Editing Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal (section)

=== Work begins ===
Following a parliamentary survey of the route by Charles McNiven,<ref>{{Harvnb|Hadfield|Biddle|1970|p=246.}}</ref> the bill received [[royal assent]] on 13&nbsp;May 1791<ref name=Tomlinsonp32/> and became an act of Parliament, the [[Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Act 1791]] ([[31 Geo. 3]]. c. 68), for the construction of the canal, by which "the proprietors were empowered to purchase land for a breadth of 26&nbsp;yards on level ground, and wider where required for cuttings or embankments."<ref name="Pastscape">{{PastScape|mname=Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal |mnumber=44233 |access-date=27 June 2008|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name="Corbett">{{Harvnb|Corbett|1974|p=79.}}</ref> The act allowed the company to raise £47,000, with shares of £100.<ref name="Priestleyp435">{{Harvnb|Priestley|1831|p=435.}}</ref> The intention was that at [[Prestolee]] the route would divide into two branches ([[canal arm|arms]]), with one branch towards Bolton and the other to Bury, but it would not, however, join the River Irwell.<ref name="Pastscape"/> The proprietors were entitled to take water from any brooks within {{convert|1000|yd|m}} of the canal, or within {{convert|3|mi|km}} of the canal summits at Bolton and Bury.<ref name="Corbett"/>

At a meeting in Manchester on 30&nbsp;June 1791, at the house of Alexander Patten, a committee was formed with the following members:<ref name="e4418b2">{{Citation | title = Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. Copy of resolutions | publisher = Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Company | date = 30 June 1791}} Greater Manchester County Records Office, ref. E4/4/18b/2</ref>

# [[Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton|Lord Grey de Wilton]], Heaton House, Lancashire
# [[John Edensor Heathcote|Sir John Edensor Heathcote]], Longton, Newcastle, Staffordshire
# [[Thomas Butterworth Bayley]] esq.&nbsp;— Hope, Salford<ref>{{Citation | first=William | last = Farrer | pages=392–396 | year = 1911| title=British History Online | url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41443#n33|publisher=Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust|access-date=14 August 2008}}</ref>
# Robert Andrews esq&nbsp;— [[Rivington Hall|Rivington]]
# James Wareing, Gentleman, Knowsley
# [[Matthew Fletcher (mine owner and engineer)|Matthew Fletcher]] (Mine owner, Clifton)<!--of Wet Earth Colliery-->
# Peter Wright, Gentleman, Manchester
# William Marsden, Merchant, Manchester
# [[Charles McNiven]], Gentleman, Manchester
# [[Hugh Henshall]], Longpost, Staffordshire
# John Pilkington, Merchant, Manchester<!--of Pilkington Manor?-->

The meeting secured a resolution that "Matthew Fletcher and Mr McNiven shall dispatch or procure 100&nbsp;wheelbarrows and as many planks as they shall think necessary for the use and accommodation of the canal navigation". Further meetings took place from 26 to 29&nbsp;July. Matthew Fletcher was ordered to meet with land owners to discuss the purchase of any land along the route of the canal, and with this in mind, on 30&nbsp;July 1791 John Seddon of Sandy Lane was ordered to survey the line of the canal beginning within the estate of John Edenson Heathcote, and ending at the southern extremity of the [[Agecroft Hall|Reverend Dauntesey's estate]]. Fletcher and Henshall were ordered to contact people and companies in the building trade to discuss construction.<ref name="e4418b2"/>

At a meeting on 16&nbsp;August 1791, "several persons" attended, and made offers for the contract to build the canal. A Mr John Seddon of [[Little Hulton]], a labourer, agreed to a contract on Matthew Fletcher's terms, for a "certain part of the canal". Five other persons were rejected, their proposals not receiving the "approbation" of the committee.<ref name="e4418b2"/>

With news of the planned [[Rochdale Canal]] link into Manchester,<ref>The construction of the Rochdale Canal did not reach Manchester until 1804.</ref> the company proposed to extend the canal from Bury through [[Littleborough, Greater Manchester|Littleborough]], and to connect with the Rochdale Canal at Sladen. The new route, known as the Bury and Sladen Canal, was intended as a rival scheme to the proposed Rochdale link into Manchester. A survey was also carried out on a proposed extension from Sladen to [[Sowerby Bridge]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Skempton|2002|p=51.}}</ref> The company also considered links to the [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]] and the [[Mersey and Irwell Navigation]]. These plans would have substantially increased the trans-Pennine traffic using the company's canal, and caused a potential loss of traffic and revenue on the nearby [[Bridgewater Canal]]. With this in mind, the owner of the Bridgewater Canal, the [[Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater|Duke of Bridgewater]], agreed to allow the Rochdale Canal Company to connect to his canal at Manchester.<ref>{{Harvnb|Pickering|1807|p=663.}}</ref> Despite the persistence of the canal company, the Rochdale Canal plan won the day and in 1797 the company abandoned the Bury and Sladen Canal plan.<ref>{{Harvnb|Tomlinson|1991|pp=34–35.}}</ref>
[[File:Canal map 2016.gif|left|thumb|Map of the canal showing features and sections with/without water.]]
After several years of construction, on 9 January 1794 an agreement was reached with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company to create a link from the Bolton arm of the canal to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Red Moss, near [[Horwich]]. This agreement required significant design changes to allow the canal to carry the wider boats used on the broad gauge Leeds and Liverpool Canal,<ref name="Priestleyp435"/> which included a change to [[Locks (water transport)#Doubled, paired or twinned locks|broad locks]]. [[Benjamin Outram]] was employed to inspect the works, and reported on the cost of this conversion as being £26,924.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hadfield|Biddle|1970|p=250.}}</ref> Although the necessary changes were implemented, the route of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was altered and the link was not built. In the same year the [[Haslingden Canal]] link to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was proposed, from the Bury arm of the canal.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hadfield|Biddle|1970|pp=259–261.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Clarke |first=Mike |title=The Leeds-Liverpool Canal |url=http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=2594&language=eng |publisher=www.cottontown.org |access-date=18 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517062141/http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=2594&language=eng |archive-date=17 May 2011 }}</ref> Although authorised by an act of Parliament,{{which|date=August 2024}} it too was never built. The canal company remained hopeful of a link between the two canals, but all hope of this was lost when on 21 June 1819 an act of Parliament{{which|date=August 2024}} was enacted to create a link between the [[Leigh, Greater Manchester|Leigh]] extension of the [[Bridgewater Canal]], and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.<ref>{{Harvnb|Tomlinson|1991|p=44.}}</ref>

