Pigot & Co's 1828/9 Directory of Staffordshire
"LANE END, a populous and thriving
market-town, and with LONGTON, forms an extensive township, situated five miles
south-east of Newcastle,, at the southern extremity of the Potteries, and has
risen in a few years by the almost magical influence of a prosperous manufacture
to a respectable degree of opulence.
The church is similar to that of Hanley, but does not appear to so much
advantage, being in a comparatively low situation; it was rebuilt about the year
1795, and is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of trustees. The original chapel
was principally built and endowed at the charge of the late J. Bourne, Esq. and
was consecrated in 1764; it is a chapel of ease to Stoke. There are also places
of worship for the Methodists and other dissenters, and one catholic chapel. An
English charity school adjoins the church-yard, which, according to and
inscription, was built and endowed in 1760, of which Mr. Bourne is said to have
been the founder. Here is also a national school and mechanics' institute. From
the great increase of the population here, the commissioners for building
churches have considered this place eligible for the erection of a new one, and
the ground is taken for that purpose.
The canal from Manchester and Liverpool to London passes within two miles of
this town, and a small rivulet runs through it, upon which are several flint
mills.
The market-days are Wednesday and Saturday, the latter is the principle, and is
well supplied with provisions of all kinds. The fairs are February 14th, May
29th, July 22nd and November 1st, for woollen cloth, hardware and pedlary.
By the parliamentary returns for 1821, the township of Lane End and Longton
contained 7,100 inhabitants, but a census taken by the Rev. Mr. Temple, in 1826,
the population had increased to 8,500 persons.
LOWER LANE and LANE DELPH may be considered as suburbs to Lane End, possessing
nothing remarkably distinct from that place."
Pigot & Co's 1841 Directory of Staffordshire
"LANE
END and LONGTON are two townships, forming a populous and thriving market
town, in the parish of Stoke; situate at the southern extremity of the
Potteries, four miles south east from Newcastle, on the road between that town
and Uttoxeter. This place has risen to opulence and importance, within a
comparatively few years, by the prosperous manufactures which distinguish this
district. The Trent and Mersey canal passes about two miles westward from the
town; and through it runs a small stream, on which are several mils grinding
flint. The chapel is a brick edifice, rebuilt about the year 1795, and
subsequently enlarged; the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of
certain trustees.
An additional church was erected a few years
since. There are places of worship for the several denominations of Methodists,
and for Baptists, independents and Roman Catholics. In a free school founded by
John Bourne, Esq., in 1760, forty children of both sexes are instructed; and
there is another conducted upon the national plan. The markets are held on
Wednesday and Saturday; the latter is the principal, and is well supplied with
provisions of all kinds."
William White, Sheffield. "1851,
History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire"
"Longton and Lane-End are two townships, or
liberties, forming one flourishing market town now commonly called Longton, and
situated at the southern extremity of the Potteries, five miles SE of
Newcastle-under-Lyme, and six miles SSE of Burslem.
This rapidly improving town is extensively
engaged in the china and earthenware manufacture, and is pleasantly situated in
the bosom and on the sides of the valley of a small rivulet. It is crossed by
the North Staffordshire Railway, which has a station, carried on arches over the
lower part of the town, constructed in 1848. The town is in the parish and
parliamentary borough of Stoke-upon-Trent. Including its southern suburbs in
Blurton and Normicott, it has now about 16,000 inhabitants.
The population of Longton in 1841 was 10,393, and
Lane-End, 1,952, so that the chief part of the town is in the manor of Longton,
although, until about ten years ago, the town was popularly called Lane-End. The
Duke of Sutherland and John E Heathcote, Esq, own a great part of the land in
both liberties, and the latter is lord of the manor, and owner of Longton Hall,
now occupied by Charles Harvey, Esq.
The town has risen from the rank of an humble
village to its present consequence during the last 80 years. It has now many
good streets, inns, and well stocked shops, and its market is held every
Saturday."
