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SHEFFIELD

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Originally appearing in Volume V24, Page 824 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SHEFFIELD , a See also:

city, and municipal, See also:county and See also:parliamentary See also:borough in the See also:West See also:Riding of See also:Yorkshire, See also:England, 1581 m. N.N.W. from See also:London. Pop. (1901) 409,070. It is served by the Midland, See also:Great Central and Great See also:Northern See also:railways, and has See also:direct connexion with all the See also:principal lines in the See also:north of England. The principal stations are See also:Victoria (Great Central) and Midland. Sheffield is situated on hilly ground in the extreme See also:south of the county, and at the junction of several streams with the See also:river See also:Don, the principal of which are the Sheaf, the See also:Porter, the Rivelin and the Loxley. The manufacturing See also:quarter lies mainly in the Don valley, while the See also:chief residential suburbs extend up the picturesque hills to the south. The centre of the city, with the See also:majority of the public buildings, lies on the slope south of the Don, and here are several handsome thorough-fares. The older portions were somewhat irregular and over-crowded, but a great number of improvements were effected under an See also:act of 1875, and have been steadily continued. There is an extensive See also:system of tramways, serving the outlying See also:town-See also:ships. The See also:parish See also:church of St See also:Peter is a cruciform See also:building, mainly Perpendicular.

The See also:

original See also:Norman building is supposed to have been burned during the See also:wars of See also:Edward III, with the barons, and the most See also:ancient existing See also:part is the See also:tower, dating from the 14th See also:century. A restoration in 188o, when transepts and a W. front were added, improved the church by demolishing the galleries and other heavy See also:internal fittings. There are a number of interesting mural monuments; and the See also:Shrewsbury See also:chapel contains a See also:fine See also:tomb of the 4th See also:earl of Shrews-See also:bury, who founded it in the 16th century. Of the principal public buildings, the town See also:hall was opened by See also:Queen Victoria in 1897. It is a fine building in the See also:style of the See also:Renaissance, surmounted by a lofty tower, which is crowned by an emblematic statue in See also:bronze. The Cutlers' hall was built in 1832 and enlarged in 1857 by the addition of a magnificent banqueting hall. The handsome See also:corn See also:exchange, in Tudor style, and the See also:market hall were acquired from the See also:duke of See also:Norfolk by the See also:corporation. Among several theatres, the See also:Theatre Royal was originally erected in 1793. Others are the Alexandra, See also:Lyceum and See also:Alhambra. There are extensive See also:barracks. See also:Literary and social institutions include the See also:Athenaeum (1847), with See also:news-See also:room and library; the literary and philosophical society (1822), the Sheffield See also:club (1862), the Sheffield library, founded in 1777, and the See also:free library (1856), with several branches. The public museum and the Mappin See also:art See also:gallery are situated in See also:Weston See also:Park; and in Meersbrook Hall is the fine See also:Ruskin museum, containing Ruskin's art, mineralogical, natural See also:history, and botanical collections, and some original drawings and valuable books.

These are in the custody of the corporation. Beyond St Peter's church See also:

