Liftft 1937 Bis Booh Is Bcbicntcb
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Hi\)t liotoualb of Pltrinclbam SEfyatter H3elebration£ •nip Ityif^-liftft 1937 bis booh is bcbicntcb to tbe /Hba^or Elfcermen anb Burgesses of tbe JSorougb of Bltrtncbam on tbe occasion of tbe presentation to tbe ZTown of its Charter of incorporation tbe Xorfc^Xientenant of tbe County palatine of Chester Sir MiUiam Bromle^Davenport IR.C.aS.. C./ID.©., C.JB.E., U.S.©., Xt.TD. 3lst 1937 ARMORIAL BEARINGS FOR THE NEW BOROUGH OF ALTRINCHAM ARMS Azure in chief two garbs and in base a cog-wheel or. CREST On a wreath of the colours a lion passant guardant or supporting with the dexter forepaw a staff gules the truck gold flying therefrom a banner azure charged with a cornucopia fessewise of the first of the fruit proper. SUPPORTERS On the dexter side, A Unicorn ermine armed maned and unguled or gorged with a collar gules pendent therefrom by a chain of the last an escut- cheon barry of 6 argent and axure. On the sinister side, A Lion or gorged with a collar gules pendent therefrom by a like chain an escutcheon quarterly gules and or in the first quarter a lion passant argent. MOTTO Hltrincbam cn avant The new Arms of the Borough of Altrincham are as simple and dis- tinctive as possible, the shield, therefore, is not "over-loaded". The two wheatsheaves allude to agriculture and farming, and the simple wheel in the base of the shield symbolises Altrincham's engineering industries. The Crest shows a lion passant guardant, similar to a Lion of England, and, being Coronation year, this is not inappropriate. The lion supports a banner on which is a cornucopia, the emblem of abundance. This refers to the sentiments expressed in the former motto of the town, "Pax et Abundantia". The Supporters are, on the Dexter, one of the unicorns of the Earl of Stamford, carrying a shield of his Arms. On the Sinister is the Massey lion, carrying a shield of the Arms of Massey, which are the old Arms formerly used by Altrincham. The Compartment, on which the supporters stand, is suitably strewn with red, white and blue flowers, in reference to the market-gardening activities of the Borough. In addition the design has a helmet and mantling supporting the Crest. The new Arms appear on the Cover of this Book. THE LORD-LIEUTENANT OF THE COUNTY PALATINE OF CHESTER SIR WILLIAM BROMLEY-DAVENPORT, K.C.B., C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.O., T.D. Page Tee MESSAGE FROM THE CHARTER MAYOR IS MAJESTY KING GEORGE VI has been pleased to grant to Altrincham a Charter of Incorporation, thus raising our town to the status of a municipal borough. Many years ago, in the reign of Edward I, Altrincham received a Charter from Hamon de Massey, a Norman baron, whose family became estab- lished at Dunham shortly after the Conquest. In those far off days the great barons had powers equal or almost equal to those of the King. Today the King alone has the right to grant a Charter and he exercises this right on the advice of his Ministers. It is a happy thing that the granting of Altrincham's new Charter should coincide with the beginning of a new reign, a reign which we all hope and pray may be long and peaceful and prosperous, and filled with blessings for our King and Queen. As a new chapter is beginning in the history of England, so is a new chapter opening in the history of Altrincham. We are proud of the fact that our town is such an ancient one and we gratefully remember today those who in past centuries and down to our own times have built up the honourable traditions of good citizenship and service to the community which we now inherit. The well-known patriot of the 18th century, Edmund Burke, once said, "People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors". Today we stand looking down the centuries that are past, full of reverence and regard for what those who have gone before us have accomplished. We turn towards the future with courage and with the determination to apply to the problems of our own time those qualities of patience and common sense which our ancestors applied to the problems which faced them. It is a mistake to imagine that the government of a town rests entirely in the hands of elected councillors, however devoted, and expert officials, however zealous. Both councillors and officials will be stimulated to even better work if they know that they have behind them an intelligent and active public opinion. All citizens, old and young, may play their part in the government of their town. That is what I hope will happen in ever stronger measure when