Wilson's 1870-2 Imperial
Gazetteer of England and Wales
LONGTON, a town, a chapelry, and a sub-district
in Stoke-upon-Trent district, Stafford. The town stands on the North
Staffordshire railway, 5 miles SE of Newcastle-under-Lyne; is regarded as
conterminate with the conjoint township of Lane-End and Longton; was formerly,
as a town, called Lane-End; is situated in the southernmost part of the pottery
region; was, in the last century, an obscure village; and has risen to be one of
the most populous and flourishing of the seats of the pottery manufacture. It
has a post office under Stoke-upon-Trent, and stations with telegraph on both
the Crewe and Uttoxeter and the Stoke and Silverdale branches of the North
Staffordshire railway; it contains a large number of excellent houses and shops;
it is well supplied with water; and it has a handsome new town hall, a
court-house, a spacious covered market, three churches, six dissenting chapels,
a Roman Catholic chapel, an athenĉum, a mechanics' institute, and a number of
public schools. The court-house is a well built edifice; includes a police
office; and is used for petty sessions, and for the meetings of the local police
commissioners. The covered market was recently erected at great expense; is very
conveniently arranged; and cost nearly £2,000 for merely its internal fittings.
St. James' church is the church of Longton rectory; was built in 1833; is a
stone edifice in the pointed style; and has a tower. The other two churches are
those of the chapelries of Lane-End and Edensor. The Roman Catholic chapel was
rebuilt in 1869, at a cost of £7,000. A nursery school and mission church was
erected in 1866, at Mount Pleasant, the highest and most airy part of the town;
and is an ornamental structure in the pointed style. A scheme was commenced in
1865 for that school and mission church, for other national schools, for the
building of baths, for the obtaining of a public recreation ground, and for the
reseating of St. James' church; and was estimated to require £6,000. A railway
to Bucknall was authorized in 1866. A weekly market is held on Saturday; another
market, for vegetables and fruit, is held, in summer, on Wednesday; and fairs
are held on Shrove-Tuesday, Easter-Tuesday, Whit-Tuesday, and Martinmas-Tuesday.
The manufacture of earthenware and porcelain, in all departments, is largely
carried on; malting and brewing also are prominent; and considerable trade is
done in connexion with neighbouring collieries and ironstone mines. The manor,
with Longton Hall, belongs to J. E. Heathcote, Esq. Longton Hall is a chief
residence. Foley House, in which John Wesley often preached, is still standing.
Real property of the town in 1860, £38,371; of which £400 were in mines, and
£220 in ironworks. Pop. in 1851,15,149; in 1861,16,690. Houses, 3,277.-The
chapelry was constituted in 1839. Pop. in 1861,12,706. Houses, 2,514. The living
is a rectory in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, not reported.* Patron, Mrs.
Clarke. -The sub-district comprises Longton town and Botteslow township. Pop.,
16,857. Houses, 3,308.
Bartholomew's 1887 Gazetteer
of the British Isles
Longton.-- mun. bor. and market town,
Stoke upon Trent par., Staffordshire, at S. extremity of the
Potteries, 2½ miles SE. and within the parl. limits of Stoke upon
Trent, and 152 miles NW. of London by rail, 786 ac., pop. 18,620;
P.O., T.O., 2 Banks. Market-day, Saturday. Before the rise of
the industrial activity of the "Potteries," Longton was an
inconsiderable hamlet; it is now a large and prosperous town. During
the years 1883-84, Acts of Parliament were obtained, which greatly
extended the municipal area by embracing the districts of Dresden,
East Vale, and Florence. The people are mostly engaged in the mfr.
of china and earthenware, but not a few work in the neighbouring
collieries and ironstone mines. Malting, brewing, and brickmaking
are the other employments.
1893 advertising and trade journal - A descriptive account of The Potteries
(illustrated)
"Although one of the smallest of six chief towns of the Potteries, to
which our introductory remarks especially allude, Longton is still a borough
of considerable industrial and commercial importance, and boasts a population
that would, in many less concentrated parts of the country, raise it to the
first rank among towns. As it is, all who take an interest in the great
pottery industries, will always remember that it was at Longton Hall that the
earliest attempts to manufacture porcelain in this country were made. As early
as 1756, a manufactory of English porcelain was established here, and ware of
great lightness and beauty was produced, fully equaling that for which Chelsea
was famous. It will thus be seen that Longton deserves to rank with Burslem as
one of the historic towns of the Potteries. Longton, which is situated in the
extreme south of the district, is connected by the Stoke and Derby branch of
the North Staffordshire Railway with the great trunk lines of England, and so
enjoys excellent facilities for transport purposes. An Act of Parliament was
passed in 1839 for lighting, watching and improving the town, and under the
powers thus given Longton was well supplied both with gas and water. A charter
of Incorporation was obtained April 3rd, 1865, and during the year 1883 and
1884, the Corporation obtained Acts of Parliament, extending the Municipal
area so as to include the outlying districts of Dresden, East Vale, Florence
and Normacott. Under its Charter of Incorporation, Longton is governed by a
Mayor, nine aldermen and thirty Councillors.
