SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            Washington, DC 20549

                                  FORM S-8

                           Registration Statement
                                  Under the
                           Securities Act of 1933

                            Slades Ferry Bancorp
           ------------------------------------------------------
           (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

            Massachusetts                            04-3061936
  -------------------------------       ------------------------------------
  (State or Other Jurisdiction of       (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
   Incorporation Or Organization)

 100 Slades's Ferry Avenue, P.O. Box 390, Somerset, MA 02726 (508) 675-2121
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
  (Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code,
                of Registrant's Principal Executive Offices)

                Peter G. Collias, Esq., 84 North Main Street,
                     Fall River, MA 02722 (508) 675-7894
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  (Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code,
                            of Agent For Service)

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               With Copies To:

    Thomas H. Tucker, Esquire, McGowan, Engel, Tucker, Garrett & Schultz,
  125 High Street, Suite 2601, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, (617) 951-9980

                       CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


____________________________________________________________________________________

Title of Each                       Proposed          Proposed
Class of                            Maximum           Maximum           Amount of
Securities to     Amount to be      Offering Price    Aggregate         Registration
be Registered     Registered        Per Unit          Offering Price    Fee
____________________________________________________________________________________


                                                            
Common Stock       31,000 shares    $ 9.34(1)         $  289,540        $   85.41(1)
$.01 par value

Common Stock      219,000 shares    $17.00(2)         $3,723,000        $1,098.29(2)
$.01 par value                                                                 
          
      Total       250,000 shares                      $4,012,540        $1,183.70

- --------------------
<F1>  Based upon the exercise price of the options issued on April 4, 1997 in
      accordance with Rule 457(h)(1).
<F2>  Based upon the price of securities of the same class as determined in
      accordance with Rule 457(c) for options not yet issued pursuant to
      Rule 457(h)(1).

      This Registration Statement shall become effective upon filing pursuant
      to Rule 462.


                                   PART II
             INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

The following documents filed by the Registrant with the United States 
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to the 
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") are incorporated by 
reference into this Registration Statement: (i) the Registrant's Annual Report 
on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 1997, and (ii) the description 
of the common stock contained in Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-
A as the same may be amended.

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant 
to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of 
this Registration Statement, but prior to the filing of a post-effective 
amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities 
offered by this Registration Statement have been sold or which deregisters all 
such securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by 
reference into this Registration Statement.  Each document incorporated by 
reference into this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a part of this 
Registration Statement from the date of filing of such document with the 
Commission until the information contained therein is superseded or updated by 
any subsequently filed document which is incorporated by reference into this 
Registration Statement or by any document which constitutes part of the 
prospectus relating to the Plans meeting the requirements of Section 10(a) of 
the Securities Act.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

The class of securities to be offered under this Registration Statement is 
registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

None.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Under Section 67 of the Massachusetts Business Corporation Law, indemnification 
of directors, officers, employees and other agents of a corporation can be 
provided in the articles of organization or bylaws of the corporation.  Such 
indemnification may include payment by the corporation of expenses incurred in 
defending a civil or criminal action or proceeding in advance of the final 
disposition of such action or proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by the 
person indemnified to repay such payment if he shall be adjudicated to be not 
entitled to indemnification, which undertaking may be accepted without 
reference to the financial ability of such person to make repayment.  Such 
indemnification may be provided although the person to be indemnified is no 
longer an officer, director, employee or agent of the corporation.  No 
indemnification, however, shall be provided for any person with respect to any 
matter as to which he shall have been adjudicated in any proceeding not to have 
acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best 
interest of the corporation.

Article VI of the Bylaws of the Company contains provisions providing for the 
indemnification of officers and directors against liabilities incurred in 
connection with civil or criminal proceedings actually brought or threatened 
against them.  The Company's Bylaws automatically indemnify only the directors 
and provide that the Board of Directors may indemnify the officers or any 
person serving at the corporation's request as a trustee or administrator of an 
employee benefit plan of the Company.  Furthermore, the Company's Bylaws 
contain provisions allowing payment of expenses in advance upon an undertaking 
repayment by the indemnified party without reference to his ability to repay.  
The Bylaws provide that no indemnification shall be afforded in situations 
where it shall have been determined that the person involved was guilty of or 
liable for wilful misconduct or default or gross negligence and also deny 
indemnification where the person did not act in good faith in the reasonable 
belief his action was in the best interests of the Company.  In situations 
where a claim is compromised or settled, indemnification is automatic, unless 
there is a determination by a court or other tribunal having jurisdiction that 
the individual did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that his 
action was in the best interests of the Company.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

None.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

An index of Exhibits appears at page II-5.

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

(a)   The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

      (1)   To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, 
            a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

            (i)   To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the 
                  Securities Act;

            (ii)  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising 
                  after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or 
                  the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, 
                  individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental 
                  change in the information set forth in the Registration 
                  Statement;

            (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan 
                  of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration 
                  Statement or any material change to such information in the 
                  Registration Statement;

            Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not 
            apply if the information required to be included in a post-
            effective amendment by these paragraphs is contained in periodic 
            reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 
            15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the 
            Registration Statement.

      (2)   That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the 
            Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed 
            to be a new registration statement relating to the securities 
            offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time 
            shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

      (3)   To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment 
            any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the 
            termination of the offering.


                                 SIGNATURES

      In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the 
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets 
all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this 
registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, 
thereunto duly authorized, in the Town of Somerset, Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, on April 14, 1998.


                            SLADE'S FERRY BANCORP


                                       By  /s/ Kenneth R. Rezendes
                                           --------------------------------
                                           Kenneth R. Rezendes, President

      In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act, this 
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the 
capacities and on the dates indicated.

/s/  Thomas B. Almy                    4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Thomas B. Almy
Director

/s/  Ralph S. Borges                   4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Ralph S. Borges
Senior Vice President/Treasurer, Chief Financial
Officer, Chief Accounting Officer

/s/  James D. Carey                    4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
James D. Carey
Executive Vice President and Director

/s/  Peter G. Collias                  4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Peter G. Collias
Secretary and Clerk

/s/  Donald T. Corrigan                4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Donald T. Corrigan
Chairman of the Board and Director

/s/  Melvyn A. Holland                 4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Melvyn A. Holland
Director

/s/  William Q. MacLean, Jr.           4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
William Q. MacLean, Jr.
Director

/s/  Francis A. Macomber               4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Francis A. Macomber
Director

/s/  Majed Mouded                      4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Majed Mouded, M.D.
Director

/s/  Shaun O'Hearn, Sr.                4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Shaun O'Hearn, Sr.
Director

/s/  Lawrence J. Oliveira              4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Lawrence J. Oliveira
Director

/s/  Peter Paskowski                   4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Peter Paskowski
Director

/s/  Kenneth R. Rezendes               4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Kenneth R. Rezendes
President/Chief Executive Officer and Director

/s/  William J. Sullivan               4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
William J. Sullivan
Director

/s/  Charles Veloza                    4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
Charles Veloza
Director

/s/  David F. Westgate                 4/14/98
- ----------------------------------------------
David F. Westgate
Director



                              INDEX TO EXHIBITS

The following exhibits are included, unless otherwise noted, as being an 
integral part of this Registration Statement and appear in the Exhibit 
section of this Registration Statement:

Exhibit No.                     Description                      Page
- -----------                     -----------                      ----

5               Opinion Regarding Legality                       E-1

23.1            Consent of Counsel is contained in Exhibit 5

23.2            Consent of Shatswell, MacLeod & Company          E-2