Friday 10th April, 2009
Why the Navigation was Proposed
The reason for the proposal to make the River Douglas navigable was simply a matter of supply and demand. The demand for coal in Liverpool was growing and the Wigan area had a potentially large supply of easily accessible coal.
By the late 17th century Liverpool had developed into a large, important port with many industries such as sugar refining, pottery and copper works, all of which needed a regular supply of fuel. Domestic demand was also growing and coal was needed for use on board ships.
Poor road conditions prevented efficient transportation of coal from mines in the Prescott area even though these were only 10 miles from the city.
Roads from the Liverpool area to Wigan were no better. Celias Fiennes, writing in 1698 described the journey from Prescott to Wigan as “tedious” and stated that it was:
“...mostly in lanes and some hollow ways, and some pretty deep stony ways so forced us upon the high Causey (embankment) many (times).”
Another route had to be investigated. Thomas Steers was a Liverpool business man and also an engineer. In the early 18th century he surveyed the River Douglas with a view to making it navigable from Wigan to its confluence with the River Ribble near Tarleton.
As a result of his survey a Bill to this effect was presented to Parliament on 10th April, 1713.
There were, however, other business interests in south-west Lancashire who did not wish the navigation to be constructed. These were mainly landowners who lived in the lower reaches of the river where the land was flat and marshy. They feared that the construction of the navigation would increase the already high risk of flooding.
It was probably these objections which led to the failure of the Bill at the committee stage at the House of Lords on 6th June, 1713.
Interest in the project did not diminish and in 1720 another Bill was presented. Again there was opposition from the lower Douglas landowners who claimed that the navigation would:
“...infallibly destroy several acres of rich Meadow Lands, lying along the said River...”
and
“...will lessen, if not entirely put and end to the breeding of those great Numbers of large Cattle which these parts are remarkable for...”
Despite this opposition, the bill was finally passed on 13th February, 1720. William Squire and Thomas Steers were appointed as undertakers for the construction of the navigation.
Work began in the Rufford area and shares in the company quickly rose from £5 to £70, but no-one had anticipated the bursting of the “South Sea Bubble”. This was an infamous financial scandal which ruined many business enterprises. Douglas Navigation shares rapidly fell to three guineas (£3.15) and the project was once more postponed.
Plans were resurrected in 1731 when Alexander Radcliffe of Ormskirk and Alexander Leigh of Wigan petitioneded to become the undertakers.
Alexander Leigh was a Wigan lawyer who also had interests in mining. His many business concerns were closely connected with those of Sir Roger Bradshaigh of Haigh Hall, near Wigan.
The Bradshaigh estates were well known for their large reserves of cannel – a type of coal which burned efficiently and left little ash. As early as 1540, the antiquarian John Leland described the availability and properties of cannel found on the Bradshaigh's land.
As he had much to gain, Sir Roger was probably involved with the navigation project from the beginning.
With all obstacles now surmounted, work on the navigation could be seriously undertaken.