Chief among the Municipal
buildings of the town is the Town Hall and covered Market, which is situated
near the railway station. The building, which is a very handsome structure,
faced with stone and ornamented with suitable devices, was opened in 1863. The
Corporation has also a court house and police station in Commerce Street;
while the Public Baths, erected by the authorities in 1881, at a cost of
£10,500, are among the handsomest buildings in the town, as well as the most
popular. The Queen's Theatre, which is situated in Commerce Street, is a fine
brick building, erected in 1888, at a cost of about £8,000, and redecorated
and upholstered in 1890 at a further cost of £4,000. It is now one of the
best in Staffordshire, and is visited by all the best dramatic companies on
tour. There is in the town a flourishing Mechanics' Institute, while the Free
Library Act has been recently adopted, and arrangements are being speedily
made for establishing a library suitable to the requirements of the town.
As in all the towns in the Pottery district, special attention is devoted to
education in Longton. At the head of the educational establishments of the
town stands the Longton Endowed School, which was erected in 1885 in Trentham
Road. This admirable institution is supported chiefly by funds arising from
Bourne's charity and the Dillhorn endowment. The school will accommodate 200
boys, who receive both a classical and commercial education. A thoroughly
competent teaching staff is employed, the head-master being Mr. E. Haigh,
M.A., B.Sc. A School Board, of nine members, was founded 30th January, 1871,
and there are five elementary schools in connection with it in various parts
of the district. There are also national and secular schools, all conducted
upon the most improved principles.
As we stated in opening these brief remarks, Longton has from a very early
date enjoyed a large amount of celebrity among the Pottery towns for the
excellence of its productions in this important branch of industrial activity.
But although the manufacture of china and earthenware forms the staple
industry, it is by no means the only one associated with town. There are in
the vicinity a considerable number of collieries and ironstone mines, which
give employment to a large number of hands; and there are also breweries,
maltings, and brick-making factories, all in the most flourishing condition.
Beyond these, many find profitable occupation in the minor craft, while, as
the following pages will show, all the usual branches of commerce are followed
with great enterprise in the district. If one of the smallest, Longton is
still, for its size, one of the most prosperous towns in the Pottery district,
and one, too, that is capable of great development in the near future."
1898 Cassell's 'Gazetteer of Great Britain & Ireland'
"Longton, mun. bor. and mkt.
to. (s), pa. of and 3 S.E. from Stoke-upon-Trent, N.W. Staffs,; ac. 1,948. The
mun. bor. (dating from 1865) was extended in 1883-84. The town lies wholly
within the parl. bor. of Stoke-upon-Trent.
L. is situated at the extreme south
of the Potteries, and it is due to the industrial development of this district
that L. has grown from a small vil. into a large and thriving town. The town
embraces the eccl. pas. of St. James the Less, St. John the Baptist and St.
Paul, Edensor. The church of St. James the Less (1833) is in Perp. style. St.
John the Baptist's Church (1763-64), enlarged 1828, is partly in E. Eng. style.
The other places of worship include a Roman Catholic church and Baptist,
Wesleyan, Primitive and Free Methodist, Methodist New Connexion, Congregational,
and Unitarian chapels.
The town hall (1863) is a handsome
structure with a covered market in the lower portion; one of the wings is
occupied by the Free Library (established 1892), and here also is the L.
Athenaeum and Mechanics' Institute. The Corporation Baths date from 1881, and
the Queen's Theatre from 1888. There is a cottage hospital, and an endowed
school for boys, built 1885.
Most of the inhabitants are engaged
in the manufacture of china and earthenware, but a large number find employment
in the neighbouring collieries and ironstone mines; and brewing, malting, and
brick-making are also carried on.
L. Hall is a spacious edifice
of red brick and stone in modern Classical stle, surrounded by a large and well-timbered
park."
1907 Staffordshire Sentinel 'Business Reference Guide to The Potteries,
Newcastle & District'
Longton, which was formerly
known as Lane End, lies on the southern extremity of the Potteries, and enjoys
this advantage over the sister towns, that it is in immediate touch on the east,
south, and west with pretty, open country, the main arteries leading to
Trentham, Stone, Uttoxeter, and Leek.
