[Illustration: MANOR-HOUSE, SHEFFIELD.]
Let us now ascend the estuary of the Humber, and, proceeding up its
numerous tributaries, seek out various places of interest in the West
Riding of Yorkshire. And first, ascending the river Don, we come to that
great manufacturing centre of the "Black Country," sacred to coal and
iron, Sheffield. Murray's _Guide_ tells us that while Sheffield is one
of the largest and most important towns in Yorkshire, it is "beyond all
question the blackest, dirtiest, and least respectable." Horace Walpole
in the last century wrote that Sheffield is "one of the foulest towns in
England in the most charming situation." It is a crowded city, with
narrow and badly-arranged streets, having few handsome public buildings,
but bristling with countless tall chimneys belching forth clouds of
heavy smoke that hang like a pall over the place. The Don and its
tributaries have their beds defiled, and altogether the smoky city is in
unpleasant contrast with the beauty of the surrounding country. But,
unfortunately, an omelette cannot be made without breaking eggs, nor can
Sheffield make cutlery without smoke and bad odors, all of which have
amazingly multiplied within the present century, its population having
grown from forty-five thousand in 1801 to over three hundred thousand
now. It stands at the confluence of the rivers Don and Sheaf, its name
being connected with the latter. Three smaller streams join them within
the city and are utilized for water-power. The factories spread over the
lowlands of the Don valley, and mount up its western slopes towards the
moorlands that stretch away to Derbyshire; it is therefore as hilly as
it is grimy. Sheffield at the time of the Norman Conquest was the manor
of Hallam, which has passed through various families, until, in the
seventeenth century, it became by marriage the property of the Duke of
Norfolk. The present duke is lord of the manor of Sheffield, and derives
a large income from his vast estates there. Sheffield Castle once stood
at the confluence of the two rivers, but all traces of it have
disappeared. The manor-house, which has been restored, dates from the
time of Henry VIII. It is three stories high, and a turret staircase
leads from floor to floor, and finally out upon the flat roof.
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE CUTLERS' HALL.]
We are told that Sheffield manufactures of metals began in the days of
the Romans, and also that Sheffield-made arrows fell thickly at Crecy
and Agincourt. Richmond used them with effect at Bosworth Field, and in
the sixteenth century we read of Sheffield knives and whittles. Almost
the only ancient building of any note the city has is the parish church,
but it is so much patched and altered that there is difficulty in
distinguishing the newer from the older parts. The chief among the
modern buildings is the Cutlers' Hall, a Grecian structure erected for
the Cutlers Company in 1833, and enlarged a few years ago by the
addition of a handsome apartment. This company, the autocrats of
Sheffield, was founded in 1624 by act of Parliament with two express
objects--to keep a check upon the number of apprentices and to examine
into the quality of Sheffield wares, all of which were to be stamped
with the warranty of their excellence. But recently the restrictive
powers of this company have been swept away, and it is now little more
than a grantor of trade-marks and an excuse for an annual banquet.
Sheffield has extensive markets and parks, and the Duke of Norfolk is
conspicuous in his gifts of this character to the city; but overtopping
all else are the enormous works, which make everything into which iron
and steel can be converted, from armor-plating and railway-rails down to
the most delicate springs and highly-tempered cutlery. Their products go
to every part of the world, and are of enormous value and importance.