These fragmentary records relate to the transport of limestone, road stone (gritstone) and coal on the Upper Peak Forest Canal. The whereabouts of the original records is unknown, or even if they exist.
At this time, the owner of Marple Lime Works was Samuel Oldknow but in 1798 he leased the running of the business to a consortium of four businessmen, Joseph Heathcote Sr, Joseph Heathcote Jr, William Fletcher and Anthony Ashmore. The limestone was calcined (burnt) in kilns at Marple to produce quicklime, which could be slaked with water to produce lime, and the coal was used to fire the kilns. The cut and dressed road stone was produced in the gritstone quarries adjoining Bugsworth Canal Basin and it was used in the construction of roads in the Marple area. It is known that Samuel Oldknow took an interest in road building.
On average, a boat load was about 25 tons but the range varied between 20 and 27 tons, with some half loads as well. In the tables below, the total costs include the costs of transport.
Limestone, 22 Apr 1800 - 26 May 1800
No. of boat loads: 16
Total weight of limestone: 383 tons
Total cost of limestone at 23d/ton: £36 14s 1d
Carried from Bugsworth Canal Basin to Marple Lime Works (7 miles)
Limestone, 23 Mar 1804 - 23 Jun 1807
No. of boat loads: 14
Total weight of limestone: 323 tons
Total cost of limestone at 39d/ton: £52 9s 9d
Carried from Bugsworth Canal Basin to Marple Lime Works (7 miles)
Road Stone, 10 May 1800
No. of boat loads: 2
Total weight of road stone: 24½ tons
Total cost of road stone at 33½d/ton: £3 8s 4¾d
Carried from Bugsworth Canal Basin to Marple Lime Works (7 miles)
Road Stone, 20 Mar 1805 - 17 Mar 1805
No. of boat loads: 3
Total weight of road stone: 69½ tons
Total cost of road stone at 33½d/ton: £9 14s 0¼d
Carried from Bugsworth Canal Basin to Marple Lime Works (7 miles)
Coal, 23 Jan 1805 - 17 May 1805
No. of boat loads: 47
Total weight of coal: 1,158 tons
Total transport cost of coal at 3d/ton*: £14 9s 6d
Carried from Hagbank Colliery, Disley, to Marple Lime Works (3 miles)