Eccles
History of the Neighbourhood.

History of the Eccles Cake. Forget black puddings of dubious origin, or Yorkshire puddings that fail to rise, Eccles cakes are the dessert for the discerning palate. In 1793 James Birch's shop on the corner of Vicarage Road in Eccles began selling small, flat, raisin-filled cakes. They sold, quite literally, like hot cakes! Earlier, in 1769, Mrs Elizabeth Raffald, the housekeeper and owner of a confectioner's shop in Arley Hall, Cheshire, wrote an influential cookery book, "The Experienced English Housekeeper" which became a best seller. The book contained a recipe for "sweet patties" with ingredients identifiably similar to the Eccles cakes of today. Could this have been the recipe seized upon by a cookery-mad servant girl who took a copy of the book with her when she went to live in Eccles? Whatever the murky origins of the cakes, James Birch was certainly the first person credited with selling them on a commercial basis. They were sold from a shop at the corner of Vicarage Road and St Mary's Road (now known as Church Street) in Eccles. However, the story becomes lost in the mists of time. Although the shop's letterhead in the 1870s showed that the firm was established in 1796, the land tax returns show that a James Birch first appeared as a "shopkeeper" in Eccles in 1785. Whether James Birch made a name for his cakes in the 1780s, in 1796, or indeed some time later, is now impossible to say. It is equally impossible to construct a link between James Birch and Elizabeth Raffald (who died four years before the opening of Birch's shop). More recently the question of origin of Eccles Cakes has been raised in Parliament. A question was tabled regarding the future of cakes made outside Eccles to the same ingredients. Could non 'Eccles-made' cakes still be referred to (and sold) as Eccles cakes? Worldwide fame. Although traditionally made in the town from where they get their name, Eccles cakes are now famous throughout the world. As early as 1818 they were said to be sold "at all the markets and fairs around and are even exported to America and the West Indies".

Eccles Cross. Eccles Cross is another indication of the area's distant past. The original cross was erected by Celtic missionaries in the 5th century. The stump of the later Saxon cross stood neglected for years, until accidentally demolished by a lorry in the Second World War. Its location was next to the present cross, near the junction of Regent Street and Church Road and it has been cleaned and the area re-planted.

James Nasmyth. James Nasmyth was born in Edinburgh in 1808. From an early age James showed an interest and a talent for things mechanical and as a youth he was taken on as an apprentice by Henry Mawdsley, one of the leading engineers of the day. It was on a walking tour to view the Liverpool-Manchester Railway, then recently opened, that James noticed the site at Patricroft, then a borough of Eccles, that was to become the site for his foundry. His inventions and improvements to machinery were many, the steamhammer being the best-known. He also designed a safety device that prevented accidents in moving molten metal. He did not take out a patent on this so that it could be copied without charge. He also took a keen interest in art, astronomy and local government. He became Chairman of the Local Board of Health in 1854. At the age of 48 he retired to Kent where he devoted his time to his interests. He died in 1890, having become a key figure in the history of engineering.

William Huskisson. Eccles' other claim to fame is its involvement in one of the world's first railway accidents at the opening ceremony of the Manchester to Liverpool railway, when in 1830 William Huskisson, the Member of Parliament for Liverpool, was seriously injured by an approaching locomotive. He was taken to the vicarage in Eccles for treatment, but died of his injuries. Below is a report of the accident at the time. SEPTEMBER 15th On this day in history in 1830 died William Huskisson. Huskisson was a politician, who encouraged railway building, and was killed when he fell under the wheels of Stevenson's Rocket. William Huskisson began his career as a political clerk, in which profession, his talent was so manifest that in 1795 he was appointed undersecretary for war. He became was a member of Parliament in 1796 and served as secretary to the Treasury under William Pitt the younger from 1804 to 1805. Huskisson became president of the Board of Trade in 1823 and attempted to modify the Corn Laws, which were causing acute economic distress among agricultural workers. From 1827 Huskisson became Secretary for the Colonies and leader of the House of Commons, but he resigned in 1828. Huskisson was a railway enthusiast; fascinated by the developing British railway system and in 1830 he attended the opening ceremony of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The ceremony consisted of a procession of Stephenson's Rockets each drawing carriages full of dignitaries including the Duke of Wellington. In his excitement, Huskisson strayed on to the railway track and was mowed down by one of Stevenson's locomotives, thereby not only ruining the dignity of the ceremony, but also making him the first railway fatality in British history. One of the other spectators, Lady Wilton described the accident as follows: "The engine had stopped to take a supply of water, and several of the gentlemen in the directors' carriage had jumped out to look about them. Lord Wilton, Count Bathany, Count Matuscenitz and Mr. Huskisson among the rest were standing talking in the middle of the road, when and engine on the other line, which was parading up and down merely to show its speed, was seen coming down upon them like lightening. The most active of those in peril sprang back into their seats; Lord Wilton saved his life only by rushing behind the Duke's carriage, and Count Matuscenitz had but just leaped into it, with the engine all but touching his heels as he did so; while poor Mr. Huskisson, less active from the effects of age and ill-health, bewildered, too, by the frantic cries of "Stop the engine! Clear the track!" that resounded on all sides, completely lost his head, looked helplessly to the right and left, and was instantaneously prostrated by the fatal machine, which dashed down like a thunderbolt upon him, and passed over his leg, smashing and mangling it in the most horrible way." Immediately, George Stephenson personally took the wounded gentleman to a safe place for treatment, in one of his locomotives, a distance of about 15 miles in 25 minutes, at the incredible speed of 36 miles an hour. At the vicarage home of the Revd Thomas Blackburne in Eccles William Huskisson received what help was available, he signed a codicil to his will and expired within an hour. A memorial now stands by the track with a marble tablet eulogising the lamented gentleman and poignantly quoting 'In the midst of life, we are in death.' Huskisson was buried in St James Church, Liverpool.

Eccles Wakes. Eccles Wakes were held over three days, beginning on the first Sunday after 25th August. This is the feast day of St. Mary, to whom the Parish Church is dedicated. The Wakes are said to have had their origins in the ancient custom of rush bearing. People would bring cartloads of rushes to spread over the church floor. The carts and the people themselves would dress up for the ocassion and celebrate with music and dance. By the 19th Century the Wakes had become a somewhat less than pious affair. Races and competitions were held as well as blood sports. These included bull and bear-baiting and cock fighting. In the illustration above we see a ladies race for a smock. The scene shows the riotous nature of this kind of event. Although many came to Eccles to enjoy the general rowdiness and excess, many locals objected to the gross behaviour and to the cruel sports. In 1877 the Home Secretary, at the request of the Eccles Local Board, banned the Wakes.