The town's traditional market had been a number of stalls set up in Old Market, Market Street, and Corn market.
On 9th July 1789, the site of Halifax New Market was fixed. A red-brick market was built in 1790 on the Southgate site owned by Sir Watts Horton and now occupied by the Borough Market. The market is described as
The building extends from the East side of the square to the bottom of the market, forming a double row of shops and divides the market in two compartments.The shops on both sides of the square and on the North side of the market, together with shops all the shops in the centre building are occupied as Shambles.
The shops on the North side have rooms above them and are occupied as dwellings.
Iron railings separated it from Southgate.
All the shops are fronted by a colonnade.
The Southern compartment of the market is considerably broader than the other and in the centre thereof is a covered shed for the erection of standings therein are sold miscellaneous articles.
In this compartment are the Fish, Fruit and Vegetable Markets.
A broad colonnade projecting from the centre building is used by the country people for the sale of butter, poultry.
The vacant spaces are occupied on market days by temporary stalls.
At the bottom of the market place are large and convenient slaughterhouses
In 1810, the Halifax Market Company successfully lobbied for an Act of Parliament to force all street traders to move into the new building. No person was allowed to set up any stall in the streets or stand with a basket in order to sell their wares. Fines of between 10/- and 40/- could be imposed for contravening the Act. Laws were made regulating, cleansing, letting and controlling the times of opening for the sale of goods.
A further Act in 1853 authorised the new Halifax Corporation to buy the market from the Market Company. The building was bought by Halifax Corporation in 1863 for £7,700 and demolished in 1890 for the present Borough Market
The town was incorporated in 1848, and the Development Act [1853] empowered the Corporation to purchase the markets and market rights from the Market Company for the sum of £7,700 at a perpetual interest of £10 10/- per cent, per annum.
The annual rental for a butchers' and other shops was £10, for fish shops £18, and for stalls 26/-
Page Ref: MMN11
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