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PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
HISTORICAL SERIES
No. XV
History of Todmorden
Sherratt & Hughes
Publishers to the Victoria University of Manchester
Manchester : 34 Cross Street
London ■ 33 Soho Square,, W.
Agents for the United States
Longmans, Green & Co.
443-449 Fourth Avenue, New York
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A SHORT
History of Todmorden
WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
Geology and Natural History
of the Neighbourhood
BY
JOSHUA HOLDEN, M.A
WITH 25 ILLUSTRATIONS.
MANCHESTER
At the University Press
1912
University of Manchester Publications
No. LXVIII.
PREFACE.
This book has been written at the suggestion of
Professor Findlay in order to interest Todmorden boys
and girls and their parents in the history of their own
neighbourhood. It often happens that school subjects
are outside the range of home interests. Local
history, however, may be interesting to young and old
alike, and this book is intended for all those, whether
in school or out, who call themselves Todmordians
and wish to know how the Todmorden of to-day has
grown out of the conditions of the past.
For pupils in day and evening schools this book has
a fourfold aim. First, to direct attention to the most
important periods in our local history, and to arouse
an interest that may continue long after school days
are over. Second, to furnish local illustrations of the
great movements described in ordinary English
histories. Third, to unite children and parents in a
common intellectual interest, the absence of which is
so often to be regretted in the home. Fourth, the
earlier chapters are intended to serve as an introduc-
tion to out-door science. The identification of local
viii PREFACE
rocks, fossils, plants and birds will help to foster
among boys and girls a habit of careful observation,
create fresh and enduring sources of enjoyment and
give some insight into the meaning of scientific
method.
I am indebted to the Rev. John Nay lor for the
account of local plants and animals given in
Appendix II.
I have to express my obligation to Professor Tout
for a detailed and very helpful criticism of many
chapters and for valuable advice as to the book as a
whole; to Mr. Whitehead, Clerk to the Todmorden
Education Committee, who permitted me to make the
fullest use of his unique collection of papers and
documents relating to Todmorden; to Mr. Sutcliffe,
Borough Librarian, Mr. Jackman, Assistant Overseer,
and Mr. Hollinrake, Clerk to the Guardians, for help
in dealing with various local records; and to Aid.
William Ormerod, J. P., and Mr. J. B. Brown, of
Hebden Bridge, for the loan of books and papers.
My thanks are due to Mr. John Lister, M.A., of
Shibden Hall, for helpful criticism, and to Mr. Hugh
P. Kendall, of Sowerby Bridge, for photographs of
the Eoman road over Blackstone Edge and of
Heptonstall Old Church and for Civil War documents.
With regard to the illustrations in the book, I am
PREFACE ix
indebted to Mr. Herbert Crabtree, of Tbe Mount, for
the reproduction of Mr. Holland's picture, in the
Frontispiece, and to Mr. John Barker, of Friths, for
the sketch of Cross Stone Church given in Fig. 21 ; to
Mr. Knox, Lecturer in Mining, Manchester Univer-
sity, who kindly drew for me the map to illustrate
the Carboniferous Period (Fig. 1); to Mr. Jackman,
for the photograph of flints (Fig. 8) ; to Dr. Russell,
for the photograph of urns (Fig. 9) ; and to Messrs.
King, of Halifax, for the block of the gibbet (Fig.
16). Figs. 13, 19, 20 and 21, as well as the
Frontispiece, were taken from photographs kindly
supplied by Mr. Clapham, of Todmorden. The
Ordnance Maps (Figs. 2 and 24) have been reproduced
by kind permission of the Ordnance Survey Depart-
ment .
The publication of this book has been greatly
facilitated by the kindly help of Professor Findlay
and of Aid. Robert Jackson, and I desire gratefully
to acknowledge the assistance they have rendered.
Joshua Holden.
Whitcliii'e Mount School,
Cleckheaton,
June 1912.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Preface -------- vii
List of Illustrations ------ xiii
Chapter
I. Introduction . - - - - -*"' -x
II. The Story of the Hills 5
III. The Vale of Todmorden - - - - 12
IV. Local Drift Deposits - - - - 18
V. Neolithic Man - - - - -21
VI. An Ancient Graveyard - - - 25
VII. Todmorden During the Roman Occupation - 29
VIII. Angles and Danes. A Chapter about Place
Names and Dialect - - - - 35
IX. Domesday Book - - - - - 46
X. Todmorden in the 14th Century - - 55
XI. Mediaeval Churches and Law-Courts - - 66
XII. An Old Poll Tax Return - - - - 78
XIII. Todmorden during the Reformation Period - 84
XIV. # Cavaliers and Roundheads, or, Days of Strife - 95
XV. Three Centuries of Trade and Industry - - 108
XVI. Social Life and Superstitions after the Reforma-
tion - - - - - - 115
XVII. The Beginning of Nonconformity - - - 126
\VIII. Todmorden Schools and Churches during the
18th Century - - - - -135
XIX. The Management of Local Affairs in the 18th
Century - - - - - - 143
XX. The Industrial Revolution and the Story of Mr.
John Fielden, M.P. - - - - 154
xii CONTENTS
XXI. Todmorden on the Eve of the Railway System 169
XXII. Local Polities in the 19th Century - - 180
XXIII. Educational Progress in Todmorden in the 19th
Century ------ 196
XXIV. Todmorden in Recent Days. How Todmorden
became a Borough - 207
XXV. To the Reader 216
Appendix
I. Todmorden of To-day - - - - 219
II. Flowers and Animals in Todmorden. By Rev.
John Naylor ----- 223
III. Parliamentary Representation of Todmorden
during the 19th Century - 228
IV. Genealogies of the Families of Radcliffe and
Fielden - - - - - 231
V. Local Maps and Records - 234
Index - - - - - - - - 236
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
" Todmorden from Stannally Stones." Taken from a
picture painted by John Holland about 1870
Frontispiece.
PAGE
Fig. 1. Diagram of Ancient British Gulf, Carboniferous
Period ------ 6
Fig. 2. Geological Map of Todmorden and District - 8
Fig. 3. Diagram of Carboniferous Rocks, as first laid
down beneath the sea - - - 12
Fig. 4. Diagram of Carboniferous Rocks, bent upwards
into an arch - - - - 13
Fig. 5. Diagram of Carboniferous Rocks, showing valley-
formation due to weathering - - 14
Diagram of Rocks in the Vale of Todmorden - 15
Section across Country from Todmorden to
Halifax - - - - - 16
Local Flints - - - - - 22
Urns found in the Earth Circle above Butt Stones 26
Roman Road over Blackstone Edge - - 30
Diagram of Section across the pavement of the
Roman Road - - - - 31
Fig. 12. The Forest of Elinet and the Settlements of the
Angles at the beginning of the Seventh Cen-
tury a.d. - - - - - 36
Fig. 13. Mount Cross - - - - - 39
Fig. 14. Facsimile of the portion of Domesday Book that
refers to the local Townships in the Manor of
Wakefield - - - - - - 49
Fig.
6.
Fig.
7-
Fig.
8.
Fig.
9-
Fig.
10.
Fig.
11.
Fig.
15-
Fig.
16.
Fig.
*7-
Fig.
18.
Fig.
19.
Fig.
20.
Fig.
21.
Fig.
22.
Fig.
23-
Fig.
24.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Map to Illustrate Domesday Period - 50
The Gibbet, Halifax - - - - 76
Heptonstall Old Church, Lady Chapel - - 84
Map to illustrate Civil Wars - - - 101
Carr House Fold - - - - - 122
Chapel House - - - - - 129
Cross Stone Chapel - - - - -137
First Carriages used on the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway - - - - 179
Map of Local Townships - - - - 218
Map of Todmorden and District - - at end
History of Todmorden,
CHAPTER I.
Introduction.
In the following pages the story will be told of
Todmorden and the surrounding district, and some
account will be given of the way in which the
hills themselves have come into existence. Todmor-
den lies in the heart of the Pennine Range, far
removed from the most noteworthy scenes of English
history. Enough, however, is known of the past
history of this district to make a continuous narrative
possible of the events that have occurred during the
last two thousand years. Hills and valleys, villages
and farms will reveal some of the secrets of the past.
The best idea of this neighbourhood may be
gained from some point of vantage on the moors,
such as Stoodley Pike or Whirlaw. These places
are situated at the edge of a moorland plateau more
than 1,300 feet above sea level. Five hundred feet
below are flat terraces of upland out of which there
have been hollowed three narrow and deep valleys
that lead through the hills to Burnley, Halifax and
2 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Rochdale. The town of Todmorden stands where
these valleys meet, on a level tract nearly one
thousand feet below the level of the moors. From
Summit to Hebden Bridge the valley is often
exceedingly narrow, but it forms one of the most
important links between Lancashire and Yorkshire;
road, railway, river and canal run side by side
between steep hills the whole distance. Burnley
valley presents a broader expanse of landscape,
before the valley narrows to a ravine at Lydgate.
Its northern slope, topped with rocks at Whirlaw,
Bride Stones and Orchan Rocks, overlooks green
fields and clustering trees, whilst beyond Centre
Yale, Scaitcliife Wood clothes the opposite hill slope.
The town fills the central space and extends for
more than two miles along each of the valleys. From
the uplands may be observed the large number of
mill chimneys and the dull grey of the housetops.
The great railway viaduct and embankment join two
of the valleys and block the entrance to the third,
whilst above the mills and houses a few church spires
are visible. Though Todmorden has little in itself
that is picturesque, it is most picturesquely situated
among the folds of the hills. On a moonlight night
from one of the hill slopes, instead of streets and
houses, a valley of stars may be discerned, where
gleaming points of light mark out the railway and
the streets that mount the uplands, or indicate the
more distant windings of the valleys.
The landscape that surrounds the town is full
of beauty. There are green uplands with hamlets
and scattered farmsteads. From the main valleys
branch off narrow ravines or cloughs, their sides
INTRODUCTION 3
clothed with trees that overhang running streams and
waterfalls. On the hilltops, moorlands extend for
many miles; range after range of hills becoming
fainter and fainter in the far distance.
This district can be divided into three parts
along the three levels of valley, upland and hill -top.
To-day Todmorden lies almost wholly in the valley
or along the lowest level. Farmers on the uplands
are well aware of this fact. In winter they often
enjoy days of cloudless sunshine when the town's
folk are enveloped in a thick, cold mist. The mist
divides the land; beneath it Todmorden and its
inhabitants are hidden ; above, only a few farms and
hamlets are visible. This can have only been the
case for about a hundred years. During the pre-
ceding centuries Todmordians lived above the mist
line. Todmorden Hall, Scaitcliffe Hall and the
church of St. Mary's were in the hollow, but on the
uplands, Sourhall and Cross Stone, Mankinholes and
Bottomley, Blackshaw Head and Shore, Heptonstall
and Old Town were centres of population and
industry. Earlier still, in days that go back to
prehistoric times, the inhabitants lived at the highest
level on the hill tops and moors.
The main outline of this narrative may now be
clearly understood. First, the story of the hills
themselves will be told and an explanation given of
the way in which the rocks that make up the hills
were laid down millions of years ago. Next, some
account will be given of the different races of men
who lived on the moorlands in days before the dawn
of history. Then the progress will be traced of those
small civilised communities that settled on the
4 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
uplands, and during twelve centuries gradually laid
the foundation of the language, social customs and
industries that exist in Todmorden to-day. Finally,
the great changes brought about by canals, factories
and railways will be described, when men left the
villages on the uplands and established themselves
in the vallev below.
CHAPTER II.
The Story of the Hills.
The Todinorden district lies in that part of the
Pennine Chain which separates the Lancashire and
Yorkshire plains. It is marked by an abundance of
sandstone. Lines of crag are visible on the tops of the
hills, at Bride Stones and Blackstone Edge. Big rocks
occur on every moorland and there are many quarries.
Todmorden and Hebden Bridge are built almost
entirely of stone, and place names such as Stansfield
(Stonesfield), Stones, Hardcastle Crags and Cragg
Yalley are numerous throughout the district.
In addition to sandstone there are thick beds of
hardened clay or shale. Todmorden is built on clay,
and beds of shale are exposed along the hill-sides
and in the doughs. Seams of coal occur at Dules-
gate and Cliviger.
Millions of years ago this country was not in
existence, but where England now is, there was a
sea with several islands in it. Fig. 1 shows how
very different the geography of the British region
was in those days. The present geographical out-
line is put in lightly for comparison. The shaded
lines represent the coast. The shore line skirting the
Grampians belonged to a great continent that
included the whole of North Europe and the greater
part of the North Atlantic area. On the other hand,
an ocean occupied the southern half of Europe, the
sea that covered most of the British region being
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Ancient Northern
>,-j ,-•? ,y
C?bNf,INENT/
u.
4 W^5*
Ancient British
'C-'^.„
G ULP
£,:;;rr- ^
Fig. i. Diagram op Ancient British Gulf, Carboni-
ferous Period.
STORY OF THE HILLS 7
one of its gulfs. It was in this ancient sea that the
rocks composing the Todmorden hills were first laid
down. Geologists call the whole of the rocks thus
deposited the Carboniferous Series. It took millions
of years for their formation, and during this long
period the following changes probably took place.
1. At first the ancient sea, shown in the map, was
deep enough to allow marine animals to live in its
clear waters. Shells of the dead animals accumu-
lated on the sea floor until thick beds of chalk-like
ooze were formed, known as Carboniferous Limestone.
These rocks may be seen at Clitheroe and in Derby-
shire, but they are not visible in Todmorden. They
lie buried beneath the ground.
2. An upward movement of the land made the sea
become shallower, part of the British Gulf being
replaced by land and the limestone beds being thus
brought nearer to the new shore line. The conse-
quence was that the sand and mud brought down by
the continental rivers covered the beds of limestone.
In clearer water bands of limestone might still be
formed, but most of the rocks then deposited were
sandstones and shales. These rocks are called
Yoredale rocks (also Pendleside beds), and in the
Todmorden district they consist of two thick beds
of shale with a bed of sandstone between them. The
town itself stands on Yoredale shale. Yoredale
sandstone may be seen in the quarries at Longfield,
Hollins and Butt Stones, in Ravensnest Hill and
behind Waterside Mill. Stone from most of these
quarries has been obtained for building purposes.
Yoredale rocks flank both sides of the Calder valley
to Hebden Bridge, branching up Hardcastle Yalley
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
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1
H.l.tvi'»'lT
93--YV
d*
Index to shadings.
JUluviiMtn Coal Measures
Ho ads .First Class
Second, Class..
ThxrSL Class
*Millstdne Grit I. ernes tone Serves
/AltituclelZ ~
Railways J***"
County Boundaries
Church +
Reduced from, the. One -Inch Maps of the- Geological- Survey, 1906.
FabUshcds 1907. J. J. H. TeaJl. M.A.,D. Sc, E R. S.. Director.
Fig. 2. Geological Map of Todmorden and District.
Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map, with the sanction of the
Controller of H.M. Stationery Office.
STORY OF THE HILLS 9
and Horsebridge Clougli. Yoredale rocks (referred
to in Fig. 2 as Limestone Series, d2-3), however, do
not reach to the hill tops on the Yorkshire side of the
district, and on the Lancashire side they are entirely
absent.
3. After the Yoredale rocks were deposited, a
further upheaval of the land brought the continental
shore line still nearer the British region and made
the water that covered it still shallower. Great
mountain ranges rose towards the north and north-
east; and big rivers, flowing south, brought down
coarse sand and pushed forward their deltas into the
shallow sea. Enormous deposits of coarse sandstone
and shale were then deposited. So coarse were the
sandstones that the name grit has been given to
them. Excellent grindstones and paving stones are
made from them, and the series of rocks deposited
is known as Millstone Grit. These rocks are found
in abundance in the Todmorden district. (Eig. 2.)
The bed of grit first deposited and lying above the
Yoredale rocks, is called Kinderscout grit, because
a fine example of it occurs at Kinderscout in Derby-
shire. It crops out at Bride Stones, Whirlaw and
on the Gaddens Moor. Kinderscout grit underlies
Heptonstall and forms the side of Nut Clough. The
Crag at Hardcastle and the rocks above Widdop
reservoir also consist of the same very coarse grit.
Other beds of sandstone, called Middle grits, are
found above the Kinderscout grit. Good examples
occur in the quarries below Stoodley Pike, at War-
land, Light Hazels and Long Lees in Walsden, in
Ramsden Clough, Dulesgate and Green's Clough.
The rocks at Watty and Eagle Crag consist of Middle
10 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
grits. Further to the east, Middle grits may be
traced from Wood End, near Hebden Bridge, to
Luddendenfoot.
Above the Middle grits, at the top of the Millstone
Grit series, is another bed of coarse sandstone, known
as Rough Rock. It may be seen at Cloughfoot and
in Green's Clough on the western side of the neigh-
bourhood, but on the east is not met with until
Halifax is reached. (Fig. 7.)
4. After the Millstone grits had been formed, the
land began again to sink, so that the whole of
England and most of Ireland were changed into
immense swamps scarcely lifted above sea level.
Similar mud flats covered a large part of Europe.
The climate was warm and moist, and enormous
forests grew on the swampy ground. The trees were
very tall and resembled gigantic ferns, clubmosses
and horsetails ; others were more like fir trees. Then
a series of changes took place in the level of land
and sea. The land slowly sank until forests were
submerged beneath the water and buried under
deposits of sand and mud. Next the land again
began to rise; the sea once more became a swamp
and forests again flourished luxuriantly, until they
in turn were buried beneath the sea. The trees and
vegetation that were thus entrapped between beds
of shale and sand were changed at last into seams
of coal. The rocks that were deposited during this
last stage of the Carboniferous period are called Coal
Measures. Beds belonging to the lower Coal Measures
are found in the Lancashire portion of the Todmorden
district, in Dulesgate, Cliviger and Walsden. At
Dulesgate there are seams of coal 2 feet and 4 feet
STORY OF THE HILLS 11
in thickness. The principal trees that lived in the
Carboniferous period were Lepidodendron, Sigillaria
and Calamites. The Sigillaria had long branching
roots called Stigmaria. The fossil remains of these
trees may be found in the local Coal Measures.
1 Uderlying seams of coal, there are often beds of
clay from which good bricks can be made, and at
Cloughfoot, not far from the colliery, a brick works
has been built.
12
CHAPTER III.
The Yale of Todmorden.
After the Coal Measures had been laid down
under the shallow seas of the ancient British Gulf,
great earth movements gradually but completely
altered the arrangement of land and water described
in the last chapter. The North Atlantic continent
sank beneath the sea to form the bottom of the
Atlantic Ocean, whilst on either side rocks were
slowly piled up into great mountain ranges. These
changes also must have taken many millions of
years. During the process rocks were smashed and
split asunder; beds, at first level, were tilted in all
directions and so powerful were the forces at work,
that great thicknesses of rock were often wrenched
from their places and pushed into new positions.
In some such fashion the Pennine Chain gradually
rose into a wide arch of rock.
Coal- ** EASu^gs
MILLSTONE © H I 'T
YOftEDAtuC ROCKS
c-i^cstoim e
Fig. 3. Diagram of Carboniferous Rocks, as First
Laid down beneath the Sea.
The changes that took place may be roughly
represented in a series of diagrams. Let Fig. 3
VALE OF TODMORDEN
13
represent the Carboniferous rocks in the Todmorden
district when first laid down beneath the sea. By
the action of earth forces these beds were pushed
out of the horizontal position into a wide arch, as
shown in Fig. 4.
During this upward movement the surface of
the land was continually being acted upon by wind
and rain, snow and frost. The greater the height
to which the beds of rock were lifted, the more
powerful the action of these agencies became. Rivers
and streams ran swiftly down the hill sides, and
(v» e >\
• U R
4. Diagram of Carboniferous Rocks, Bent
Upwards into an Arch.
valleys were gradually hollowed out of the land.
But the Coal Measures were uppermost and therefore
the rocks composing them were first washed away.
Then the Millstone Grit and Yoredale rocks were
laid bare and last of all the Carboniferous Limestone.
In Todmorden, however, the process was never com-
pleted. A thickness of several thousand feet of rock
has been removed, reaching to the Kinderscout grit
on the Yorkshire moors, and exposing the Yoredale
rocks along the Todmorden valley, but the Carboni-
14
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
ferous Limestone is still beneath the surface. (Fig.
5.) The Todmorden hills are situated along the
central axis of the Pennine Chain. They form, as it
were, one of the keystones in a great arch of rock
many miles broad. On the Yorkshire side the rocks
in every quarry or cutting may be observed sloping
gently eastward; on the Lancashire side the rocks
dip westward. (Fig. 5.^
Fig. 5. Diagram of Carboniferous Rocks, showing
Valley Formation due to Weathering. (A represents
the thickness of rock washed away.)
The above diagram needs one important correction
before it can represent even roughly the position of
the rocks in Todmorden. The rocks on each side
of the valley at Centre Yale belong to quite different
beds. At Bride Stones, on the summit of the York-
shire slope is the lowest bed of Millstone Grit;
whereas, at the bottom of the opposite slope rocks
are exposed belonging to the Middle grits. In other
words, along the line of the Burnley and Walsden
valleys, when the Pennine Chain was being formed,
the enormous forces at work split the rocks and
threw down the beds on the Lancashire side hun-
dreds of feet below the corresponding beds on the
Yorkshire side of the district. Such a displacement
VALE OF TODMORDEN
18
is called a Fault. Fig. 6 gives a rough idea of
the general position of the rocks that make up the
Todmorden hills. In addition to this great fault
running in a direction from north to south, a large
number of smaller faults have complicated the
geology of the neighbourhood.
Fig. 6. Diagram of Rocks in the Vale of Todmorden.
On the west side of Todmorden it will be observed
there are neither Yoredale rocks nor Kinderscout
grit, but only Middle grits, which are soon followed
by Rough Rock and the lower Coal Measures. East-
wards the Coal Measures do not appear until Halifax
and Elland are reached. The diagram in Fig. 7
shows the succession of rocks from Todmorden to
Halifax.
The story of the hills has been briefly outlined,
16
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
beginning with the quiet deposition of limestone
ooze in a gulf of an ancient European ocean and
ending with the upheaval of enormous thicknesses
of rock into the Pennine Chain. Since that remote
period this district has probably never been com-
pletely submerged beneath the sea. On the contrary
in the earlier stages of its history the Pennine Chain
was much higher than it is to-day. The present
hills are merely the remnants of a mightier moun-
tain range.
wesr
TOOMORDCN
EAST
XAUIFAX
c<n
Fig. 7. Section across Country from Todmorden
to Halifax.
Note. — The following exercises may be suggested
for " Out of School " excursions on the hills or in
the cloughs.
1. Collect specimens of the sandstones found in
the different quarries, etc., in the neighbourhood
(Yoredale grit, Kinderscout grit, Middle grits, Rough
Rock, Coal Measures). Compare the different speci-
mens, noticing which are coarsest (with quartz
pebbles in them) ; which are smoothest.
Label each specimen, giving the exact position
and date when found. If possible, make a note of
VALE OF TODMORDEN 17
the kind of beds above and below the one from which
the specimen was taken.
Is the coarseness of the sandstone any indication
of the bed from which it comes?
2. In the Millstone Grit quarries (in Walsden
valley, Dulesgate, Green's Clough, below Stoodley
Pike, etc.) look for thin bands of coal. In the beds
near them, search for fossils. What sort are they?
3. Make a collection of fossils from the Coal
Measures. Besides the fossil remains of trees,
specimens may be found of different shells (Gonia-
tites, Lingula, Aviculopecten, etc.), and of various
fishes.
On each specimen put a label saying exactly where
it was found. The names of the fossils may be found
out later by comparing them with specimens in the
Free Library or in the museums at Halifax and
Rochdale.
4. Carefully notice the character of the trees,
plants and flowers that grow on the different shales
and sandstones in the cloughs and on the uplands
and the moors. Verify, as far as you can, the list
of local plants given in Appendix II.
In obtaining specimens of flowers, etc., take the
greatest care not to uyroot the plants.
18
CHAPTE11 IV.
Local Drift Deposits.
The story of the Todmorden hills will not be
complete unless some account is given of several
interesting deposits found in many parts of the
neighbourhood. These deposits lie on the surface
of the ground above the Yoredale beds, Millstone
Grit or Coal Measures as the case may be. For the
most part they consist of clay or sand and contain
a large number of pebbles and boulders. The
pebbles and boulders are not arranged in layers, but
are scattered in a haphazard fashion through the
clay. Also, although most of the pebbles consist of
sandstone, a large number are composed of granite
ajad volcanic rocks, being entirely unlike any
boulders in the Carboniferous beds in Todmorden,
but exactly resembling granitic and volcanic rocks
found, in some parts of Cumberland.
These deposits are found in the following places.
(1) Walsden valley. — In the quarries at Warland,
Long Lees and Light Hazels, and in the Summit
brickyard there is a bed of clay with granite boulders
above the third Millstone Grit. (2) Todmorden —
Near the Gas and Electrical works a similar bed of
clay occurs. Beneath the clay on which the town is
built, there is a layer of blue clay which is neither
Yoredale shale nor river deposit. (3) Calder valley. —
Between Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd there
LOCAL DRIFT DEPOSITS 19
occurs a great thickness of sand, with granitic and
volcanic boulders. (4) Burnley valley. — At Line-
holme, nearly 20 feet below the ground, many
limestone boulders have been found. In Sheddin
and Cant Cloughs (and along the north-west slope
of Boulsworth Hill) big deposits of limestone have
been left, that resemble the rocks in the Craven
district of Yorkshire.
These deposits are never found on the higher level
of the moors, but are confined to their lower slopes
and to the valleys.
Similar beds consisting of clay filled with strange
boulders are spread over most of England and
Ireland. Lancashire is covered with them : the
beach at Blackpool is strewn with pebbles from the
Cumbrian mountains. It is only reasonable to
expect, therefore, that the same explanation may be
given of the formation of them all.
Very long ago most of the United Kingdom,
together with a large part of North-west Europe,
was covered with ice. This took place during a
period of intense cold, known to geologists as the
Ice Age. Big glaciers moved down the mountain
sides and spread over the plains. Some glaciers in
Cumberland travelled south or south-east across
Lancashire; one from North Yorkshire skirted the
eastern side of the Pennine Chain. On the way, the
bottom of each glacier scraped the ground under-
neath to fine mud or sand, whilst boulders and
pebbles from the mountain sides fell on the top of
the glacier and were carried south. The glaciers,
however, were not able to climb over the Pennine
Chain. They covered the lower slopes of the hills
20 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
and pierced through the gaps at Summit, Cliviger
and Widdop, filling the Todmorden valleys with ice
and mud and boulders from the northern mountains.
Then a change came; the climate became milder,
the ice fields gradually disappeared and a thick
mantle of mud and boulders or of glacial drift
was left in the valleys and on the lower hills. There
were many boulders from the granitic and volcanic
rocks of Cumberland, and from the limestone rocks
of North Yorkshire that had travelled in this way
a long distance from their starting point. In this
neighbourhood rain has long since washed away
most of these deposits. A few, however, have escaped
the process of weathering and still remain as local
memorials of the distant Ice Age.
The Glacial Drift at Millwood is probably part
of a larger deposit that once blocked up the narrow
outlet of the valley at Lobmill and changed the
Todmorden basin as far as Lineholme and Walsden
into a beautiful lake. On the bottom of the lake
the blue glacial clay left by local glaciers was first
deposited. Then sand and mud from the hill sides
covered the clay and raised by many feet the level
of the Todmorden valley. A series of lakes, in all
probability, extended along the valley as far as
Hebden Bridge.
Exercise. — Obtain specimens of granitic and
other pebbles, that are not sandstone, from the
Glacial Drift overlying the quarries in Walsden
valley; also specimens of limestone in the valleys
near Hurstwood. Notice whether any flint nodules
are to be found in the local drift deposits.
•21
CHAPTER V.
Neolithic Man.
Man first appeared on the earth during* the Ice
Age. In England his bones and roughly chipped
stone tools, as well as the bones of animals he had
killed, have been found under the limestone floor
of many caves. The Yictoria Cave near Settle, and
Kent's Cavern, near Torquay, are two well known
examples. No traces, however, of this earlier race
have been met with in Todmorden, but the remains
of a later and cleverer race are still scattered over
the moorlands.
These remains consist of a large number of bits
of broken flint together with occasional specimens
of beautifully carved flint arrow heads and of other
tools and implements. Mr. Robert Law, F.G.S.,
collected thousands of flint chippings, including
many good examples of worked flints, whilst more
recently Mr. Luke Fielden and Mr. Jackman of
Todmorden have obtained many fine specimens.
This early race made knives, scrapers, borers and
arrow heads of different shapes, composed of flint or
some hard stone such as quartz. (Fig. 8.)
Thousands of flint chippings still lie on the
Todmorden moors, but anyone who looks for them
should bear in mind the following facts. First :
worked flints occur on the top of the moors or on
the slopes of rounded hills skirting the moors. They
22 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
are always found near beds of peat, especially on
bare ground from which the peat has been washed
away. Second : flint chippings never occur above
a peat bed, but in the soil underneath the peat.
In this district peat beds cover the moors to a
thickness of several feet. Peat consists of decayed
vegetation, and the formation of so great a thickness
of it must have taken many thousands of years.
Moreover, in the soil underneath, where flints are
Fig. 8. Local Flints.
found, stumps of oak trees occur that show there
were forests on the hills before the peat was formed.
