A Description of the Borough and Parish of Sheffield, 1852.

SHEFFIELD:

SHEFFIELD, the great seat of cutlery and other hardware manufactures, and the capital of a parish of its own name, and of the ancient, but not very clearly defined, Liberty of Hallamshire, is a large and populous market town and borough, covering for a considerable extent, the abrupt declivities, the gently sloping banks, and the boldly swelling hills which rise in picturesque disorder near the conflux of the rivers Don and Sheaf, and are themselves encom- passed and overlooked by such a proud amphitheatre of verdant hills, that there is scarcely a street in the town from whence the country cannot be seen, nor an eminence in the vicinity that does not command a beautiful panoramic view of the town and suburbs. It holds a central situation betwixt Hull and Liverpool, and Leeds and Nottingham, and is situated in the South or Upper Division of the Wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill, and in the West-Riding of Yorkshire, bordering upon Derbyshire. Its Canal opens a com- munication with the Don and other great navigable rivers and canals; and its railways open a direct transit for passengers and goods to all parts of the kingdom.

The PARISH of SHEFFIELD is co-extensive with the BOROUGH, and abounds in wood and water, and in those important mineral bodies coal, ironstone, gritstone, freestone, flagstone, clay, &c. It had upwards of 132,000 inhabitants in 1851, of whom about 120,000 live in the town and its immediate suburbs, which embrace seven-eighths of the buildings and population of the townships of Ecclesall-Bierlow and Brightside-Bierlow, and more than half of those of Nether Hallam. The total population of tho parish was 14,105, in 1736; 45,758, in 1801; 53,231, in 1811; 65,275 in 1821 ; 91,692, in 1831; 110,891, in 1841; and 132,275, in 1851. The following enumeration of its six townships shews their population at the five decennial periods of the parliamentary census; their territorial extent, and the number of houses in 1851.

* The number of houses in the parish in 1841 was 26,158, but at that period no fewer than 3223 were uninhabited, owing to the great depression of trade in that and the preceding year. In 1851, the number of empty houses in the parish was only 267, and since the census was taken in that year more than 600 houses have been erected in the town and suburbs.

The History of Sheffield is long and interesting, but is not within the province of this volume; all that is here intended being a brief glance at its leading features, with a succinct account of the Public Institutions of the town and neighbourhood, followed by a copious Directory of the inhabitants. Sheffield Castle, the seat of the Norman lords of Hallamshire, was a large and strongly fortified mansion, on the banks of the Don, upon the site still called Castle Hill. The OLD BARRACKS on the Penistone road, were built in 1794, for the reception of several troops of cavalry, but New Barracks for cavalry and infantry, are now erecting on a very extensive scale, about half a mile further from the town, on the same side of the vale of the Don. These barracks will extend over 25½ acres, and will rank amongst the largest in the kingdom, and will have entrances from the Penistone and Hillsbro' roads. When finished, they will have room for two regiments, one of cavalry and another of infantry. The south front was finished in 1850, and forms along and handsome stone building in the Tudor style, with a neat chapel at one end.

The River Don was made navigable to Tinsley, within three miles of Sheffield, in 1751, and a Canal was extended from the town to Tinsley, in 1819. The River Dun Company hold the Canal on lease, and have lately much improved the navigation. The Sheffield and Rotherham Railway was opened in 1838; the Midland Railway, in 1840; and the Sheffield and Manchester Railway, in 1845. The latter is now amalgamated with the Lincolnshire Line, under the title of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway.

The MANUFACTURES of SHEFFIELD, in Cutlery, Files, Edgetools, Joiners' tools, Silver, Plated, and Britannia Metal Goods ; Steel, Railway Springs, Anvils, Vices, Stove-grates, Fenders, Fire-irons, &c., are celebrated throughout the world; and made a grand and imposing display in the GREAT EXHIBITION OF ALL NATIONS, held in the Crystal Palace, London, in 1851. This immense, beautiful, and astonishing Exhibition of the manufactures and produce of all parts of the globe, was opened May 1st, and closed October 11th; and during the six months, it was visited by more than five millions and a half of people, and the surplus receipts amounted to £250,000. Jurors for ascertaining the merit and awarding prizes for the best manufactured articles, works of art, &c., were appointed for the various empires, kingdoms, and states. The Jurors from Sheffield were, Alderman Peace, for cutlery; Robt. Younge, Esq., for silver-plated goods ; and Mr. E. Stirling Howard, for iron and general hardware. There were about 300 applicants at Sheffield for space in the Crystal Palace, requiring about 12,000 square feet of exhibition room. The Sheffield manufacturers were awarded no fewer than five council medals, and fifty-five prize medals, and about fifty others are among those who were " honourably mentioned " for the superiority of their productions.