Church Lawton to the Bridgewater Canal near Manchester, passing through Congleton, Macclesfield, and Stockport, was also made, but it was thought that there would be difficulties dealing with the Trent and Mersey Canal at one end and the Trustees of the Duke of Bridgwater at the other. Charles Roe, who was engaged in the manufacture of silk in Macclesfield turned his attention to mineralogy and discovered a copper mine in Anglesey and it is recorded that he first engaged with it during an excursion to that area, located south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey. Parys Mountain has been confirmed as a site of prehistoric mining, has some indications of Roman activity and became probably the world's largest copper mine in the 1780s. Until 1800 most mining was by open cast but from 1810 Cornishmen opened up significant underground workings. By 1900 all significant mining activity had ceased. In conjunction with his partners he employed miners to extract the ore which was conveyed to Liverpool in coasters. Part of it was refined there and the remainder sent to Macclesfield for smelting. Soon after the commencement of this venture Mr. Roe conceived the idea of opening a communication between Liverpool and Macclesfield by a canal. This proposal was agreed to by Sir George Warren (of Poynton Lodge in Cheshire) as the route of the canal was proposed to pass through his land. A bill was brought before parliament and passed there but it was thrown out in the House of Lords by the influence of the Duke of Bridgewater, whose canal had been opened a short time earlier. This was a great obstacle to the success of Charles Roe and his company and shortly afterwards he discontinued his copper business. Subsequently his successors again used coasters to move the ore, this time southwards to Swansea. Here it became an important material in the use of covering the hulls of ships. Proposals Finally, five gentlemen from Macclesfield placed an advertisement in the Courier newspaper on 18 September 1824, which resulted in the Mayor calling a public meeting on 22 September. At the meeting, held at the Macclesfield Arms, the canal was proposed and a committee formed, consisting of the Mayor and the five gentlemen. They would attempt to gain the cooperation of any owners of land through which the canal would pass, and would invite the towns of Congleton