Hence there can be no doubt that the race of men
who carved the flint implements found on the
Todmorden moors lived many thousand years ago
when forests that have long since vanished covered
the hills.
These early workers in stone are known to-day
as the men of the Neolithic or New Stone Age,
NEOLITHIC MAN * 23
because their tools are more perfectly made than
those of the race that lived during the Glacial Period.
They are said to have belonged to the Iberian race;
one that resembled the Basques who live to-day in
the north of Spain. Neolithic men lived on the
hills; their knives and arrow heads are most abundant
in places commanding an extensive view. It is
impossible to tell when first they reached this
district, but the scene they looked upon was very
different from the present landscape. Hills and
valleys were covered with woods; rain was excessive
and in flood time the swamps in the valley must have
been changed into a gleaming lake. In the woods
roamed wild boars and wild oxen, wolves and wild
cats, foxes and badgers. Under such circumstances,
clothed in the skins of wild beasts and seeking
shelter in caves or under rocks, the men of the
Xeolithic Age maintained a wretched struggle tnr
existence.
They were small of stature (the very tall were
not more than 5 feet 6 inches high) and had long
shaped heads and dark hair and eyes. They were
herdsmen as well as hunters, and had begun the
domestication of animals. Gaunt, fierce dogs were
their companions : herds of swine gathered near
their rude dwellings and horses either gave them
food or served them in the chase. Flint scythes
reaped only the scantiest harvests of spelt* and wild
barley in clearings on the uplands. Food consisted
mainly of the flesh of animals or of fish and wild
fruits. In summer men searched for lumps or
* Spelt is a kind of wheat that grows on poor soil.
24 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
nodules of flint or for pieces of quartz. The nodules
found in this neighbourhood are small compared
with those in beds of chalk, so that the tools found
on the Todmorden hills are smaller than those
discovered in East Yorkshire. Sometimes the num-
ber of broken nodules, flint tools and chippings is so
large as to suggest that the place where they occur
was the site of a Neolithic workshop. A fine flint
nodule was found on Inchfield Moor by Mr. Luke
Fielden and near it was a flake that had been
chipped from it by a Neolithic workman thousands
of years ago. Occasionally bits of charcoal and
burnt flint point to the existence of an ancient
hearth.
Neolithic men were very artistic and some of
the smallest flints were probably used as graving
tools for delicate work. Others were used for dril-
ling eyes in bone needles. Neolithic men were also
very superstitious and wore tiny flint amulets to
keep them safe from evil spirits.
Note. — Where did the Neolithic men in Todmor-
den find the flint nodules for making tools?
25
CHAPTER VI.
An Ancient Graveyard.
In a field above Butt Stones in Stansfield there
is a portion of ground enclosed by a circular bank
of earth thirty yards across. Except for the regu-
larity of the raised circle there is nothing to distin-
guish this part from the remainder of the field.
Some years ago, however, Mr. Wilkinson of Burnley,
Mr. Law of Halifax, and Alderman Crossley of
Todmorden examined this circle, and found near its
centre, not many inches below the ground, three
vases of baked clay buried in charcoal and burnt
bones. The rim of each urn was ornamented with
a simple geometrical pattern. There were also two
small clay cups and several flint implements, includ-
ing a few scrapers and a leaf -shaped arrow-head.
The urns were filled with charcoal, charred soil and
bits of calcined bones. A small earthenware cup,
found in the largest urn, also contained amber and
jet beads, a bone pin, a bronze knife blade (or
possibly brooch), three inches long, and a small
bronze pin.
A more thorough examination of the ground
was undertaken by Dr. Russell of Todmorden, and
a carefully drawn plan (now in the Free Library)
shows the position of every object of interest dis-
covered. Three more large urns, one covered with
an inverted earthenware vessel, and two small
earthenware cups were obtained in an excellent state
of preservation. (Fig. 9.) The remains were also
26 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
detected of nearly a score of urns that had crumbled
away. Most of the urns were situated near the
centre of the ring. At some distance below the
surface there was a hard floor of baked clay with
abundant remains of charcoal. Stones were also
grouped round the circumference at the four points
of the compass, those to the south resembling a stone
seat. Among the bones found in the urns there was
part of a human jaw with a large number of teeth,
as well as parts of a hand and wrist. A primitive
Fig. 9. Urns found in the Earth Circle above Butt
Stones.
whetstone, with grooves still plainly marked in the
sandstone, gives a touch of reality to the workmen
who once sharpened their tools and made clay vases
on these uplands.
The earth circle just described is the remains
of an ancient graveyard. It was in use at a time
when men burned the bodies of the dead and placed
their ashes in rudely ornamented urns of baked clay.
AN ANCIENT GRAVEYARD 27
It is the bronze implement and bronze pin, however,
found in one of the urns that are of special import-
ance, for they serve to point out by whom and at
what time the urns were probably placed in the
ground.
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, and its
use indicates a great advance in civilisation beyond
that of the New Stone Age. In this country the
Bronze Age lasted for more than a thousand
years. This length of time, however, may be divided
into three periods, according to the mode of burial
that was practised. First, the bodies of the dead
were buried in big round funeral mounds or barrows ;
this period continued till about 900 B.C. Second,
earth circles were used instead of barrows ; and
lastly, a circle of stones (usually seven in number)
marked the place of burial. Moreover, funeral urns
were not used until somewhat late in the Bronze
Age. It is plain, therefore, that the graveyard on
the Stansfield upland belongs to the second period
of the Bronze Age, and its funeral urns show that
it is considerably later in date than the ninth
century before Christ.
At that time a race of Celts, known as the
Goidels, invaded this country, a race that was noted
for its use of bronze weapons. Gradually the
Goidelic Celts overthrew the Neolithic men in this
island and took possession of the interior. Long
afterwards it took the Anglo-Saxons nearly two
centuries to reach as far inland as the Pennine
Chain ; the Goidelic Celts, therefore, can hardly have
encamped on these uplands before the seventh or
sixth centurv before Christ.
28 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
The Groidels were a tall, blue-eyed race with
round-shaped heads and long reddish hair. They
established themselves as the ruling class over the
conquered Neolithic race. With better weapons
they hunted and fished, tamed animals or fortified
their rude settlements against attack. In religion
they were powerfully influenced by their Neolithic
subjects. The medicine men of the earlier race were
replaced among the Goidels by the Druid priesthood.
Religious worship was conducted in the open air
beneath the branches of oak trees, or near huge rocks
or within the precincts of an earth circle. When a
chieftain died, his relatives were killed and their
ashes were mingled with his in the urns buried
within the sacred enclosure. Many such barbarous
rites may have been celebrated on the Cross Stone
upland amid the silence or savage exultation of the
assembled tribe. It is possible that the group of
weathered rocks at Bride Stones served as a Celtic
temple, but there is no evidence that marriage rites
were ever performed there.
29
CHAPTER VII.
TODMOHDEX DURING THE ROMAN OCCUPATION.
Several centuries after the coming of the Goidels,
another branch of Celts, known as Brythons, invaded
this island. They were a fierce, warlike race, and
conquered the country as far north as the Clyde.
Their weapons were of iron; they wore their hair
long, painted their bodies blue and were clothed in
skins. From the language they spoke, modern Welsh
has been derived. Different tribes took possession
of different parts of Britain, one of the most powerful
being the Brigantes who occupied the Pennine
Chain. Hence at the beginning of the Christian era
this district was in the hands of the Brigantes. They
have long since vanished, but a few relics of the
language they once spoke may be discerned in some
of the local place names and in the local dialect.
The Roman conquest of Britain occurred during
the first century after the birth of Christ, when a
succession of Roman generals gradually subdued the
various Celtic tribes. It was Agricola who overcame
the Brigantes and established a military supremacy
over the whole country. The Roman dominion lasted
for more than three centuries. During this period
towns were built and a great system of roads was
established. In the neighbourhood of towns the
Romans greatly influenced their British subjects,
but on moorlands or in remote forests the Celts were
able to elude the Roman legions and hold fast to
their own tribal customs.
30 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
It is not likely that the Romans ever settled in
the Todmorden district or exerted an appreciable
influence on its inhabitants. No important fort
existed such as had been built on the edge of the
Cheshire plain at Mancunium (Manchester) or on
the Kibble at Ribehester, or on the Wharfe at
Tadcaster. All that the Romans desired was a swift
passage over the hills, and on Blackstone Edge there
still remains an excellent example of a Roman
Fig. 10. Roman Road over Blackstone Edge.
roadway. The relics of the Roman occupation that
still exist in the Todmorden neighbourhood may be
grouped under the three heads of roads, entrench-
ments and coins.
I. — Roman Roads.
Within a few minutes' walk of the White House,
Blackstone Edge, an ancient paved roadway leads
straight over the crest of the hill in a direction
DURING THE ROMAN OCCUPATION 31
roughly parallel to the present road to Ripponden.
The road may be traced on both sides of the hill top,
especially up the steep Lancashire slope, where it is
visible at intervals for a distance of several hundred
yards. Its appearance is shown in Fig. 10. The
construction of the stone pavement may be gathered
from the diagram in Fig. 11. The pavement is
about 18 feet broad and is made up of three principal
parts. Along the centre are large stone blocks (A,
Fig. 11), 3 feet 8 inches across and hollowed out so
as to form a continuous trough along the middle of
the road. A slightly raised ridge along the centre
of the trough divides it into two separate grooves
^gMp^QrVjEjjggW^gpj
Fig. ii. Diagram of Section across the Pavement
of the Roman Road.
(a and b). There is a level pavement (B), about 6
feet wide, on each side of the trough, flanked at the
outer edge (C) by stones set up on end. Along many
portions of the pavement distinct ruts or wheel
tracks may be traced, in some places to a depth of
three or four inches. Their position makes it prob-
able that they were produced by wheeled vehicles,
with wheels 4 feet 6 inches apart. The central
trough stones are found only at the steepest part of
the road, and the grooves running along either side
were produced by skidded wheels that scraped along
the sides of the trough where it was most needful
to apply a brake.
32 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
The road over Blackstone Edge formed part of the
Roman road between Mancunium and Olicana
(Ilkley), thus connecting stations situated on opposite
sides of the Pennine Chain. It was a branch of
Watling Street.- North of Todmorden and skirting
the moors from Burnley to Midgley a highway
known as the Long Causeway is believed to be on the
site of an old Roman road between Burnley and
Halifax. Some years ago portions of the road were
still preserved near Ringstones Camp beyond Wors-
thorne and also in Warley. Coins have been dis-
covered near Holme, and at High Greenwood and in
Stansfield, belonging to the reigns of Trajan (98 —
117 a.d.) and Hadrian (117— 138 a.d.).
II. — Entrenchments.
At Ringstones, on Worsthorne Moor, is a small
Roman camp, now completely embedded in earth
and long grass. Its walls, not quite square in out-
line, may still be traced and there are indications
of a ditch outside. The angles of the fort face the
chief points of the compass, and openings in the
north-western and south-eastern walls, nearly oppo-
site to each other, still mark the position of ancient
entrances. A small handmill for grinding corn was
found in the camp, as well as a large stone oven.
III. — Coins.
In addition to those already mentioned, coins have
been discovered at Mereclough, Stoodley Pike and
Kitson Wood. Most of them belonged to the reigns
of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius (138 — 161 a.d.) and
Gallienus (260— 268 a.d.).
In the third century the power of the Roman
DURING THE ROMAN OCCUPATION 33
emperors was so small that for many years they were
little more than puppets of the soldiery, who raised
them to power and deposed them in quick succession.
The consequence was that in many provinces the
garrisons set up rival emperors of their own. The
legions of Gaul and Britain, for example, during the
years a.d. 259 — 273 elected Posthumus, Yictorinus
and Tetricus as sovereigns, and it is interesting to
note that relics of these usurpers have been found
in Todmorden in the shape of coins bearing the
names of Yictorinus and Tetricus (269 — 273 a.d.).
Such are the local memorials of the Roman occu-
pation, but roads, camps and coins are silent as to
their individual histories. The reader must imagine,
as best he can, the story attached to each. We have
already observed that the Blackstone Edge road was
merely a passage across inhospitable moorlands for
soldiers and traders. Within the woods lurked
bands of Brigantes, devoted to their chiefs, fearless
of danger and inured to hardship. The news of the
advancing legions roused them to the fiercest
resistance. We can imagine their murderous on-
slaught as they issued swiftly from the woods and
fell on the flank of a Roman cohort or surprised a
detachment of soldiers building or repairing the
road. The coins left on these hills may have been
the fruit of victory over the Roman legions, or they
may mark the abandonment of treasure during some
sudden retreat in the later days of the Roman
occupation. Doubtless the Roman soldiers kept a
sharp look out in their march over Blackstone Edge
and breathed more freely when they reached the
Romanised villages on the plain.
34 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
This district, therefore, in Roman times may be
thought of as a sort of Celtic island, surrounded but
never submerged by the influences of Roman civilisa-
tion. The dwellers on these hills preserved almost
without a break traditions handed down from their
Neolithic and Celtic ancestors, and only with the
coming of our Germanic forefathers did the civilisa-
tion of the Celts finally give place to one entirely
different both in language and in social organisation.
36
CHAPTER VIII.
Angles and Danes. A Chapter about Place
Names and Dialect.
The English invasion of Britain took place during
the fifth and sixth centuries. Saxons and Jutes
from north-west Germany took possession of the
south and south-east coasts, whilst bands of Angles
sailed up the rivers along the east coast from south
of the Wash to the Firth of Forth.
The Angles who sailed up the Humber drove the
Celts in East Yorkshire into the great forest of Elmet
that covered most of the West Riding and stretched
on its western borders along the Pennine Chain from
the Peak to Settle. The Anglian kingdom thus
founded was known as Deira. Farther north, other
Angles conquered the eastern coast-line from the
Tees to the Firth of Forth and established the
kingdom of Bernicia. During the sixth century,
however, the Britons held all the land westward, so
that a way of retreat lay open from Yorkshire into
Lancashire and North Wales.
Early in the seventh century a powerful king,
Ethelfrith, united Bernicia and Deira into one great
kingdom of Northumbria. He then crossed South
Lancashire and took Chester by storm (a.d. 613).
The consequence was that the Celts on the Pennine
Chain were cut off from their allies in North Wales.
AEeanwhile other bands of Angles had sailed up the
Trent and settled in the valleys of the Dove and
36
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Derwent, so that the Celts in Elmet were again
hemmed in on every side. (Fig. 12.) Previously
the Romans had kept them in subjection by a ring
of fortified towns on the plains, but there had been
*"-- S
*» » f y*l*V
* J^S ^— ^
B R ITONS
->r .' ^\
-V*. o./' N
OF
<?■ *
CUM BRIA
..-J-;
o ---,
AX
, **.... W,
; >
\ ♦ '', \ A\N'G LES /
y
nT
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\ *
Poi^e^T "\,.i •
. or ^- P£t^
r *
v' *v-v..x r^1^^^
(
Ei-MET ^
\
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A tlGLES. OF"^^y*'
m\.je r7c"i a
OL»CMFl£l.O
Fig. 12. The Forest of Elmet and the Settlements
op the Angles at the Beginning op the Seventh
Century, a.d.
ANGLES AND DANES 37
little direct intercourse between Romans and Celts.
Now, however, the advancing Angles were lovers of
an open air life and came of set purpose to find new
homes in the forest. Nor could they permit so
extensive a forest as that of Elmet to remain unsub-
dued. Edwin, the next King of Northumbria (a.d.
617 — 633), conquered the Celts in Elmet and built
fortresses near Leeds and Huddersfield.
Before the end of the seventh century Anglian
warriors must have reached the Todmorden district.
Under brave leaders they advanced along the
uplands that skirt the banks of the Calder. In caps
and tunics, with spears, two-edged daggers and
wooden shields, these early English soldiers fell on
their foes and drove many of them on to the moors
round Todmorden. The names of Wahhaw and
TFaZsden (Anglo-Saxon, wealas, foreigner) may point
to the time when on the western moorlands the Celts
were sufficiently numerous to make those districts
seem to the early English settlers full of strange
Celtic people.
When the victory was won the Angles laid aside
their weapons and on the hills were heard sounds
that are familiar to English colonists in Canada
to-day. Forest trees were felled, camp fires were lit,
rude huts were built and the land was cleared for
ploughing.
Meanwhile another all important event had taken
place. Augustine and his monks had introduced
Christianity into Kent, and converted King Ethel-
bert. His daughter Ethelburga was married to
Edwin, and after the conquest of Elmet, he also
became a Christian, through the preaching of
38 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Paulinus, his wife's chaplain. Many legends have
gathered round the person of Paulinus. Ancient
crosses at Godley Lane in Burnley and in the parish
church of Dewsbury are still known as Paulinus
preaching crosses. At Dewsbury Edwin had a royal
palace and the church is said to owe its foundation
to the preaching of Paulinus. After Edwin's down-
fall in battle, a period of confusion prevailed. Then
under his successors, Oswald and Oswy, the gospel
was preached in Northumbria by Scotch missionaries
from Iona and the land was won from heathendom.
Soon afterwards Christianity was introduced into
nearly all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and Theodore
of Tarsus, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, mapped
out the country into dioceses with a bishop over each
(a.d. 670). Yorkshire and Lancashire were included
in the great diocese of York, and it is probable that
the Todmorden district formed part of the extensive
parish of Dewsbury. On the moor above the village
of Shore, not far from Stiperden, there stands a
monument known as Mount Cross. (Fig. 13.) In
appearance it somewhat resembles the Paulinus cross
at Burnley, and may be a very early preaching cross,
possibly dating back to Saxon times.
It has already been pointed out that the Britons
in the Todmorden neighbourhood were left undis-
turbed until the coming of the Angles. After the
introduction of Christianity wars of extermination
ceased and Angles and Britons lived side by side as
conquerors and conquered. In some respects Celtic
usages were like those of the Angles. The Britons
lived in tribes on land that belonged to the tribe
instead of to any one person. They gained a liveli-
ANGLES AND DANES 39
hood by hunting, rearing livestock or ploughing the
common lands. Similarly the free-born Angles who
came as conquerors to the uplands settled in small
communities, holding their lands in common. Strips
of land were distributed annually among the free-
men, but they united to help each other in ploughing
and harvesting. The Britons would find little
Fig. 13. Mount Cross.
difficulty in adopting such methods. The Angles,
however, differed in their methods of government.
In each village or township the freemen transacted
the town's business at the village moot or meeting-
place. Bigger districts, known as Hundreds, were
under the control of larger gatherings, consisting of
representatives from each of the townships within
the Hundred. These gatherings were held at the
Hundred Moot.
40 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
During the ninth century, the peaceful develop-
ment of the Anglo-Saxon communities all over
England was disturbed by the fierce raids of Norse
and Danish rovers. They sailed up the rivers, as
the Angles had done three centuries before, and once
again Yorkshire and part of Lancashire were con-
quered. The course of the Danes along the Calder
is marked by the names of Ravensthorpe and
Sowerby, and reasons will be given later (pp. 42 & 51)
for the belief that they reached the Todmorden
district. The Northmen established a military
supremacy over Yorkshire and divided it afresh into
districts known as Wapentakes instead of Hundreds.
The name still survives, inasmuch as Todmorden
to-day is included in the Wapentake of Morley.
The invasion of the Northmen had important
consequences. It compelled the Anglo-Saxons to
maintain soldiers in readiness for fighting at a
moment's notice. The poorer freemen who culti-
vated the town lands no longer formed a sufficiently
strong militia, but had to leave warfare to those who
were able to devote all their energies to it. Hence
there arose two distinct classes : one, engaged in
military service that was esteemed honourable;
the other, restricted to agriculture and considered
menial. Further, the necessity of leadership in
war made both classes more dependent on the great
thegns who were the chief followers of the king. A
different style of dress marked the difference in
social rank. A freeman who followed his thegn to
battle had long fair hair and flowing beard ; he wore
a belted tunic and pointed shoes. A servile tenant
was known by his cropped hair, plain smock and
ANGLES AND DANES 41
bare feet. It should be noted, however, that in
districts where the Northmen settled in large num-
bers, the freemen were more independent than the
English peasants.
The power of the Northmen reached its height
towards the close of the ninth century. Then bit
by bit Alfred and his successors extended their
dominion over the Midlands and the northern
counties. The region between the Ribble and
Mersey was conquered from the Northmen in a.d.
923 and added to the central kingdom of Mercia.
The consequence was that for the first time the
Lancashire part of the Todmorden neighbourhood
was separated from the part in Yorkshire. The
former was henceforth in Mercia; the latter in
Northumbria. It followed also that people living
on different sides of the Calder were brought under
the jurisdiction of two different bishops. On the
west, they were in the huge Mercian diocese of
Lichfield; on the east, in the Northumbrian diocese
of York.
Neglecting for the present the coming of the
Normans, the story of invasion may be regarded as
complete. Neolithic men, Goidels, Britons, Angles
and Northmen, encamped in succession on the Tod-
morden uplands. Nor could any one of them sweep
away its predecessors. An intermingling of races —
Neolithic, Celtic, Teutonic — has been the result, and
from this intermingling the present generation of
men and women has come into existence.
As with race, so it has been with language. The
dialect spoken in the Todmorden district is the
direct outcome of the languages spoken by the
42 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
various races who have lived on the uplands during
the last two thousand years. A careful examination
of local place names and dialect will reveal the
presence of many words that are simply survivals
from the forgotten speech of earlier races.
The subject is a difficult one, but the following
derivations have been taken, for the most part, from
the English Dialect Dictionary edited by Professor
Joseph Wright.
Place names derived from Anglo-Saxon (A.S.) or
Old Norse (O.N.): —
(a) Hills.
1. Hough Stones. O.N. haugr, a ' how ' or mound.
2. WhirZaw. A.S. hlcew and hlaw, a mound or
hill.
(b) Valleys.
1. Todvciorden Dean, etc. A.S., denu, valley.
2. Cloughioot. A.S. cloh, ravine.
(c) Woods.
1. Hurstwood. A.S. hyrst, a wood or copse.
2. Shaiv Wood. A.S. scaga, a copse.
(d) Forest clearings.
Friths. A.S. fyrhth, a wood.
(e) Meadow Lands, etc.
1. Holme, Mytholm. A.S. holm, land rising from
water.
2. /^bottom, Hall Ings. O.N. eng, meadow.
3. Cross Lee, Townley. A.S. leah, untilled land.
(/) Settlements.
1. Sowerby. Danish, by, town or village.
2. Thorpes. A.S. thorp, throp, a farm or village.
PLACE NAMES AND DIALECT 43
The names " Todmorden " and "Calder" have been
variously explained. Perhaps the most probable
meaning of Todmorden is " the marshy valley of the
fox " ; tod meaning fox ; mor, a heath or fen ; and
den, a valley. The name was first applied only to
the north-western portion of this district, as distinct
from Stansfield, Langfield and Walsden. Canon
Taylor in his " Words and Places " suggests that
Calder means " cold " (Norse, kalldr, cold).
Equally interesting survivals of ancient languages
may be traced in local dialect expressions. Dr.
Ellis, an authority on English dialects, mapped out
this country into districts corresponding to the
different varieties of dialect spoken in each. Tod-
morden is on the border line between three separate
divisions in the North Midland division of English
speech, viz. : —
1. Southern North Midland division : south-east
Lancashire, including Rochdale.
2. Western North Midland division : Lancashire,
south of the Ribble (excluding No. 1), and
including Burnley.
3. Eastern North Midland division : the southern
half of the West Riding of Yorkshire, includ-
ing Halifax.
The following expressions are mentioned as being
of common occurrence in one or more of these three
districts : —
(a) oo or hoo, meaning she.
(b) au'm, meaning I am.
(c) Plural verbs ending in -en, such as thinken.
44 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
These expressions are obviously characteristic of the
Todmorden dialect.
The following illustrations, taken from the local
dialect, may also be added : —
(1) Celtic.
" Heaw theaw duz cam thi clogs at th' eel." How
you do tvear down your clogs on one side at
the heel. Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, cam, crooked.
(2) Anglo-Saxon.
(a) "Ax 'im." Ask him.
A.S. acsian, to ask.
(b) "Oo did flite 'im." She did scold him.
A.S. heo, she.
A.S. flitan, to chide.
(c) "'As ta steyven'd the meat?" Have you
spoken in good time for your meat ?
A.S. stefn, voice.
(d) " What art a threapin about? " What are you
quarrelling about?
A.S. threapian, to reprove.
(3) Norse.
(a) " Go into th' laithe." Go into the barn.
O.K. hlatha, barn.
Mention may also be made of the following words :
brat. A.S. bratt; 0. Irish bratt, apron.
barm. A.S. beorma, yeast.
neive. O.N. hnefi, fist.
attercop. A.S. attorcoppe, spider.
arran web. 0. French, araigne, spider.
These examples show how valuable a light may be
thrown on the movements of vanished races by a
study of place names and dialects. It is also note-
PLACE NAMES AND DIALECT 45
worthy how accurately old words are reproduced
after the lapse of a thousand years. Our forefathers
had little to do with books or newspapers, but
depended almost entirely on the spoken language
for a knowledge of spelling and pronunciation. The
township records of Stansfield and Erringden during
the 18th century (see Ch. xx.) show how men were
often guided by the sounds of words rather by any
knowledge of spelling obtained from books. No one
can mistake the pronunciation of the following words
as written by the churchwardens, constables, and
surveyors of that day : — kays (keys), saxton (sexton),
chimley (chimney), quishins (cushions), roap (rope).
Phonetic spelling is manifest in such words as
plastring, whitning, carrige and Crismas. Some-
times amusing attempts are made by the constables
to spell unusual words: fisak (physic), lisanes
(licence), and nessasrys (necessaries).
These examples serve also to show how from one
generation to another, old ways of speaking are
handed on with little or no change. To-day with
compulsory attendance at school and an ever-
widening intercourse between different districts,
local dialects are rapidly changing and run a danger
of being blotted out. Their value, however, should
be fully recognised, and every care taken to preserve
with accuracy the various dialect expressions used
by old Todmordians living on the hills. An excel-
lent collection of local dialect words was compiled
by Mr. Joseph Crowther, of Walsden. His manu-
script is now in the Reference Department of the
Todmorden Free Library.
46
CHAPTEK IX.
Domesday Book.
Before the coming of the Normans most of the
land in this country had passed into the possession
of the king and his thegns. Moreover the distinction
between men of honourable rank and such as culti-
vated the soil was clearly defined. A thegn's
retainers received estates in return for military
service; the peasants who were occupied in farming
these estates, were not slaves, but they could not
choose their own masters and were compelled to
remain on the land given to them. There were in
addition a number of slaves.
The Norman conquest gradually affected all classes
of society. Saxon thegns and their retainers were
wholly or partially deprived of their estates to make
room for Norman knights and barons. The peasants
were attached still more closely to the land, but
slavery disappeared. Towards the end of William
I's reign almost the whole of England had been
divided among his followers. In the year 1086, at
the command of the Conqueror, a great survey was
made of most of the country. Eoyal commissioners
visited nearly every shire. The men of each hundred
or wapentake were summoned to meet them and give
information about the estates in their neighbour-
hood. The king's officers wished to know, for
example, who had been the owners and what had
been the value of each estate in Edward the Con-
DOMESDAY BOOK 47
fessor's reign; who then held the land (a.d. 1086)
and what it was worth; how much of the land was
waste and how much under cultivation. An inven-
tory was also made of the number and character of
the tenants on the different estates. So searching
was this enquiry that " not a hide or a yard of land,
nor ... an ox nor a cow, nor a swine was left " that
was not included in the king's writ. All these
details were recorded in the Book of Winchester or
Domesday Book. In its pages may be found the
oldest description that exists of the Todmorden
district. Before giving this description, however, it
will be well to give a brief explanation of some of
the terms employed in Domesday Book.
Xorman estates were known as manors. This
name was applied both to large districts such as the
Manor of Wakefield or the Hundred of Salford, and
to smaller estates that comprised only a single
township. The latter were also called berewicks.
The part of a manor specially reserved for the
Lord of the Manor and managed by an agent was
termed demesne land.
Different classes of tenants were distinguished
by different names. Free tenants, such as were
numerous in districts where the Northmen had
settled, were known as sokemen. Servile tenants
were divided into villeins and bordars. Villeins
owned about 30 acres of land and had one or two
oxen for the plough team of eight oxen needed by
the village community. Villeins were required to
cultivate the demesne land of the Lord of the Manor,
as well as their own farm. They ground their corn
at the Lord's mill, made his park palings and drove
48 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
the deer through the forest during the hunt.
Bordars or cottagers had not more than 5 to 10
acres of land, and in addition to their work as
labourers, they had to supply eggs and poultry. The
services thus rendered by villeins and bordars were
known as week-work and boon- work ; at a later period
rents were paid in money instead of work.
Two different terms were employed for the measure-
ment of land. In counties like Yorkshire, conquered
by Northmen, the usual standard was the carucate,
or the amount of land (Lat. carucata) ploughed by
a team of eight oxen in one season. Its usual sub-
division was the eighth part, called a bovate or
ox gang. The area of a carucate was about 120
acres. In Anglo-Saxon districts, where Northmen
had not settled, the usual measure was the hide. Its
value was different in different counties, but broadly
speaking, it represented the amount of land needed
by a single township. In South Lancashire, at the
time of the survey, a hide was equal to six carucates.
Domesday Book was written in abbreviated Latin.
