falsified. After a twelve years struggle and litigation, the Birkenhead dock affairs had fallen into a hopeless state of insolvency, without any prospect of recovery, and in 1855 the docks were transferred to the corporation of Liverpool on pay ment to the bondholders of 13s. in the pound on their claims. Under the Act of 1856, settling the future constitution of the dock board, the Birkenhead docks were transferred to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. The result on the whole has been disastrous. The amount expended on the Birkenhead docks down to 1881 has been nearly 6 millions. The returns for this immense outlay do little more than defray the working expenses, the difference having to be made up from the revenue on the Liverpool side, so that, in consequence of this unfortunate rivalry, the shipping frequenting the port is taxed to the amount of 270,000 per annum, which otherwise might have been remitted. The Birkenhead great float, of 120 acres, though it contributes little to the revenue, is valuable as a depot for ships lying up, so as not to interfere with the working docks. In addition to the floating docks, there are in Liverpool eighteen graving docks and three in Birkenhead, and two gridirons on the Liverpool side. The great landing stage of Liverpool is unique in its dimensions and utility. It was originally constructed in 1857, from the plans of Mr J. (Jubitt, and greatly enlarged and extended in 1874, mak ing the entire cost 373,000. The grand fabric had just been com pleted, and was waiting to be inaugurated by the duke of Edin burgh, when on the 28th July 1874 it accidentally caught fire, and, the timber being impregnated with krcosote, the flames spread with unexampled rapidity, and in a few hours the whole was destroyed. It was again constructed with improvements. Its length is 2063 feet, or about fths of a mile, and its breadth 80 feet. It is supportel on floating pontoons rising and falling with the tide, connected with the quay by seven bridges, besides a floating bridge for heavy traffic 550 feet in length. The southern half is devoted to the traffic of the Mersey ferries, of which there are eight New Brighton, Egremont, Seacombe, Birkenhead, Tranmere, Rock Ferry, New Ferry, and Eastham. The northern half is used for sea-going steamers, and for the tenders of the great &quot;liners.&quot; The ware houses for storing produce form a very prominent feature in the commercial part of the city. Down to 1841 these were entirely in private hands, distributed as chance might direct, but in that year a determined effort was made to construct docks with warehouses around on the margin of the quays. This met with considerable opposition from those interested, and led to a municipal revolution, but the project was ultimately carried out in the construction of Ait Olt (1 clc an&amp;lt;i warenouses which were opened by Prince Albert in 1845. Other docks since constructed have been similarly en VT-rtnYi ,ln, I TU, _ All j in J* ---. YJOU LUO vel y incarnation 01 bald ugliness. Gram warehouses on a large scale have been constructed by the dock board both at Liverpool and Birkenhead. The machinery for elevating, distributing, drying, and discharging is of the most com plete and thorough construction. The rental received from the warehouses in the year 1880-81 was 240,394 History -There are no archaeological difficulties attending the origin of the town, which is clearly defined by documentary evidence Ihe part of the country in which Liverpool is situated was not very distinguished in the earlier periods of English history. No Roman remains have been discovered within a considerable distance. Under the Saxons the site formed part of the kingdom or province of Deira, the river Mersey (Mcere-sea) forming the boundary between that kingdom and Mercia. During the Danish irruptions of the 8th century colonies of Norsemen made settlements on both sides of the Mersey, as is indicated by the names of the villages and town ships in the districts. After the Conquest, the site of Liverpool formed part of the fief (inter Ripam et Mersham) granted by the Conqueror to Roger de Poitou, one of the great family of Mont gomery. After various forfeitures and regrants from the crown, it was ultimately handed over by Henry II. to Warine, the keeper of the castle and prison of Lancaster. In a deed executed by King John, then earl of Mortaigne, about 1190, confirming the grant of this with other manors to Henry Fitzwarine, son of the former grantee, the name of Livcrpul first occurs. The name is spelt in a variety of ways, and much ingenuity has been exercised in the endeavour to explain its etymology. Prob ably the