Up to 1865 the town was
governed by Commissioners, and when in the year mentioned the borough was
incorporated it embraced Longton and Edensor. In 1883, the district of East Vale
(which is in the ecclesiastical parish of Caverswall) was joined to the borough,
followed in 1884 by the annexation of Florence and Dresden, which are separate
rating areas. The present borough comprises 1,934- acres, and the estimated
population is about 37,000.
Longton is frequently referred
to as the world's centre of the cheap china trade. The better class of ware is
also largely manufactured in the town, as well as earthenware, and the pits of
the Florence Coal and Iron Company, Ltd., in which the Duke of Sutherland holds
the controlling interest, form the chief colliery undertaking.
The North Stafford Railway
Company has two stations in the borough, and the main-line service is in direct
communication with Derby and Crewe. The Potteries Electric Traction Company has
termini on three of the principal roads connecting with the country districts,
and an extension of the system to the Meir and Blythe Bridge was sanctioned some
years ago.
There are seven ecclesiastical
parishes in the town. The Parish Church, dedicated to St. James, was erected in
1833. Among the Rectors was the late Dr. Benjamin Vale, whose residence was
sacked at the time of the Pottery riots. St. John's Church, built in 1792-5, is
still called in ecclesiastical deeds the church of Lane End. There are other
Anglican churches at Edensor, Dresden, Normacot, and Sandford Hill, and the
Roman Catholics have an imposing edifice which is styled the cathedral of the
diocese. Dr. Ilsley, the present Bishop of Birmingham, was at one time
priest-in-charge. The Nonconformist communions are largely represented, and the
Wesleyan Methodist, New Connexion, Primitive Methodist, and Congregational
bodies possess commodious places of worship.
Day schools are affiliated with
the Parish Church, and the churches of Edensor, Dresden, and Normacot, in
addition to which there are seven Council schools, and one erected by the Roman
Catholics. In the higher branches of educational work, Longton is also
excellently equipped. The High School, now carried on by the local authority,
was formerly called the Endowed School, and was mainly supported by the Dilhorne
Charity. It is a recognised secondary school, with a large attendance of boy and
girl students, and is doing excellent work. Some years ago the school was
co-ordinated with the Sutherland Technical Institute and School of Science and
Art. This building was secured mainly through the efforts of Aid. Aaron Edwards,
J.P., who inaugurated the movement to commemorate his four years' Mayoralty, and
who raised nearly £8,000 towards the cost. The foundation stone was laid in
January, 1898, by the King, when Prince of Wales; the site was given by the Duke
of Sutherland.
Thanks to the foresight and the
keen local patriotism of its leading inhabitants, Longton has become equipped
with many other valuable municipal assets. By personal generosity and active
work, the late Mr. John Aynsley secured for the town a splendid pleasure ground,
known as the Queen's Park, the site of which was given by the late Duke of
Sutherland. It is one of the prettiest recreation grounds in the kingdom, and
each Whitsuntide it is the scene of attractive fetes promoted by the Town
Council for the pleasure of the people and the relief of the rates.
The Cottage Hospital, situate
at Normacot, is another admirable institution, acquired through the
instrumentality of the late Mr. Aynsley and the late Rev Adam Clarke.
The Town Council possess a
capital gas undertaking which for some years has paid from £2,000 to £2,500 out
of the profits to the borough fund; also an electricity station, Town Hall and
extensive covered market, a fine set of public and private baths, a
splendidly-equipped Public Library, a refuse destructor, cemetery, &c, -while a
sewage disposal scheme to cost about £30,000 is being carried out. The water
supply of the town is from the reservoirs of the Potteries Waterworks Company.
The A company of the 1st
Volunteer Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment was raised in Longton,
and has a small armoury and drill hall which was once a theatre. The present
Thespian temple is called Queen's Theatre, a popular and attractive place of
amusement which is visited weekly by travelling companies.
The town is well supplied with
shop property, -and the Town authorities have recently purchased a site near the
Town Hall for a new post office.
Longton is within the Stoke
Poor Law Union, and is policed by the Staffordshire County Constabulary. There
is a borough magistracy.
The English China
Manufacturers' Association is the chief trade institution.
The chief fair during the year
occurs at Shrovetide, when a large aggregation of " wakes"
attractions is pitched on an open space near the railway station known as the
fair ground.
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