Fig. 14 is a facsimile of the chief passage referring
to the Todmorden district. The description of this
district is found in two different parts of the book,
as Todmorden was on the borderland, partly in
one of the Yorkshire wapentakes and partly in what
is now Lancashire. The most important extract
refers to the Yorkshire portion (Fig. 14), and in
modern English reads as follows : — " Yorkshire.
King's land. In Wakefield with nine berewicks,
Sandal Magna, Sowerby, Warley, Halifax, Midgley,
Wadsworth, Crottonstall (?), Langfield and Stans-
field, there are 60 carucates and 3J bovates on
I
DOMESDAY BOOK 49
which danegeld has to be paid. Thirty ploughs may
till this land. This manor was in the demesne of
King Edward; now it is in the king's hands. Four
villeins are there and 3 priests and 2 churches and 7
sokemen and 16 bordars. Together they have 7
ploughs. Woods pasturable, 9 miles in length and 6
miles in breadth. In the time of King Edward it
was worth sixty pounds; now, fifteen pounds."
Sandal Magna is near Wakefield, and is described
«* Lr >t \~ *2 at
'7.<tt»parfumb<ni^'pam^t«(raiittt/ zxc carticp
Stmul bnr.wcf • cAjOtluApafc.Vi.Uv l5.7ctff.Ui ls£.
Xru vi.Lci I5.7 vtlevUc- i*lLt.lx.l#-u<*fcmocv/.Ufc
Fig. 14. Facsimile of the portion of Domesday Book
that refers to local townships in the manor of
Wakefield.
in another part of Domesday Book as belonging to
the king and comprising 6 carucates. The remain-
ing 54| carucates of land on which the king levied
taxes were all situated within the ancient parish of
Halifax. Eive settlements skirted the uplands north
of the Calder, viz., Stansfield, Wadsworth, Midgley,
Warley and Halifax; on the south side were the
three settlements of Langfield, Crottonstall ( ?) and
50
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
DOMESDAY BOOK 51
Sowerby. (Fig. 15.) Bordering these greener ter-
races and covering the moorlands were extensive
woods that served as swine pastures.
Only seven ploughs were in use, so that only a
small proportion of the land was under cultivation
at that time. The value of the manor was only one
quarter what it had been in Edward the Confessor's
reign, viz., £15 instead of £60.* Moreover it seems
to have been the opinion of the commissioners that
the taxation paid was excessive (on 60 carucates) and
that payment on 30 carucates (represented by 30
ploughst) would be fairer. The lessened value of
the manor and the smaller proportion of it under
cultivation were the result of the terrible punishment
that William I. inflicted on Yorkshire after the
third northern revolt (a.d. 1069) ; a revolt in which
men from the Todmorden uplands would be likely
to take part.
The two churches were situated at Wakefield and
Sandal Magna, and probably the three priests were
also stationed there. A church at Halifax is not
mentioned before the twelfth century, although a
chapel may have been built even in Anglo-Saxon
times.
The presence of seven sokemen points to the
conquest of the Calder valley by the Northmen; a
conclusion already reached from a consideration of
local place names and dialect (pp. 42 and 44).
The number of tenants specified is 30, representing
* These amounts should be multiplied by 20 to obtain the value
they would represent now.
t This is the probable meaning of "30 ploughs may till this
land."
52 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
a total population of about 150. This number is
small, but with seven ploughs, only seven carucates,
or rather more than a square mile of land could be
cultivated. Moreover an acre of land in those days
produced only six bushels of barley or about one-
fifth of the present yield.
It is possible that in Stansfield or Langfield there
were several farmsteads occupied by a free tenant,
a villein and one or two bordars ; all being under the
supervision of the king's agent. Patches of brighter
green indicated where the homesteads lay, separated
from one another by woodland or marsh, and solitary
amidst the surrounding moorlands. Food was
probably abundant, although coarse in quality; oat
or rye bread, fresh meat in summer, salted meat in
winter, and plenty of ale. Each homestead was
protected by stout palisades of felled timber from
the wolves and boars that roamed over the hills. As
for the world outside, wandering harpers were the
likeliest persons to bring news of public affairs to
this remote part of the country.
In the eleventh century the " county " of Lan-
caster did not exist, and in Domesday Book its
southern half is described as " the land between
the Eibble and Mersey." (Fig. 15). This district
was divided into several Hundreds, among which was
the Hundred of Salford.
The following passages occur in the account given
in Domesday Book of the Salford Hundred : —
" Roger of Poitou held the land between Ribble
and Mersey.
* To the Hundred (or Manor) of Salford belonged
DOMESDAY BOOK 53
21 manors held by as many thegns, in which there
were 11| hides and 10| carucates of land. The
woods there were 14 miles long and 8 miles broad.
One of these thegns, Gamel, held two hides of land
in Recedham, and was free of all customs but these
six; viz., theft, heinfare, forestel, breach of the
peace, not keeping the term set him by the reeve,
and continuing a fight after an oath given to the
contrary. The fine for these was 40 shillings.
" Of this manor (of Salford) there are now in the
demesne 2 ploughs, and 8 serfs and 2 villeins with
one plough. Of the land of this manor these knights
hold by the gift of Roger of Poitou, Nigel 3 hides
and half a carucate of land .... and Gamel, 2
carucates of land. In these there are 3 thegns, 30
villeins, 9 bordars, 1 priest and 10 serfs."
In the above narrative the following points may
be noted : —
1. The Hundred of Salford had been granted to
one of the king's vassals, Roger of Poitou, who lost
it before 1086, but recovered it after the Conqueror's
death.
2. A portion of the manor, cultivated by three
ploughs, was reserved as demesne land. The rest of
the land was granted to various knights and thegns,
including a thegn called Gamel. In Edward the
Confessor's reign Gamel had been the most important
landowner in the Hundred, holding twelve carucates
of land in Recedham or Rochdale (Fig. 15). He
was highly privileged, escaping the usual burdens,
such as rent. He was, however, responsible under
severe penalties for repressing the following offences :
54 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
theft, assault on the king's highway (forestel),
breaking into a man's house (heinfare), quarrelling
or fighting, and disobedience to the lord's bailiff or
reeve. For each of these offences the heavy fine was
imposed of 40s. (equal to-day to £40).
3. Roger of Poitou took from Gamel most of his
estate, leaving him only one-sixth of his former
possessions.
4. The Normans objected to slavery, and after the
Conquest slavery was abolished in this country. In
the Hundred of Salford, however, this change had
not taken place at the close of the Conqueror's reign.
5. The portion of the Todmorden district included
in the Salford Hundred was probably part of the
wood 14 miles long and 8 miles broad, mentioned in
the description.
The total impression left by a consideration of the
Domesday survey is that eight centuries ago this
neighbourhood was mainly woodland, with several
settlements on the Yorkshire uplands. On the foun-
dations laid by the Normans this district gradually
developed a more vigorous life during the later
Middle Ages.
55
CHAPTER X.
TODMORDEN IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY.
During the reign of William the Conqueror the
Manor of Wakefield belonged to the king, but the
Hundred of Salford was granted to Roger of Poitou.
These estates soon passed into other hands. In 1107
Henry I. bestowed the Manor of Wakefield on
William, second Earl Warren, as a reward for the
capture of Robert Courthose, the king's brother, in
Xormandy. The Earl's father, who came from the
neighbourhood of Rouen, held a large number of
estates in twelve counties, including Sussex and
Yorkshire. His descendants, usually known as the
Earls of Surrey, retained possession of the Manor of
Wakefield for nearly 250 years. After several
changes, portions of the Hundred of Salford were
granted to the family of Lacies, lords of the castles
of Clitheroe and Pontefract, and later Earls of
Lincoln. In this way the western half of the Tod-
morden district passed under their jurisdiction
during the 13th century.
Norman earls did not spend many days in a year
on these inhospitable hills, for both food and accom-
modation were too scanty for their immense house-
holds. The Earls of Surrey, however, jealously
guarded their right to follow the chase in their
manor of Sowerby. No sport was more keenly
indulged in by kings and barons than that of hunt-
ing, and for this purpose forests and chaces were set
56 HISTOKY OF TODMORDEN
apart. All game was held to be the property of the
king, whose permission barons had first to obtain
before they might hnnt even on their own estates.
Strictly speaking, forests were reserved for kings ; an
earl's stretch of woodland was termed a chace.
When Edward I. demanded of the fifth Earl Warren
by what right he treated the various parts of his
estates in Stansfield, Langfield, Wads worth, etc., as
a forest, the Earl replied that he claimed no forest
rights in those lands, but he and his ancestors from
time immemorial had had free chace therein, and
Henry III. had confirmed those rights.
In the 13th century Erringden was enclosed as a
park for breeding deer, and continued to be used for
this purpose until Henry YI.'s reign. The park is
mentioned several times in 14th century documents.
In 1335, for example, William of Langfield granted
to John of Methley and Henry of Langfield all the
lands held of Earl Warren in " Withens, Tornely-
mosse and Mankanholes " outside the " park of
Heyrikdene" (Erringden) ; whilst in 1370 " John by
the Water, Thomas del Oldfield, Thomas by the
Brokebank and Richard de Whitelee " had to see to
the repair of its palisades.
Foresters or keepers were employed to look after
the game and to preserve trees, shrubs and coverts.
The Earl's keepers lived in the forest ; among other
places, probably at Old Chamber, near Hebden
Bridge, and the Lodge in Erringden. It was their
duty to prevent stray cattle from wandering into the
forest, and to protect both game and timber from
robbers. Offenders were brought before the Manor
Courts. Hence the position of forester was an
IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 57
important one; nor was it unattended with danger,
for foresters were often assaulted and even killed.
A few examples will serve to illustrate the punish-
ment inflicted for various offences by the Manor
Court : —
Court at Wakefield, June 29, 1275. Thomas, son
of John, son of Hugh de Mankanholes, was fined 6d.
for the escape of pigs into the forest.
Court at Halifax, November 6, 1296. "William de
Stodelay, for the escape of two beasts in le Bern-
dackeres, was fined -Id. John de Routonstall for 7
beasts in the same place, was fined 6d.
In 1296, Richard the fuller of Sowerby, was fined
2d. for collecting nuts in Sowerby wood; and John
of Midgley 2s. for carrying away the Earl's timber.
About this time the Earl's chief forester killed a
hart and sent it (without the Earl's permission) to
the Yicar of Rochdale, in the hope that the latter
would prevent poachers from the Rochdale parish
coming into the Earl's chace. This secret action
having been discovered the forester was tried at
Wakefield, but the Court acquitted him.
Not many years later a Yicar of Rochdale was
himself fined 20s. for hunting and killing deer in
Sowerbyshire.
In 1305, the Earl of Lincoln received £1 18s. for
the impoundment of free cattle that had escaped
into the forest.
The above instances show how carefully intruders
were kept out of the forest. Nor can we wonder at
it, for hunting was not merely a pastime, but a
necessary means of procuring food for the Earl's
58 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
table. Local place names still point to those early
hunting days; as, for example, Wolf Stone in
Cliviger, Hawkstones in Stansfield, and Swines-head
Clough in Langfield. Deer were also plentiful in
the woods covering Walsden, within the domain of
the Earls of Lincoln.
Both the Earls of Surrey and of Lincoln were often
busy in the king's service. The fifth Earl Warren,
who was Regent of Scotland during Edward I.'s
reign, was defeated by Wallace (1297) and driven
over the Border. The following year Henry de
Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, led the van of the English
army at Falkirk, and with a thousand men from
Lancashire (including a contingent from the Roch-
dale parish) swept the army of Wallace from the
field. It may well be that after following their
respective lords, men from both sides of the Tod-
morden neighbourhood returned from the Scotch
wars and poured into wondering ears tales of Border
forays, of the daring of Wallace and the terrible
vengeance of the king.
Meanwhile on each Earl's estate the ordinary
business of life was being diligently pursued.
Bailiffs were superintending the work of the tenants,
holding manor courts, and collecting rents and
various dues that had to be paid each year to the
Earl's receiver. In the Middle Ages earls were
often exceedingly wealthy. Erom his - Lancashire
and Cheshire estates the Earl of Lincoln received
£1,146 (roughly, £23,000 to-day) during the year
ended September 30, 1305; similarly Earl Warren's
northern manors yielded an annual income of £666
(or £13,000). But a correspondingly great expense
IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 59
was incurred in the maintenance of many castles and
manor houses and the payment of an enormous
number of servants.
In the Todmorden district the income of the Lord
of the Manor was derived chiefly from rents, agri-
cultural produce, manorial mills and mining. The
following examples will serve to illustrate the condi-
tions under which men lived five or six centuries
ago.
I. — Rent and the tenure of land.
a.d. 1274. Thomas of Langfield held directly of
Earl Warren in the " town of Mancanholes " 13
oxgangs of land (about 200 acres), paying yearly
3s. 4d. (or £3 10s. to-day).
In Edward II. 's reign (1307—1327) the following
tenants held estates of Henry de Lacy in the district
of Cliviger : —
Gilbert de la Leghe (Townelev), 140 acres for
46s. lid. ( = £50).
William de Middlemore (Holme), 60 acres for 21s.
Stephen of the Grange, 18 acres for 6s. 6|d.
Adam of Ormerode, 8 acres for Is. l^d. and a
pound of pepper.
Adam the Wright, 16 acres for 3s. 8d. and one pair
of spurs, price l^d.
Cliviger was sufficiently cultivated to permit 34
freeholders to rent farm lands.
It will be observed that the above rents were paid
almost entirely in money : the older method survived
in the following instance : —
a.d. 1372. Otto de Rivill gave to Richard of
Stansfield for his homage and service, one oxgang
(or 15 acres) of land in Wadsworth.
60 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
II. — Agricultural produce.
On the uplands large farms for cattle breeding,
known as vaccaries (Latin vacca, a cow), brought
additional wealth to the Lord of the Manor. They
were usually situated within his demesne and were
worked by villeins.* Each farm was managed by
an Instaurator, who looked after the stock and was
responsible for the sale of cattle and the letting of
pasture lands. There were several vaccaries in
Sowerbyshire, including one at Mankinholes and a
larger one at Baitings near Bipponden. The value
of the " herbage of Mancanholemore in the year
1308, amounted to 13s. 4d.," and was duly entered
in "the Court Roll at Wakefield. Some instaurators
were themselves wealthy tenants, as, for example,
Gilbert of the Lea, mentioned above, who was chief
instaurator of the Accrington vaccaries belonging
to the Earl of Lincoln. His account of a single
year's revenue (a.d. 1305) from the vaccaries of
Blackburnshire shows how lucrative they proved.
The sales were as follows : —
213 oxen - -
■ £105 13s. 2d.
168 cows, 5 bulls and 2 calves
- £67 8s. 4d.
Hides and flesh - -'..'■-
£7 6s. 3±d
After payment of expenses, Gilbert handed over the
sum of £173 Is. 6d. to the Earl's receiver at
Clitheroe. To this must be added £87, being the
rent paid by the tenants of the vaccaries; making a
total roughly equal to £5,000 of present-day money.
Large sums were paid for the right to pasture
* Villeins were tenant farmers who were known later as copy-
hold tenants (Chap, xi., p. 74).
IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 61
cattle and pigs in the Earl's chace. Earl Warren
received 100 shillings yearly from his tenants in the
.Manor of Sowerby for permission to send their pigs
into the woods for pannage, i.e., food for swine.
A tenant had to pay 2d. for every pig sent into the
forest. Similarly the agistment, or pasturage of
beasts on the waste lands, at Mankinholes was worth
16s. The official whose duty it was to look after
these pastures was named an agister.
Besides the raising of cattle, sheep were reared on
these uplands during the Middle Ages, and the
foundation was laid of what became the most impor-
tant occupation, viz., the manufacture of woollen
cloth. In the 14th century, the Priory of Lewes,
which owned large estates in Halifax parish (see
chap, xi.), received wool as rent from all parts of
the parish. Women carried the wool packs to
Halifax, where the Proctor or Prior's agent sold the
wool to cloth merchants. In the year 1366-7, for
example, 3 sacks or 78 stones of wool were sold for
£19. The wool from Heptonstall was brought by
three women who thereby earned 2d. each, besides
an allowance for ale.
In addition to wool growing, the manufacture .of
cloth was already widespread As early as 1275
William the Fuller served as surety to Thomas of
Langfield who was charged with trespassing in
Sowerby forest. A fulling mill was transferred
from Colne to Wadsworth about the middle of the
14th century, as Gamel Sutcliffe the owner had
married Ann Radcliffe of Stansfield. In the Poll
Tax returns for 1379 (chap, xii., p. 82) the names
occur of three Walkers or fullers in Wadsworth and
62 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
of one Textor or weaver in Midgley; whilst in the
court records for 1380 is the name of William
Walker of Stansfield. The manufacture of cloth,
therefore, had become one of our local industries.
Kersies were the articles most usually made, a
material made up into smaller pieces than in the
case of broad cloths.
III. — Manorial Mills.
These mills belonged to the Lord of the Manor.
They were water corn mills, being built near running
streams. Tenants were compelled to grind their own
grain at the lord's mill, a twentieth of the grain
being paid for the use of his mill. One of the
earliest mills in this neighbourhood was in Stans-
field, as before the close of the 13th century mention
is made of " 5 oxgangs of land in Stansfield, with
the mill and 7 more oxgangs in the same town
belonging thereto." Corn mills were erected at
Burnley, Worsthorne, Cliviger, Heptonstall and
Warley. In 1382 the mill at Heptonstall was rented
by Ralph Milner for 6s. 8d. from the Priory of
Lewes.
IY. — Mining.
The mineral wealth found in this neighbourhood
provided further means of livelihood. There was
an iron forge in Sowerby forest worth £9 12s. yearly,
which it was thought might continue for ever. Many
traces still remain of ancient iron forges or bloome-
ries, that were probably in existence at this period
and continued as late as the 17th century. The most
important was at Ruddle Scout in Cliviger, where
several bands of iron stone occur and entrances into
IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 63
the mine may still be seen. Remains of slag occur
in Walsden valley, near Waterstalls, in Birks Wood
and up Ramsden Clough. The Rainsden reservoir
covers the site of an old bloomery; during the con-
struction of the reservoir, slag and pieces of iron
were unearthed at a place formerly known as
Furnace. The method of smelting was very simple.
The ore was mixed with wood or charcoal and placed
in a pile on the hill side, where plenty of draught
secured the reduction of the ore to spongy iron, from
which the slag was then hammered out. By this
means only part of the iron was extracted from the
ore, much being also left behind in the slag. The
mine in Cliviger was possibly first worked in the
year 1305, for in the Earl of Lincoln's accounts for
that year this item occurs: —
Iron ore sold for 10 weeks - - 6s. 8d.
No mention of iron ore is to be found in the account
for the year 1295, but a curious entry shows that
coal was being obtained from Cliviger: —
Sea coal sold there - 3d.
Wood cutting was of great importance in those
days. Wood and charcoal were used in iron smelt-
ing ; * wood or turf fires were general ; houses were
made of wood; whilst every enclosure of forest land
involved the removal of trees and shrubs. A glimpse
of the old method of building is afforded in a petition
of Thomas of Luddenden (in 1364) " for a tree to
repair his house with, he being poor."
The houses of the wealthy consisted of a central
* In the Earl of Lincoln's accounts, for the Blackburn Hundred
(1305) is the following item : " cutting down and cutting up wood
for burning iron ore, 7s. 5d."
64 HISTORY OF TODMOBDEN
hall that was open to the roof and served as a living
room. On one side was a parlour with a chamber
or bedroom above, approached by steps outside; at
the other end was the merchant's warehouse or
farmer's buttery. Outhouses and cottages were at
the back, across a yard. The dwellings of the poor
were low, damp, cheerless buildings.
The presence of wolves and wild boars in this
district should not be forgotten, nor the dangers that
accompanied them. Almost every year instaurators
reported the loss of a calf or yearling strangled by
a wolf, and among the items of expense (for 1305)
we find 6s. 8d. for taking wild boars, and 17s. 8d.
for "making folds for the Master Forester and cutting
down branches for the wild animals."
Some particulars may be added of the wages paid
and the prices current six centuries ago. The
amounts given should, however, be multiplied by 20
before comparing them with present-day figures.
An Earl's steward received a yearly salary of from £6
13s. 4d. to £13 6s. 8d. ; the bailiff, £9 10s. ; a forester
or parker, £2 5s. 6d. ; an instaurator, £2. With
these amounts may be contrasted the yearly wages
of a carter, viz., 6s., and of a herdsman, 3s. The
possession of a cottage and plot of land, rent-free,
may also be assumed, as well as rights of pasture.
On the Lancashire estates of the Earl of Lincoln,
reapers received 2d. a day; meadows were mown at
the rate of 4d. an acre ; oats cost 2s. a quarter ; oxen,
9s. ; cows, 7s.; whilst the price of horses varied from
£1 to £3. Butter and cheese were sold at 5^d. a
stone; a pound of pepper cost Is. 8d. to 2s.
The reader may now understand more clearly the
IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 65
condition of the Todmorden district during the later
Middle Ages. Within the compass of a few miles
were to be found the Earl's forest and chace where
wild beasts still roamed, his park with herds of deer,
his demesne lands with cattle farms and pastures,
his corn mills by the running streams. There were
also tenants' farms with sheep pastures and crops of
oats and barley, whilst spinning, weaving and ful-
ling, iron smelting and coal mining were numbered
among local industries. With such variety of
labour the neighbourhood needed little help from
the world outside. Special needs were met by means
of fairs and markets. In 1286 a man is recorded
to have travelled from Bradford to Manchester to
fetch salt. , Gradually markets were established in
various manors and brought additional wealth to
their lords. Edmund de Lacy, for instance, obtained
Henry III.'s permission to hold a market and fair
in Rochdale; and it is probable that not only in
Burnley, but also within the shadow of the churches
of Halifax and Heptonstall, markets were held
before the close of the Middle Ages.
CHAPTER XI.
Medieval Churches and Law-courts.
In the last chapter Norman earls were considered
as great landowners, interested in the cultivation of
their estates and in receiving whatever rents and
services were due to them. Their influence will now
be traced in religious affairs and in the administra-
tion of justice in the neighbourhood of Todmorden.
It is probable that the oldest memorial of religion
in Todmorden is Mount Cross, near Stiperden (p. 39).
It is impossible to say whether any rude churches
were erected in the district before the Norman
conquest. The early English were not famous
builders, and their churches were often constructed
of wood. The Normans, however, were a much more
highly cultivated race, and when they came to
England a great development took place in archi-
tecture. They were, moreover, sincerely religious,
and churches as well as castles rose over the length
and breadth of the land. The influence of this
revival was felt locally. Both the Warrens and
Lacies were typical Normans, and owing to their
zeal churches were built at Halifax and Rochdale
during the century after the Conquest. No change
was made in the diocese to which each church
belonged, but the first Norman Bishop of Lichfield
removed the headquarters of the diocese from Lich-
field to Chester. It is probable, however, that when
the church at Halifax was built, the Halifax parish
was carved out of the older parish of Dewsbury.
MEDIEVAL CHURCHES AND LAW COURTS 67
The Earls of Surrey and of Lincoln bestowed many-
valuable gifts upon the Church. The first Earl
Warren, for example, in gratitude for the kind way
in which he and his wife had been entertained by
the monks of Cluny when they were travelling on
the Continent, built the Priory of St. Pancras at
Lewes in Sussex. This was the first Cluniac monas-
tery erected in England. The family of Lacy
founded the Abbey of Stanlaw in Cheshire (after-
wards transplanted to Whalley) and also Kirkstall
Abbey near Leeds.
Abbeys and priories were the homes of monks who
cultivated the adjacent lands and gave themselves
to a life of prayer. Norman earls were often
anxious to secure the favour of these religious houses
and sought to enrich them with gifts of lands from
their numerous manors. There are several local
examples of such bequests. The second Earl Warren,
by a charter earlier than the year 1121, granted to
the Priory of Lewes the Church of Halifax with all
the lands and tenements belonging thereto, including
estates in Stansfield, Heptonstall and Wadsworth.
The church of Rochdale and part of the Forest of
Rossendale were bequeathed by the Lacies to the
Abbey of Stanlaw. Towards the close of the 13th
century William de Haword granted a portion of his
lands in Todmorden to the same abbey. The Abbot
of Kirkstall Abbey had a carucate (120 acres) of
land at Holme, in Cliviger, where there was a grange
under the superintendence of a Cistercian monk.
In this way many estates in the Todmorden
neighbourhood became the property of ecclesiastical
absentee landlords, whose chief interest was in the
68 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
revenues to be derived from them. The Halifax
parish will serve as an example. In the year 1292
the annual value of church lands in the parish was
about £110 (or £2,500 to-day). Of this sum, £16
was paid to the Yicar of Halifax, who was appointed
by the monks of Lewes; the remainder (roughly
equal to-day to £2,000), was poured into the coffers
of the distant Priory. Although the vicar's stipend
was a very liberal one for those days, it is obvious
that most of the money raised by the Halifax church
was diverted in order to add to the splendour of an
already wealthy Priory, instead of being devoted to
the religious needs of the parish. This is the
probable reason why nearly two centuries elapsed
after the Norman conquest before a chapel was
built to the west of Halifax.
The first chapel erected was that of Heptonstall.
It was dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury and
was in existence before the year 1260. The site was
well chosen, for perched on the cliff overlooking the
northern bank of the Calder, the chapel was con-
veniently placed not only for its own township but
also for the townships of Stansfield and Wadsworth.
The chapelry of Heptonstall comprised the five
townships of Wadsworth, Heptonstall, Stansfield,
Langfield and Erringden (Fig. 23). The appoint-
ment of curate lay with the Vicar of Halifax, who
was ordered by the monks of Lewes to pay him a
salary of £4 a year. William, the Clerk of Lang-
field, was probably one of the earliest priests, but few
names of curates have been preserved before the
15th century.
As big landowners, the monks of Lewes made their
MEDIEVAL CHURCHES AND LAW COURTS 69
influence felt within the Halifax parish. A proctor,
appointed by the Prior, acted as bailiff in looking
after the Priory estates, and held the Prior's Court
at Halifax for the collection of rents and transfer of
land. Occasionally the Court sought to exceed its
proper duties. In 1307, for example, at the Sheriff's
Court held in Halifax at the Moot Hall, the jury*
complained that the Prior held his court four times
a year, instead of twice; that he had appointed ale
tasters and prevented some of the Earl's tenants
from living in the township of Halifax : matters
that belonged, not to the Prior's, but to the Earl's
Manor, Court. The protest proved effective and the
Prior ceased his illegal proceedings.
The legal powers entrusted to Earl Warren during
this period may be best understood by a brief account
of the courts that were held within his Manor of
"Wakefield. There were two separate courts, known
as " The Court " and ". The Turn." The Court was
the more important. It was usually held every
three weeks at Wakefield, but occasionally it met
elsewhere, as at Halifax. Another name given to it
was " Court Baron," i.e., the court where the Baron
as Lord of the Manor exercised jurisdiction over his
tenants. It was the court more particularly of the
freeholders, although villeins also attended for
certain purposes. The business of the court was
exceedingly varied, including not only the holding
and transfer of lands, but the appointment of
manorial officers, and the punishment of manorial
offences. The Earl's steward usually presided,
* The names of the jurymen included John of Stodelay (Stoodley),
Richard of Wads worth, and Adam of Midgley.
70 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
attendance was compulsory, and heavy fines were
levied for absence unless permission had been pre-
viously obtained.
Earl Warren held also the right to hold a second
court, known as " The Turn," or " Court Leet." As
a rule it was a criminal court, dealing with less
important cases, and was held at the close of the
Court Baron. The many-sided activity of these
courts may be seen from the following examples.
Interesting glimpses are also afforded of the different
conditions that prevailed within the Halifax parish
six centuries ago.
I. — Cases of Theft.
(a) November 22, 1274. Stephen the Waleys (or
Foreigner) had a man, John of Asberne, who was
charged with taking a stag in Sowerby Forest. A
man named Hulle was with him, and it was stated
that Adam, son of Thomas of Holgate, found them
skinning it. For helping to eat the stag Adam was
fined 40 shillings, or the price of four oxen; and
John of Midgley, Adam of Wadsworth and Nalke of
Heptonstall became sureties for his good behaviour.
The chief culprits had escaped, but were to be
arrested if found within the Earl's manor.
(b) Court of Wakefield, May 1, 1277. Eichard,
son of the smith of Stansfield, seized on suspicion
of theft, gave 13s. 4d. to be under the surety of
Alkoc of the Frith, Eichard, son of Ealph of Stans-
field, William the Carpenter of the same place and
John the smith, until the Steward's Tourn at
Halifax.
(c) Tourn at Halifax, June 5, 1307. John of
Milnehouses, Eobert, son of the Chaplain of Elland,
MEDLEVAL CHUBCHES AND LAW COURTS 71
John of the Castell, John of Birton and William of
Birton broke into the house of William of Stodelay
(Stoodley) and stole goods worth £20. This charge
was presented by the townships of Stansfield, Lang-
field, Wadsworth, etc. The culprits were to be
arrested.
II. — Cases of violence .
(a) Tourn at Halifax, Nov. 22, 1284. " Nicholas of
Werloley (Warley) met Robert Feres in Werloley
wood and beat him till he gave him l^d. Nicholas
gave 20s. to be quit."
(6) Tourn at Halifax, Dec. 6, 1308. "John of
Hertlay drew blood from William of Stanesfeld.
Fine 12d."
III. — Manorial offences.
(a) 1361. John of Horsfall of Langfeld was fined
for fishing in the Calder.
