Editing Mersey Ferry (section)

===From the 16th to the 18th century===
The monks of Birkenhead Priory operated a ferry service until the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] and the priory's destruction by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII's]] troops in 1536. Ownership reverted to the Crown, and in 1544 the ferry rights as well as the Priory properties were bought by Ralph Worsley of Lancashire for £586. 11s. 6d (current value - almost £205,000).  The rights later passed to the [[Earl of Sefton|Molyneux]] family. By 1541 William Bromley had the licence for ferries at [[Seacombe]], and in 1586, [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] granted John Poole of [[Great Sutton|Sutton]] the rights at [[Tranmere, Merseyside|Tranmere]].<ref name="Hardman"/>

During this period, the private owners began to use fully rigged sailing ships. The use of sailing ships meant that bigger vessels could be employed, but in reality, these boats were even more at the bidding of the weather. The Mersey is famed for its thick fogs, and during these times during winter there was little wind and ferries could not operate. The frequency depended on demand and the weather.

By the 18th century, the commercial expansion of Liverpool and the increase in [[stage coach]] traffic from [[Chester]] spurred the growth of the transportation of passengers and goods across the river.<ref name="Hardman Woodside and the Mersey ferries">{{cite web|url=http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConNarrative.31&chapterId=154|title=Ferries across the Mersey: Woodside and the Mersey ferries|publisher=E. Chambré Hardman Archive|access-date=2 November 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018170205/http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=ConNarrative.31&chapterId=154|archive-date=18 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>  Ferry services from Rock House on the Wirral – that is, [[Rock Ferry]] – were first recorded in 1709. By 1753 the Cheshire side of the Mersey had at least five ferry houses at Ince, Eastham, the Rock, Woodside and Seacombe. The service from [[New Ferry]] to Liverpool was first mentioned in 1774.<ref name="Hardman"/>