One of my projects is to record the various date stones and plaques in the Burnley district. There is one stone in particular that I have had trouble in locating. Ie: Burnley Mechanics. Can anyone help me with this problem. The extract below suggests it may be somewhere inside the building or without a visible inscription..
"On reaching the spot, John Moore, Esq., of Palace House, presented to Mr. Towneley, on behalf of the building committee of the institution, an elegant silver trowel, bearing the following inscription:— "Presented to Charles Towneley. Esq., of Towneley, the president and the generous supporter of the Burnley Mechanics' Institution, on the occasion of laying the foundation stone, November 25th, 1851." Mr. Towneley received the trowel; and Mr. Smirthwaite handed to him a bottle hermetically sealed, containing the silver coins of the realm from a florin to a penny, and some documents connected with the institution. Mr. Towneley then deposited the bottle in a cavity in the lower stone, and placed upon it a plate bearing the inscription:— "Burnley Mechanics' Institution. The first stone laid by Charles Towneley, Esq., of Towneley, in the presence of the Earl of Carlisle, the Earl of Sefton, Sir J. P. Kay-Shuttleworth, Bart., &c., &c., November 25th, 1851." He then spread the mortar, and the upper stone being lowered, he applied the level, mallet, &c., and the stone was considered "laid.""
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