relics of antiquity are few, but there remains a part of the See also:manor-See also:house of See also:Hallam, dating from the 16th century. In the S. of the city is See also:Broom Hall, a fine ancient See also:half-timbered building. The educational establishments are important. University See also:College, constituted by that See also:title in 1897, was founded in 1879 as the See also:Firth College by See also:Mark Firth (1819-188o), an eminent See also:steel-manufacturer. This institution was enlarged in 1892, and comprised, besides the college, a technical See also:department (1886) occupying the buildings of the former See also:grammar school, and equipped with metallurgical laboratories, steel See also:works, See also:iron foundry, a See also:machine and fitting See also:shop, &c.; and a medical school, together with a school of See also:pharmacy. In 1903 the See also:foundation was laid of a building, at Western See also:Bank, to contain the departments of See also:medicine, arts, pure See also:science, See also:commerce, &c. When the college became dissociated in 1904 from the Victoria University, See also:Manchester, of which it had formed a constituent, the necessary See also:financial and other preparations were taken in See also:hand to enable the college to be incorporated as the Sheffield University, and it was opened as such by See also:King Edward VII. Other educational institutions are the free See also:writing school (1715, rebuilt in 1827), the boys' charity school (founded 1706), the girls' charity school (1786), the Church of England educational See also:institute, the See also:Roman See also:Catholic reformatory (1861), the See also:Wesley College, associated with London University, Ranmoor College of the Methodist New Connexion, the See also:mechanics' institute, and the school of art. Among numerous medical or benevolent institutions may be mentioned the See also:general infirmary, opened in 1797; the public See also:hospital, erected in 1858 in connexion with the Sheffield medical school established in 1792; the school and manufactory for the See also:blind, 1879, and the South Yorkshire lunatic See also:asylum, 1872. Among many charities founded by citizens the most noteworthy is the Shrewsbury hospital for twenty men and twenty See also:women, originally founded by the 7th earl of Shrewsbury (d. 1616), but greatly enlarged by successive benefactions.

Among public monuments are the statue of Queen Victoria before the town hall; the statue to See also:

James See also:Montgomery the poet (1771-1854), chiefly erected by the See also:Sunday school teachers of Sheffield; the See also:monument in Weston Park to Ebenezer Elliot (1781-1849), known as the Corn See also:Law rhymer; the See also:column to See also:Godfrey Sykes the artist (1825–1866); the monument to those who died during an outbreak of See also:cholera in 1833; and the monument to the natives of Sheffield who See also:fell in the See also:Crimean See also:War. See also:Sir See also:Francis See also:Chantrey, the eminent sculptor, was See also:born (1781) anddied (1842) near See also:Norton in See also:Derbyshire, in the neighbourhood of Sheffield, which was the See also:scene of his earlier See also:work. Sheffield is well supplied with parks and public grounds. In the western suburbs is Weston Park, occupying the grounds of Weston Hall, See also:purchased by the corporation in 1873. The Firth Park, of 36 acres, on the N.E. of the city, was presented by Mark Firth, and was opened in 1875 by King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra when See also:prince and princess of See also:Wales. There are botanical gardens of 18 acres in the western suburbs. A park and other recreation grounds have been presented by the duke of Norfolk as See also:lord of the manor. To the N.W., towards Penistone, is See also:Wharncliffe, retaining much of the characteristics of an ancient See also:forest, and overlooking the valley of the Don from bold rocky terraces and ridges. The Bramall See also:Lane See also:cricket ground in Sheffield is the scene of many of the Yorkshire county cricket matches. The prosperity of Sheffield is chiefly dependent on the manufacture of steel. The smelting of iron in the See also:district is supposed to date from Roman times, and there is distinct See also:proof carrying it back as far as the Norman See also:Conquest. The town had become famed for its See also:cutlery by the 14th century, as is shown by allusions in See also:Chaucer.

There was an important See also:

