Shambles

[RichardB]

https://www.sheffieldcastlemarket.co.uk/explore-the-archive/history/sheffields-markets/

 

Extracts from the "Rules and Regulations respecting the Shambles at Sheffield 1787" reveal, perhaps, a flavour of the standards of the time:

"Nor shall any Butcher or other person whet or sharpen his her or their knives upon the Stone Pillars or other stones part of the New Market number the Penalty of One Shilling to be paid for each time of offending against this Rule.

Sixthly that no Butcher shall at any preference whatsoever either by himself Apprentice or Servant encourage or suffer any Dog or Dogs to frequent said Market or the said Slaugher-houses..

Seventhly that for Decency sake and cleanliness of the said Market no person having any Holding in the said Market shall at anytime wee wee against the walls of the said Market."

[Guest tsavo]

Nice one Richard, one of your classics I think!

[Guest tsavo]

These pictures are from a much later date, but they are pictures!

Links to Picture Sheffield:

1900

1926

[SteveHB]

Taken from 'Reminiscences of old Sheffield, It's Streets and It's People'

Edited by

Robert Eadon Leader, B.A.1875

Sixty years ago, there were butchers in the Shambles who could open their shops first thing on Saturday

morning, and not have a bit of meat left by dinner time:

This description of the Shambles, as they

existed from 1786 to 1855, gives as good an idea of them,

both outside and in, as we could wish :

The Shambles are extensive and convenient, being 100 yards in length and 40 in breadth,

and having covered walks in front of the various rows of butchers' stalls ;

at the lower end a commodious market for butter, eggs and poultry ; and round its exterior

shops for the sale of fruit, vegetables, &c.

It is approached by several gateways,

one of which opens into the market for shoes, tinware, &c, and another into the vegetable and fruit

market on the opposite side of King street.

When the last alterations were made,

the whole interior area was cleared for the poultry,

butter, and game dealers, the butchers' shops running all round.

(picture from RichardB's scrap book)

Link to download Reminiscences of old Sheffield, its streets and its people (1875)

[Stuart0742]

Taken from 'Reminiscences of old Sheffield, It's Streets and It's People'

Edited by

Robert Eadon Leader, B.A.1875

Sixty years ago, there were butchers in the Shambles who could open their shops first thing on Saturday

morning, and not have a bit of meat left by dinner time:

This description of the Shambles, as they

existed from 1786 to 1855, gives as good an idea of them,

both outside and in, as we could wish :

The Shambles are extensive and convenient, being 100 yards in length and 40 in breadth,

and having covered walks in front of the various rows of butchers' stalls ;

at the lower end a commodious market for butter, eggs and poultry ; and round its exterior

shops for the sale of fruit, vegetables, &c.

It is approached by several gateways,

one of which opens into the market for shoes, tinware, &c, and another into the vegetable and fruit

market on the opposite side of King street.

When the last alterations were made,

the whole interior area was cleared for the poultry,

butter, and game dealers, the butchers' shops running all round.

(picture from RichardB's scrap book)

Link to download Reminiscences of old Sheffield, its streets and its people (1875)

Is the exact location of the Shambles known, can it be plotted/overlaid on a 1950's OS map?

[SteveHB]

Is the exact location of the Shambles known, can it be plotted/overlaid on a 1950's OS map?

Wasn't it where 'Castlegate' is now?

[Stuart0742]

Wasn't it where 'Castlegate' is now?

Kings St is mentioned in 'Reminiscences of old Sheffield, It's Streets and It's People' in your earlier post, I suppose the whole area was some sort of Market, or has King St moved.

[SteveHB]

Kings St is mentioned in 'Reminiscences of old Sheffield, It's Streets and It's People' in your earlier post, I suppose the whole area was some sort of Market, or has King St moved.

According to what I have just read the original Shambles was at the bottom of High St,

and was moved sometime during eighteenth century,

the ones that backed onto the Don were demolished in 1928

[Stuart0742]

According to what I have just read the original Shambles was at the bottom of High St,

and was moved sometime during eighteenth century,

the ones that backed onto the Don were demolished in 1928

Right, that makes sense now

[SteveHB]

Right, that makes sense now

It dose to me also, we learn something every day

There looks to be more photos of the Shambles on picturesheffield,

since tsavo posted the links.

[Guest Jeremy]

Is the exact location of the Shambles known, can it be plotted/overlaid on a 1950's OS map?

The overlay I did of Fairbanks plan of the area (here) shows the killing shambles as being where Fitzalan Square is now. Fitzalan Square was laid out in 1881 and I had thought that it was at that time that the shambles moved to what is now castlegate (as shown in the photo).

Jeremy

[Guest Jeremy]

From Martin Olive's 'Central Sheffield':

Up to the eighteenth century animals were sold in the Haymarket (then known as the Bullstake) and slaughtered across the road (now Fitzalan Square). In 1874 the Duke of Norfolk built a new market hall at the bottom of High Street. Animals were now sold in the Wicker and slaughtered on the site of the old castle. The City Council purchased the ancient market rights in 1899 from the Duke of Norfolk, transferred the slaughter houses to Cricket Inn Road [in 1929], and built the new Castle Market in their place.

[SteveHB]

And in 1832,

number 30 (marked) the 'Butchers Shambles'

[neddy]

I'm sure someone was ignoring rule seven the last time i was in the market, it niffed a bit.

[RichardB]

Dirty great big 1808 map sent to Steve to ponder on, please don't complain when it's posted, currently 6Mb, not bad from 1 A4 sheet - plus I've spent over a week working on it to clean it up - spot by spot, pixel by pixel - a real labour of love. Tiff files can't be posted here anyway (or is it just too big ?), had some family health problems here the last few days so not been able to sort it myself (as if I could anyway ...)

