The History of Liverpool
Written Christmas 1910 by Dorothy Wane



In 1229 the citizens purchased from Henry III for ten marks (£6-18-4) a new charter and this gave them practically the full liberties of a borough - security, administration of justice, exemption from tolls everywhere and power to form a gild merchant. This remained the governing charter until the seventeenth century.

Formerly the site of the first Mill
The two families in the early days which most identified themselves with the town were the Moores of Moore Hall, who settled in Liverpool in the time of John and remained until the reign of Queen Anne, and the Crosses of Cross Hall, in Dale Street who came later and remained until nearly the same time.

The governor of Liverpool at this time was Earl, Robert de Ferrers, who shortly after the granting of Henry's charter forfeited the port to the King, for joining in De Monforts rebellion. It passed to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster youngest son of Henry III, and it was through him that the people of Liverpool obtainded the right to cut peat on Peat Moor, some property of Liverpool. It was also during his rule that William Fitzadam got permission to build the first Mill, which was situated behind the present Art Gallery. The same man also founded St. Nicholas's church.

Edward II visited Liverpool in 1324 and stayed at the Castle. The roads were so bad that wheeled carriages could not go over them and the king journeyed on a litter with long shafts slung on the backs of horses. The Liverpool citizens again obtained a charter from Edward III in 1332, but the burgesses obtained little profit from it, for when the king required, in 1338, all sea ports to contribute towards the augmentation of the navy, when invading France, Liverpool only sent one bark and six men.

At the close of Edward III's reign, John of Gaunt, who had married a daughter of the House of Lancaster and obtained possession of Liverpool, leased his rights to the burgesses of Liverpool which passed to Richard II. During Richard's reign, Isabella de Lathom, daughter of Sir Thomas de Lathom, married Sir John Stanley of Hooton, and thus brought into the Stanley family the great estates of Lathom, Knowsley and also land in Liverpool. On part of this land Stanley built a fortified residence called the Tower, which became the town gaol and was pulled down in 1819.

Thus the two main families were the Stanley's of the Tower and the Molyneuxs who now ruled the Castle for Richard II. The streets of Liverpool were often the scenes of bitter street quarrels between the retainers of these two families and often blood was shed.

During Henry V reign the citizens obtained a charter which revived their previous charters and revived monopoly of the Merchants Guild which was struck out by Richard II.
From the end of 1361 to 1565 the records of Liverpool are few and unimportant. Its commerce was confined to occasional voyages of a few traders to Ireland and the dull transit of goods by coasters to other parts of the Palatinate and Wales. The only memorable event was disastrous to Liverpool, and that was a plague which in 1540 nearly depopulated the whole town.

At this time, Liverpool contained seven streets, Chapel Street, Water Street, Moore Street, Castle Street, Dale Street, High Street and Peppard Street.

There were one hundred and thirty-eight cottages and a population of seven hundred. The Merchants owned twelve vessels and such was the poverty of Liverpool that in a petition to Elizabeth it states, "Her Majesty's poor decayed town of Liverpool". During her reign however, Liverpool greatly improved, her harbour was improved and a new quay built. In the middle of the seventeenth century the corporation purchased all the feudal rights from Sir William Molyneux, the present governor, and subsequently purchased the whole of the ground rents from the Duchy of Lancaster. By these means the great Corporate Estate of Liverpool was formed and a series of records were made which state that the town was then governed by a mayor and bailiffs and by twelve burgesses of the commonality "appointed to order for the public weal".

These local laws give a clear glimpse of social condition at this period. It was provided....

- that apprentices should not play at cards or dice;
- that no flax should be gigged in houses in the town; that tanners should not leave horns or hides in the streets;
- that corn and malt should not be winnowed in the streets; that no ballast should be thrown into the sea, lake or pool;
- that no flax or hemp should be watered in or about the town; that the curfew bell should toll at eight o'clock;
- that the liberties or boundaries of the borough should be walked once a year;
- that suspicious persons should not walk in the streets after nine o'clock at night;
- that sheep should not be turned out without a shepherd nor swine without a swinherd;
- that all bakers should bake wholesome bread and keep such assize as the mayor doth give;
- that persons afflicted with pestilence should be kept separate from the rest of the inhabitants;
- that waites should be appointed to play musical instruments morning and evening every day except Sunday
- that carts should pay fourpence a year each towards mending the roads, and that country carts should not ply in the town;
- that the burgesses should wait upon the mayor whenever commanded to do so, in the business of the town or of the Church;
- that corn should not be sold before the market bell rang, and that country persons should not buy any until an hour after;
- that all the inhabitants should join the mayor, bailiffs and aldermen, in public procession round the borough on St.John's or midsummers eve;
- that a priest should say Mass at St. John's Altar, between five and six o'clock every morning so that labourers might be able to attend before they went to their work;
- that foreign burgesses should bear equally with those of the town, scot(?) and lot, but that they should not follow their occupations in the town, nor bake, nor brew, nor expose their goods for sale, except on market days.

Such were the laws and customs of Liverpool three hundred and fifty years ago.

John Leyland, who was the librarian of King Henry the Eighth, gives the following account of Liverpool - he says that

"Lyrpole alias Lyverpole, a paved town, hath but a chapel. Walton four miles off not far from the sea is the parish church. The king has a castelet there, and the Earl of Derby hath a stone house. Irish merchants come much thither as to a good haven. Good merchandise at Lyrpole and much Irish yarn that Manchester men do buy there."

The close of this description contains a significant reference to the cheapness of the port, the dues being less than those of Chester or Bristol - undoubtedly this had much to do with establishing her prosperity.


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