trade carried on in knives in the reign of See also:Elizabeth, and the Cutlers' See also:Company was incorporated in 1624. In See also:early times cutlery was made of See also:blister or See also:bar steel; afterwards shear steel was introduced for the same purpose; but in 1740 See also:Benjamin See also:Huntsman of See also:Handsworth introduced the manufacture of See also:cast steel, and Sheffield retains its supremacy in steel manufacture, notwithstanding See also:foreign competition, especially that of See also:Germany and the See also:United States, its trade in heavy steel having kept See also:pace with that in the other branches. It was with the aid of Sheffield See also:capital that See also:Henry See also:Bessemer founded his See also:pioneer works to develop the manufacture of his invention, and a large quantity of Bessemer steel is still made in Sheffield. The heavy See also:branch of the steel manufacture includes See also:armour plates, rails, tyres, axles, large castings for engines, steel shot, and steel for rifles. The cutlery trade embraces almost every variety of See also:instrument and See also:tool—See also:spring and table knives, razors, See also:scissors, surgical See also:instruments, mathematical instruments, edge tools, files, saws, scythes, See also:sickles, spades, shovels, See also:engineering tools, hammers, vices, &c. The manufacture of engines and machinery is also largely carried on, as well`as that of stoves and grates. The art of See also:silver plating was introduced by See also:Thomas See also:Bolsover in 1742, and specimens of early Sheffield See also:plate are highly prized. Among the other See also:industries of the town are tanning, See also:confectionery, See also:cabinet-making, See also:bicycle-making, iron and See also:brass See also:founding, silver refining, the manufacture of brushes, combs, See also:optical instruments, See also:horse-See also:hair See also:cloth, and railway fittings, and testing. The Cutlers' Company (1624) exercises, by acts of 1883-1888, See also:jurisdiction in all matters See also:relating to the See also:registration of trade marks, over all goods composed in whole or in part of any See also:metal, wrought or unwrought, as also over all persons carrying on business in Hallamshire and within 6'm. thereof. There are numerous collieries in the neighbourhood. Sheffield is the seat of a See also:suffragan See also:bishop in the See also:diocese of See also:York. The town See also:trust for the See also:administration of See also:property belonging to the town See also:dates from the 14th century, and in 1681 the number and manner of See also:election of the " town trustees " was definitely settled by a See also:decree of the See also:Court of See also:Chancery.

Additional See also:

powers were conferred on the trustees by an act passed in 1874. The town first returned members to See also:parliament in 1832. In 1885 the See also:representation was increased from two to five members, the parliamentary divisions being Attercliffe, Brightside, Central, Ecclesall and Hallam. The county borough was created in 1888, and in 1893 the town became a city. The corporation consists of a lord See also:mayor (the title was conferred on the chief See also:magistrate in 1897), 16 aldermen, and 48 councillors. See also:Area, 23,662 acres. At the See also:time of the Domesday Survey the four manors of Grimesthorpe, Hallam, Attercliffe and Sheffield (Escafeld) made up what is now the borough of Sheffield. Of these Hallam was the most important, being the See also:place where Earl See also:Waltheof, the Saxon lord of the manors, had his court. After the Conquest the earl was allowed to retain his possessions, and when he was executed for See also:treason they passed to his widow See also:Judith, niece of See also:William the Conqueror, of whom See also:Roger de Busli was holding Hallam with the three less important manors at the time of the Domesday Survey. From him the manors passed to the See also:family of de Lovetot, but in the reign of Henry II., William de Lovetot, the 2nd lord, died without male issue, and his property passed to his daughter Maud, afterwards married to-See also:Gerard de Furnival. By the end of the 14th century Sheffield had become more important than Hallam, partly no doubt on See also:account of the See also:castle which one of the Furnivals had built here. Thomas de Furnival, great-great-See also:grandson of Gerard and Maud, in 1296 obtained a See also:grant of a market every Tuesday and a See also:fair every See also:year on the See also:eve, See also:day and morrow of See also:Holy Trinity, and in the following year he gave the inhabitants a See also:charter granting them the privileges of holding the town at a See also:fee-See also:farm See also:rent of £3, 8s.

9}d. yearly, of having a court See also:

baron held every three See also:weeks, and of freedom from See also:toll throughout the whole of Hallamshire. From the Furnivals the manor passed by See also:marriage to See also:John See also:Talbot, after-wards earl of Shrewsbury, whose descendant the 6th earl was entrusted with the care of See also:Mary Queen of Scots during her twelve years' imprisonment in Sheffield castle. In the reign of Edward VI. the property belonging to the town which had been amalgamated with other See also:land See also:left to the burgesses in trust for certain charitable uses was forfeited to the See also:crown under the act for the suppression of colleges and chantries, but on their See also:petition it was restored in 1554 by Queen Mary, who at the same time incorporated the town under the See also:government of twelve capital burgesses. See Victoria County History, Yorkshire: See also:Joseph See also:Hunter, Hallam-See also:shire. the history and See also:topography of the parish of Sheffield (1869).

End of Article: SHEFFIELD

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