A statute passed in 1266 regulated the price of
bread according to the price of flour per quarter and
prohibited the selling of any ale, the quality of
which the Earl's ale-tasters had not approved.
(b) Tourn at Halifax, Nov. 22, 1284. Twelve
jurors, including Richard of Stansfield and Thomas
of Langfield, stated that the wife of John the Grave
sold ale contrary to the statute. She was fined 6d.
(c) Oct. 25, 1379. John, Clerk of Heptonstall,
was fined for selling bread contrary to the statute.
(d) 1376. The wife of John of Horsfall of Lang-
field was fined 6d. for brewing.
(e) Incroaching on land. Tourn at Halifax, Nov.
6, 1296. "Richard Lorimar' of Stansfield" incroached
72 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
on the highway with a hedge and ditch. The road
had to be made up again and he was fined 6d.
(/) Leave of absence from Court. Court at Wake-
field, 1285. Thomas of Langfield gave 4s. for respite
of suit of court (or leave of absence from court) till
Michaelmas.
IV. — Wager of Law.
If one party to a dispute demanded a jury, the
request was granted on payment of a small fee.
When a jury were unable to agree as to the truth
of certain charges, the accused person was permitted
to clear himself by a process known as ' wager of
law.' A local example will explain what was the
usual procedure.
At Halifax, Whitweek,. 1275. William of the
Hirst complained of an assault in the night-time by
William, son of Adam of Wadsworth, and several
others. He stated that his doors were broken open,
himself dragged from bed and beaten, and that when
he fled he was chased and pelted with stones. He
claimed 39s. damages and 13s. 4d. compensation for
the outrage he had suffered.
The accused pleaded not guilty, and as they bore
good characters, and decisive evidence could not be
obtained, they were ordered" by the Court to wage
their law and if possible establish their innocence.
First, each of the defendants took an oath as
follows: — "Hear this, sir, I am not guilty of this
charge made against me by William de Hirst ....
so help me God." Then in turn eleven neighbours
of the accused avowed upon oath that they believed
the defendants spoke the truth. Thereupon the
MEDIAEVAL CHURCHES AND LAW COURTS 73
charge was dismissed, and William of the Hirst was
fined 5s. for having lodged an unjust complaint.
V. — False charges.
Great care was taken that complaints should be
accurately lodged, and false accusations were not
suffered to go unpunished.
(a) Court at Wakefield, Feb. 2, 1275. John Stel
complains of Thomas, son of John of Langefeld, in
a plea of robbery.
Thomas is imprisoned. The plaintiff says that
Thomas took from him a bay horse (he knows not
by what warrant or by whose order), also 15d.
worth of cloth from his daughter, half a lump of
iron, a saddle and a bit, but he does not name the
price of anything except the iron. Thomas denies
it, and craves judgment because John did not name
his proper name, nor the day nor the hour; nor
ought the charge to be tried in that Court.
Thomas therefore goes quit, and John must go to
prison for his false complaint. He made fine of
6s. 8d.
(b) Court at Wakefield, Aug. 24, 1307. William,
son of William of Mancanholes (Mankinholes), is
fined 12d. for not prosecuting his suit against Adam
of Kirkes-chawe for trespass.
VI. — Transfer of lands.
Manor Courts were of the utmost importance in
the transference of manorial lands from one tenant
to another. When a free tenant succeeded to an
estate, he paid a sum of money or fine (known also
as a relief) to the Lord of the Manor. A similar
payment by a villein was called a heriot. In 1377
74 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
an incoming tenant paid the sum of 5s. on taking
possession of " a messuage, croft, half-bovate, and
six acres of royd land " in Woodhouse, Langfield.
There was also a ceremony of investiture, when each
tenant swore fealty to his lord and obedience to the
laws and customs of the manor. In the Halifax
parish a straw, fastened to the legal document,
served as a symbol of the estate that was being
transferred.
Villeins held their estates on servile tenure, and
when a villein died, his heir had to appear before
the Court to plead for permission to succeed to the
estate. Strictly speaking, a villein's lands belonged
to the Earl, who might dispose of them as he thought
fit. But when a villein had made application for
his lands and the Court had recognised his claim, his
name was entered upon the copy of the Court Roll,
with the conditions of tenure fully set forth. This
entry was the only evidence a villein had of his
right as a tenant, but the presence of other villeins
at the Manor Court lessened the danger of injustice.
VII. — An unjust steward.
The following examples show what sometimes
happened.
(a) In the year 1276. " They say that Richard
de Haydon, Steward of Earl Warren, maliciously
vexed Richard de Stansfield, and charged him with
having harboured a certain felon and extorted 10
marks from him."
(b) A resolution of the Court at Wakefield, Jan.
30, 1359. " If any tenant in the lordship of Halifax
be beheaded for theft or other cause, the heirs of the
MEDLEVAL CHURCHES AND LAW COURTS 75
same tenant ought not to lose his inheritance," what-
ever may have been the action of the Earl's steward.
VIII. — Right of gallows.
The greatest privilege conferred on the Earls of
Surrey by the king was the " right of gallows."
When Edward I. demanded of John, fifth Earl
Warren, by what right he exercised his privileges,
the Earl replied that he " claimed gallows at Wake-
field, and the power of doing what belonged to a
gallows in all his lands," adding that he and all his
ancestors had used the same from time immemorial.
In other words Earl Warren had the right to execute
thieves caught on his estates. Other Earls possessed
the same privilege (the Earls of Lincoln, for exam-
ple, had a gallows at Bradford), but this right was
exercised in the manor of Wakefield for three cen-
turies after it had been abolished in every other
part of England ; indeed for three hundred years
after the family of Warren was extinct. In the
parish of Halifax the right of gallows was comprised
in the famous " Gibbet Law," which persisted until
the year 1650, when public protests brought about
its abolition. The law provided that any felon taken
within the forest of Sowerby, including Wadsworth,
Heptonstall, Rottenstall, Stansfield, Cross Stone,
Langfield and Erringden, and having goods to the
value of Is. l^d., or confessing to such theft, should
be placed under the care of the bailiff at Halifax.
The trial was held in the Court House before a jury
of 16 men (four from each of four townships chosen
by the bailiff), and if the accused was condemned,
he was executed on the next principal market day
76
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
to serve as a warning to evil doers. On any previous
but less important days the culprit was exhibited in
the stocks with the stolen goods in front of him.
Old woodcuts still preserve the memory of the
Fig. 16. The Halifax Gibbet.
actual gibbet, erected in Gibbet Lane, Halifax, and
show us the method of execution (Fig. 16). '"A
Privy Chamber man extraordinary " who visited
Halifax in 1639, on his way to York to attend
MEDIAEVAL CHURCHES AND LAW COURTS 77
Charles I., has left an interesting description of the
gibbet : —
" June 27. Thursday I came to Halifax, a pretty
well built town of stone and consists much of
clothiers, to encourage whose trade, was granted that
privilege of beheading by their trade law any male-
factor taken (as they say) hand napping, back bear-
ing, or confessing the felony. Their beheading
block is a little out of the town westward ; it is raised
upon a little forced ascent of some half a dozen
steps, and is made in the form of a narrow gallows
having two ribs down either side-post, and a great
weighty block with riggalds (grooves) for these ribs
to shoot in, in the bottom of which block is fastened
a keen edged hatchet. Then the block is drawn up
by means of a pulley and a cord to the cross on the
top, and the malefactor lays his head on the block
below; then they let run the stock with the hatchet
in, and dispatch him immediately." Hence the
Halifax gibbet was not unlike the guillotine used in
Paris during the French Revolution. The axe is
still preserved at the Manor Court, Wakefield, and is
a relic of an age when swift and brutal vengeance
was inflicted for theft.
On the hill above Scaitcliffe, and therefore outside
the parish of Halifax, is a farm still known as
Gibbet. This name also may point to the existence
centuries ago of a gallows, within the jurisdiction
of the Earls of Lincoln.
78
CHAPTER XII.
An Old Poll Tax Return.
Before completing the account of the Todmorden
neighbourhood during the later Middle Ages, three
questions may be briefly considered. First, how far
back can the name of Todmorden be traced; second,
were any noteworthy Todmorden families living in
the district in mediseval times; and third, can an
estimate be given of the population of Todmorden
during the 14th century?
I. The name of Todmorden cannot be traced
back as far as those of Stansfield and Langfield.
The latter occur in Domesday Book, but the earliest
references to Todmorden are met with in 13th and
14th century documents that relate to the trans-
ference of property. Two examples may be cited in
illustration.
(a) "Court held at Wakefield, June 11, 1298.
Sourby. Michael, son of Richard of T odmereden
gave 2s. to take half of all the land at the Helm left
unoccupied on the Earl's hands by Jordan Peule for
ever. Pledge : Hugh of Lictheseles and Adam the
Crouther."
(b) In the year 1318, certain lands in Todmorden
were conveyed by charter to Henry of Haworth,
together with a hunting lodge in Inchfeld and
pasture belonging thereto.
In similar deeds the names occur of Walsden,
Henshaw, Knowl, Gauxholme and Stones ; places that
OLD POLL TAX KETURN 79
are all within the present township of Todmorden
and Walsden.
II. There are three families that were of consider*
able importance in this district for several centuries :
the Stansfields, Radcliffes and Crossleys. Of these,
priority is claimed by the Stansfields. Their
legendary ancestor was Wyan Marions, a Norman
knight in the service of Earl Warren, to whom it is
said the Earl granted the sub-manor of Stansfield.
Undoubtedly there was a mill in existence in this
township at a very early date (p. 62) ; and it is
probable that a mediaeval building once stood where
Stansfield Hall now stands. The Stansfields of
Stansfield Hall left the district about the middle of
the 17th century.
Members of the Radcliffe family acquired large
estates in the hamlets of Todmorden and Walsden
during the 15th century, and erected a timber built
hall on the site of Todmorden Hall. Some of the
oak beams of the earlier structure still form part of
the present mansion. Several of the Radcliffes rose
to distinction. The family severed their connection
with this district in the 18th century. A genealo-
gical table of the family is given in Appendix IV.
The earlier history of the Crossleys of Scaitcliffe
is quite obscure. No assured pedigree can be traced
before the 16th century, but members of the family
are mentioned in 14th century documents. An in-
scription placed by one of the Crossleys at the head
of several graves in St. Mary's churchyard reads as
follows : " To perpetuate the memory of the Cross-
leys of Scaitcliffe in this Township. Adam de Cros-
legh and Matilda his wife; John de Croslegh,
80 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Johanna his wife, William their son, Thomas de
Croslegh and Richard his son, died between the
years of our Lord 1307 and 1420." The Crossley
family retained possession of Scaiteliife Hall until
a recent date.
III. It has been stated that not more than 150
persons lived on the uplands between Todmorden and
Halifax in the days of William the Conqueror.
Valuable information may be obtained as to the
population of the same district during the 14th cen-
tury from the poll tax returns in Richard II. 's reign.
In the second year of his reign, Richard's council
demanded a subsidy for the protection of the country
from the ravages of the French and Scotch. All
persons over 16 years of age, except priests and men-
dicants, had to contribute to this tax, and their names
were entered on a series of rolls compiled for each
county. A complete series of West Riding rolls still
exists, which contain not only the names, but often
also the residence or occupation of the taxpayers as
well as the amount of money they contributed. The
returns are entered separately for each wapentake, in
sub-divisions according to the different townships.
The details of local townships in the Halifax parish
are found among the four rolls for the wapentake of
M or ley.
The total amount raised in the West Riding was
£341 (perhaps equal to about £6,000 to-day), towards
which Morley, one of eleven wapentakes, contributed
£39 10s. 2d. It is interesting to observe which were
the wealthiest places in the Riding, and to compare
the list with a corresponding list to-day. In 1379,
Doncaster came first, with a tax of £11 13s. 6d. ;
OLD POLL TAX RETURN
SI
Wakefield second, with £6 6s. Od., and Leeds third
with £4 15s. 8d. Then followed Mirfield, Elland
fend Bradford. In the following table several of the
townships in the parish of Halifax are arranged in
order of importance, according to the number of
taxpayers, the amount paid and the estimated popu-
lation of each township.
Stansfield ...
No. of
Taxpayers.
.. 43
Tax
.. 15s.
paid.
8d.
Estimated
Population
.. 128
Wadsworth
.. 37 .
.. 13s.
.. 118
Sowerby and
Erringden
War ley
... 28
... 10
.. 24
.. 9s.
... 3s.
.. 8s.
4d.
4d.
.. 151
.. 101
Halifax
... 22
. .. 7s.
4d.
.. 90
Langfield ...
Midgley
Heptonstall
... 22
... 21
.. 16
... 7s.
... 7s.
.. 5s.
4d.
4d.
4d.
.. 67
.. 86
.. 55
The total number of taxpayers was 223, of whom
140 were described in the roll as married. The
population, therefore, may be reckoned at about 800,
of whom about 200 were in Stansfield and Langfield
and upwards of 400 in the chapelry of Heptonstall.
Obviously there were no crowded cities in the
West Riding in the 14th century. On the contrary
the population was thinly scattered over broad green
plains and uplands.
When the names of the taxpayers are examined
there is much to arrest attention. Most of the
names sound very familiar. In the list of taxpayers
in Stansfield, for example, are the names of John of
Shore, William of Stansfield, John of Eastwood,
82 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Richard of Horsfall, Richard Greenhurst, William
Spenser, Adam Wright, Thomas Crossley, Isabella
Crosslee, Roger Turner, Johanna Harper, and
William, son of Richard. Here are English sur-
names in the making; men and women with the
same Christian name being distinguished by their
occupation, dwelling-place or parents. In the list
for Heptonstall occur the names of Richard of
Greenwood, Richard Milner, Robert of Bryge
(Bridge), John Clerk and Joan Harper. The follow-
ing pursuits are indicated in the returns for the
above townships : wright (wheelwright), turner,
milner (miller), weaver, tailor, harper, clerk, walker
(of fuller), shepherd or herdsman, smith, arrow-
smith, fletcher (one who fledged arrows with feathers)
and spenser (one who bought supplies for large
households). All who paid the tax contributed
fourpence with the exception of five persons. John
of Dean, weaver, and John Midgley, both resident in
Midgley, paid sixpence. Three persons were styled
merchants and paid one shilling each. They were
John of Shore, William of Stansfield (who have
already been mentioned) and Robert of Wadsworth.
In all probability they were wool merchants, but we
cannot tell whether they were members of a gild.
Further down the Calder there was a greater differ-
ence both in wealth and occupation. Elland, for
example, contributed 45s. 4d., boasting of a knight,
who paid 20s.; a franklin or merchant trading over
sea, who paid 3s. 4d. ; as well as two merchants, a
tailor, smith, carpenter and three websters or female
weavers. Although in the more remote parts of the
parish of Halifax, wealthier traders had not settled,
OLD POLL TAX RETURN 83
this old poll tax return confirms the conclusion
reached in Chapter XI. that the manufacture of
cloth was already carried on in this neighbourhood.
The origin of some of the most familiar surnames
may be traced in these poll tax returns. Greenwood,
the commonest name in Halifax parish, was at first
a place name in Heptonstall township; Crossley was
derived from Cross Lee; Stansfield and Wadsworth
were also place names. To these may be added the
names of Sutcliffe (from South Cliff, near Halifax),
Barker (probably meaning tanner), Kershaw (from
carr, hummocky ground, and shaw, a wood), and Holt
(meaning wood).
It is unfortunate that no corresponding returns
have been preserved of the various townships in the
Hundred of Salford. In 1380, however, when a poll
tax of three groats was levied, 146 persons con-
tributed to it in the parish of Rochdale. Of these
53 were in the township of Hundersfield, but none
of the names that have been deciphered can be
referred to the hamlets of Todmorden and Walsden
situated within the township.
84
CHAPTER XIII.
TODMORDEN DURING THE REFORMATION PERIOD.
The second half of the fifteenth century was
marked in the Todmorden district by a rapid increase
in population and a great development of the woollen
industry. It was no less remarkable as a period of
church building.
Fig. 17. Heptonstall Old Church, Lady Chapel.
Heptonstall Chapel was rebuilt before the middle
of the century. William del Brygge (of the Bridge)
left money in 1440 towards making the bells; a
bequest suggestive of the completion of the building.
The chapel was built in the perpendicular style of
architecture and was more than once enlarged. To-
day the old church lies in ruins (Fig. 17), but it was
THE REFORMATION PERIOD 85
used for public worship until the middle of last
century.
In Todmorden, St. Mary's chapel was built at some
time between the years 1400 and 1476. No lovelier
position could have been chosen. The chapel stands
like a sentinel at the junction of three valleys and
faces the sun rising. A grassy knoll lifted it above
the floods, whilst a little to the south was Todmorden
Hall, to which a private pathway led from the
graveyard. At the bottom of the slope the Calder
flowed, being partly hidden by a grove of trees, and
then curved across the valley to the opposite hill
where, on the lower slope, stood Stansfield Hall, with
the corn mill nearer to the stream. Owing to its
convenient situation Todmorden chapel was attended
by the inhabitants of the adjacent townships of
Stansfield and Langfield. " John Crosley of Kilne-
hurst " for example (in 1521), though he ordered his
body to be buried at Heptonstall, bequeathed 8s. to
the " chapell of Todmerden." But Heptonstall
chapel was built for the Yorkshire townships, and for
generations, families like the Stansfields worshipped
there. On one of the windows of the chapel there
used to be the arms of the Stansfields of Stansfield
Hall with the date 1508 also inscribed.
According to an old local tradition Cross Stone
Chapel was built by the Stansfields of Stansfield
Hall. The first building must have been erected
before 1537, since in that year Thomas Stansfield of
Sowerby gave to the chapel 103s. 4d. for a chalice.
The chapel was subordinate to Heptonstall Chapel,
no right of either burial or baptism being granted
until a much later date (1678). In Elizabeth's reign
86 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Cross Stone Chapel appears to have been rebuilt, and
a salary of £20 a year to have been guaranteed to
the curate by the inhabitants of both Stansfield and
Langfield — the two townships within the chapelry
of Heptonstall that the chapel was intended to serve.
For many centuries the beliefs and rites of the
Roman Catholic Church had been accepted by the
English people. The Pope was regarded as the head
of Christendom; monastic institutions, which were
under his control, were numerous and powerful.
The sacrifice of the mass, the adoration of the Virgin
and saints, daily prayers and masses for the dead
and a church service recited in Latin, were parts of
a system that made the priest the centre of the
religious life of the community.
In the Halifax parish these beliefs were accepted
without hesitation up to the very eve of the Refor-
mation. One of the duties, for example, often
undertaken by a Catholic priest was to sing masses
for the souls of the dead. Endowments either in
land or money, and known as chantries, were founded
for his support, and for the maintenance of the altar
or chapel where a priest officiated. Two such
chantries were established at Heptonstall. The first
was dedicated to the Yirgin Mary and was founded
by many of the parishioners about the beginning of
the 16th century. William Greenwood of Hepton-
stall, in 1506, desired his executors to purchase as
much land as possible for 10 marks to maintain "one
honest priest to sing within the chapel of our Lady."*
The priest of this chantry had also to assist the
*Fig. 17 shows the "Lady Chapel" within the Old Church,
where the chantry priest sang masses.
THE REFORMATION PERIOD 87
curate of the chapel to administer the sacraments
and visit the sick. The second Heptonstall chantry
was founded by William Greenwood in 1524, and
was of the value of £5 per annum. Numerous
bequests were made by persons who were anxious to
secure the services of a priest. In 1531 Robert
Sutcliffe of Mayroyd gave the sum of 7 marks in
order that Sir Gilbert Stansfield, priest, might daily
sing and pray for his soul and the soul of his wife
and all their ancestors for two whole years after his
death. Money was often bequeathed for new vest-
ments, books of anthems, and for the repair of the
building. Heptonstall Chapel, moreover, possessed
an organ in the days before the Reformation. Hence
no sign of discontent was visible among the inhabi-
tants of the Heptonstall chapelry on the eve of the
Reformation. On the contrary, the crosses that
stood on the uplands at Stiperden, Cross Stone and
Mankinholes, at Heptonstall and on Reaps Moor
were still venerated symbols of religious faith.
It was not long before a storm cloud burst over the
English Church. Henry YIIL, intent on marrying
Anne Boleyn, denied the Pope's authority, severed
the English Church from Rome, and afterwards
diverted much of her wealth into his own treasury.
His vengeance fell first on the monasteries subject
to the Pope. In 1536 he suppressed all monasteries
with an annual rental of less than £200. Then
•during the next three years, he seized the greater
abbeys and monasteries, and finally, the colleges and
chantries for priests.
Important local consequences followed from each
of these changes. Eirst Lincolnshire and Yorkshire
88 HISTOEY OF TODMORDEN
rose in revolt. On Sunday, October 8, 1536, while a
rebellion was being planned in Lincoln Cathedral,
" two men of Halifax " arrived with the news that
their country was up and ready to aid Lincolnshire.
This was the beginning of the Pilgrimage of Grace^
In the parish of Halifax, the Yicar of Halifax, Dr.
Haldesworthe, with the family of Savile, took the
side of the king. Their enemy, the Tempests, with
Sir Stephen Hamerton, lord of the township of
Langfleld, joined the insurgents. Sir Stephen
suffered a traitor's death at Tyburn, and his estates
were forfeited by the king. The Towneleys of
Towneley Hall, though strong Catholics, held aloof
from the rising.
Second, the Priory of Lewes, which had an annual
revenue of £1,700, shared the fate of the larger
monasteries. In February, 1537, Robert Croham,
the last Prior, surrendered the Priory with all its
dependent estates into the hands of the king. The
Prior's bailiff held his last court on April 24, 1537.
The ancient Priory thereby severed its connection
with the parish of Halifax; a connection that had
lasted for four centuries. Henry VIII. bestowed
the Priory upon Thomas Cromwell, who thus became
Lord of the Manor, Lay Rector of Halifax, and one
of the biggest landowners in the neighbourhood.
Third, after the seizure of the monasteries,
Henry VIII. turned his attention to chantries.
Royal commissioners twice visited the Halifax
parish in search of gain. On the first visit to
Heptonstall (1546) they reported that the chapel was
six miles distant from Halifax Church. There were
two chantry priests, Robert Bentley and Richard
THE REFORMATION PERIOD 89
Mitchell. The latter also helped the curate to
administer the sacrament to the parishioners, the
population of the chapelry numbering 2,000. A
third priest was maintained by the churchwardens
from the proceeds of certain lands they had pur-
chased.
Two years later (1548) Edward VI. 's commis-
sioners appeared in the chapelry. The chapel was
described as being in a " moorish country," four or
five miles distant from Halifax. There were 1,600
communicants in the chapelry, and in addition to
the curate, the chantry priests, Bentley and Mitchell,
were again mentioned. Both priests were said to
depend for a livelihood on the profits of the chan-
tries, it being also added that Bentley was but
"indifferently learned." On both occasions the com-
missioners found neither goods nor plate. Many
chapels in the Halifax parish were closed, but
Heptonstall Chapel was suffered to remain, so as to
meet the needs of the large population within the
chapelry.
During the interval between these two visits, what
were considered the symbols of popery began to be
destroyed. Churches were rifled of their images,
stained glass windows were broken and walls were
washed with lime to blot out the frescoes that
adorned them. An English communion service for
the people was added to the Latin mass, and not
long afterwards the first English service book was
introduced. Three years later (in 1552) a second and
more Protestant prayer book was ordered to be used
in the churches; altars were replaced by communion
tables and priests had to appear in simple surplices
90 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
instead of their usual vestments. Another commis-
sion was also appointed to seize any church property
that had passed without warrant into the possession
of laymen, and to confiscate unnecessary church
ornaments. At Heptonstall several vestments and
bells were found, but the organ (condemned as a
relic of popery) had been taken to pieces and hidden
in the church coffer and in one of the houses of the
parishioners.
The Chapel of Todmorden appears to have been
confiscated by the king at the earlier enquiry, but
was bought back by the inhabitants for the sum of
6s. 8d. In 1552, when commissioners again visited
the chapel nothing was found beyond a chalice,
vestment and cross of copper and gilt. An impor-
tant local change, however, had already followed
the suppression of the monasteries. With a portion
of the wealth obtained from abbey lands, Henry YIII
created six new bishoprics. The immense diocese
of Lichfield was divided into two parts, the northern
half with the Archdeaconry of Richmond taken from
the diocese of York, forming the new see of Chester.
Hence the parish of Rochdale was included in the
diocese of Chester (a.d. 1541) and was transferred
from the province of Canterbury to that of York.
No records have been left of the influences that
led men cm these uplands to embrace the Protestant
faith. It is probable, however, that contact with
foreign traders in northern wool-markets ; the Pro-
testant preaching of John Bradford in the neigh-
bourhood of Manchester; and the influence of
Alexander Nowell, Dean of St. Paul's, whose mother
was a Kay of Rochdale ; all helped in this direction.
THE REFORMATION PERIOD 91
Bolton, Manchester and Rochdale were noted for
their Protestant zeal. Moreover Queen Mary's
persecutions must have roused a spirit of revolt
among Halifax parishioners. Robert Ferrar, Bishop
of St. David's, who was burnt at the stake at Carmar-
then, was a native of the parish, having been born
at Ewood Hall in the township of Midgley.
In Elizabeth's reign the unceasing efforts of
Protestant vicars in both Rochdale and Halifax
fostered the growth of Puritanism. From the town-
ship of Midgley came Richard Midgley, who was
trained at Cambridge and adopted strongly Puritan
opinions. He was appointed Yicar of Rochdale, and
for more than 30 years was pre-eminent in piety and
zeal. His fiery eloquence was instrumental in con-
verting thousands of men and women. More than
once he was summoned to Chester to explain why he
wore neither surplice nor cope and refused to observe
holy days. Along with other Puritans, he issued a
declaration against popish festivals and practices,
and all manner of rough sports. He was foremost
in promoting education in his parish, granting a site
and raising money for building the Rochdale Gram-
mar School. Associated with him in this work was
Charles Radcliffe of Todmorden Hall, whose son,
Robert, was appointed the first headmaster of the
school (Appendix IV).
In 1595 Richard Midgley was succeeded at Roch-
dale by his son, Joseph; also a Cambridge man and
a Puritan of a still more unbending type. Christo-
pher Ashburn, another Protestant vicar, was
appointed Vicar of Halifax at the beginning of
Elizabeth's reign. During the second rising of the
92 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
North on behalf of Romanism, Ashburn offered to
raise three or four thousand men from his own parish
in defence of the Queen. His zeal was specially
commended by Archbishop Grindal, who declared
that such a condition of things was the result of
continued preaching that had made the men of that
parish better instructed than the rest.
With Puritan vicars in Rochdale and Halifax, the
curates appointed to Todmorden, Cross Stone and
Heptonstall would also be Puritan in their beliefs.
In 1590 Gilbert Astley, curate of Todmorden, was
summoned before the Bishop of Chester for not
observing holy day. The influence of such men
must have been great, and the work of men like the
Midgleys left its mark in a Puritan type of religion
well suited to the independent spirit of clothiers and
farmers living on the uplands.
Although the great majority of the inhabitants
embraced the Protestant faith, the Towneleys of
Towneley Hall kept unflinchingly to Roman Catho-
licism, enduring imprisonment and persecution
rather than the abandonment of their principles.
The record of Sir John Towneley's life during
Elizabeth's reign is one long tribute to his stubborn
fidelity.
" For professing the apostolical and Catholic
Roman faith he was imprisoned first at Chester
Castle, then sent to the Marshalsea, then to York
Castle; then to the clockhouse in Hull, then to the
Gatehouse in Westminster, then to Manchester, then
to Broughton in Oxfordshire, then twice to Ely in
Cambridgeshire and so now, 73 years old and blind,
is bound to appear and keep within five miles of
THE REFORMATION PERIOD 93
Towneley, his house; who has since 1571 paid into the
exchequer £20 a month and doth still, so that there
is paid already above £5,000."
Fines were levied for absence from the Protestant
service of the English Church. Roman Catholic
services were illegal, and men met in secret to
celebrate the mass and secure a priest's blessing. In
the spacious kitchen chimney of Old Town Hall
(built at the end of the 16th century) a door was
concealed leading to a secret underground passage
that emerged at a much lower level in Pecket Wood.
There were chambers in the old hall at Holme to
which priests resorted nearly a century later. Such
devices tell their own story of days when Catholics
secretly worshipped amid a people of alien beliefs.
It also shows how plots for the assassination of
Queen Elizabeth were hatched in the dark and
suffered to grow into formidable conspiracies. So
great was the fear inspired by them, that a Loyal
Association for the preservation of the Queen's
person was formed, consisting of the gentlemen of
England. Many in Yorkshire were anxious to
become members, the principal freeholders and
clothiers about Halifax, Wakefield, and Bradford,
more especially, " sueing to be accepted into that
society."
A great change had been wrought in the religious
beliefs of the people in both the Rochdale and
Halifax parishes since the days of the Pilgrimage of
Grace. Instead of chantry priests singing masses
for the souls of the dead, Puritan clergymen were
preaching the doctrines of Calvin to crowded congre-
gations. Indeed in the reign of James I. the
94 HISTOKY OF TODMORDEN
clothiers in the Halifax parish declared that " out
of their zeal to God's holy religion, they did freely
and voluntarily, out of their charges, maintain
and give wages to ten preachers, over and above the
duties belonging to the Yicar .... and that, by
the special grace of God, there was not one Popish
Recusant inhabiting in the said great and populous
parish of Halifax."