A report entitled "A Statement of the Situation of the Works of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal, on the Eighteenth of December, 1795." gives details of the progress of the works, including details of bridges, cuttings, raised bankings and aqueducts.<ref name="e4418b21">{{citation | title =A statement of the situation of the works of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal | publisher = Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Company | date = 18 December 1795}} Greater Manchester County Records Office, ref. E4/4/18b/21</ref> Much of the document details the work required to convert the canal to broad gauge. A {{convert|5.75|mi|km|adj=on}} length between Oldfield Lane in Salford and Giants Seat Locks in Outwood was navigable with {{convert|3|ft|8|in|m}} of water. The remaining work included strengthening work to the banks, an increase of water depth to {{convert|5|ft|m}}, and the gravelling of half of the towpath. Between Giants Seat locks and [[Stoneclough|Ringley Bridge]] two locks had been erected, with a small section of canal to be broadened before becoming navigable. From Ringley Bridge to Prestolee Aqueduct one lock had been erected. Nob End Locks were still under construction but mostly complete, although the basin at the bottom had not yet been dug. The stretch to Bolton had at this time been widened, with several bridges requiring further work, incomplete embankments, construction of a weir, and gravelling of the towpath. On the Bury arm, almost the entire length had been dug, and walls to support the canal along the bank of the Irwell had been built. Some widening of previously narrow sections had yet to be undertaken, none of the towpath had been gravelled, and no fences had been erected along the towpath.

Significant parts of the canal were completed by 1796, including the stretch up to Bury in October of that year.<ref name="Pastscape"/> With the completion of the Bolton arm in the following year,<ref name="Britton 1807 p=35">{{Harvnb|Britton|1807|p=35.}}</ref> much of the canal opened for business. The connection to [[Fletcher's Canal]] was completed in 1800, but with the failure of the scheme to connect the Bolton arm of the canal to the [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]], the canal remained isolated from any other navigable waterway. One proposed remedy involved the construction of an aqueduct over the River Irwell in Manchester, to connect directly to the Rochdale Canal between [[Castlefield]] and Piccadilly.<ref name=Hadfieldpp251252>{{Harvnb|Hadfield|Biddle|1970|pp=251–252.}}</ref> A bill was proposed in 1799 but after strong objections from the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company<ref name=Hadfieldpp251252/> they eventually gave up and subsequently, over the following seven years, the canal company purchased enough land to build a canal link directly to the Irwell.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Act 1805
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Canal Navigation from Manchester to Bolton and to Bury, to raise Money to complete the same.
| year                  = 1805
| citation              = [[45 Geo. 3]]. c. iv
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 12 March 1805
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Railway Act 1831
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
During construction the company, having spent all of the money allowed in the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Act 1791, incurred a debt of £31,345. They therefore applied for a further act of Parliament<ref>An Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Canal Navigation from Manchester to Bolton and to Bury, to raise money to complete the same</ref> to raise more money. This act, the '''{{visible anchor|Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Act 1805}}''' ([[45 Geo. 3]]. c. iv),<ref>{{Citation|title=E4 Wilton Family of Heaton Hall |url=http://www.gmcro.co.uk/ftpfiles/estates/wilton.pdf |page=255 |publisher=Greater Manchester County Record Office |access-date=29 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002002841/http://www.gmcro.co.uk/ftpfiles/estates/wilton.pdf |archive-date=2 October 2008 }}</ref> allowed them to raise an additional £80,000. This allowed them to repay the debt, and continue work to finish the canal.<ref>{{Harvnb|Priestley|1831|pp=435–436.}}</ref> An inspection in June 1808 reported that by November 1808 the canal would be complete throughout.<ref>{{Harvnb|Tomlinson|1991|p=64.}}</ref>

A connection to the Rochdale Canal was eventually built in 1839 via the [[Manchester and Salford Junction Canal]], which was funded in part by the proprietors of the MB&B canal.<ref name=Tomlinsonp45>{{Harvnb|Tomlinson|1991|p=45.}}</ref>