SHEFFIELD. A manufacturing city in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, picturesque ly situated on several hills that slope toward the confluence of the rivers Sheaf and Don. 165 miles north-northwest of London. and 41 miles east of Manchester (Map: England, E 3). It possesses many fine public buildings, such as the original parish church, erected in the reign of Henry I. 240 feet long by 130 feet broad; Saint Mary's Catholic Church, surmounted by a tower 200 feet high; the town-hall (erected 1891) ; cutlers' hall; corn exchange; the market-hall. or Nor folk market, etc. There are extensive botanic gardens, and a line cemetery about a mile from t he town : numerous educational establish ments, such as the free grammar school, the collegiate school, the Wesley College, a Lan casterian and many national schools, free writ ing-schools, school of art, free library, besides denominational schools, Saint George's Museum, founded by Ruskin. the Mappie Art Gallery, and a mechanics' institution, established in 1832. The mechanics' library (1828) is now merged into the free library, and there is also the Sheffield Library.
The Albert Hall, erected in 1873, is a commo dious building, which seats 3000 people. The municipality was the first in England to op erate its tramways; it also owns its electric lighting and power plant and markets, pro vides artisans' dwellings, baths, free libraries, and recreation and supports technical education. As far back as the time of Chaucer,
Sheffield was noted for the manufacture of cut lery; an endless variety of articles of every de scription is produced. Knives. silver and plated articles. white-metal goods. coach-springs, spades, spindles, hammers, files, saws, boilers, stoves, grates, buttons, and bicycles are among the leading articles. After 1871 the introduction of the manufacture of armor-plates, railway springs, tires, and rails gave a remarkable im petus to the growth of the town. Although a very ancient town, its history is comparatively uneventful. It received a charter from Edward 1. Mary, Queen of Scots, spent twelve years of her captivity in the castle. During the Civil War the town was seized by the Parliamentarians, abandoned to the Earl of Newcastle, recaptured, and the castle demolished in 1644. Tn 1S93 Shef field was constituted a city. Five members are returned to Parliament. Population. in 1891, 324.200; in 1901, 380.700. Consult Gatty, Shef field, Past and Present (London, 1873).