06
CHAPTEE XIY.
Cavaliers and Soundheads, or Days of Strife.
The Keformation taught Englishmen to set a
higher value on their own personal beliefs and
political privileges. In Elizabeth's reign, her par-
liaments became more independent and less willing
to submit to a policy they considered wrong. But
Elizabeth was a wise queen who knew when to yield
to her parliaments and how to retain the affection of
her people. She was followed, however, by kings
who were much less wise, for they governed England
without heeding the wishes of many of their sub-
jects, and often rejected with scorn the counsel of
parliaments that had been summoned to transact the
business of the realm. There were two questions,
more especially, on which James I. and Charles I.
quarrelled with their parliaments. First came the
question of religion. Parliament sympathised with
the Puritans and wished for more latitude in the
rules and ceremonies of the Church. Both king and
bishops, however, were determined to enforce order
in every diocese. The second question in dispute
was still more important, viz., whether kings might
justly levy taxes without consent of Parliament.
The Todmorden neighbourhood was strongly
Puritan, and the policy of both James and Charles
had important local consequences. Early in James
I.'s reign, commissioners were sent into every diocese
to put down Puritan irregularities. An enquiry was
96 HISTOKY OF TODMORDEN
held at Rochdale when it was found that the vicar,
Joseph Midgley, " refused to observe the order of
communion, did not wear a surplice or a cloke with
sleeves, did not use the cross in baptism or catechise."
He was also accused of shortening the prayers in
order to lengthen his own sermons. For these
offences he was deprived of his office.
"When Charles I. came to the throne he repeatedly
quarrelled with his parliaments, and then for eleven
years ruled alone. In consequence he had to raise
money as best he could. Two of the methods adopted
are of local interest. Every freeholder who owned
land worth £40 a year was ordered to accept knight-
hood— an honour requiring the payment of heavy
fees — or to pay a heavy fine. Local gentlemen chose
the latter course. Savile Radcliife of Todmorden
Hall, whose estates were worth £134 a year, paid a
fine of £25. Henry Cockcroft of Mayroyd was fined
£15. A few years later ship-money was levied in
every English county to equip ships for the royal
navy. The inhabitants of Leeds and Halifax and
their precincts were ordered to contribute with the
inhabitants of the port of Hull towards three ships,
to be at Portsmouth by a given date, furnished as
men of war and victualled for four months. There-
upon these towns presented a petition to the Privy
Council urging that the villages around them were
wealthier and better able to bear the tax, from which
they prayed to be freed. But equal objection was
raised by rural townships. The constable at Sowerby
could not collect the full amount demanded in 1635,
and had to make up the deficit; the same difficulty
was experienced each year the tax was levied.
CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS 97
The question at stake was whether Parliament
could for ever be ignored by the king; Puritans,
moreover, were deeply incensed at religious changes
that seemed to them to savour of popery. But
Englishmen were slow to rise in opposition to Charles.
In Scotland, however, an attempt to introduce the
English prayer book led to a national rebellion, and
Charles was forced to raise an army to put it down.
To the northern counties fell the duty of furnishing
the necessary men. Local townships had to send
men to Halifax, suitably clothed and armed, to be
drilled and trained in companies for service on the
Scotch Border. Items such as " knapsacks and
bandoliers; caps, coats, doublets and breeches; gun-
powder and yards of match" are duly recorded in
constables' accounts, for the cost of these materials
was borne by each township. In 1639, e.g., Sowerby
township paid £7 10s. for gunpowder; £33 10s. for
soldiers' wages and training; and £24 for the repair
of old, and purchase of new, arms ; a total of £65.
The Scotch war soon ended with the king's defeat,
and Charles was compelled to summon Parliament.
For many months damaging blows were struck at the
royal authority, until finally two parties stood
opposed : one henceforth willing to trust the king
and anxious to preserve the authority of the bishops ;
the other desirous of abolishing bishops and of
making the power of Parliament still more complete.
Hence arose the great struggle between the Cavaliers
and Roundheads. It was no ordinary conflict.
Eriends were parted asunder, even parents were
separated from their children, as both parties
passionately insisted on the justice of their own
98 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
cause and declared it to be for the honour of England
herself.
On these uplands the pulse of political life beat
firmly for the Parliament. In East Lancashire a
revival of popery was greatly dreaded, and in the
Rochdale parish, in March 1642, every eligible
person signed a protestation, resolving to maintain
religion against popish innovations, to protect king
and parliament and the rights and liberties of the
subject. Oddly enough, the name of the curate of
Todmorden is not in the list, but probably the cure
was then vacant.
Before the end of the year 1642 war broke out.
At first East Lancashire and the West Biding of
Yorkshire constituted one wide area for the Parlia-
ment. Manchester was the military centre of the
Lancashire Roundheads . Leeds, Bradford and
Halifax were equally zealous in furnishing men and
money for the Parliamentary cause. The conflict,
however, opened badly for the Parliament. In De-
cember, 1642, the Marquis of Newcastle drove Lord
Fairfax, the leader of the Yorkshire Roundheads,
from Tadcaster to Selby; then, occupying Ponte-
fract, he cut off the towns in the West Riding from
any hope of re-inforcements. Strafford's nephew,
Sir W. Savile, seized Leeds and Wakefield; but on
January 23, 1643, Sir Thomas Fairfax, with troopers
from Halifax and Bradford, drove Savile out of
Leeds and recaptured Wakefield.
In this engagement Todmorden men took part, for
Jonathan Scholefield, curate of Cross Stone Chapel,
was one of the chaplains of the Parliamentary troops
and along with Lieutenant Horsfall, from Under-
CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS 99
bank, Eastwood, greatly distinguished himself. The
following graphic account by an eye-witness refers to
the storming of Leeds on Monday, January 23, 1643.
Sir Thomas Fairfax had disposed his troops along
both banks of the Aire to the west of the town. On
the north side Serjeant Major Forbes with Lieu-
tenant Horsfall, etc., and a company of Lancashire
soldiers under Captain Chadwick gallantly attacked
the Cavaliers in the ' great trenches.' Meanwhile
soldiers on the south side of the river crossed the
stream and dislodged the sentry, informing Major
Forbes of their success by a great shout. Thereupon
Major Forbes climbed to the top of the works ("Lieut.
Horsfall lending him his shoulder") and "he most
furiously and boldly entered the works single; him
his said Lieutenant (wading through the river side
below the work) next followed most resolutely. Then
the rest followed, and Mr. Jonathan Scholefield (the
minister at Croston chappell in Halifax Parish near
Todmerden) in their company begun, and they sung
the first verse of the 68th Psalm, - Let God arise,
and then his enemies shall be scattered and those
that hate him flee before him.' And instantly after
the great shout on the south side river, still inform-
ing of the enemy's flight from the upper and next
sentry (where about 100 were) Serjeant Major entered
that also, and Mr. Scholefield begun and they sung
another like verse. So these works being gained, the
enemy fled into the houses."
A fierce fight ensued, ending in the renewed flight
of the enemy. Sir Wm. Savile attempted to marshall
his troops, but in vain ; " which he seeing, and that
12 musketeers, drawn on both sides that lane by Mr.
100 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Scholefield had gained a cannon by killing the
cannoneer .... he and the rest, perceiving the
town lost, about an hour after the first sentry was
entered, fled away."
It is no wonder that Sir Thomas Fairfax warmly
praised the valiant behaviour of the men from
Bradford and Halifax, although they were but raw
levies.
A few months later, the Marquis of Newcastle
took Leeds by storm; he defeated the Fairfaxes at
Adwalton Moor, near Bradford (June 30), and the
whole of the West Riding fell into his hands. The
following month Halifax was occupied by the
Royalists, and Heptonstall was left fronting the
enemy, thus forming one of the advanced posts of
the Northern Roundheads. In Rochdale there was
a Parliamentary garrison of 1,200 men and the pass
over Blackstone Edge was guarded by a troop of 800
soldiers with two guns. There was no thought of
yielding, and when the Marquis of Newcastle sum-
moned the town of Manchester to surrender, a large
body of soldiers was massed near Rochdale on the
Yorkshire road, and application was made to Parlia-
ment for 40 barrels of powder. A troop of Royalist
horse-soldiers, attempting to force a passage over
Blackstone Edge, was repulsed and the Marquis of
Newcastle turned aside to engage in the siege of
Hull. (Fig. 18.)
Meanwhile Royalist garrisons held the West
Riding towns in subjection. At Halifax Sir
Francis Mackworth had 2,000 men, with troops
stationed on the Warley upland and at Sowerby
Bridge to guard against attacks from Heptonstall
CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS
101
102 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
and Blackstone Edge. The Parliamentary garrison
at Heptonstall, under Col. Bradshaw, was greatly
inferior in number, consisting of 280 musketeers, 60
horse-soldiers and a few hundred clubmen. Repeated
sorties, however, were made against their enemies.
On the night of October 23, after crossing the
Hebden valley and advancing along the Midgley
road, soldiers from Heptonstall assaulted the man-
sion at Hollins, taking it and capturing many
prisoners. Sir Francis in return, on the morning
of November 1st, amid a storm of wind and rain,
attacked Heptonstall with a force of 800 cavalry and
infantry, but the Cavaliers were driven back with
much loss of life. The following January also the
Royalist outpost at Sowerby Bridge was routed by
the Roundheads. But quickly the fortune of war
changed, for a few days later Sir Francis Mackworth
advanced against Heptonstall with the whole of his
troops and large reinforcements from Keighley.
Thereupon the garrison retreated to Burnley, taking
their prisoners with them, and left Heptonstall to
be pillaged and burnt bv the victorious Royalists.
(Fig. 18.)
Relief, however, was at hand. A Scotch army
was marching over the Border in support of the
Parliament and the Marquis of Newcastle was again
compelled to act on the defensive. Before the end
of January, Sir Thomas Fairfax once more called
on the men of the West Riding to fight against Irish
soldiers whom Charles I. had brought over into
Cheshire. All able bodied men between 16 and 60
years of age were ordered to repair to Mirfield,
bringing with them four or ^.Ye days' provisions and
CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS 103
the best weapons they could procure, so that with
the help of God they might drive out the enemy,
establish peace and obtain free trading again to the
comfortable support of poor and rich. Sir Thomas
defeated the Irish at Nantwich and then despatched
a Parliamentary force over Blackstone Edge to the
relief of Halifax and the West Riding. The result
was that Sir Francis Mackworth abandoned Halifax
(within nine days after taking Heptonstall) and
retired to York. In June Prince Rupert was sent
from the Midlands with 20,000 men to the aid of the
Marquis of Newcastle. Marching through Lanca-
shire he stormed Bolton and crossed the Pennines in
the neighbourhood of Burnley. (Fig. 18.) Parties
of his soldiers passed through Worsthorne, plunder-
ing as they went and driving off the cattle of the
farmers. The decisive struggle was at hand, and
at the battle of Marston Moor men from this district
fought on opposite sides. The Stansfields were
Parliamentarians, but Charles Towneley of Towneley
Hall, John Crossley of Scaitcliffe and Joshua Rad-
cliffe of Todmorden Hall, were ardent Royalists. It
may be that Joshua Radcliire was clad in the white
armour and coat of mail that had been his great-
grandfather's; John Crossley's sword was long
preserved at Scaitcliffe. There is a tradition that
at Maiden Cross near Coppy, one of Towneley's men
bid farewell to his sweetheart when leaving for
the battle. He never returned and the woman,
frantic in her grief, often resorted to this cross where
last she had seen her lover. It is only a story, but it
depicts a sorrow that was repeated a thousand times
in those years of strife.
104 . HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
This neighbourhood, with its strong Puritanism,
insisted on having clergy of similar beliefs. Dr.
Marsh, the Royalist vicar of Halifax, was ousted
from his office; Robert Bath, the Puritan vicar of
Rochdale, continued at his post until the Restoration.
After the abolition of Episcopacy, Parliament set
about establishing Presbyterianism, and Lancashire
was one of the counties where it was most fully
established. Under the new system Lancashire was
divided into nine ecclesiastical districts. Todmorden
Chapel, in the parish of Rochdale, was included
within the second division, known as the 'Bury
classis." The district was under the control of a
synod or committee of ten clergymen and twenty
laymen, who met monthly for a period of ten years
(1647-57). Its chief business was to ordain minis-
ters to vacant cures and to prevent unlicensed
preachers from spreading false doctrines. Presby-
terians insisted on uniformity in religious belief
quite as strongly as the bishops had insisted on
uniformity in ceremonial, and they denounced the
religious toleration favoured by Cromwell and the
army. Todmorden curates seem to have been very
troublesome. Robert Towne was suspended for
heresy, and replaced by Mr. Hill; whilst Francis
Core preached in Todmorden Chapel without per-
mission of the synod and declined to appear before
it when summoned to do so.
Presbyterianism had no sooner been established
in Lancashire when a fresh Royalist revolt and the
approach of a Scotch army threatened its very
existence. Cromwell and his Ironsides hastened
north after putting down a Welsh rising at Pern-
CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS 105
broke. Entering Yorkshire he marched from Knares-
borough, through Otley, Addingham and Skipton
(Fig. 18), and entered Lancashire on August 16,
1648. It was the duty of the northern townships to
furnish provisions for his army on its march. The
Sowerby constable, for example, on August 13, paid
10s. to three men who went with provisions to
Addingham. On August 18, for " sixteen hundred
of bread, bought in Halifax, and 20s. in money, " he
paid in all £17. Nathan Hoyle with seven men and
ten horses then took the bread to Skipton at a cost of
18s., but as the army had already entered Lancashire,
a further journey was necessary at a cost to the town-
ship of lis.
Though the Lancashire Presbyterians distrusted
Cromwell, they fought with the Ironsides against the
Royalist troops under Marmaduke Langdale and the
Scotch army under the Duke of Hamilton. At
Preston Cromwell gained a decisive victory; a few
months later Charles I. was executed and a Common-
wealth was proclaimed. The clergy were ordered
publicly to declare their allegiance to the new
government. Those who refused — and there were
many Lancashire Presbyterians among them — were
deprived of their livings. Robert Bath of Rochdale,
however, took the required oath.
The state of the Church occupied the attention of
the leaders of the Commonwealth. Parliamentary
commissioners twice visited this district (in 1650 and
1658) and recommended the formation of a separate
Todmorden parish. On the second occasion it was
reported that 117 families lived in the chapelry, the
tithes being worth £21 10s. The chapel was well
106 HISTOKY OF TODMORDEN
built and convenient to hold the inhabitants, having
a chapel-yard, where time out of mind, the dead had
been buried. This statement, however, was disputed,
the chapel being described as almost a ruin, and the
tithes assessed at not more than £14. In 1650,
Francis Core, the curate, lived in a little house built
by the parishioners, and received a yearly salary of
6s. 8d. Eight years later Thomas Somerton was
minister. His presence provoked disputes among
the inhabitants; he preached strange doctrines and
sympathised with the Quakers, a fact worthy of note,
as there was a large number of Quakers in this
district a few years later.
It is evident, from the above account, that no
settled order prevailed in the Church when the
Presbyterians were in power. With the restoration
of Charles II. to the throne, the Church again passed
under the control of episcopalian clergy loyal to the'
accustomed form of worship. Henry Krabtree
(chap, xvi) became curate of Todmorden; Robert
Dewhirst, curate of Cross Stone, and Joseph Ferret,
of Heptonstall. Since that time few incidents have
occurred to mar the peace of the Church's existence.
Out of the strife and turmoil of the civil wars there
came a change in men's attitude towards religion.
The idea of religious toleration, although imper-
fectly understood, began to influence men's minds
and to make it possible for men of different religious
beliefs to live peaceably side by side. Religion
became less national and more personal. The con-
sequence was that when Parliament insisted on a
rigid uniformity of belief and ceremonial within the
English Church, men left it in order to worship in
CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS 107
other ways. Hence there arose religious societies
like those of the Quakers, Presbyterians and Bap-
tists, all of whom found adherents in the Todmorden
district before the close of the seventeenth century
(chap. xvii).
108
CHAPTER XV.
Three Centuries of Trade and Industry.
In the account of local industries during the
fourteenth century a description was given of the
power and wealth of the Earls of Surrey and of
Lincoln. The power of great manor lords, however,
was considerably modified during the century preced-
ing the Reformation. Yilleins as a class disappeared
and in their place arose small tenant farmers and a
labouring class that demanded good wages. The
older forest and demesne lands were let to various
tenants, and many waste and common lands were
enclosed. The park of Erringden, for example, was
split up into separate estates in Henry VI. 's reign,
whilst waste lands in both Wadsworth and Stansfield
were appropriated by the Saviles and sold during the
reign of Henry Till.
The soil on the Todmorden uplands was poor in
quality. In Elizabeth's reign Camden stated that
the land in the Halifax parish was so barren that
more than a bare livelihood could not be expected
from it. Similarly in Charles II. 's reign, during a
scarcity of corn, the constables of the various Halifax
townships reported that their country was mountain-
ous, and that not twenty, among twenty thousand per-
sons, had more corn than was enough for sowing the
little ground they had and maintaining their families.
With regard to the mineral wealth in this neighbour-
TRADE AND INDUSTRY 109
hood, some coal must have been obtained, inasmuch
as in the year 1580, coal mines in Todmorden were
granted for 21 years to one John Blackway. Without
steam power, however, it was impossible to get much
coal.
The one hope of prosperity lay in the possession of
sheep farms and the manufacture of woollen cloth.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the great feature
in this district of the three centuries under considera-
tion (1450 to 1750) was the rapid development of the
woollen industry. As early as the 14th century wool
was of increasing importance, and before the close
of the 15th century the manufacture of cloth was
widespread. Halifax and Eipon were rivals for the
foremost place in the West Riding for cloth manu-
facture. In the years 1473-5 Halifax stood first
amongst Yorkshire towns with a sale of nearly 1,500
pieces of cloth. Leeds and Bradford sold only 320
and 178J pieces respectively. The woollen cloths
sold at Halifax were brought from all parts of the
parish, every upland or rather every farmstead being
a centre of the woollen industry.
The system of industry was entirely different from
that of the present day. Instead of the factory
system, a domestic system of manufacture prevailed
in this district until the close of the 18th century.
Every farmer was interested in the woollen trade.
Sheep pastures abounded in both the Halifax and
Rochdale parishes, and every process, from the
shearing of sheep and preparation of the fleece, to
the dyeing and finishing of the cloth, might have
heen observed on these uplands. Wool cards,
spinning wheels and Webster's looms formed part of
110 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
the ordinary equipment of every farmstead. There
were " tenter crofts " outside each hamlet where the
tenter or frame stood on which the woollen cloth was
stretched and dried; fulling and dyeing mills were
built in different parts of the parish, and the " cloth
halls " at Heptonstall, Halifax and Rochdale were
crowded every market day.
At first clothiers manufactured as well as sold
woollen pieces. Gradually two different classes came
into existence among those engaged in the woollen
trade. There was a small class of merchant clothiers
who bought raw wool and sold the finished cloth. A
much larger class consisted of woolcombers, spinners,
weavers and dyers whom the clothiers supplied with
wool and paid for the various processes of manufac-
ture. This neighbourhood was noted for the number
of its clothiers. They made money rapidly and estates
were constantly passing into their hands. One illus-
tration may be given. In return for certain money
payments, James I. surrendered all crown rights in
Erringden to George Halstead, John Sunderland,
William Sutcliffe and Henry Naylor, all of whom
were clothiers.
During this period men did not believe in freedom
of trade or of individual enterprise. In larger towns
merchants and craftsmen were grouped into different
associations or gilds for the regulation of their own
trade or industry and the prevention of competition.
On these uplands, however, the woollen industry was
probably developed among the inhabitants without
any such restrictions. Moreover, in the 15th century
the power of the gilds greatly declined, and in their
place kings and parliaments attempted to regulate
TRADE AND INDUSTRY 111
every branch of trade. Not only was the price of
bread and ale fixed by law (p. 71), but Parliament
sought to regulate the quality and price of manu-
factured goods, and to prevent individual traders
from disturbing the usual course of trade. This
policy may be illustrated by a statute passed in the
reign of Queen Mary (1553-58) referring to the
parish of Halifax. The Act was intended to prevent
rich merchants from " engrossing " or cornering raw
wool in parishes such as Halifax, and the reasons set
forth are of the greatest interest as they throw a clear
light on the condition of this district at that time.
The Act stated that the parish of Halifax was planted
amid great wastes and moors, where neither corn nor
good grass could be produced except in rare places
and by great industry on the part of the inhabitants.
The inhabitants lived entirely by cloth making, most
of them neither growing corn nor keeping a horse to
carry wool nor being able to buy much wool at once.
In consequence they had to repair to Halifax market
to buy from one to four stones of wool and carry it
home as much as six miles on their heads and backs,
so as to convert the wool into yarn or cloth and sell
the same and so buy more wool. In a period of forty
years (1515 — 1555) this industry had added to the
parish 500 households that would be reduced to
beggary if they could not obtain a regular supply
of small quantities of wool.
Unfortunately the West Riding clothiers were
notorious for making inferior cloth, and Henry VIII.
sent down Commissioners to find out and punish such
as used " flocks, chalk, flour and starch " in cloth
making. As many as 181 offenders resided in the
112 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Halifax parish, including 62 from HeptonstalL
Royal officers known as ulnagers (Lat. ulna, an ell)
were appointed to measure and seal the pieces of cloth
that were manufactured and to receive the tax
(ulnage) levied by the Crown on each piece. In
James I.'s reign a dispute arose between the King's
ulnagers and the clothiers of Halifax, Bradford,
Bingley and Keighley, as to the amount of taxation.
Instead of the old tax of one penny, a tax of five
farthings and later of three halfpence was demanded
on each piece. The clothiers protested, and the case
was decided in their favour by the Exchequer Court.
During the trial it was stated that 20,000 men,
women and children were employed in this industry
in the four parishes and that in the Halifax parish
alone, £40 was contributed monthly to support more
than 600 impotent, aged and poor people. Richard
Horsfall of Stoodley, a clothier, aged 51 years, said
that he had to go seven miles, and others a further
distance, to fetch the seals for their goods, as the
sealers had given up coming to their homes. He
stated that kerseys and broad lists were most com-
monly made in the Halifax parish, the latter being
usually of better wool. The price of a kersey varied
from 20s. to 33s. 4d. a piece, or from 20d. to 2s. a
yard. John Farrar of Brearley, gentleman, com-
plained of intimidation by agents of the ulnagers,
who sought to compel the payment of the higher rate
of ulnage.
The inhabitants of Halifax, in their protest against
the payment of ship money (p. 96), stated that "more
cloth was made in the several and dispersed towns
and villages than in Halifax itself." The fact is-
TRADE AND INDUSTRY 113
that each hamlet was filled with people who were
busy with an unceasing round of duties. Young and
old alike had their allotted tasks in carding and
spinning, weaving and finishing woollen pieces or in
attending to various duties on the farm, such as
milking, churning, cheese-making or harvesting.
Defoe, in his book entitled " A Tour through the
whole Island of Great Britain," gives a vivid picture
of life on these uplands : —
" In the course of our road amongst the houses we
found at every one of them a little rill of running
water, and at every considerable house a manufactory.
The sides of the hills, which were very steep every-
where, were spread with houses; for the land being
divided into small enclosures, from two to six or
seven acres each, seldom more, every three or four
pieces of land had a house belonging to them. We
could see at every house a tenter, and on almost every
tenter a piece of cloth, kersey or shalloon, which are
the three articles of this country's labour. Though
we met few people without doors, yet within, we saw
the houses full of lusty fellows, some at the dye-vat,
some at the looms, others dressing the cloths; the
women and children carding and spinning; all
employed, from youngest to oldest; scarce anything
above four years old, but its hands were sufficient for
its own support."
The principal market for the sale of woollen pieces
was at the Cloth Hall in Halifax, and at the
beginning of the 18th century immense quantities of
cloth were sold weekly. Saturday was the chief
market day. In spring and summer, business began
at 6 o'clock ; during the rest of the year, at 8 o'clock.
Ill HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Halifax was also a market for agricultural produce ;
corn, butter, cheese and sheep being supplied from
surrounding counties. Enormous quantities of black
cattle were sold in autumn for killing, salting and
smoking. A clothier often bought two or three fat
bullocks to meet the requirements of his large house-
hold during the winter.
Fulling mills, as well as corn mills, were built
near running streams. There was a fulling mill at
Gorpley in 1620; and early in the 18th century
fulling mills had been erected at Scaitcliffe and Lob
Mill, and a sizing mill stood at Beanhole Head.
Some idea of a clothier's stock-in-trade may be
obtained from the will (in 1706) of Anthony Crossley
of Scaitcliffe Hall. He left 20 kersey pieces (£25 in
value), 5 packs of fleece wool (£80), one pack of skin
wool (£5), meal to the value of £12 in the " skilling "
or outhouse, as well as a number of sheep.
The conditions of life just described have long
since disappeared. To-day on the uplands from
Shore to Blackshaw Head substantial farmsteads,
such as Hartley Royd, stand almost deserted, and
farmhouses lie in ruins. They remain as symbols of
the old domestic system of manufacture that passed
away with the invention of the spinning jenny, mule
and power loom. But it is well to remember that for
many generations men lived busy and prosperous
lives, finding the means of livelihood within their
own homes on the uplands, and seldom passing below
the mist line into the valley beneath.
115
CHAPTER XVI.
Social Life and Superstitions after the
Reformation.
In the last three chapters some account has been
given of the religious and political struggles in which
Todniordians took part during the 16th and 17th
centuries, and of the way in which they gained a
livelihood. The sketch thus given of life on these
uplands may be further filled in by a description of
some of their ideas and habits.
First, with regard to education. In those days
scarcely any public provision was made for the
education of children. There were no elementary
schools. A Grammar School was built at Rochdale
in the reign of Elizabeth, and in Charles I.'s reign a
Grammar School was founded at Heptonstall (p. 138).
These were entirely inadequate to meet the needs of
the population, judged by modern standards. Even
in the 16th century there were 1,600 persons in
Heptonstall chapelry who were communicants of
the Church, whilst in the parish of Rochdale there
were 5,000 persons. Hence it is manifest that
only a very small proportion of the people sent
their children to school. Writing was a rare
accomplishment; few people could read; books were
scarce and not greatly esteemed by the majority
of farmers and labourers on the uplands. Neither
doctors nor lawyers resided in Todmorden. Clergymen
often added to their duties those of a physician.
116 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Joseph Midgley, when dismissed from his post as
Vicar of Rochdale, practised as a doctor; during
Charles II. 's reign Henry Krabtree, curate of
Todmorden, " ventured to give physic to country
people."
Under these circumstances children had little or
no schooling. They were trained from their early
years to follow their fathers' pursuits and to lead an
active outdoor life. Such an upbringing fostered
sturdiness of character, but left the mind a prey to
all kinds of crude ideas and superstitions. A belief
in witchcraft was all but universal. James I. wrote
a treatise on the subject; simple folk dreaded the
power of a witch's curse. In " Lancashire Witches,"
Harrison Ainsworth gives an account of witchcraft in
Pendle Forest in James I.'s reign. The scene of one
of the incidents is laid in Cliviger. Not far from
Eagle Crag, Nance Redferne and Nicholas Assheton,
mounted on a long hazel branch, " whisked through
the air at a prodigious rate " to Malkin Tower in
Pendle. The names of Devil's Rock in Stansfield
and Dulesgate are relics of similar beliefs. Even
to-day horseshoes hang over the doors of stables,
cattle-sheds and barns. Whatever their use may be
now, in old days they acted as charms to keep away
witches. The following legend is connected with
Bernshaw Tower, Eagle Crag and Cliviger.
Long ago a beautiful heiress, called Lady Sybil,
lived at Bernshaw Tower. She was exceedingly
gifted and took a keen delight in the beauty of
Nature. One of her favourite walks was to Eagle
Crag, where she would often stand and gaze into the
wooded chasm beneath. It was then that Lady Sybil
SOCIAL LIFE AND SUPERSTITIONS 117
longed for the supernatural power of a witch. At
last, unable to resist the temptation of the devil, she
bartered her soul in return for this magical gift.
With the aid of magic she could change her shape,
and it was her delight to roam over her native hills
in the form of a beautiful white doe.
One of Lady Sybil's admirers was Lord William of
Hapton Tower, a younger member of the Towneley
family. She rejected his suit, and in his despair, he
sought the help of Mother Helston, a famous witch.
She told him to go hunting in the gorge of Cliviger.
He did so and there caught sight of a milk-white doe.
After a long pursuit he captured it near Eagle Crag,
with the help of Mother Helston who joined the hunt
disguised as a hound. Lord William fastened an
enchanted silken leash round the doe's neck and led
her in triumph to Hapton Tower.
In the morning it was Lady Sybil who graced
Hapton Tower with her presence. Soon afterwards,
when she had renounced witchcraft, she was married
to Lord William. But the old longing for magical
experiences returned, and again she wandered, as of
old, in some secret disguise. Once, when she was
frolicking in Cliviger Mill as a beautiful white cat,
the miller's man cut off one of her paws. Pale and
wounded, for she had lost one of her hands, Lady
Sybil returned home. She had to face the anger
of Lord William, to whom the missing hand with its
costly signet ring had been brought from Cliviger.
Magic skill restored the hand, and Lady Sybil was
reconciled to her husband. Her strength, however,
was gone, and when her soul had been rescued from
the powers of darkness, she died in peace. Bernshaw
118 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Tower was left tenantless, but for many years on All
Hallow's Eve a spectre huntsman with a hound and
milk-white doe flitted past Eagle Crag.
