The weekly taxation of the several parishes in the hundred of Salford, for the relief of Maimed Soldiers and Prisoners in the Marshalsey, was fixed by the Justices at the Lent Assizes, forty-third Elizabeth, as under: Prestwich cum Ouldham... iiij Radcliffe........ Flixton....... ij The whole payment required from the county was £43 6 8 per annum; of which Leyland Hundred paid £3 18 0; Derby Hundred, £9 19 4; Amounderness Hundred, £6 18 8; Blackburne Hundred, £4 6 8; and Lonsdale Hundred, £ 9 10 8. A similar rate of taxation was settled by the Justices, at Lancaster, 23rd. August, 8th. Car 1, for the relief of poor prisoners in his Majesty's Gaol at Lancaster. From the year 1624, the Countrey Lay appears to have been used (as the order of the Justices expresses it) as the "most fitting and meetest tax to be for the generall Tax of such moneys as shall be laid for this County throughout every severall Hundred within this County:" that is, the proportions of every tax, not otherwise specially provided for, were regulated by the proportions fixed in respect of the Soldiers' Lay or Countrey Lay; and the MS. to which we are indebted for this information contains a variety of tables, somewhat in the nature of those in a modern Ready Reckoner, exhibiting the precise amount payable by every township in the county, when the respective hundreds were chargeable with certain sums from £100 to 10s. In the year 1665, however, when the royal aid for Charles II. was to be collected, there appears to have been some dissatisfaction at the disproportion between the rates charged upon the hundreds of Derby, Salford and Lonsdale, and those paid by the other hundreds. His Majesty therefore signified his royal pleasure to the Commissioners for collecting the aid, that they should meet with all convenient speed" to rectifie the disproportions and to settle the severall assessments in such manner that the Levy thereof may not be grievous or obnoxcious to complaint." In obedience to his Majesty's commands the Commissioners met at Preston on the 13th. of June, 1665, and agreed that not only the assessment for the royal aid, but likewise all other assessments, taxes and layes whatsoever should be "layed, taxed and assessed by the same Rule and after the same Rate and Tax, (viz.) in a medium or middle way betwixt the Soldiers Lay and the Oxe Lay." The monthly payment in respect of this royal aid from the county of Lancaster was £1,006 13 6; and this sum was divided amongst the several hundreds, according to the new assessment, in the following proportions: In 1650 the people of Manchester are spoken of as the most industrious in the northern parts of the kingdom: the town is stated to be a mile in length, the streets open and clean, and the buildings good. There were four market-places, two markets weekly, and three fairs in the year. In 1708, the increase of the town rendering necessary an additional church, an Act was passed authorizing the erection of St. Ann's.—In 1720, the place is described as the largest, most rich, populous, and busy village in England, having about twenty-four thousand families." About this time, too, Sir O. Mosley built an Exchange; and it is recorded that in the course of twenty years no less than two thousand houses were erected. These calculations, however, must comprise, not the town merely, but the whole parish. CHAPTER III. The extraordinary epoch of 1745 is more intimately associated with the history of this town, than with that of any other portion of the northern counties of England. The leading inhabitants, the Clergy of the Collegiate Church, Dr. Deacon and his followers, were all warm in the cause of the exiled Stuarts, and were led on most actively by Colonel Townley, a name well-known in Lancashire, Dr. Byrom, who was regarded as the "Mastertool of the faction," Mr. Dickenson, and others. The Clergy were not merely associated with the Pretender's cause by political partialities, but it was even alleged against them, upon the authority of documents which were unanswerable, if genuine, that their religious feelings were of the same tendency with his, and that they had actually entered into a correspondence with the Church of Rome with a view to their re-admission into her bosom. Pretender was at that time taken under the protection of the French King, who made a tool of him for the furtherance of his policy, having for its object the invasion of these kingdoms. A Colonel's commission was forwarded to Townley, who was living in Wales, and who thereupon visited Manchester to communicate with the disaffected, at a public-house contiguous to Jackson's Ferry, near Didsbury. At this place, according to the good old English fashion, business was transacted over a good dinner, one ceremonial of which was the drinking of the King's health over a bowl of water. The enthusiasm evinced at these meetings was supposed to pervade the whole town, and The glowing promises of general support were forwarded to head-quarters. At length Prince Charles set his foot on the Scottish shores, and was joined by friends and partizans; success dawned upon his arms at Preston Pans; (Nov.) and the way being open to him, he adopted the bold determination of penetrating into England. Colonel Townley guided his forces; and, whilst joy possessed the hearts of his select adherents, consternation seized the loyal part of the community. The bridges at Warrington, Barton, and indeed along the whole line of march, were ordered to be destroyed: in Manchester, those who looked askance upon the Jacobite cause hurried off with their effects, whilst the more courageous made such preparations for defence as circumstances admitted. The Government in London was by this time alive to the alarming character of the inroad, and was attempting to check it, but hitherto no force beyond the local troops which each district furnished could be brought against the invaders, who in the meanwhile were advancing apace. A ludicrous story is told of the manner in which this town was first occupied by the Jacobites; but, fortunately for the valour of the citizens, it is one in which truth has been sacrificed to effect. It is related that a force composed of one corporal and his man seized, vi et armis, and took military possession of the town. The Prince distorted the feigned occurrence so far as to say that it served to shew the enthusiastic courage of the army, and the terror with which the English were seized. It would seem, however, that the hero of this story, an adventurer named Dickson, who was privileged to beat up the country for recruits, having met with faint success in Preston, obtained permission to move forward to Manchester, which he did, accompanied by his mistress and one drummer. Entering boldly, the latter began pouring forth his martial strains, whilst Dickson pro claimed the glories of the service in which he sought to embark the Mancunians; and as it was presumed that the Pretender's forces were near at hand, no opposition was for some time offered to him. At length, finding that the main body was some hours' march off, the inhabitants resolved upon "taking him prisoner, dead or alive." A fight ensued, the issue of which was that the Jacobites having come out to defend the recruiting corporal the assailants were repulsed, and during the rest of the day the sergeant and the drummer paraded the streets in triumph. Dickson obtained about one hundred and eighty recruits, who were remarkable by their white cockades. On the evening of the 28th., the main body being at Leigh and Wigan, the van-guard entered Manchester, followed, about ten in the morning, by the main body. This force marched into St. Ann's Square at the time the last obsequies were being paid over the grave of the rector, Joseph Hoole. Some of the officers joined decorously in the service, after which quarters were sought for the Prince, who had not yet arrived; and the residence of Mr. Dickinson, in Market-street Lane, since known as the Palace Inn, was selected for him. The publicans were ordered to muster for the purpose of attending the soldiers, and threats of military execution were held out to induce the excise and other government officers to bring in such public money as they might have in their hands. The Chevalier arrived about two in the afternoon, with a body guard of Highlanders: he wore a light plaid, blue sash, a blue bonnet adorned with a white rose, and a grey wig, the disfiguring appendage of those days. In his rear were sixteen pieces of ordnance, many waggons and loaded horses. The Prince was not an entire stranger in Manchester. In the previous summer he had made a * Other accounts state that only sixty Mancunians joined the ranks of the Pretender, although a douceur of five guineas was offered. |