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Bridging the Gap
Liverpool people knock down Lord Molyneux Bridge to keep their common rights...
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. During the civil war (1642-1644) half Liverpools population was killed. The Molyneux family, who then owned the town, were on the losing side and stayed in their Croxteth estates. When peace returned they built a street named Lord Molyneux Street from their castle, which they left derelict, to what they thought was their tidal pool. Lord Molyneux 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. 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 Whitfield to knock it down. 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 towns rights. 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. 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.
BridgingtheGap.pdf