The story of Henry Krabtree, curate of Todmorden,
gives a further glimpse of the superstitious ideas of
our forefathers. He was a schoolfellow of Tillotson,
Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1662 he became
curate of St. Mary's, retaining his position for about
30 years. He was a staunch Eoyalist, and believed
that Charles I. was murdered by " a nest of religious
cut-throats." A simple story illustrates his super-
stitious nature. On one occasion, when preaching at
St. Mary's, a mouse ran across the Bible that lay open
before him. Hastily closing the service, Mr. Krabtree
hurried home to Stansfield Hall, and found that
thieves had entered his study and disarranged his
papers .
He was a man of some originality, and was noted
as an astrologer and doctor. He was the first curate
who kept a register of baptisms and burials at St.
Mary's. He often added astrological details to the
entries. For example :
" 1685. Nov. 1. James, son of James Taylor of
Todmorden. He was born 2nd Oct. near sun setting
and also near a full moon, which is a sure sign of a
short life."
In 1685 he published an almanack entitled
' Merlinus Eusticus.' Merlin was the wise seer at
King Arthur's Court, who was able to predict the
future, and Krabtree, although but a " country
Merlin," had important news to tell about the future.
After the pages devoted to the almanack, he sketched
the past history of the Turks and discussed the fate
SOCIAL LIFE AND SUPERSTITIONS 119
of the Roman and Turkish Empires. He drew the
following conclusions.
The Roman Empire, the greatest and most powerful
that ever was or shall be, although at its lowest ebb,
shall never be overthrown, but shall continue till the
world is destroyed. The Turkish Empire, despite its
success in war at that time, had reached the summit
of its power. It would be confined to the three horns
of Egypt, Asia and Greece, never being converted to
the Christian faith nor ceasing to war against Christ
until the world should come to an end.
Mr. Krabtree's shrewd common sense appears in
his comments on the different months of the year.
May. " Rise early, walk in the fields, where every
garden and hedgerow affords food and physic. Walk
by running streams of water and feast thy lungs
with the fresh air. For food, sage and sweet butter
make an excellent breakfast. Clarified whey, with
sage, scurvy grass, ale and wormwood beer, are now
wholesome."
October. " The time now requires that you consult
with your tailor as well as with your physician.
Therefore a good suit of warm cloth is worth 2 purges
and one vomit. Keep warm betimes, for cold creeps
upon men insensibly and fogs ofttimes beget a whole
winter's distemper."
Xovember. u The best exercise is hunting or
tracing hares, but be sure that the park or lordship be
your own, and then you need not fear an indictment,
nor a fine at the next sessions."
The reputation of the author of "MerlinusRusticus"
spread far beyond Todmorden, and an interesting
instance has been preserved of his activity as a
120 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
physician. In 1688 a youth called Richard Dugdale,
who lived at Surey, near Whalley, was troubled with
epileptic fits. The local doctors could not cure him,
and his father sought the help of Dr. Krabtree. Both
father and son came to Stansfield Hall and stayed a
fortnight. The treatment was apparently successful,
and the Dugdales returned home. But soon Richard
was attacked more violently than ever and Dr.
Krabtree was again consulted. The method of treat-
ment, however, was too severe and also too expensive
to please Mr. Dugdale. " Blood-letting " and
" physic enough for six men at once " left Richard
barely enough strength to walk across the house.
His case was then considered by some dissenting
ministers in the neighbourhood of Whalley. They
believed that Richard was a demoniac under the
influence of Satan, and they tried to throw discredit
on the Curate of Todmorden as being a wizard, whose
efforts had naturally been unavailing. The Rev.
Zachary Taylor, Yicar of Croston, warmly defended
Krabtree (who was then dead), showing that he used
no unlawful means. He said that Mr. Krabtree was
" no great scholar, but a blunt and honest man, who
served at a poor place for about £12 a year, which he
augmented by venturing to give physic to the country
people." . >
In those days men did not understand the condi-
tions necessary for health. Little attention was paid
to drainage, the removal of refuse or the possession
of a pure water supply. The result was that fever
and plague often attacked the inhabitants on these
uplands. In 1631 plague appeared in Erringden. In
Heptonstall nearly 40 houses were infected and more
SOCIAL LIFE AND SUPERSTITIONS 121
than 100 people perished. All business was at a
standstill, so that the town gate (or village street)
grew over with grass. A fresh outbreak of plague
occurred in Halifax in August 1645, due partly to the
large number of Scotch soldiers quartered there
during the Civil War. In the 18th century fever
and small-pox are frequently mentioned in the
accounts of overseers and churchwardens. The
township officials often contributed towards the
support of fever-stricken persons, sometimes sending
to Halifax for medical aid, at other times relying
upon local amateurs. The following entries are taken
from the records of the township of Stansfield : —
1752. To Ann Eastwood for fisak (physic) - 2s. 2d.
175-^. Do. for surgery to John
Stansfield - - - - - Is. 6d.
Despite the ignorance and superstition, the danger
of disease and the rough and ready methods that
prevailed on the uplands, it is possible that life was
pleasanter in other respects for the majority of men
and women than it often is to-day. There was less
of mechanical routine two or three centuries ago.
Work was arduous, no doubt ; but it was carried on at
home, and so long as it was done men might choose
their own time for doing it.
After the Reformation the woollen trade brought
prosperity to every homestead in this district, and
with increasing wealth the timber-built houses of
mediaeval times were replaced by substantial mansions
and farmsteads, built of stone. The architecture of
the Elizabethan and Stuart periods is characterised
by a picturesqueness that prevented bareness or
ugliness of outline. Wings jutting from a central
122
HISTOKY OF TODMORDEN
hall; gables and chimney-stacks; porches and oriel
windows, formed a harmony of design that still
testifies to the superior taste of our ancestors. The
principal rooms had a southerly aspect, and the
mullioned windows, deep set in the thick walls, were
filled with diamond panes. Many such mansions were
erected in this neighbourhood in the 17th century, of
which Todmorden Hall is an excellent example. It
Fig. iq. Carr House Fold.
was rebuilt by Savile Radcliffe about three centuries
ago, but some of the timbers of the earlier mediaeval
building still remain. The walls of the drawing-
room are of panelled oak, and there is a fine oak
mantelpiece on which the arms of the Radcliffe family
are carved. Over the central corridor a hiding
chamber is concealed.
SOCIAL LIFE AND SUPERSTITIONS 123
This district contains many examples of farmhouses
built during the same period ; Hartley Royd, Ashes,
Carr House Fold (Fig. 19) and Great House in
Stansfield; Pasture Side in Walsden; as well as
several houses in Mankinholes. On one of the walls
of what is now the kitchen at Beanhole Head, in
Stansfield, there is a well-preserved specimen of
decorative plaster work that bears the date 1634 and
includes the monogram of Charles I.
The rooms in the farmhouses were low and poorly
lighted. The usual fuel was turf taken from the
moors. In winter many of the farms and cottages
must have been damp with the heavy rains. Oat
bread (haver cake), cheese and home brewed ale
formed the usual diet of the poorer people ; wheat
bread was a luxury reserved for the rich.
The usual mode of travelling was on foot or on
horseback. Packhorse tracks crossed the uplands in
all directions. The road from Burnley to Halifax
has already been mentioned (p. 32) and along its
course are the sites and fragments of early crosses
from Stump Cross at Mereclough, and Maiden Cross
to Duke's Cross and Mount Cross in Stiperden. There
the road to Rochdale diverged, passing through Shore
and Scaiteliffe. At the latter place the road again
divided. The one to the right went up Stigget Gate
by Sourha]l, Cloughfoot and Gorpley across
Inchfield Pasture to Ragby Bridge, and thence by
Allescholes towards Rochdale. The road to the left
crossed the breadth of the vale to Adam Royd, and
mounted the Langfield Moor at Stackhills towards
Heyhead. There it joined the packhorse road from
Lumbutts that skirts the moorland above Swineshead
124 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
and Knowl as far as Bottomley, and crosses the
Walsden valley both at Allescholes and Reddishore.
On the packhorse road, not far from Shurcrack, there
is an old milestone, with the following inscription on
three of its sides : To Rochdale, 6 miles ; to Burnley,
7 miles; to Halifax 9 miles. The corresponding
distances along the valleys are 8, 9 and 12 miles
respectively. A mile was possibly a little longer in
those days, but as regards the distance to Halifax,
the difference is mainly due to the straighter route
over hill and dale. The road went by Lumbutts and
Long Stoop into Withens and Cragg Yale, mounting
direct to Sowerby across the further upland. Another
road kept nearer to the valley, passing through
Stoodley, Horshold, Old Chamber and Midgley. On
the northern slope the road from Stiperden continued
by way of Heptonstall, crossing the Hebden at the
bridge and ascending the Wadsworth upland to
Mount Skip, Midgley and Luddenden. The most
famous pass connecting Lancashire and Yorkshire
was the one over Blackstone Edge, the importance of
which during the Civil Wars has already been
pointed out.
Less important lanes connected the farms on the
uplands. To-day they are left uneven and deserted,
for the valley has long since drawn into itself all the
currents of life and industry that once circulated so
freely over the uplands. Two or three centuries
ago long trains of packhorses or galloways, with well-
padded wooden saddles, wended slowly over the
shoulders of the hills with burdens of lime from
Clitheroe, or coal from Cliviger, or iron from
Bradford. On the approach of market day, men and
SOCIAL LIFE- AND SUPERSTITIONS 125
women traversed these lanes carrying the cloth they
had woven to the " piece room " (th' takkin'-in room)
in the house of the master clothier, or themselves
trudged many miles to sell their own pieces at
Heptonstall, Halifax or Rochdale.
It was under such circumstances that our fore-
fathers lived, fully occupied for the most part in
gaining a livelihood and seldom venturing beyond the
bounds set by their business journeys. Hence they
had but little intercourse with strangers, and it was
only in times of national excitement, when the beacon
fires on Pendle Hill, Thievely Pike and Blackstone
Edge flashed their messages north and south, that the
thoughts and interests of the inhabitants strayed far
beyond the circle of hills within which they were
born.
126
CHAPTER XVII.
The Beginning of Nonconformity.
The first Dissenters of whom we have definite
knowledge in Todmorden were the Friends or
Quakers. In 1648 George Fox began his public
work in Manchester. A few years later he gathered
many staunch adherents in the neighbourhood of
Halifax. William Dewsbury, " perhaps the sweetest
and wisest of the early Friends," was at Newchurch
in Rossendale in 1653 and very possibly preached
about the same time in Todmorden. In any case
there were Friends in this district in 1654, John
Fielden of Inchfield and Joshua Fielden of Bottom-
ley being among the earliest converts.
Fox taught that a man's first duty was to obey
the promptings of God's spirit within him, and to
guide his conduct by the Inner Light that is revealed
to every sincere seeker after Truth. He denied the
right of bishops, presbyters and magistrates to
interfere in matters of conscience. Both he and his
followers disregarded the observances of the Church
and declined to obey laws they considered unjust.
Hence they were continually in conflict with the
Church and with the law. Nevertheless, although
their gatherings were illegal, Friends on every hill
side in this locality met at one another's houses for
worship in the days of Charles II. The first recorded
meetings were held at Mankinholes in the house of
Joshua Laycock, and near by, on December 3, 1667,
BEGINNING OF NONCONFORMITY 127
half a little croft called Tenter Croft was rented as
a burial ground at a yearly rent of " one twopence
of silver " for a term of 900 years. This plot of
ground still forms part of one of the farms; on one
of the outbuildings there is a gravestone with the
inscription : " J. S. 1685." Other old burial grounds
may be seen at Shore and Todmorden Edge. In
addition to these places Quaker families lived at
Stoodley and Straithey in Langfield; Rodhill Hey,
Eodhill Head and Hartley Royd in Stansfield and at
Edge End, Inchfield and Bottomley in the Rochdale
parish.
Many penalties were imposed on Friends for their
disobedience to the law. In 1665 John Fielden was
fined for not attending church. As he declined to
pay, a cheese was taken from him and sold for 4s. 6d.
Three years later he suffered 31 weeks' imprisonment
for non-attendance ; whilst in the following year five
of his oxen were seized and sold (at a value of £23),
and he himself spent eight weeks in prison at
Preston.
Henry Krabtree, curate of Todmorden, viewed the
Friends with considerable disfavour. Accompanied
by his servant, Simeon Smith, he surprised a number
of Quakers from Walsden and Todmorden when met
together for worship at the house of Daniel Sutcliffe
of Rodhill Hey (May 3, 1684). A fine of 5s. was
imposed on each person who was present and as the
amount was not paid, distraints were made on their
household goods. In other words township officers
entered each house and took furniture, etc., equal in
value to the fine imposed. A month later a meeting
in Henry Kailey's house at Todmorden Edge was
128 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
similarly disturbed by the priest, and goods to the
value of £20, an ark of oatmeal, and one pack of
wool, were taken by distraint. Todmorden must
have been noted for the number of Friends, as when
such as declined to pay for the repair of the church
and school at Rochdale were summoned by the
Rochdale churchwardens, it was stated that the
majority of the offenders came from Todmorden,
where " the Quakers were both numerous and
troublesome."
The Toleration Act of 1689 stopped all active
persecution of Dissenters, by recognising the legality
of their public worship. Meeting houses were built
and maintained by the contributions of the worship-
pers. The Friends erected the first meeting house
in this locality at Shewbroad in 1694; though the
business meetings held there were described as
" Mankinholes meetings " for another century. The
Todmorden Friends belonged at first to the Brighouse
district, not being transferred to Marsden until 1807.
The passing of the Act of Uniformity (1662) led
to the formation of Presbyterian congregations
throughout the country. It was not, however, till
about 20 years later that we first hear of Presby-
terians in this neighbourhood. Their presence was
probably due to the preaching of Oliver Heywood
who, before the Act of Uniformity was passed, had
been the minister of Coley Chapel near Halifax. On
Whit-Tuesday, 1683, Heywood visited Cross Stone.
Jle preached in a " very large and commodious
house" (Great House) to a crowd of people who
thronged the building and its approaches. But
before the minister had finished his sermon, Major
BEGINNING OF NONCONFORMITY
129
Marshall, clerk to Mr. Eobinson, the curate of Cross
Stone, appeared with a warrant and brought the
service to a close. Mr. Heywood, however, was
allowed to leave without being molested. In
November of the same year his Todmorden friends
again sent for him. In order to escape from
observation he went to a " wilderness place " in
Stiperden, " a vale among the moors in the road to
Fig. 20. Chapel House.
Lancashire " where there were but two houses, in
one of which he preached. "Abundance of people
came many miles, though it was in the night and
very dark and slippery." The length of a Puritan
sermon peeps out in the confession that he struggled
with them three hours till he was very tired and
hoarse.
As a result of Oliver Heywood's preaching, a
130 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
congregation of Dissenters began to meet on the
Cross Stone upland, and in the reign of William III.
Great House was hired for regular services for a
term of 21 years. During this period a settled
ministry was established, and a chapel with accom-
modation for at least 200 persons was built at Bent
Head " for the people called Presbyterians to meet
in." To-day this building is known as " Chapel
House " and consists of four cottages. (Fig. 20.)
The Particular Baptists or Anabaptists appeared in
this neighbourhood towards the end of the 17th cen-
tury. William Mitchell and David Crossley, by the
earnestness of their preaching, founded as many as
twenty preaching stations during the years 1685-95 in
Lancashire and Yorkshire. At first these congrega-
tions could not be distinguished from those of Pres-
byterians. During a visit to London, Crossley came
under the influence of John Bunyan, and became a
convinced Baptist. On returning north he succeeded
in persuading most of his congregations to adopt
Baptist principles. During the earlier years of the
movement, Baptists from Todmorden and Heptonstall
were members of a church in Rossendale, but in 1704
a building erected at Rodhill End in Stansfield was
used as a " chappell or meeting house for Protestant
Dissenters called Baptists or Independents." Some
years later the church was separated from the one
in Eossendale, and was attended by members from
Todmorden and Heptonstall.
About this time Francis Gastrell, Bishop of
Chester, gave an interesting estimate of the number
of Dissenters in his diocese. In the portion of
Todmorden included within the Rochdale parish,
BEGINNING OF NONCONFORMITY 131
there were said to be 50 Quakers, 30 Anabaptists and
20 Presbyterians. No corresponding numbers are
available for the parish of Halifax, but the principal
meeting house of the Quakers was at Shewbroad; of
the Presbyterians at Bent Head and of the Ana-
baptists at Rodhill End, within the Yorkshire
townships of Langfield and Stansfield.
Each of the dissenting communities established
on the uplands resulted from the preaching of men
who travelled far and wide to proclaim their
doctrines. Methodism was similarly introduced into
this locality by the zealous labours of three men,
viz., William Darney, William Grimshaw and John
Wesley himself. Darney was a Scotchman, who
spoke the broadest Scotch, and was a member of
Wesley's first band of preachers. He visited Tod-
morden in 1744, preaching in a barn at Gauksholme,
and under his guidance the first Methodist society
was established in Walsden. Other societies were
formed at Todmorden Edge, Cross Stone, Shore and
Heptonstall, and were frequently visited by Grim-
shaw and Wesley. The former had been curate of
Todmorden for nearly 11 years (1731-41), and after
removing to Haworth, Grimshaw joined Wesley in
his work, more than once accompanying him to
Todmorden. John Wesley paid his first visit to this
district on May 1, 1747. At mid-day he preached
at Shore " half-way down a huge mountain, to a
loving, simple hearted people " ; then climbing
Todmorden Edge, on the brow of a long chain of
mountains, he called a " serious people to repent and
believe the gospel." The first recorded Quarterly
Meeting ever held in Methodism took place the
132 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
following year (October 18, 1748) at Chapel House,
Todmorden Edge, under the chairmanship of William
Grimshaw. Stewards were appointed to look after
the business of the various societies, and contribu-
tions were received from 23 Methodist class meetings.
Todmorden, with six classes, contributed £1 Is. ll^d. ;
Heptonstall with 10 classes, forwarded £2 3s. 9-|d.
In his Journal, John Wesley frequently remarks
on the beauty of our hills and valleys. Two refer-
ences are of particular interest and may be quoted.
" On April 25, 1755, about 10, I preached near
Todmorden (probably at the bottom of Pexwood).
The people stood, row above row, on the side of the
mountain. They were rough enough in outward
appearance, but their hearts were as melting wax.
One can hardly conceive anything more delightful
than the vale through which we rode from hence
(Wesley was proceeding to Hebden Bridge). The
river ran through the green meadows on the right,
the fruitful hills and woods rose on either hand
.... At three in the afternoon I preached at
Heptonstall on the brow of the mountain."
Four years later after visiting the same scene with
Grimshaw and preaching to a congregation at
Gauxholme, who once more " on the side of an
enormous mountain," "stood and sat, row above row,
in a sylvan theatre," Wesley exclaims : " I believe
nothing on the post-diluvian earth can be more
pleasant than the road from hence, between huge,
deep mountains clothed with wood to the top and
watered at the bottom by a clear, winding stream.
At 4, I preached to a very large congregation at
Heptonstall and thence rode to Haworth."
BEGINNING OF NONCONFOKMITY 133
This double testimony to the beauty of the
landscape between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge
is the more noteworthy as Wesley, in his Journal,
makes but few references to natural scenery, although
he travelled throughout the length and breadth of
the land. In old age "Wesley still visited this
neighbourhood. Joseph Atkinson, curate of Tod-
morden, was sympathetic towards the Methodists, and
"Wesley preached at St. Mary's as well as in the
Wesley an Chapel erected in 1783 at Doghouse. The
latter — the predecessor of York Street Chapel — was
the first Methodist Chapel built in Todmorden, but
at Heptonstall in Croft Field a chapel had been
erected twenty years before (1764). Wesley's last
visit took place on May 25, 1786, when he was 82
years old. He preached at Heptonstall Church in
the morning and at St. Mary's in the afternoon. In
his Journal he writes : " How changed are both place
and people since I saw them first ! Lo, the smiling
fields are glad, and the human savages are tamed."
Methodism obtained many converts from other
churches, and its rapid growth was accompanied by
some decline among Quaker and Baptist congrega-
tions. The Friends' meeting house at Todmorden
Edge passed into the hands of the Methodists, and
Methodist services were established at Rodhill End,
the Baptist chapel there being sold to the Wesleyans.
Methodism, however, was indirectly responsible for
an important development among the Baptists in
this locality. Dan Taylor, who had been powerfully
influenced by the Methodist movement, began
preaching at Nook in Wadsworth, and in 1764
founded at Birchcliffe the first General Baptist
Church in England. Impelled by missionary zeal
134 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
lie established a branch church at Shore in 1777, and
from Shore Chapel, in turn, other General Baptist
Churches have been derived.
Similarly, through the preaching of Grimshaw in
Wadsworth, Richard Smith was converted and
instead of joining the Wesleyans, he became the
minister of a Particular Baptist Church at Wains-
gate. This church, which now worships at Hope
Chapel, Hebden Bridge, can claim the distinction
of having had Dr. Fawcett as its minister for more
than 50 years (1764 — 1817), and of having numbered
among its members John Foster, the famous essayist.
Dr. Fawcett was, in his day, a noted Nonconformist
divine, being an excellent preacher, a man of sound
learning and a voluminous writer. Despite invita-
tions to more important work in London and Bristol,
he remained faithful to his northern church. He
added to the duties of pastor those of master of a
Boarding School for the instruction of youth in "the
English, Latin and Greek tongues," and also trained
young men for the ministry. He had the good
fortune to launch on their future careers both John
Foster and William Ward, the companion of Carey,
the great missionary to India.
Foster was born in 1770 at the small manor house
in Wadsworth, where his father gained a livelihood
by farming and handloom weaving. The son was a
quiet, thoughtful and very imaginative boy. At
the age of 17 he entered Dr. Fawcett's Academy at
Brearley Hall and later became a Baptist minister.
His fame, however, rests entirely on the essays he
wrote, especially on a volume published in 1806,
containing four essays of which the most famous is
entitled " On Decision of Character."
135
CHAPTER XVIII.
Todmorden Schools and Churches during the
18th Century.
On the threshold of the 18th century Todmorden
was still a district of scattered farmsteads, with not
a single factory or mill chimney, and with but few
cottages in the bottom of the valley. Turnpike
roads, canals and railways were unthought of, and
places such as Gauxholme and Lobmill were as far
away from each other for practical purposes as
Todmorden and Burnley are to-day. This neigh-
bourhood was a bit of rural England almost hidden
amid hills and moors; not a hint had been given of
the smoke and ugliness of 19th century towns with
their factories and streets.
Some idea of the conditions that prevailed two
centuries ago is obtained from Bishop Gastrell's
description of the Todmorden chapelry. He stated
that the curate of Todmorden had a small house
worth £1 a year; he received £1 for a charity
sermon on New Year's Day, and the inhabitants
contributed £14 a year. Formerly the sum was £20,
but " there were many Quakers who refused to pay."
Instead of receiving wages the clerk of St. Mary's
begged wool through the chapelry. As for the
chapel itself, if the description given in 1650 was
correct (p. 105), it must either have been rebuilt or
repaired after the Restoration. A century later it
again urgently needed repair, and in 1770 the
136 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
inhabitants, led by Anthony Crossley of Scaitcliife,
set about its renovation. Many parishioners gave
both materials and labour; £600 was raised by
subscription and a rate was levied in Todmorden
and Walsden. The chapel tower, which was not
pulled down, is probably the only part of the present
building that dates back to the beginning of the
17th century.
Todmorden's first school was built under the
shadow of St. Mary's. Its founder was Richard
Clegg, Vicar of Kirkham, grandson of Richard Clegg
of Stonehouse, Walsden. Over the door of the barn
at Stonehouse is a stone that bears the inscription :
"R.C. 1678." The vicar in 1713 conveyed "the
newly erected house in Todmorden, then used as a
schoolroom," to trustees, including Henry Pigot,
vicar of Rochdale, and John Crossley, Scaitcliffe,
yeoman. Mr. Clegg collected £50 and himself
added £100. The interest of this money was devoted
to the repair of the school and the instruction of
four children, one appointed by the owner of Stone-
house, one by the owner of Eastwood and two by the
churchwardens of Todmorden and Walsden. The
schoolmaster was to be elected by the majority of the
freeholders of Todmorden and Walsden. The
schoolhouse was in the parsonage garden and con-
sisted of a schoolroom for 100 scholars with a master's
dwelling house above. The children's playground
was situated at the back of the church.
Within a few years of the founding of Clegg's
Endowed School the inhabitants of Stansfield and
Langfield not only built a school for their children
but also rebuilt the chapel at Cross Stone. Fig. 21
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES IN 18TH CENTURY 137
shows what was the appearance of the older chapel
in 1714, just before it was pulled down. Permission
to rebuild was obtained in 1717, and two years later
the pews on the north side of the new chapel were
allotted to parishioners from Stansfield, those on the
south side being reserved for Langfield. The stipend
of the Cross Stone curate suffered (as in the Tod-
morden chapelry) from the presence of Quakers, the
Jip
'^fcafek'*-''"
\
!irn|Tnj
K«
~**
; *"*SCJgS
hu m
L! ^iuSr
SlMta
u^_
Fig. 2i. Cross Stone Chapel.
£20 guaranteed in Elizabeth's reign being no longer
forthcoming. The curate lived in a poor cottage
worth 20s. per annum ; he received 40s. for an annual
sermon at Halifax, together with an annuity of 10s.
Before the new chapel was built a school house had
been erected on a plot of land near the east end of the
chapel-yard. Six poor children, four from Stans-
field and two from Langfield, were instructed free
138 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
of charge. The interest on a sum of £60 subscribed
by the inhabitants of both townships was paid to
the schoolmaster for their instruction. He was at
liberty to teach as many other children for wages
as he might think proper. The school had accom-
modation for about fifty scholars.
The schools at St. Mary's and Cross Stone were
elementary schools, but at Heptonstall a grammar
school had been founded in Charles I.'s reign. In
1642 Charles Greenwood, Lord of the Manor of
Heptonstall, and Rector of Thornhill, the tutor and
life-long friend of the Earl of Strafford, built a
school house to be used after his death as a Free
Grammar School for the children of the inhabitants
of the town and township of Heptonstall. The
income derived from two farms in Colden was set
aside for the maintenance of a schoolmaster, " who
had well profited in learning." Free instruction
was given in Latin and Greek, and other subjects
were taught by an assistant master at a moderate
charge. The building stands outside the church-
yard adjoining the old church.
During the 18th century Heptonstall Church. was
further enlarged by the addition of two galleries,
until it had accommodation for 1,100 persons. John
Wesley in 1786 described the church as the ugliest
he knew, and with its double nave and chancel it
undoubtedly presented an unusual appearance.
In alluding to the repair of Todmorden Chapel,
reference was made to a rate levied for that purpose
in Todmorden and Walsden. The business of a
church was in the hands of the vicar or curate and
of certain officers, called churchwardens, who were
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES IN 18TH CENTURY 139
appointed annually by the parishioners. They were
responsible for the maintenance of church property,
and with the consent of the inhabitants had power
to levy a rate to defray the expense. Take for
example, Heptonstall Chapel. For the upkeep of
the building and payment of clerk, sexton, bell-
ringers and dog whipper, an annual rate was levied
on each township within the chapelry. The propor-
tion contributed by each township was as follows :
Wadsworth, one-third; Heptonstall and Stansfield,
each two-ninths ; Langfield and Erringden, each one-
ninth, of the total cost. In addition to this contribu-
tion, the inhabitants of Stansfield and Langfield had
to keep in repair Cross Stone Chapel, school and
parsonage.
Accounts were kept by the churchwardens, giving
full details of each year's income and expenditure.
These records throw an interesting light on this
district during the 18th century. In connection
with Heptonstall Chapel, almost every year items
occurred for mossing, slating, pointing or flagging
some part of the church or yard; bell ropes were
renewed; bell clappers pieced on once more, the
clock was cleaned, the church swept or its vestries
whitewashed, whilst occasionally heavier expense
was incurred by re-seating part of the chapel or
strengthening the steeple with beams. " Mossing "
means filling the crevices between the slates with
moss to prevent rain and snow being driven by the
winter gales into the interior of the building.
The following entries are taken from the church-
wardens' accounts for the townships of Stansfield
(1726-58) and Erringden (1764—1840): —
140 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
" 1730. Paid to John Horsf all for
building the minister's house
at Cross Stone - £5 7s. 2d.
1738, June. Paid to Mr. Grini-
shaw for seating, mossing and
mending the schoolhouse at
Cross Stone - lis. 4d.
1757. For making the clock face
at Heptonstall fast when near
blown off in great winds - 2s. 6d.
1792. Wage of Bellringer at
Cross Stone - 12s. Od.
1799, Feb. For cleaning snow
out of Heptonstall Church and
steeple - 4s. 4id."
In 1780-81 Cross Stone chapel-yard was repaired
and enlarged at a cost of £66 4s. 8^d., £44 3s. l^d.
for Stansfield, and the remainder for Langfield.
