HISTORY
History of the Piece Hall
Detail of the South Gate of the Piece Hall
This description of the conduct of trade in the earlier Cloth Hall in Halifax is taken from an 18th century book, reprinted in the 19th century, called "Halifax Gibbet Law." As far as possible (given that I am not a good typist), I have retained the spelling, capitalisation and punctuation of the original.
More about the Gibbet and Gibbet Law
"The Lord of the Mannor hath, towards the upper end of the Town, erected a large and spacious Hall, where the Weavers, and the Buyers of Cloth do weekly meet, (namely) every Saturday morning.
Which according to a late determined rule, as to time, is thus ordered. That betwixt the 25th of March, and the 29th of September, they are precisely to begin their Markey at Six a Clock. And from the 29th of September to the 25th of March, they are not to meet till Eight a Clock, at both which times Notice is given to all Persons concerned, by the Ringing of a Bell, publickly erected for that purpose, in a middle place, betwixt the Shambles and the Hall; and so punctually is this Rule to be observed, that a Penalty of 39s and 11d. is to be Levied upon any one that shall but ask the Price of a piece of Cloth before the Bell Ring, and when the Penalty is levied, it is by Common Consent distributed amongst the Poor of that Town where the Party lives that is found Guilty.
And at this Hall-Market, such great quantities of undrest Cloth is Weekly Sold, that the Lord's Collector (who hath reserved to himself a Penny Sterlin for every Piece so Sold as a quit Rent) doth one week with anther, receive the Sum of Thirty Shillings in those Pennys, and sometimes it will advance to Forty Shillings when trade is open and free."
There were 12 pennies in a shilling so this means that, if this account is accurate, a typical week would see some 360 pieces of hand-woven cloth sold and in a busy week this would rise to 480.
© Stephanie Marriott,
