Monument record 1563/0/23 - Macclesfield Shambles Market

<1> Davies C S (ed), 1968, A History of Macclesfield, p.61-3 (Book). SCH73.

'...In the eighteenth century…a large covered market hall housed the butchers and fishmongers stalls. It is not known when this Shambles Market was built, but it…was not the property of the corporation for, in 1811…[it was] leased to the corporation, together with…eighty butchers stalls… Market day…was on Monday…[and] altered to Tuesday in 1815. …The site was levelled in 1939…'

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1873-4, Metric Ten Foot Scale Town Plan of Macclesfield (Maps and Plans). SCH4489.

Depicts a large rectangular structure or building labelled 'Shambles'.

<3> Bentley Smith, D, 2017, Past Times of Macclesfield: Volume IV (Book). SCH8535.

In 1809 a Mr Dene offered to errect eighty slate roofed butchers stalls 14' x 5' which the Corporation would lease. The Shambles was laid out east-west, with access via the passageway of the Union Gateway public house.

<4> Connel M & Freke D, 1988, Report for Macclesfield Town Hall Car Park Archaeological Excavations (Unpublished Report). SCH2826.

Excavation revealed the remains of structures representing the western end of the eighteenth century covered market, comprising several sandstone wall foundations which would correspond to the perimeter wall and internal subdivisions. Post holes and padstones for the posts supporting the roof or awnings and the internal wall partitions were also evident. Cobbles surrounded the area, but no internal floor surfaces were discovered. These features were overlain by a demolition layer corresponding to the 1939 event. Eighteenth century pottery was recovered from many of the features.

<5> Connel M & Freke D, 1987, Interim Report for Macclesfield Town Hall Excavations (Unpublished Report). SCH8541.

Excavation revealed the remains of structures comprising several sandstone wall foundations which would correspond to a perimeter wall and internal subdivisions. Post holes and padstones for the posts were also evident. Cobbles surrounded the area, but no internal floor surfaces were discovered. These features were overlain by a demolition layer corresponding to the 1939 event. The largest quantity of finds were pottery sherds and clay pipes with smaller quantities of glass, animal bone, metal and industrial waste. The majority of these were from secondary deposits.

<6> Earles J, 1915, Streets and Houses of Old Macclesfield, p.97-8 (Book). SCH3245.

‘…The Shambles, which was a large covered space devoted to the butchers' stalls, was situated in the Gutters… In the year 1815 the market day, which had previously been on a Monday, was changed to Tuesday, to prevent the butchers from killing their cattle and sheep on the Sabbath Day…The approach to the Shambles from the Market Place was through the two covered passages which are still called the Union and Unicorn Gateways…’

<7> Unassigned, Unknown, Notes and Tracings from the 1804 Macclesfield Enclosure Award (Manuscript). SCH8542.

The market building is not depicted on the 1804 enclosure map for Macclesfield (see (8)). The area of the market building is occupied by possible yards, boundary walls and buildings. These which form part of a wider jumble of such buildings and structures located between Market Street and Hawthorn Street owned by Ralph Dean (see (3)) and described as 'house, warehouse and land'.

<8> See map for surveyor, 1762-1898, Cheshire Enclosure Maps and Awards, QDE 2/10, 09/10/1804 (Maps and Plans). SCH1106.

<9> Ordnance Survey, 1896-1898, Ordnance Survey First Revision County Series (Epoch 2) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ9173, 1898 (Maps and Plans). SCH3848.

This map would seem to indicate that the Shambles Market had no roof. Furthermore a building has been constructed within the market area against the southern boundary and an internal sub-division added.

<10> Various, Written Communication to the HER, Edwards R, 04/09/2018 (Written Communication). SCH3756.

Later historic maps would indicate that the market was located within a (probably) walled enclosure, but wasn’t roofed (see (9)). Furthermore, some sources incorrectly assign an eighteenth century date to this building when the map evidence (see (2, 7, 8 & 11)) clearly shows that this building was built sometime between 1804 and 1838. This would be more consistent with the references to Mr Ralph Dene proposing to build eighty covered stalls on land he owned in 1809 and the lease to the corporation from 1811.

Although a precise rectification in GIS of the traced copy of 1804 enclosure map (see (7)) is not possible it still raises some question of the interpretation of the walls associated with the Shambles market. A more general rectification of this map enabling comparison with other (rectified) historic maps and modern Ordnance Survey maps suggests that these walls have the potential to be associated with buildings and yard walls (owned by Mr Ralph Dene) depicted on this map (see CHER 1563/0/24). This would also be more consistent with the dating of these features to the eighteenth century. Whether these buildings and walls were demolished to accommodate the 1809-11 market or their earlier demolition afforded the opportunity is unknown.

<11> Cawley J, 1838, Plan of the Borough of Macclesfield in the Parish of Prestbury (Maps and Plans). SCH8543.

Depicts a recangular open area with what may be stalls on the northern, eastern and southern sides. The stalls on the northern side may extend down Unicorn Gateway.

<12> Cheshire County Council, 2002, Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Macclesfield Borough Part 1: Archaeological Assessments, p.2 & 12 (Report). SCH6978.

'...The earliest structure encountered was perhaps the east end of a building of 16th century date, above which was part of The Shambles, the 18th-century covered market…In the 18th century The Shambles, a covered market hall, was built on this site and demolished in 1939…'