Dewsbury

Dewsbury, a manufacturing town and municipal and parliamentary borough in the West Riding of Yorkshire, situated at the base of a hill, on the left bank of the Calder, 32 miles SW. of York, and 8 miles SSW. of Leeds. The Calder navigation connects the town with Liverpool and Hull. Dewsbury has a chamber of commerce formed in 1861, an infirmary erected in 1883 at a cost of £17,000, a new town-hall erected in 1888 at a cost of £30,000, new county courts, and a grammar-school (St Augustine's). Along with Batley (q.v.) it is the centre of the shoddy trade. Blankets, carpets, and yarns are also largely manufactured. There are also foundries, as well as a number of minor industries. Dewsbury obtained a municipal charter in 1872. Pop. of municipal borough (1861) 18,148; (1881) 29,639; (1891) 29,847. The parliamentary borough was formed in 1867, and includes Batley and Soothill. Pop. of parliamentary borough (1881) 69,531. It returns one member to parliament.