Friday July 31st, 2009
Douglas Navigation, local jobs
The opening of the Douglas Navigation greatly increased the prosperity of the Wigan area. It opened extensive new markets to the coal industry and increased local trade in commodities such as slate, flags and paving stones.
As well as a long term increase in the area's prosperity, the navigation caused a boom during its construction by creating a demand for local materials and manpower. This market abated somewhat with the navigation's completion but maintenance of the new waterway ensured a continuing need for local resources and workers.
The building and maintenance of locks and weirs needed a supply of stone and timber. A quarry at Dean, owned by Thomas Ashcroft and Archibald Mack, supplied some of the necessary stone. The following is a typical payment to this company:
“20th July 1748 paid Thomas Ashcroft for getting and dressing stone at Dean for Tarleton lock £4 4s 8d (£4.23)”
Timber was supplied from local woodlands. Ash, in particular, seems to have been in demand for the construction of locks and weirs. Also large numbers of “ffirr” were gained from Harrock.
Trees were often removed from the woodlands by means of “snigging”.
“The English Dialect Dictionary” defines this as:
dragging “a heavy load by means of ropes or chains”
and
drawing “timber out of a wood without a cart.”.
It is likely that horses were used for this process.
On January 10th, 1749 Mr. Molyneaux was paid 5s (25p) “for snigging wood from ye Dean Wood to Orrell Brow to be carried to Tarleton”.
Large quantities of bricks and nails were also needed. Bricks were made at Tarleton, Pool Bridge and Miry Lane. Nails were supplied by the many nail makers located at Chowbent.
A Wigan carpenter named Richard Fell seems to have gained most from the enterprise. He was contracted for building work of all kinds along the whole length of the navigation during its construction and for maintenance work later.
He was paid between £5 and £10 per week. The following is typical of the many payments made to him:
“25th Sept 1740 Paid Richard Fell's bill at Dean Lock and Bispham Lock £4 6s 0d (£4.30)
paid him more for spade-men at Dean Lock £2 6s 0d (£2.30)
Gave him to drink 2s 6d” (12½p)
Boat building was another important industry which flourished at this time. Thomas Holland, for example, was paid a total of £81 9s 9d (£81.49) for the building of an open flat named “The Concorde”.
An account of the launching of this boat may be read in Douglas Navigation, part 3.