HARTLEPOOL, WEST, a modern market town and seaport in the co. of Durham, situ ated 1 in. to the westward of the ancient borough of Hartlepool, and within the town ship of Stranton. It has sprung into existence within recent years, having been founded by Ralph Ward Jackson, esq., an enterprising railway speculator, in 1847. It consists of one principal and several diverging streets, and possesses a large and handsome Gothic church, several large hotels and dissenting chapels, a theater, athenwum, and mechanics' institute. custom-house, market-house. and other public buildings, and had in '71 a pop. of °1.110. The first harbor was constructed here in 1847, of 12 acres, and has since been enlarged to 44 acres. The first dock has a water area of 8 acres ; the Jackson dock has 14 acres ; and the Swainson dock, 10 acres. There are also large graving. docks, timber-ponds, and about 3 tn. of quays. The export of coal from the united port is about 1,500,000 tons annually. In 1866, a poor year, 575,899 tons were exported coastwise, and 903,611 to foreign ports. Besides coal, the following are the principal
imports : Flax and hemp, grain, timber, butter, cheese, fruit, cattle, tallow, yeast, iron, zinc, etc. ; the exports consisting of woolen, cotton goods, copper, cement, drugs, machinery, earthenware, yarn, hides, etc. ; the trade being carried on for the most part with the Baltic ports. Cronstadt, St. Petersburg, and Dantzic, and with Hamburg and Rotterdam. Iron ship-building is carried on here to a large extent : in 1875, 7 steam vessels, of 5,132 tons, and 3 sailing-vessele, of 1,886 tons, were turned out, making a total of 10 iron vessels of 7,018 tonnage. There are large iron-foundries, cement-works, locomotive engine and boiler works, mast and block lofts, saw-mills, tile-works, and brick-fields. The Hartlepool boroughs consist of Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, Thros ton, Stranton, and Seaton Carew, and send one representative to the house of commons.