King John had just made a property investment. He had given several existing places town status but he created Liverpool, a new town on a Greenfield Site 1. With a charter status of freedom from lordly interference, he built 6 streets, and, so that the town could develop, he gave the township rights to take rent and tolls. He advertised for settlers from anywhere to buy a plot to live on and a share of the town field.
People came, mainly from nearby manors.
The next King Henry III, was short of cash. He sold the township and its income to the Earl of Chester, who could spend the town’Äôs income as he chose 2. William Ferrers 3 bought the Lordship of the town and built an enormous castle at the top of what is now Lord Street. Because the township was sold as an investment opportunity to various wealthy families, Liverpool had no money to develop and stayed a small place
of between 400 and 1,000 people.
In 1632 the Molyneux family got the rights to the town. During the civil war (1642-1644) half Liverpool’Äôs population was killed. The Molyneux family were on the losing side and stayed in their Croxteth estates.
When peace returned they built a street named Lord Molyneux Street from the Castle, which they had long ago left derelict, to what they thought was their tidal pool.
Lord Molyneux 4 told the people he would build a bridge across the pool so that he could develop land on the other side. The people protested that the other side of the pool was their common as of right. Lord Molyneux was not a good landlord, his brother was accused of murdering 8 poor people, the castle was falling down, and had become a doss house. If he continued to build a bridge the townspeople would knock it down. Lord Molyneux did build his bridge using stone stolen from the common.
The people sent Edward Marsh and James Whitefield to knock it down.5 Lord Molyneux sent Edward and James to prison and took them to court. The Mayor and Edward Moore bailed them out and hired solicitors to argue for them and the town’Äôs rights.6 On 20th March 1672 Caryl Lord Molyneux settled out of court giving up the township of Liverpool to the people and agreeing that the people had common rights to the land across the tidal pool.7 He gave back all the rights to collect rent and tolls and agreed to pay rent to build a bridge and to build on the common. Liverpool at last had money to expand.8
1. 1207 end notes VCH Lancs IV p.3
2. 12 29 endnotes VCH Lancashire IV. 3.p3
3. 12 35 endnotes as above
4. 23rd March 1668p.887 townbooks
5. 14th October 1669 p.909 town books (we presume as it was reported on 15th that Edward and James knocked the bridge down the day before)
6. 18th January 1669 p. 909
7. Okill’Äôs survey 1822 from appendices
8. See Liverpool 800 ed John Belcham Liverpool University Press 2006 and Liverpool town books 1649 ’Äì 1671 ed. Michael Power The record Soc Lancashire. Scouse Press, Liverpool packet 2 and do visit Liverpool Record Office