Altrincham becomes a municipal borough. Our new motto, said to be derived from a Norman source, is "Altrincham en avant". Altrincham leads the way! There is an aim which we all can keep before us and which by united effort we can achieve. Page Four THE CHARTER MAYOR. THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ROGER GREY, EARL OF STAMFORD, D.L., J.P. Page Fe ALTRINCHAM EN AVANT! LTRINCHAM leads the way ! A fitting motto for the young Borough that, by gracious royal assent, has arisen to shine with new lustre and the highest hopes for the future. Few towns can show such a record of progress, from the days of narrow streets and small number of inhabitants. Indeed, it would seem apparent that destiny has had a hand in the shaping of the modern Altrincham, and has guided with a profound accuracy the generations of men who have ruled its affairs, from the far off time when the great baron Hamon de Massey, in the year 1290, gave "his town of Altringham" a charter. Through all those centuries, Altrincham has progressed. It was the inevitable centre of the district which embraced green slopes, leafy lanes, pastoral dales and market gardens, and the coming of the railway revealed it as a most pleasant home for the men who commerced in the neighbouring city of Manchester. When the young Queen Victoria ascended her throne Altrincham comprised less than 3,000 people, whereas today its inhabitants number over 36,000. Forms of Government have come and gone — the Court Leet, the Vestry, the Local Board of Health, the Urban District Council — and now, after much loyal hoping, the district has been incorporated a Municipal Borough. The story of Altrincham is that of a torch, handed from eager hand to eager hand, ever borne steadily, ever aflame with a lawful ambition to rise. None can gainsay that throughout the years the town has been ruled wisely. The years that swept away the ancient landmarks have brought the stately streets, the fine public buildings, the open spaces of the public parks, the sagely developed municipal services. An account of those years, brought to happy fruition, the narrative of the ancient town's rise towards the fulfilment of its high destiny — these are the gist of this, the Royal Charter book, which portrays by words and pictures the solid foundation upon which is built the motto of the new Borough's coat-of-arms — ALTRINCHAM LEADS THE WAY! THE DEPUTY CHARTER MAYOR COUNCILLOR WILLIAM WATERHOUSE Page een SOME ACCOUNT OF ANCIENT ALTRINCHAM Situated on the Romanised British Road called Watling Street, which runs from Chester to Manchester, and known where it traverses Altrincham as Dunham Road and Church Street, the town derives its name from Erse and Anglo-Saxon sources — a descrip- tive name, indicating a town in a high position. The town is of the ancient fee of the Barons of Dunham Massey, one of whom, Hamon de Massey, in the year 1290 (circa) granted a charter, making it a Free Borough, instituting Burgesses and granting them a Gild Mercatory. With the signature of that Charter the town commenced its constitu- tional existence. In it, the name was written Altringham, as it is pronounced; the actual change of spelling came into usage about the year 1800, for the Lord of the Manor has in his archives a number of old maps which narrow the time of the change to the date given. That Charter, written in the quaint monkish Latin of the period, has been preserved, and is open to inspection in the Central Public Library. Freedom dawned for the burgesses of the township with its granting; the Lord of the Manor relaxed much of his power, and government by the Court Leet began. It has been the practice to elect a Mayor, by a jury of burgesses, since the first authority to do so in 1290, and a list of the names of the mayors has been preserved since 1452. By an indenture dated the 25th November, 1699, certain lands were conveyed to the Mayor, by George, second Earl of Warrington, for the proper use of the Mayor and his successors in office, and on the 7th November, 1716, a further grant of land was made to the then Mayor. The Charter, too, awarded a Fair, replaced in 1319 by the "Sanjam" (St. James's) Fair, held regularly and opened by the Mayor until it was abolished in 1895. The Mayor perambulated the boundaries of the Fair, followed by his retinue and flanked by his Constables, and orally proclaimed the laws which governed the proceedings. Government by Court Leet was hard but just, regulating the market and fairs — Altrincham has ever been a substantial market town — and its constables preserving the public peace.