1661. Land purchased "lyeing in the Old Mealegate towards the Markett steade over against the Crosse."

1661 Apl. 23.

"The Coronation of Charles II. celebrated by processions, dinners &c. The conduit ran claret instead of water.”—Axon's Annals of Manchester.

1664 Oct. 4. "The Jurye doe finde that the Markett Crosse of this Towne wants repayre, and that it is in some danger of fallinge, the said Jurye doe therefor order the present Constables, Mr Wm Byron & Mr Geo. Booth together with the assistance of Mr Richard Meare, the present Burrowreeve & Mr Henry Dickonson to take care for the present repaire, alteracion & makinge good of the said Crosse & takeinge downe any parte thereof for prevencion of danger, as in their discretion they shall thinke fitt upon the publiq charge of the towne."

1665 Apl. 4. Reference to order of 4 Oct. last & new instructions issued in very similar terms.

1669 Oct. 5. "It is ordered by the Jury that whereas the Crosse in the market stidd is in great decay that the present Constables together with the present Burrowreeve Mr Richard Meare Mr Henry Dickonson & Mr Thomas Illingworth shall take care for the repair, alteracion & makeinge good of the said Crosse as in their discretion they shall thinke fitt upon the publique charge of the towne."

1670 April 7.

"Cross in great decay."-Similar order.

1670 Oct. II. "It is ordered by the Jury that whereas there was a late order for the repaire of the Cross in Manchester now in great decay, and Nothinge done therein, this present Jury doth order that the present Constables together with the present Burrowreeve Mr Michael Buxton Mr Samuel Dickonson, Mr Wm Plungeon & Mr John Sandford shall take care for the alteracion & makeing good of the said Crosse &c. &c."

1676 Oct. 5. "Whereas several orders have been formerly made by this Court for the rebuildinge of the Crosse which have hitherto been Ineffectuall the Jury aforesaid request the Burrowreeve & Constables with Mr John Moxon, Mr Sam Dickonson, Mr Illingworth, & Mr Wm Hunter to collect & receive the contributions of the Inhabitants of this Towne and others for the rebuildinge of the said Crosse beinge soe Commendable a worke & to Dispose of the said moneys & give account thereof to the Jury at the next Michaelmas Leete."

1679 April 29. "We (the Jury) fynd the Crosse is in decay & doe order the present Constables to putt the same in order that last it was upon the Townes charge & wee do nominate Mr John Moxon Mr John Marler, Mr Thomas Drinkwater & Mr Francis Browne to bee Overseers of the said worke."

1680 Octr. 5. "Whereas the late Constables Mr Roger Makin & Mr Edward Siddall, have made a contract for the re-building of the Crosse & have paide to the workemen in order to the doeinge of the worke & for materialls to effect the same withall, the sume of £6:12:7 and have remaineinge in their hands the sume of £4:9.1 Itt is ordered by the Jury aforesaid & this Court that the said Mr Meakin & Mr Siddall doe take care the said Contract bee performed to all Intents & purposes As if they had beene still in Office & that they take to their assistance the present Constables & that this worke bee finished with all convenient speed."

1681 April 12. "Whereas an Order was made at the last Courte Leete for the Rebuildinge of the Crosse in prosecution of former Orders & the then present Constables having Contracted with the workemen for the compleateing the same for the sume of Twelve pounds & whereas there did but remaine the sum of Eleven pounds in the said Constables hands which they have paid to the aforesaid workmen, wee do order the Constables to pay the sume of twenty shillings to make up the sume of Twelve pounds unto the workemen according to the Contract."

Mem: The Court Leet Records, 1687 to 1731, are lost, and the same is the case with the Constables' Accounts from 1648 to 1742. With the exception of those marked Manchester Constables' Accounts, all the preceding extracts are culled from the Manchester Court Leet Records, edited by Mr. Earwaker.

1752 March 6. "A new market cross was erected from the designs of Oliver Nab."-Axon's Annals of Manchester.

1752 July 11. "paid Boardman for Iron Work about ye Crosse

£1: 7: 7"

£18: 5: 9

£215: 9

13 6

paid James Green for Oil
paid Peter Brooks for Lead had to the Cross

£3: 8:10

paid John Shaw* in August last for Ale had by Massons repairing Cross

1754 Jan. 15.

Sep. 12. 1759 Oct. 8.

5:6 I: 6

2

paid John Townleys for Scaffolding & work done

£1.16

paid Sam Smith for Oil Colour, Cross & Gibbet
beautified
£2 5: 4
Manchester Constables' Accounts.

* Master of the famous punch-house in Smithy Door. He died 1796,

aged eighty-three.

1816. The Market Cross, pillory, & Stocks were removed from the Market Place, and the Obelisk, on the site of the old Exchange, taken down. This latter was called Nathan Crompton's Folly, having been erected during his serving the office of boroughreeve (1791/2).-Axon's Annals of Manchester.

Feb. 20, 1816. Last week we had the pleasure of seeing the Obelisk in front of the Exchange News Room taken down and the site of the late Exchange laid open to the Market Place and Street. This improvement must give general satisfaction, as a very unsightly, because tasteless and unnecessary erection which served as a rallying post for a number of idle people has been removed and the land which was uselessly enclosed is thrown open to the street, where space, particularly on Tuesdays and Saturdays, was much wanted.-Joseph Aston, in Manchester Herald, 20th February, 1816.

"For more than half a cent'ry, in the street,

'Twas the fixed custom of the town to meet.

Who comfort sought for? None !-all brav'd bad weather,

And all were happy, if all wet together.

Now all men know, that I, for sixteen years (A),

Have set the town together by the ears;'

For when my ancient sire was taken down,

They, who of old, 'ere West was sole in cop,
Stood in the front of Matthew Travis shop (B)
Or block'd the way to Loxham's tavern door (c).”

An Heroic Epistle from the Quadruple
Obelisk in the Market Place, to the
New Exchange. Manchester 1809
Printed & Pubd by Joseph Aston.

(a) This was written in 1809.—The obelisk was erected about 1792. (B) Since occupied by Mr. Yates. It was a very curious old half

timbered house, richly carved on the weather boards, and the elaborated pinnacles at the points of the elevated angles. It is a matter of regret that no person took an accurate drawing of it before it was taken down, as a specimen of sixteenth century architecture.

(c) Loxhams, late Hillidges, vice Spencer, vice Loxham.

Aston's Notes to above "Epistle."

THE

HE year 1897 having been made memorable by a display of beacon fires throughout the country on the Diamond Jubilee day, as part of the celebration of the sixty years' reign of the Queen, it will not be inappropriate at this time to gather together what is known of the ancient beacons in our two counties.

The word "beacon," we are told by Lord Coke,* is derived from the Saxon word beacon (or, as Camden says, Beacnian), i.e., speculum unde speculantur adventus hostium, and is often called signum speculatum, and he adds, "bechan" in the Saxon language is signum dare, and we use the word beckon to at this day.

Coke divides the speculi or signa speculatoria, or signa nautis, into three branches, viz., beacons, lighthouses, and sea marks. The two latter, which are simply aids to navigation, are beyond the scope of our present subject, though we may just stay to observe that in modern times the word "beacon" is often