N, E, S, W and Central might be good ... ?

May get posted in bits to maintain quality (such as it is) - watch this space.

Steve, if you can sort it, please post it in Other Maps plans with a link posted here, Thank you.

[RichardB]

I have to say I'd forgotten that I'd posted this, Thanks for bringing it back to the top. Just goes to show how much "forgotten" stuff there is on this Site that newer Members will not be aware of; more "renewing" please of forgotten posts.

[SteveHB]

Market Place and Butchers Shambles in 1784

The accompanying plan will give a far better idea of the curiously irregular

arrangement of the old market buildings and the surrounding streets.

The lines of the numerous market tenements,

and of King Street and the Fruit Market,

show a survival of the happy-golucky indifference of the old days to symmetry,

and of the manner in which houses were placed anyhow, according to the

fancy of the builders and the long-suffering of their neighbours.

The Market Cross stood at the top, not in the centre,

but somewhat nearer to Change Alley than to King Street,

and below it the wooden sheds or stalls of the butchers ran,

some down, then others across.

The shambles, most dismal, were then made of wood,

The sheds of the stalls, almost closing amain,

Form'd an archway for customers out of the rain ;

Down the centre a channel, the filth to convey ;

And some lighted candles, almost at midday.

The more permanent erections, of all shapes and sizes, saleshops,

workshops, houses, warehouses, brew-houses, and what

not; occurred below them in the most promiscuous manner,

now receding, now projecting, and occasionally separated by

narrow passages.

One block, the shop of Mr. Robert Lambert,

grocer, at the north-west corner of King Street, stood

boldly detached, with thoroughfares all round.

Below it,

the buildings on both sides of the present Shambles area trended east by north,

making the bottom end of Pudding Lane (King Street)very narrow where it joined Bull Stake (Old Hay- market),

While on the other (now Fitzalan Square) side, the buildings receded so far as to leave an open space used as the Swine Market,

and opposite to this (afterwards Market Street) stood the gruesome slaughter-houses

" a nuisance to all that pass'd by the place."

[SteveHB]

Market Place and Butchers Shambles in 1784 ... continued

The ownership was not less mixed and complicated than the planning.

To the Town Trustees belonged the whimsically shaped holding,

(V) which, with frontages to the Swine Market on the one hand,

and to King Street on the other, meandered through the Town Burgesses' plots, numbered III. and IV. on the plan.

Then Robert Lambert held the freehold of I., and of a block (II.) completely wedged in, except for one small corner,

by the buildings of the Earl of Surrey, who owned all not above specified.

The claims of four owners had thus to be reckoned with before any harmonious improvement could be carried out. Eventually, by exchange or purchase,

the whole came into the Earl's hands.

Various schedules were prepared showing the numbers of persons who had shops, houses, stalls fixed, and standings removable in the Market.

It is not always possible to har- monise the figures in the different statements, nor is it perhaps of much consequence.

What is of interest is the various avocations of their occupiers.

Thus the tenants of houses included dyers, coopers, fruiterers, hardwaremen, hatters, gardeners, breeches-makers, and flax-dressers.

There is mention, too, of an inn called " The Coach and Six," on the site of which it was proposed to build corner shops.

Stalls and standings were occupied, in addition to the trades already mentioned, by pelt-mongers, shoemakers, tanners, hucksters, hosiers, hatters, fishmongers,

stay makers, one bookseller, and, of course, butchers.

Seventy-six stalls are enumerated as standing in the streets adjoining the Markets, and High Street,

up to the Church Gates, was lined with the stalls of vendors of many of the commodities above specified,

but more especially of earthenware, interspersed with old shoes, ginger- bread, cheese, and bacon.

There stood, too, carts with fruit and garden-stuff.

Each tradesman had his position exactly defined.

Thus there were three "before the front of

Mr. Bayley*s house," four in front of Mr. Wreaks's, and so

on.

These, with the addition of farmers' wives, with their

baskets of butter and eggs, round the Market Cross,

indicate the state of things on market days.

At the fairs there were, in addition,

28 cheesemongers and farmers with cheese,

60 clothiers, linen-drapers, sellers of gingerbread ; toys and hard-

ware " too numerous to mention."

One list has been preserved

which indicates the whole of the salesmen in the town occupying the property of the Lord of the Manor,

and it is worth quoting. Shops in the Shambles, 38; stalls in the Market,

movable, 45; shops in different parts of the town, 5; stalls in the public streets,

7 ; shops under their dwelling-houses (in High Street, Fargate, Burgess Street, Townhead Cross, etc.),

13;

total, 108.

[RichardB]

Shambles location (1808)

[Thanks for posting up the map sections Steve.]

Also answers the question, what four Streets/Lanes etc surrounded Fitzalan Square before Fitzalan Square was there but you'll have to squint.

[RichardB]

Shambles Market (also known as Butcher's Market), situated on site of later Fitzalan Market, Market Place (1780's)

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Market Place from High Street looking towards Shambles Market (also known as Butcher's Market), situated on site of later Fitzalan Market. Premises include No 1, Wm. Jackson, Fancy Repository, No 5, J.A. Whiteley, Hatter (1830's)

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Shambles Market, Market Place and King Street, painting by Godfrey Sykes (1850's)

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Shambles Market including Post Office and Ebenezer Elliott Statue, Market Place

[RichardB]

Looking for something else entirely ... had forgotten about this little gem.

[History dude]

The link on your very first post, Richard B, no longer works :unsure:

[SteveHB]

The link on your very first post, Richard B, no longer works

The site in the link no longer exists, I have replaced it with another link.

Thanks dude.

[Guest TheBotanical]

The shambles were demolished after the new city abbatoir opened in 1929, an end block of the shambles survived as a shop for many years after.

[syrup]

The Shambles.