The church was also a centre of charitable agen-
cies. Frequently bequests were left to the poor and
it was the duty of churchwardens to see that the
intentions of the donors were carried out. Thus in
1608 Henry Pollard gave the sum of £2 7s. Od. a
year out of a farm in Stansfield, called Jumps Farm,
of which £1 18s. was for the use of the poor in
Stansfield. Also in 1705 John Greenwood of Hip-
pings gave 20s. a year to the poor of Stansfield to be
distributed in canvas cloth to those not having relief
from the parish. On turning to the churchwardens'
accounts for Stansfield we find how these legacies
were distributed. During the year 1730, for exam-
ple, £2 was distributed among 37 persons from Henry
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES IN 18TH CENTURY 141
Pollard's legacy; and under the heading of Hip-
pings' Legacy there are the names of nine men to
each of whom a shift (or shirt) had been given.
The following curious extract is taken from the
account of an Erringden churchwarden for the year
1765. In the midst of the usual entries the reader
suddenly comes upon the following unexpected
paragraph : —
" Before you read any further, Please to peruse
the Advertisement at the end of these Accompts
(Accounts)."
On turning over the page there is a true copy of
an advertisement, printed by P. Darby, Halifax: —
11 Whereas on Monday night the 16th or Tuesday
morning the 17th of December, 1765, the Vestry
Room of the Church of Heptonstall was broke
open and from thence was stolen out two silver
Cups with these Inscriptions :
' This Pece of Plat bought in the year of our
Lord 1681 by Richard Horsfall and John Bentley
for the use of Heptonstall Church for ever.' On
the other this Inscription : ' This peice of Plate
was bought in the year of our Lord 1718 for the
use of Heptonstall Church for ever ' Also
one Silver Salver, four Pewter fflaggons and five
Pewter Plates without any Inscriptions. The
Person or Persons to whom these are offered to be
sold or pawned, are desired to secure the Person
or Persons so offering such to be sold, to whom a
handsome Satisfaction or Gratuity will be given
by the Reverend Tobit Sutcliffe, Curate of Hep-
tonstall in the Vicarage of Halifax, or Mr.
142 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
William Cockcroft of Mayroyd nigh Heptonstall
aforesaid.
If any silver come melted down, the Persons to
whom it is offered are desired to take particular
Notice of those who bring such to be disposed of."
The steps taken in search of the thief and his final
transportation after trial at Wakefield, may be noted
in the entries that follow the above statement : but
the stolen vessels were never recovered. The follow-
ing year two new silver cups and salver, suitably
inscribed, with two new flagons and six inscribed
pewter plates were purchased for the church at a
cost to the chapelry of more than £20.
143
CHAPTER XIX.
The Management of Local Affairs in the
18th Century.
In the interval between the 14th and 18th centuries
great changes had taken place in the management of
local affairs. In the 14th century interest centred in
the Manor of Wakefield and in Earl Warren's Manor
Courts. But gradually the Manor lost its importance,
and in its place each township within the Manor took
a considerable part in managing its own local affairs.
There were different officers appointed annually by
the town's folk to look after different matters affecting
the well-being of the township. They had no power,
however, to judge or punish wrongdoers. Such power
was vested in county magistrates, chosen from the
landed gentry, and named Justices of the Peace. The
Justices met four times a year at Quarter Sessions for
the trial and punishment of offenders, who were not
sent to the Assize Court. Justices of the Peace acted
a£ legal referees in the township where they lived,
supervising the administration of the law and giving
authority to local officers.
The chief township officers, of whom there are old
local records, were the constable, overseer of the poor,
surveyor of highways and pinder.
I. The constable was the most important official
during the 18th century. The mere recital of his
144 HISTOEY OF TODMORDEN
duties will show the extent and variety of local
business with which he was charged.
1. It was the constable's duty to keep the peace and
arrest evildoers; to test weights and measures in the
township and to keep the stocks and pinfold in repair.
2. The constable levied a rate to pay the expenses
incurred during his year of office and to contribute
towards the general county expenses such as the
maintenance of prisons and repair of bridges. He
also assisted in collecting the land tax, window tax
and dog tax, when levied on the township.
3. The constable prepared lists of men liable to
serve in the militia and on juries, or as constables,
overseers and surveyors of highways; and presented
such lists to the justices.
4. The constable, with four men from the township,
attended coroners' inquests; he accompanied inn-
keepers to the justices for the renewal of their
licences : and obtained from the justices the necessary
warrants for the appointment of local officers.
The following items are taken from the yearly
accounts of local constables in the 18th century : —
S tans field Township.
" 1778. Paid for repairing pinfold - 2s. Od.
1782. Paid for weights and
measures - - 10s Id.
1785. G-oing through the town to
try weights and measures 12s. Od.
1796. Numbering militia and list
writing - 10s. Od.
LOCAL AFFAIRS IN 18TH CENTURY 145
Journey to Bradford with
Militia list ... 3s. Od.
Journey to Bradford con-
cerning Dog Tax - - 3s. Od.
Paid the Assessor of Dogs - £1 18s. Od.
1806. To James Stansfield for
Iron work for stocks - 4s. 2d."
A list is given of the articles in the possession of
the Stansfield constables, and in addition to balances,
weights and measures, the list includes one thumb
screw, two pairs of handcuffs, a truncheon and a
whip. The following entry shows that occasionally
constables made merry and caroused at the expense
of the township : —
" 1807. Expenses of giving up the accounts last
year as under.
To 15 Dinners at Is. each - - 15s. Od.
To 13 Quarts of ale at 6d. per quart 6s. 6d.
To 30 Glasses of Spirits at 6d. per
glass 15s. Od."
The Hamlet of Todmorden.
" 1750. Repairing stocks at Todmorden 6s. Od.
1756. For attending His Majesty's
Window Viewers through my
Constabulary - - - 3s. Od.
1757. For conveying 4 vagrants, viz.,
a woman and three children
passing from Leeds to Ros-
sendale the place of their
abode and charges of one
night's lodging them - - 3s. Od.
146 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
1760. Paid at proclaiming the King
at Rochdale - - - - 2s. 0|d.
1779. For attending at Rochdale with
the publicans for their licence Is. Od.
For attending at Rochdale with
surveyors to be chosen and
for the warrant - - - 5s. Od.
For attending the Deputy
Lieutenant at Manchester
when the militia men were
sworn into the service - - 2s. 6d.
1780. For making search by warrant
in Rochdale for pickpockets Is. Od."
A fair was held annually in Todmorden, and each
year the constable cleaned his truncheon in readiness
for the occasion (at a charge of 8d. to the hamlet).
He also received one shilling for " walking the fair."
When evildoers were caught, men were paid to watch
them and prevent their escape, as no " lock-up " was
then built. As late as 1805 the constable of Stans-
field fined one man Is. for not going to Divine
worship; another man Is. for swearing, and three
others 3s. 4d. each for Sabbath breaking.
An account will be given later of the additional
wrork that fell to constables in time of war (chap,
xxii).
II. — Overseer of the poor.
In the 16th century the problem of poverty com-
pelled the serious attention of Parliament. At first
an attempt was made to cope with the evil by charit-
able gifts from the wealthy. But the plan failed,
LOCAL AFFAIRS IN 18TH CENTURY 147
and in Elizabeth's reign (in the year 1601) an
important Poor Law was passed which rejected
voluntary methods and imposed on every township
the duty of providing for its own poor. Township
officials, known as Overseers of the Poor, were chosen
by the inhabitants with the approval of the Justices
and were empowered to levy a rate in order to obtain
money for the relief of paupers. They were also
empowered to distribute the money raised as they
thought fit. This Act remained in force for more
than 200 years (until 1834). Detailed information
as to how the poor were treated in the 18th century
can be obtained from overseers' accounts that have
been preserved.
In the first place townships were very anxious not
to relieve strangers. Before a person in poor cir-
cumstances was allowed to settle in another town-
ship, an agreement was entered into by the overseers
of his own district that they would attend to his
relief should poverty overtake him in his new home.
These agreements were called " Certificates of Settle-
ment." A batch of certificates relating to the town-
ship of Hundersfield (in which Todmorden and
Walsden were situated) is in the possession of the
Assistant Overseer. They embrace a period of over
150 years (1677 — 1833). If a stranger became a
pauper, he was at once sent back to his native town-
ship for relief. Disputes were continually arising
as to the settlement of paupers and large sums of
money were spent on law-suits.
Paupers legally settled within a township were
treated as the law directed. On the right shoulder
of every pauper was a badge of red or blue cloth
148 HISTOKY OF TODMORDEN
consisting of the letter P and the first letter of the
township. For example : —
Stansfield Township,
" 1752. Cloth to badge the poor and to
Wm. Dearden for badging them lOd."
Money was given every month to the aged and
infirm. Those who were sick received whatever help
the overseers thought suitable. In some cases money
was given; in others, clothing was supplied or
doctor's bills, funeral expenses, rent or even furniture
were paid for out of township funds. Sometimes
goods were lent, and remained the property of the
township. The following examples are taken from
the Stansfield Overseers' Accounts : —
" 1744. Burial of George Crowther - 10s. Od.
(This was the usual price of a pauper funeral.)
1728. For a Bedstead for John Drapper 3s. Od.
For two blankets and 1 rug and
chaff bed for John Drapper - 8s. 3d.
1750. To Wm. Sutcliffe for helping to
" flit " Widow Sutcliffe 2 times Is, 4d.
1753. For Ellen Drapper. Eent - 8s. Od.
1757. Bought of Robert Barker goods
as follows and lent them to
John Marshall : 2 pair Bed-
stocks, 4 Bed Blankets, 1 Cad-
dow (quilt) - 18s. Od.
2 Bolsters, 2 Chaffbeds 4s.; 3
wheels and 2 pair Cards, 4s;
Fire lorn 5s. ; 2 Jorn Pans and
Hooks 3s."
LOCAL AFFAIRS IN 18TH CENTURY 149
Overseers provided work for unemployed paupers
and repeated references occur to handlooms, cards,
wheels and spindles, supplied to various persons in
the township : —
"1742. To a pair of looms for John
Lord - - "- - 18s. Od.
1749. One wheel and spindle for Jno.
Earnshaw - - - - 6s. Od."
It was an overseer's duty to apprentice pauper
children to some trade or employment. He had
power to compel suitable persons to take paupers as
apprentices, or to impose a fine for refusal. The
usual age of apprenticeship was seven years, and
farmers on the uplands often availed themselves of
pauper labour. An agreement or indenture was
drawn up between the master and the overseer,
whereby the master promised suitably to feed, clothe
and train the pauper child, a sum of 10s. being paid
by the township towards his outfit : —
"1745. To Widow Sutcliffe for main-
taining a Boy till he was
placed apprentice - - - Is. Od.
To a pair of indentures and for
filling them up 2s. 4d.
To William Barker with the
same apprentice - - - 10s. Od.
To the Justices for signing the
indentures - - - - 4s. 6d."
Early in the 18th century (1722) an Act of Parlia-
ment gave power to townships to purchase or hire
150 HISTORY OF TODMOBDEN
houses for the accommodation of the poor. In
consequence poorhouses came into existence in this
neighbourhood. About the year 1738 the experiment
was tried in Stansfield, but after two years was given
up, probably because the new system proved to be
very expensive. Later, however, poorhouses were to
be found in both Stansfield, Langfield and Todmor-
den. In the case of Langfield a poorhouse was built
at Croft Carr Green in 1786-7 at a cost of £164; in
Stansfield and Todmorden there were poorhouses at
Blackshaw Head and at Gauxholme. Detailed
accounts have been preserved of poorhouse manage-
ment that give particulars not only of the rent and
the treatment of the poor, biit also of the price of
various articles in the 18th century. The following
entries are typical of many more : —
"Stansfield, 1739. '27 pound a
Beef ' for workhouse
A load of meal (240 lbs.) - £1
One load of malt -
5 load of coals -
One stone and a half of potatoes
9 lbs. of cheese -
\ stone butter -
\ lb. tobacco -
Many of the paupers were too old to engage in any
work, but such as could work were employed in
spinning worsted and broad woof, and in the produc-
tion of bocking and shalloon warps.* The money
* Booking was a coarse woollen fabric used for floor cloths, etc. ;
shalloon was a light woollen stuff, chiefly used for linings of coats.
4s.
4d.
0s.
Od.
18s.
Od.
3s.
6id.
7±d.
Is.
8d.
2s.
4d.
5±d.
LOCAL AFFAIRS IN 18TH CENTURY 151
received from the sale of the goods they made, helped
to defray the expenses of maintenance. In the year
1739, for example, £b 16s. Od. was obtained for
goods sold at the workhouse in Stansfield.
During the greater part of the 18th century there
seems to have been no qualified doctor in this neigh-
bourhood (chap, xvi), but in 1791, Dr. Hey worth
Heyworth served as medical officer for Langfield.
For attendance on the paupers of Langfield Town,
Sept. 1791 — Jan. 1792, Dr. Heyworth's bill amounted
to 12s. 10^d. During that time he had administered
3 Blister plasters at Is. each; 3 Large Stimulating
Mixtures at Is. 3d.; 2 Pots of Digestive Liniment at
6d.; as well as a Rubbing Bottle, 6d., and some
Healing Salve for 4d.
III. — Surveyor of Highways.
This office was instituted by Parliament in 1554.
Surveyors were responsible for the repair and con-
struction of roads within a township. They were
authorised to call on the inhabitants to help in the
work; or, with the consent of the ratepayers, they
might levy a rate and pay labourers to do what was
necessary. Surveyors' Accounts still exist referring
to our local townships in the 18th and early 19th
centuries. A record was kept of the number of days'
labour spent on the roads; of the tools bought or
mended or other work done. Occasionally the
surveyors succeeded in getting the work done without
the imposition of a lay or rate. The following
entries may be quoted in illustration : —
152 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Todmorden.
1739. John Dawson and Edward
Lacy, Surveyors.
Beceived by one Lay at 6d. per
pound -
Disburst -
£9 3s.
£9 Is.
lOd.
lOd.
Balance
2s.
Od.
Paid to Wm. Crowther for 41
days work at 12d. per day £2 Is. Od.
Paid to Job Halliwell for 54^
days work at 12d. per day £2 14s. 6d.
Paid to Jno. Tattersall for
Smith's work in sharpening
and repairing tools for the
use of the Todmorden High-
ways - 5s. lOd.
Paid for the use of Job Halli-
well's spade - 6d.
Paid to Simeon Lord for one
Maul and 3 Wedges for the
use of the Town hereafter
for ever ' - - - 10s. Od."
S tans field Township.
1784:, Jan. 5th. ' Paid to myself,
shooling (shovelling) snow' Is. 6d.
Jan. 11th. Do. 2s. Od.
LOCAL AFFAIRS IN 18TH CENTURY 153
1790. John Dawson, Overseer.
Paid for himself and his sons,
April 30th to Oct. 30th, on
the road between Moss
Hall, Stiperden, Kebcote,
Lanehead and Mytholm - £13 0s. Od."
Todmorden.
" 1763. This year the roads were repaired by
day works of the inhabitants, without any lay or
assessment, so these accounts may be settled with-
out either pen, ink or paper."
IV. — Finder.
In rural townships there was an enclosure, called
a Pinfold or Pound, where stray cattle were kept.
It was in the charge of a local official known as the
Pinder. In the year 1705, John Crowther of Hey-
head was appointed " Pinder or Herdsman for the
outpasture of Langfield, so long as he shall behave
himself well and civilly in his office." He was
empowered " to impound or put all manner of cattle
trespassing or offending in the outpasture, in the
pinfold situate in Langfield." The Langfield pin-
fold was in Lumbutts, near Lee Farm. In 1814
Samuel Fielden obtained permission to remove it
elsewhere, so that he might construct a reservoir for
the spinning mill at Lumbutts built by himself and
his brothers. At a meeting held in the Dog and
Partridge Inn, Lumbutts (1827), the Freeholders of
Langfield resolved : " that the Pinder have a new hat
and girdle, new coat and collar and a pair of new
shoes."
154
CHAPTER XX.
The Industrial Revolution and the Story of
Mr. John Eielden, M.P.
A great industrial revolution took place in England
during the latter half of the 18th century. Within
a space of about fifty years greater changes were
produced in this district than five previous centuries
had been able to effect. Turnpike roads along the
valleys took the place of packhorse roads over the
uplands; the Rochdale canal joined the Calder and
Hebble Navigation in Yorkshire with the Duke of
Bridgewater's canal in Lancashire ; and the invention
of new machinery completely changed the older
methods of spinning and weaving and led to the
manufacture of both cotton and woollen goods on a
much larger scale. It will be convenient to deal
first with the improvements made in the means of
transit, and then to trace the steps that led to the
establishment of the modern factory system.
Improvements in transit.
Early in the 18th century loud complaints were
made as to the condition of the highways. The
old system, described in the last chapter, whereby
surveyors were responsible for the repair of the
roads in each township had proved unsuccessful.
Ratepayers declined to spend much money on
roads; the surveyors were poorly paid and had no
power to compel men to work as they directed. An
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 155
important road like the one over Blackstone Edge
was sometimes impassable even in summer. Defoe,
who travelled over it in August, 1724, described it as
being " very frightful, narrow and deep, with a
hollow precipice on the right " that made it very
dangerous. Moreover, merchants, farmers and
clothiers travelled many miles on business, and as
trade expanded the need of better roads was felt more
keenly. This demand led to the establishment of
turnpike trusts or companies, who obtained the con-
sent of Parliament to build turnpike roads and toll-
houses, and to recoup themselves for the capital
invested by levying tolls on all traffic passing over
the roads.
The first turnpike road in this district was over
Blackstone Edge (1784). Twenty years later an Act
of Parliament was passed for " diverting, altering,
widening, repairing and amending the roads " from
the town of Halifax and from Sowerby Bridge by
Todmorden to Burnley and Littleborough. In the
first paragraph of the Act the roads are described as
being, in some places, extremely rough and incom-
modious; in others, ruinous and dangerous, often
leading over hills so steep and high as to be almost
impassable for wheel carriages. The Act therefore
recommends deviations in the roads so as to avoid the
hills, and the widening of them with a view to
securing a " much more easy, extensive and advan-
tageous communication through that populous and
trading country." Trustees, including Anthony
Crossley of Scaitcliffe and John Sutcliffe of Stansfield
Hall, were appointed to carry out the provisions of
the Act. Roads were built, toll-houses and mile-
156 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
stones were erected, the rate of the toll was fixed and
township surveyors were ordered to furnish lists of
persons liable to give two days' work a year for
repairing the roads. The rate fixed for tolls in 1776
was as follows : —
" For every horse or other beast drawing any coach,
waggon, cart, 2s. or Is. 6d. according to
breadth of wheel.
For every horse, etc., laden or unladen and not
drawing, 6d.
For every drove of oxen or other neat cattle, at the
rate of 2s. 6d. per score, and every drove of
calves, sheep, swine or lambs, at lOd. per
score."
The establishment of turnpike roads was the first
step in a process that gradually left the uplands
almost desolate. Inns such as those at Sourhall and
Whirlaw were deserted in favour of rival inns in the
valley at Spring Gardens (now Queen Hotel) and
Castle Street. With the development of new
machinery, neither packhorses nor waggons could
keep pace with the growing requirements of trade
and a project for the construction of a canal through
this district took definite shape.
The first attempt (in 1765) was abandoned on
account of the opposition of Lancashire merchants.
In 1790, however, a committee of Hebden Bridge
and Rochdale gentlemen promoted a scheme for a
canal from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester. Four
years later the scheme obtained Parliamentary
sanction. The length of the canal was 33 miles, and
during its construction (1794 — 1802) the reservoirs at
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 157
Blackstone Edge and Whiteholme as well as Holling-
wortli Lake were built.*
The Act of Parliament gives a list of streams where
only surplus water was available for the Company,
so as not to interfere with the existing water supplies
of manufacturers and property owners. These
streams are almost all in this district, beginning
at Warland Clough, and including Midgelden Brook,
Lumbutts Stream and Stoodley Clough. " At the
Call or Weir next above Todmorden belonging to
Joshua Fielden," water might be turned into the
canal " when the stream shall flow over such Call or
Weir more than 2TV inches mean depth and 30 ft.
broad." In the first scale of rates levied by the
Canal Company, 2d. a mile was charged for every
ton of merchandise, when a lock was passed through ;
otherwise the charge was l|d. a mile. The canal was
navigable as far as Todmorden in August, 1798, and
was finally completed four years later. Hence the
19th century opened with a double line of communi-
cation running at the foot of the hills, canal barges
being used instead of waggons for carrying cotton
and woollen goods over long distances.
Introduction of the Factory System,
. In the beginning of the 18th century the uplands
were parcelled out into small farms, where men
worked, not only as farmers, but as manufacturers of
woollen shalloons, kerseys and bockings for the Halifax
market. Gradually a change was brought about
through the development of the cotton industry in
Lancashire. Large quantities of cotton weft and
* The Gaddens reservoirs were constructed about 25 years later
158 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
linen yarn were produced in the neighbourhood of
Bolton and Manchester. As trade increased merchants
began to distribute warp and raw cotton in the
surrounding villages, to be spun and woven into
cloth. In consequence men on the Lancashire
uplands (as in Yorkshire) became both small farmers
and manufacturers. They worked, however, in cotton
instead of wool. The rate of production was very
slow. It took a fortnight to weave one cotton piece
containing 12 lbs. of weft. And yet to keep a hand-
loom weaver busy, six or eight persons were con-
tinually occupied in carding, roving and. spinning.
The system of " putting out " warps and weft
reached Todmorden soon after 1790. Messrs. Travis
and Milne, of High Crompton, near Shaw, brought
these materials to Gauxholme Fold every week, and
received back the finished cotton pieces. The old
domestic system was thus applied to the manufacture
of cotton instead of woollen goods.
The next stage was reached when hand cards and
spinning wheels could no longer keep pace with the
hand loom, owing to improvements in weaving. The
necessary speed was then obtained by the invention of
the carding machine, spinning jenny and spinning
frame. In this way elaborate machinery became
indispensable and the old domestic system of manu-
facture was doomed to decay. The first cotton mill
in this district was erected in 1786, by John Fielden,
son of Samuel Fielden, of Swineshead Farm in
Langfield. Removing to Walsden, he built on the
Clough Farm estate, a small mill three storeys high
containing carding and spinning machinery driven
by a water-wheel. " Fielden and Travis," of Clough
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 159
Mill, thus became a centre for the distribution of
warps and weft to weavers on the uplands. Other
mills were soon erected, but in the story of one of
them, viz., that of Joshua Fielden, of Laneside, the rise
and progress of the cotton industry may be traced,
whereby the old domestic system of manufacture was
changed into the highly organised factory system of
to-day.
Joshua Fielden was brought up at Edge End Farm
as a farmer and woollen manufacturer. His father
came from Bottomley, in Walsden. Still earlier the
family had lived at Inchfield (Appendix IV).
Joshua Fielden was a man of robust character.
He was a Friend and worshipped at Shewbroad,
where also he was buried. He pursued his business
with untiring zeal. Every week he walked to
Halifax market (a distance to and fro of 24 miles),
carrying the woollen piece he had woven. But
perceiving a possibility of greater success in the
cotton industry, he left Edge End (1782), and
established himself at Laneside. There he began the
work of cotton spinning and weaving in three small
cottages. Soon the building was enlarged and a
spinning jenny replaced the spinning wheel. Next
carding machines were added, and the first step was
taken towards founding the future Waterside Mill.
At first Joshua Fielden brought his weekly supply of
cotton from Manchester in a cart, and for many years
with his third son John (the future member for
Oldham) he attended Manchester market every
Thursday to deliver the finished cloth. Winter and
summer alike they left home at four in the morning,
arriving back at midnight. Joshua's five sons were
160 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
all trained for the business. At the age of ten each
began working in the mill. The work was arduous,
but there was no danger at Laneside Mill of witnessing
the cruelties that were inflicted on thousands of
children during the earlier years of the factory
system. On the contrary, the Fieldens were honour-
ably distinguished by their opposition to such cruelty,
and fuller reference must be made to the work they
accomplished on behalf of factory workers.
The factory system was the result of individual
enterprise and grew up at first without any kind of
external control. The output of cotton pieces
increased enormously, and manufacturers became
eager to make large fortunes. " Factories were built
on the sides of streams capable of turning the water-
wheel. Thousands of hands were suddenly required
in these places remote from towns The small
and nimble fingers of little children, being by very
far the most in request, the custom instantly sprang
up of procuring apprentices from the different parish
workhouses of London, Birmingham and elsewhere.
Many, many thousands of these little hapless creatures
were sent down into the north, being from the age of
seven to the age of thirteen or fourteen years old." *
The greatest cruelties were practised. Children not
more than 7 years of age were compelled to work 14
or 15 hours a day, being often flogged to their work
and kept without wholesome food. At this very time,
however (towards the close of the 18th century), the
hours of labour at Laneside Mill did not exceed ten
per day during both winter and summer.
The following resolution, passed by the Todmorden
" The Curse of the Factory System," p. 9, by John Fielden, M.P.
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 161
and Walsden churchwardens in 1801, shows only too
plainly that pauper children were employed in mills
and that excessive hours and night-shifts were not
unknown : —
" Agreed by the laypayers here present that Mr.
Hudson shall have a number of children apprenticed
out of the workhouse on condition that they are to
work the usual hours and that at the usual time, not
in the night."
At last (1802) Parliament intervened and limited
the hours of work for parish apprentices to 12
a day. An unforeseen result followed, for masters
sought to obtain labour from the children of
parents on the spot. Moreover, the introduction of
the steam engine enabled factories to be built in
towns where the population was dense, and where
poverty made parents more willing to secure a child's
scanty earnings. In Todmorden the first " steam
factory " was built by Henry Ramsbottom in Salford,
but the Fieldens soon followed his example.
Mechanical improvements, however, did not improve
the lot of the workers. On the contrary, increasing
competition compelled Fielden Brothers (as the firm
was called after Joshua Fielden's death in 1811) to
raise the hours of labour to 12 on five days a week,
with 11 hours on Saturday, a total of 71 hours per
week, since other manufacturers insisted on 77 and
even 84 hours per week. In 1819 Parliament again
interfered. Children under 9 were excluded from
cotton mills; whilst those under 16 might not work
more than 72 hours a week. At Laneside Mill the
number was then reduced to 69, at which figure it
remained until further legislation was passed in 1833.
162 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
All the mills hitherto erected had been spinning
mills. The power loom had been invented, but as
late as 1817 there were not more than 1,000 power
looms in the whole of Lancashire. Hence in this
neighbourhood spinners still depended on handloom
weavers; and it has been said that at one time
Fielden Brothers employed as many as 3,000 hand-
loom weavers. The wages paid did not exceed 10s. a
week, and when power looms were established they
sank as low as 3s. or 4s. Children at this time
(1820 — 1835) often learnt at home to weave the warp
and weft brought from the spinning mills in the
valley; but before manhood was reached the hand-
loom was abandoned and the domestic weaver had
become a factory operative. In 1829 Fielden
Brothers erected a large weaving shed for 800 looms,
and Laneside Mill was merged in Waterside. Later
a larger shed was added containing 1,000 looms.
"Weavers with two ordinary looms earned 8s. a week;
with looms for sheetings, 12s. ; tacklers received from
18s. to 20s. On the uplands poverty was widespread.
The average weekly wage of the inhabitants in out-
lying districts in 1833 was 4s. 3d. a head, or 10s. 3d.
per family. Corn was dear, and oatmeal, skimmed
milk and hard cheese formed the main diet of the
working classes.
The hardships experienced were often attributed
to the effect of new machinery, and riots broke out in
Rochdale among the handloom weavers in 1808 and
again in 1829 ; power looms were broken in Rossendale
in 1832, whilst ten years later an agitation arose that
reached this district and is still remembered by the
oldest inhabitants. It was a time of acute distress;
JOHN FIELDEN, M.P. 163
trade was bad and higher wages were demanded by
the operatives. In August, 1842, there was a general
stoppage of work throughout South-east Lancashire,
and those on strike determined to stop others also
from working. Early on Friday morning, August 12,
men and women from Rochdale and Bacup, armed
with thick hedgestakes and crowbars, marched into
Todmorden. Every mill was visited; fires were raked
out and boilers emptied, and shopkeepers and inn-
keepers were forced to give up their bread and ale.
The agitators or " Plugdrawers " visited Waterside
Mill, where the operatives were actually receiving
higher wages than the plugdrawers themselves
demanded. No opposition was offered, as John
Eielden had declined assistance, stating that the arms
of his people were his protection, and when that
ceased he hoped he should cease to live. Special
constables were sworn in, and Hussars from Burnley
were quartered in Buckley's Mill at Ridgefoot. The
plugdrawers decided to march to Halifax, where on
the following Monday, to the number of 6,000, they
joined an immense contingent from Bradford. There
were conflicts with the police, and many men
were arrested, including several from Todmorden.
Nothing came of the agitation, but such distress
was one of the chief causes of the Chartist Movement
(chap. xxii).