most plausible is the derivation from Cymric Llyxr- pwl, &quot;the expanse of the pool,&quot; or &quot;the pool at the confluence,&quot; which exactly expresses the peculiarity of the original site. It is, however, open to the objection that the Welsh language had died out in the locality long before Liverpool was founded. The immediate origin of Liverpool was owing to the following circumstances. After the partial conquest of Ireland by Strongbow, earl of Pembroke, under Henry II., the principal ports of com munication were Bristol for the south and Chester tor the north. The gradual silting up of the river Dee soon so obstructed the navigation as to render Chester a very unsuitable place of embarka tion. A quay was then constructed at Shotwick, about 8 miles below Chester, with a castle to protect it from the incursions of the neighbouring Welsh; but a better site was sought and soon found. Into the tidal waters of the Mersey, a small stream, fed by a peat moss on the elevated land to the eastward, ran in an oblique direction from north-east to south-west, forming at its mouth an open pool or sea lake, of which many existed on both sides of the river. The triangular piece of land thus separated formed a pro montory of red sandstone rock, rising in the centre about 50 feet above the sea-level, sloping on three sides to the water. The pool was admirably adapted as a harbour for the vessels of that period, being well protected, and the tide rising from 15 to 21 feet. King John repurchased the manor from Henry Fitzwarine, giving him another in exchange, and here he erected a castle on the usual Plantagenet plan of round bastions connected by curtain walls, with ail inner ballium and buildings. He also founded a town by the erection of burgage tenements, one hundred and sixty-eight in num ber, and in 1207 he issued the following letter patent or charter: Carlo. Regis Johannis. &quot; Rex omnibus qui burgagia apud villam cle Livcrpul liabere voluerint, &amp;lt;tc. Sciatis quod conccssimus omnibus qui burgagia apud Liverpul cepint quod liabcant omncs libiTtates et liberas consuetudines in villa de Liverpul quas aliquis liber burgemotus super mare habet in terra nostra. Et nos vobis mandamus quod secure et in pace nostra illuc veniatis ad burgagia nostra rccipienda et hospi- tanda. Et in hujus rei testimonium lias litteras nostras patentcs vobis trans- mittimus. Testo Simon de Pateshill apud Winton xxviij die Aug. anno rcgni nostri nono.&quot; Charter of King John. The king to all who may be willing to have burgag. S at the town of Livcrpul, &amp;lt;fcc. Know ye that we have granted to all who shall take burgages at Livcrpul that they shall have all liberties and free customs in the town of Liverpul which any free borough on the sea hath in our land. And we command you that securely and in our peace you may come there to receive and inhabit our bur- gages. And in testimony hereof we transmit to you these our letters patent. Witness. Simon de Pateshill, at Winchester, the 28th day of August, in the ninth year of our reign.&quot; From the Patent Rolls and the sheriff s accounts we learn that considerable use was made of Liverpool in the reign of John for shipping stores and reinforcements to Ireland and Wales. In 1215 the town was garrisoned for the king during the rising which took place after the granting of the Great Charter. In 1229 a charter of incorporation was granted by Henry III., authorizing the formation of a merchants guild, with a hanse and other liberties and free customs, with sac and soc, toll and thean, &c., and freedom from toll in all the other seaports. Charters were subsequently granted by successive monarchs down to the reign of William and Mary, which last was the governing charter to the date of the Municipal Reform Act (1 835). In 1880 when the new diocese of Liverpool was created, the borough was transformed into a city by royal charter. The crown revenues from the burgage rents and the roy.il customs were leased in fee-farm from time to time, sometimes to the corporation, at others times to private persons. The first lease was from Henry III., in 1229, at 10 per annum. In the same year the borough with all its appurtenances was bestowed, with other lands, on Ranulf, earl of Chester. During the sub sequent two centuries the fief was repeatedly forfeited and regranted, until it finally passed into the hands of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, and from the accession of his son Henry IV. it merged in the crown. In 1628 Charles I., in great straits for means which were refused by parliament, offered for sale about a thousand manors, among which Liverpool was included. The portion con-