Meanwhile in 1833 John Fielden, of Dawson Weir,
had become M.P. for Oldham, and was devoting his
energies to bettering the condition of the working
classes. In his election address he declared that
" nothing but an anxious solicitude to see the people
restored to their just rights, and especially the
164 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
labouring portion of society greatly improved could
have induced him " to enter Parliament. He was
an advanced Radical, in favour of the abolition of
the Corn Laws and a believer in annual Parliaments
and vote by ballot. His plainness of speech and the
disinterested spirit that actuated his public work are
well illustrated in the first speech he delivered in
the House of Commons (1833) on the subject of the
cause of distress in the country : —
" The Chancellor of the Exchequer admits that
there is very severe distress among the handloom
weavers, and says it is caused by competition with
power looms, and cannot be removed. . . . Are my
poor distressed handloom weavers to rest satisfied
with this explanation? If I thought power looms
were the cause of the distress (I and my partners
have nearly a thousand of them) and if it can be
shown that they cause the distress, I should like to
see them broken to pieces to-morrow. But this is
not the cause, for anything calculated, as machinery
is, to facilitate and increase production, is a blessing
to any people, if the things produced were properly
distributed, and it is the duty of the Legislature to
cause such a distribution to be made; and if I
were of opinion that the relief of the distress could
not be effected by the Legislature, I would take
my hat and walk away and not come within the
walls of St. Stephen's again. The labouring people
are in deep distress, there is a cause for it, and if
the King's servants cannot find a remedy for it
they are not fit to fill the benches they occupy in
this House. . . . My training has been at the
JOHN FIELDEN, M.P. 165
spinning jenny and the loom, and not at the college
and the courts." And he bluntly declared that
distress was caused by " taking away in taxes from
those who labour and giving to those who do not
labour. "
John Fielden's entrance into political life was
mainly due to his determination to help in every
possible way to improve the lot of the working
classes. As early as 1816 he had opposed the cruel
treatment of women and children in factories, and
he was of opinion that the only cure for these evils
was the adoption of a Ten Hours' System. About
1830, a huge procession of factory workers passed
through the streets of Manchester in favour of a
Ten Hours' Bill. Hundreds of factory cripples
headed the procession that was preceded by a black
banner bearing in silver letters the words, " Behold
and weep." This pitiful spectacle strengthened the
resolve of John Fielden, Richard Oastler and
Michael Thomas Sadler never to rest until the
reform of the factory system had been achieved.
A scathing letter written by Oastler in the Leeds
Mercury (Sept. 29, 1830), directed public attention
to the subject. Sadler was successful in having
introduced into Parliament in 1832 a bill for limit-
ing the hours of labour in mills to 58 per week for
persons under 18 years of age. The following year
at a great public meeting in London, addressed by
John Fielden, Lord Ashley for the first time
associated himself with the cause of factory reform.
That year, moreover, an Act was passed limiting the
work of children between 9 and 13 years of age to
«t^Ti m nn^g
166 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
eight hours a day and insisting on two hours'
instruction (chap, xxiii).
Manufacturers at once raised an outcry against
reform. In 1836 the master spinners and manu-
facturers of Oldham petitioned the Government,
praying that all persons under 21 years of age might
be employed for 69 hours a week. They requested
the members of the Borough to support their applica-
tion. In reply John Eielden stated that to allow
young children between 11 and 13 years to work 69
hours instead of 48 was revolting to his feelings, and
he advocated "eight hours' work per day in factories"
as being long enough for either children or adults.
In support of his opinions he published a pamphlet
entitled " The Curse of the Factory System," wherein
he showed that the workpeople had been and were
cruelly treated and that they had not idly asked for
protection. Further he avowed that he would " cast
manufactures to the winds rather than see the
workpeople enslaved, maimed, vitiated and broken in
constitution and in heart," as his pamphlet proved
only too clearly to be the case.
The little book contains an outspoken indictment
of the factory system, but to us there is the addi-
tional interest of allusions to his own early life and
the conduct of his firm.
" I well remember being set to work in my
father's mill when I was little more than ten
years old; my associates, too, in the labour and
in recreation are fresh in my memory. Only a
few of them are now alive ; some dying very young
but many of those who lived have died off before
JOHN FIELDEN, M.P. 167
they attained the age of fifty years, having the
appearance of being much older, a premature
appearance of age which I verily believe was
caused by the nature of the employment in which
they had been brought up."
He then alludes to the hours of work at Waterside
(facts • already quoted), and to the fatigue he felt
when the day's work was done; and describes how,
when Xathaniel Gould of Manchester began to work
for factory reform, a petition was presented to the
House of Commons from Fielden Brothers and their
operatives, urging shorter hours of labour for both
children and adults.
John Fielden's persistent advocacy won the respect
of the House of Commons. He promoted immense
petitions in favour of reform and finally took charge
of the Ten Hours' Bill when it passed into law. The
bill provided that no person under 18, or woman
above 18, should work for more than 10 hours in one
day, or 58 hours in any one week. Its effect was
to limit by the same amount the hours of work of
all adult operatives. The second reading of the bill
was carried on February 10, 1847, by a majority of
63 votes (151 to 88) ; and the measure was finally
placed on the statute book, June 8, 1847. Lord
Ashley testified to the valuable help that had been
given by John Fielden owing to his experience,
weight and disinterestedness.
The efforts of John Fielden had been crowned
with success, and after his death those for whom he
had fought realised the debt they owed to him, and
desired in some practical way to show the public
168 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
esteem in which he was held. In 1859 at a public
meeting in the Oddfellows' Hall, Todmorden, it was
decided to erect a public monument to John Fielden
and to ask for the support of factory workers in
Lancashire and the West Riding. There was an
immediate response; more than £1,000 was raised
by subscription, and Foley, the sculptor, was com-
missioned to carve a full length bronze statue,
standing on a pedestal. On April 3, 1875, when the
present Town Hall was opened, the statue thus
erected in honour of John Fielden was unveiled by
Lord John Manners. An immense concourse of both
young and old assembled and, despite torrents of
rain, all remained to do honour to the dead. More
recently the statue was removed to its present
position in Fielden Square. In the person of John
Fielden, Todmorden may claim to possess a citizen,
who on the wider field of public service, won by his
devotion to the principles of justice and philanthropy
the esteem of his contemporaries and the gratitude
of countless thousands of men, women and children.
169
CHAPTER XXI.
TODMORDEN OX THE EVE OF THE RAILWAY SYSTEM.
Few persons now living can remember Todmorden
as it was before the construction of the railway, and
an effort of the imagination is needed to realise what
Todmorden was like seventy years ago. The appear-
ance of the landscape remained for the most part
unchanged during the 18th century. The hamlets
on the uplands were still to all appearance hives of
industry, but the looms in the cottages were increas-
ingly idle and men and women went down into the
valleys to work. Mills had been built in almost
every clough and there were rows of cottages along
the turnpike roads. The greatest change had taken
place at the centre in the rapidly growing village of
Todmorden.
Let us in imagination walk along the streets of
the village, beginning at Todmorden Hall. In front
of the Hall a garden sloped almost to the open
stream, whilst at the back were orchards filled with
shrubs and fruit trees. Behind St. Mary's Church,
Spring Gardens Inn stood in well cultivated gardens.
It was tenanted by Thomas Hartley, and was much
more frequented since the withdrawal of traffic from
the uplands. Further up the hill side Hallwood
covered the slope. Its name was derived from the
Hall in the valley below. Fields belonging to the
Hall farm extended along either side of the canal
as far as Dobroyd. The land between the canal and
road is still known as Hall Ings or Meadows. A
century ago sizing mills, machinists' shops and dye
170 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
works already occupied part of these fields. It was
here that Henry Ramsbottom's " Steam Factory "
was situated. Behind these workshops there was a
reservoir which carried water by an artificial channel
or " goit " through the grounds behind Todmorden
Hall to Buckley's Mill at Ridgefoot. Dawson Weir,
at Dobroyd, was the residence of John Fielden. The
spinning mills and weaving sheds of Messrs. Fielden
Brothers were at Waterside, on the farther side of
both road and river. The latter, however, had been
arched over for some distance near the mill. The
additional buildings between the road and canal had
not yet been built. Canal barges brought raw cotton
to within a stone's throw of the mill, and took away
calicoes, fustians and velveteens. At this time
60,000 lbs. of cotton yarn were spun in Todmorden
every week and 7,000 pieces of calico were manufac-
tured.
The oldest part of the village stood near the rising
ground at Cockpit and Bank Top. A triangular
block of property, consisting of timber yards and
sawing mills, occupied what is now Fielden Square.
Golden Lion Inn and several older houses were on
the opposite side of the street which turned up
Hanging Ditch, and branched along King Street
towards Honey Hole. At Bank Top was the Friends*
Meeting House and Burial Ground, built in 1808,
after the meeting house at Shewbroad had been taken
down. Nearer Hanging Ditch, on Cockpit Hill,
stood the Unitarian Chapel, erected in 1824, of which
John Fielden was one of the original trustees.
From this point of vantage the vale of Todmorden
might be seen extending north-west and east towards
EVE OF RAILWAY SYSTEM 171
the Burnley and Eastwood valleys. The canal, as it
turned eastward, separated industrial Todmorden
from the broader expanse of fields beyond, where
flowed the branches of the Calder. The river ran
open to the sky from Waterside until it dipped under
the canal. It then proceeded beyond the present
railway arch before changing its direction, and met
the Burnley valley stream at Dam Scout in Stansfield
Hall meadows. Four bridges crossed the river.
The first at Cheapside was known as Pickles Bridge
(near the present Post Office) ; " Neddy Brigg "
crossed the canal; at the top of Water Street (then
Shop Lane) was Royal Bridge, and County Bridge
was situated at the junction of the turnpike roads
near the Endowed School. The part of the river
between the canal and Royal Bridge was arched over
in 1836 by Mrs. Ann Taylor of Todmorden Hall.
Before this was done the road crossed the river at
Royal Bridge into Church Street (then the most
important in the village), whilst Shop Lane (now
Water Street) continued on the right hand of the
river. Shop Lane was named from a grocer's shop,
built in 1730, and called the Old Shop. Shop Lane
Meadows stretched across Roomfield Lane as far as
the bend of the river. Meadow Lane, that connects
Dale Street and Halifax Road, is still an indication
of its position. In those days both Church Street
and Shop Lane were on a level with the river.
Beyond County Bridge, North Street continued on
the left of the Calder. Below the bridge and
opposite North Street (where the Town Hall now
stands) a building had been erected by public sub-
scription, which the Wesleyans used as a school.
172 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Roomfield Lane went eastward, with hawthorn
hedges on either side. The most conspicuous build-
ings were York Tavern on the right and the Wes-
leyan Chapel on the left. There were a few cottages,
and below the chapel the Rev. Joseph Atkinson,
curate of St. Mary's, lived in a house to which a
small farm was attached (on the site of Roomfield
House). The rest of the land between the river and
canal as far as Stansfield Mill consisted of meadows
that belonged to the Stansfield Hall and Kilnhurst
estates. Todmorden's first cricket field was situated
in Old Shop meadows, and three days' matches were
played there before the railway had been built.
During heavy winter rains the river often over-
flowed its banks and the fields were flooded.
Beyond the river, past the cottages and inns in
North Street, stood Buckley's Mill, which was built
by Anthony Crossley about the year 1796. Patmos
comprised scarcely more than a dozen cottages.
Cobden was Buckley's Hollow (often flooded in those
days to a depth of six feet), and above, on a level
with Dog House was Buckley Wood. Stepping
stones across the river led from the high road to
Pinhall Lane (now Wellington Road), which mounted
the slope towards Stansfield Hall with its adjacent
cottages. West Lodge was built in 1834 by Mr.
Hammerton of Burnley, who was the first solicitor to
reside in Todmorden. The New Connexion Metho-
dists had built a chapel at Patmos, and an Ingha-
mite* chapel stood at Ferney Lee. There was also a
cluster of cottages at Toad Carr, but the rural
*Rev. Benj. Ingham (1712—1772) of Ossett, a disciple of
Wesley, founded 60 " Inghamite Societies " in Yorkshire.
EVE OF RAILWAY SYSTEM 173
character of the scenery was still unimpaired.
Further up the valley Thomas Ramsbotham lived in
the mansion he had built at Centre Yale, whilst
John Crossley at Scaitclift'e Hall lived where for
many generations his family had resided. The hill
slopes were well wooded; in the doughs primroses,
violets and wild hyacinths still grew in profusion,
and kingfishers with bright plumage hovered over
pools and streams.
A small mill built on the hill side above Hole
Bottom marked the beginning of a firm destined to
rival that of Fielden Brothers in importance. Law-
rence Wilson began the manufacture of bobbins in
a building, the ruins of which may still be seen at
Hough Stones. He had been a journeyman bobbin
turner in Halifax. With his savings and a sum
of £50 lent by John Fielden of Dawson Weir, he
started business in 1823 on his own account. Two
years later he removed to Pudsey, but as the water
supply was insufficient in summer, he built a new mill
in the bottom of the valley, giving it the name of
Cornholme. In this way the present works of
Wilsons Ltd. arose, although the period of greatest
expansion did not take place till many years later.
From the above description it is obvious how small
the village of Todmorden was so late as seventy
years ago. It consisted of a straggling line of
houses, shops and inns crossing and recrossing the
river from Patmos to Pickles Bridge with an indus-
trial tract of land at Salford and. Waterside. Never-
theless the number of inhabitants was rapidly
increasing. The population of the township of
Todmorden and Walsden increased nearly threefold
174 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
from 1801 to 1841 (2,515 to 7,311), and for the three
townships (including Langfield and Stansfield) the
population during the same period was more than
doubled (8,453 to 19,044).
This growth in numbers made itself felt in several
ways. In 1802 the Todmorden and Walsden
parishioners, at a meeting held at Gauxholmer
decided to establish a market on Thursdays for the
benefit of manufacturers and tradesmen. Later two
markets were established, one on Thursday for corn
and provisions, and one on Saturday for meat, fish
and greengroceries. A cattle market was also held
on the first Thursday in each month. The market
place was at White Hart (Eccles') Fold, near St.
Mary's Church. Often on Sunday after morning
service, the parish clerk acted as town crier and at
the gate of the churchyard announced which local
farmer or butcher would kill a cow or sheep that
week, so that fresh meat might be obtained.
Animated scenes were witnessed in Church Street
on Saturday nights when farmers and their wives
came into the town to market. Two annual fairs for
cattle and general trade were held on the Thursday
before Easter and on Michaelmas Day (September
27), when it is said that more business was done than
at most fairs in the North of England, considering
the size of the town.
Changes of great importance also took place in
the religious life of the district. Owing to " the
great increase of inhabitants " the Todmorden
churchwardens resolved in 1801 to enlarge the grave-
yard at St. Mary's, and a few years later, to have
service " both in the forenoon and afternoon on
EVE OF KAILWAY SYSTEM 175
Sundays." In 1824 a new parsonage house was
erected at Ridgebottom. A little later a Sunday
School was built on land belonging to White Hart
Farm that had been obtained as a burial ground.
These changes culminated, through the influence of
the Rev. Joseph Cowell, in the erection of a new and
larger church near the site already secured for a
cemetery and parsonage. Many of the older inhabi-
tants regretted the abandonment of St. Mary's. All
opposition, however, was overborne, in 1832 Christ
Church was opened, and for many years St. Mary's
was deserted. Further, the church at Cross Stone,
built in 1717, was pulled down and in 1835 the
present church was opened for public worship.
Meanwhile the number of Nonconformist chapels
had been rapidly increasing. Allusion has been
made to the Friends' Meeting House at Bank Top
and the Unitarian Chapel on Cockpit Hill. In 1808
Rodhill End Chapel was sold to the Wesleyans, as
the Baptists then worshipped in the valley at
Rehoboth in Millwood. A Baptist congregation was
formed at Lineholme (in 1816) as an offshoot from
Shore Chapel, whilst in the same year the chapel at
Patmos was built (p. 172). Xor was the chapel at
Dog House large enough for the Wesleyans at the
centre. About 1820 the building already mentioned
as occupying the site of the present Town Hall was
used by the Wesleyans as a Sunday School, and in
1827 York Street Chapel was built. About this time
also a Primitive Methodist church was established at
Knowlwood through the influence of preachers from
Halifax. Also before the railway viaduct was con-
structed, the first chapel belonging to the Methodist
176 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Association in Todmorden was built on the land
where Bridge Street Chapel now stands.
A few words may be added descriptive of the
general life of the people. Dr. Hey worth Hey worth
was for many years the only doctor. He lived in
Water Street and his garden extended across what
is now York Place. Later Dr. Hardman resided in
York Street and was the local factory surgeon. Many
of the inhabitants, however, still resorted to witch
doctors at Charlestown, Cragg or Halifax, either to
cure ailing children or ward off ill luck in farming.
Even the members of the Baptist Chapel at Shore
thought fit to discuss the subject of witchcraft at
one of their church-meetings. In the minutes for
March 2, 1825, the following entry occurs : " All
present, with the exception of three who were neuters
(neutral), thought it was sinful for Christians to
apply to witches to remove some malady out of their
own or their children's bodies or on any other
account." This resolution does not imply any
disbelief in witchcraft. Superstitions, indeed, still
lingered; on every farm-door horseshoes were
fastened; men carried boxes containing charms to
keep them safe from ill luck or disease, or slept with
knives hung above their pillows to keep off night-
mares.
With regard to facilities for travelling, in 1820 a
movement was set on foot by John Crossley of Scait-
cliife to raise £500 in order to induce one of the
mail coach proprietors from Halifax to Rochdale
to run a coach through Todmorden instead of over
Blackstone Edge. The following year a coach
service was secured, at first twice a week and then
EVE OF RAILWAY SYSTEM 177
daily. The place of call was the Golden Lion Inn,
where the first regular post office was also established.
There were two coaches, the " Shuttle " and " Per-
severance," and the district was still sufficiently-
rural in character for an observer on the Canal
Bridge to watch the progress of the coach from
Castle Lodge on its way to Todmorden. Letters
were carried by coach. The postage of a single
sheet cost from 4d. to Is. 3d. according to distance.
Travelling also was expensive. Children had few
holidays and seldom went more than a few miles
from home. Money was scarce and earned only by
long days of toil. As for pastimes, cock fighting
(the name of Cockpit is suggestive), rabbit coursing
and rat catching were indulged in, and even bull-
baiting had not disappeared from Worsthorne, as
late as 1834. The gentry engaged in shooting, or
in hunting hares and rabbits or a stray fox with a
pack of harriers. Within quite recent times a pack
of hounds was kept at Stoneyroyd and " Hare and
Hounds Inn " still reminds us of this cross country
sport.
This chapter may conveniently be closed with a
brief account of the construction of the railway. In
1825 a company was formed to promote the building
of a railway from Manchester to Leeds. Five years
later a survey of the district was made by George
Stephenson. After repeated efforts the company
obtained Parliamentary sanction to establish a rail-
way from Manchester via Todmorden and Dewsbury
to Normanton and thence to Leeds. The work began
in August 1837. Two years later the line was open
for traffic from St. George's Fields, Manchester, to
178 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Littleborough. The following year the portion
from Normanton to Hebden Bridge was also avail-
able. The people of this district exhibited the
greatest interest in the opening of the railway. The
hill sides were lined with thousands of spectators,
and at Sowerby Bridge the first train was boarded
by eager passengers who stood upright on the tops
of the carriages, stooping as they passed under
bridges. The accompanying diagram, kindly fur-
nished by the chief engineer of the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway Company, gives some idea of the
appearance of the carriages. (Fig. 22.)
The last portion of the line to be completed was
that between Todmorden and Littleborough, where
the greatest difficulties had to be surmounted in the
construction of Summit Tunnel and the spanning of
our own valleys. The Todmorden viaduct consists
of nine arches, seven having a span of 60 ft. and a
height above the road of 54^ ft. Difficulties were
also met with at Charlestown where a tunnel was
partially bored and then abandoned owing to the
loose nature of the rocks. The present railway curve
in consequence follows the winding of the valley.
The railway was finally completed on March 1, 1841,
and this district was brought into still closer com-
munication with more distant places. At a later
date the older roundabout way to Leeds was replaced
by the present line which passes through Halifax
and Lowmoor, and thence branches to both Bradford
and Leeds.
EVE OF RAILWAY SYSTEM
179
k*. .
^
2
v!
1
1
/
) , ,- Te
Fig. 22. First Carriages used on Lancashire and-
Yorkshire Railway.
180
fa CHAPTER XXII,
Local Politics in the Nineteenth Century.
In the days of the Reformation and the Civil
Wars men were, compelled to fl^ht out, as well as
to reason ouV the problems of- civil and religious
liberty. In the eighteenth century local officials
had to work out in detail, as best they could, great
national problems such as the treatment of the poor.
During the first half of the nineteenth century there
were several questions that aroused a keen interest
in Todmorden. . Taking them in the order in which
they came, these were first, matters connected with
the struggle against Napoleon; second, the Reform
agitation and the- Chartist movement; third, the
introduction of the Poor Law of 1834 ; and fourth,
the establishment of county police.
I. — The Napoleonic Wars.
During the war with France (1793 — 1815) men
from the local militia were drafted into; the ranks
of the regular troops. It was the duty of each
township to furnish a certain number of men. They
were chosen by, ballot, but there was often the
greatest unwillmgness to serve, arid heavy fines were
paid in order to- escape from doing- so;- What were
known as militia clubs were formed in many town-
ships. Members paid an annual subscription, and
the funds of the club were used to hire a substitute
in place of any member chosen by ballot. In 1807
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTURY 181
a club in Erringden had 33 members, the subscrip-
tion being £1 Is. Od. Men who were not members
of a club paid as much as ten guineas to be relieved
from service. Constables, on the other hand, paid
large sums or bounties to induce men to enlist, and
on these occasions drink flowed plentifully. For
example, in the same year, 1807, the Erringden
constable paid as follows: —
" James Haworth, Bounty, Luddenden £27 0 0
List Money - - - .-010
Paid for meat and drink at Ludden-
den when he hired into the
militia 0 11 3"
To fill the gaps in the regular troops constables
often went recruiting. The Stansfield constable was
busy in 1803 searching for recruits at Todmorden,
Bradford, Worsthorne and Heptonstall, money being
freely spent on ale at each .place. Several entries
show that the pressgang was not unknown in this
district. Usually vagrants were drugged with drink
and then carried off to the wars. The following
entries occur during the American War of Inde-
pendence : —
"Langfield, April 1779. Spent at James
Howarth's at Todmorden, when we
impressed men - - - - 9s. Od.
Erringden 1779. Going through the.
Town for men to assist in pressing Is. Od.
Spent when we were on the search - 4s. 6d."
Traces of the volunteer movement may also be
found in these local records. One of Napoleon's
182 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
ambitions was to invade England, and from 1803-5 a
French army near Boulogne waited for a favourable
opportunity to cross the Channel. In that time of
peril a scheme of national defence was organised,
and 300,000 volunteers offered themselves for service.
The following entries occur in the Erringden Con-
stable's Account for the year 1803 : —
" Aug. 31. My journey one day
noticing volunteers - - 2s. 6d.
Oct. 25. To expenses when rais-
ing volunteers - £4 5s. 2d.
Nov. 26. To Mark TTttley for col-
lecting first and second calls
of Yolunteer subscription
money - 4s. 0d."
The sum of £4 5s. 2d. was paid to the constable,
showing that the expenses incurred had been
defrayed by private subscription.
Napoleon's overthrow in 1814 was commemorated
in this neighbourhood by the erection of Stoodley
Pike. A meeting was held on 22nd September, 1814,
at Mr. David Cawthorn's (Golden Lion Inn), when
it was resolved " that Messrs. Samuel Greenwood,*
Thomas Sutcliffe and Richard Ingham, having this
day applied to the Landowners of Langfield for their
consent to erect a Pillar on the ancient site of
Stoodley Pike to commemorate the peace which
Great Britain by her perseverance, wisdom and
valour has so gloriously achieved for the nations of
Europe, and for this purpose to grant them 123
* Samuel Greenwood, of Stones, was a member of the Society
of Friends.
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTURY 183
square yards of land (for the use of this public
monument and for no other purpose whatever) the
meeting do agree that the said Samuel Greenwood,
Thomas Sutcliffe and Richard Ingham shall be
Trustees of the said Pillar and Land and shall take
hold and enjoy for the purpose aforementioned the
said 123 yards of land, they and their heirs for ever."
The following November William Sutcliffe of
Stoodley and John Arthur Ingham of Shaw were
appointed as additional trustees " for preserving the
1^>:>> yards of land and maintaining the Pillar now
building thereon at Stoodley Pike." The monument,
which was rather like a mill chimney, was built on a
place where previously there had been a cairn of
stoues. The cost of erection was met by subscrip-
tion. By a curious coincidence, this memorial of
Peace fell to the ground on the day the Russian
ambassador left London (February 8, 1854) at the
beginning of the Crimean War. After the war, at
a meeting held at the Golden Lion Inn in June, 1856,
it was decided to erect the present monument.
II. — The Reform Agitation and the Chartist Move-
ment.
The period that followed the Battle of Waterloo
was one of acute distress in this country. War had
interfered with trade; the price of corn was high
and there was a succession of bad harvests. Among
the working classes discontent grew rapidly and an
urgent demand arose for Parliamentary reform, so
that the House of Commons might reflect more
accurately the wishes of the people. The inhabitants
of Todmorden were keenly interested in this subject.
184 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
As early as June, 1819 (two months before the
'Teterloo Massacre"), a meeting in favour of reform
was held in Todmorden. Eleven years later, at the
request of 52 inhabitants of Langfield, the Constable,
John Teevers of Kilnhurst, summoned a public
meeting. It was held at Lumbutts, and the chief
speakers were John Fielden of Dawson Weir and Dr.
Hardman.* Resolutions were passed and petitions
were drawn up in favour of the reform of the House
of Commons, of annual parliaments, universal male
suffrage, vote by ballot, reduction of taxation and
the repeal of the corn tax. These petitions were
forwarded to the Earl of Radnor and Mr. Hunt,
M.P. for Preston, for presentation to both Houses of
Parliament.
The following month, January, 1831, at a meeting
held at the White Hart Inn, Todmorden, under the
chairmanship of John Fielden, it was resolved
to form a Society, to be called the Todmorden
Political Union, with the following clearly defined
objects : —
** To endeavour to obtain by legal means, and
these only, a radical reform in the constitution of
the Commons House of Parliament. To prepare
petitions and addresses (and remonstrances if
necessary) to the King and to the two Houses
of Parliament respecting the preservation and
restoration of national rights ; to procure . . . the
repeal of all taxes which affect the Press, and
prevent the dissemination of knowledge. To
See the " Voice of the People" for January 15, 1831 : a small
t page newspaper in favour of reform, and published in
Chester. Price Td.
LOCAL POLIIH> l\ 19TB CENTURY 186
endeavour to obtain the abolition of every species
oi ilavery throughout lli> Majesty's Dominions
.... To lake oognisanoe of all real local abuses
and ko prevent .. t.u ai practicable all public
wrongs and oppressions."
The member! of the 1'niou took politics >eriously.
'I bree dayi after Hie introdnotion of the first Reform
Hill into the Bouse of Commons (March I. L831), the
Council oi the Union sent an address of than]
the ICinisterSj which was duly acknowledged by Earl
Grey. The same year a General Election took place
and Earl Grey was returned to power with a large
majority. A Reform Hill passed through the ll<>u <
of Commons, and the country waited in luspei
see what action the House of Lords would take. A
publie meeting was then held in Todmorden and
petitions irere forwarded to <h*' Peers, urging them
to pass the Bill and denying that there was any
uncertainty as to the wish oi the people to see the
Bill become Law. When the Lords had rejected the
Hill, addresses were sent to the King urging him to
dissolve Parliament and to the Government ai well
as to the people of Todmorden, bidding them not
to de-pair as success was assured, and rebutting the
slander that the advocates of Reform were the
enemies of the King and Constitution. Intense
excitement prevailed throughout the country and
riots broke out in many large towns. The Bill went
through the House of Commons a second time and
was sent to the Peers. They no longer dared to
reject the measure outright but hoped to alter many
of its provisions. Whereupon the Todmorden
186 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Political Union again addressed His Majesty's
Ministers, solemnly warning them that any serious
alteration in the Bill " would inevitably produce
great dissatisfaction in the manufacturing districts,
and consequences might follow which it is awful to
contemplate." The address then proceeded as fol-
lows : — " That our opinion may be properly appre-
ciated, permit us to say that our Union consists of
merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, mechanics,
artisans, etc., residing in the neighbourhood, so that
our information on their opinions and sufferings may
be relied on.
" We form part of an extensive manufacturing
district, the people of which have been long suffering
from the pressure of the times, and thousands of
families among the operatives are absolutely in a
state of starvation, who, though in full employment,
cannot obtain 3d. a head per day to subsist on; and
they have borne this in the most patient manner, and
have evinced a moral principle beyond all praise.
" They wish for peaceful relief, they have hoped
that the Reform Measure would lead to an ameliora-
tion of their condition, and they now await in awful
silence the results of the proceedings in the House of
Lords."
When finally the opposition of the Peers was
overcome and the Bill received the Poyal Assent, the
Union decided publicly to celebrate the occasion.
The function took place on August 4, 1832, and
began with a banquet in the open air for 350 guests,
under the presidency of John Fielden. A grand
procession was then formed, including the Society of
Whitesmiths, Independent Order of Oddfellows,
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTUEY 187
Royal Foresters, Druids, Mechanics' Trades Society
and the Loyal Free Mechanics. Each Society had
its own band and banners ; the Hebden Bridge Band
was also present. The Union had a special flag
designed, bearing the words " The Members of the
Todmorden Political Union. Union has conquered
and will conquer."
It was expected by thousands of working men that
the reform of the House of Commons would result
in immediate and widespread benefits to the wage
earning classes. Intense disappointment ensued
when food did not become cheaper, nor wages higher
nor work more plentiful. Hence there arose a new
movement, known as the Chartist movement, that
for ten years (1838-48) attracted great attention
throughout the country and found many earnest
supporters in this district. In order to secure a
House of Commons sympathetic towards wage-
earners, Chartists advocated the following reforms :
manhood suffrage, annual parliaments, vote by
ballot, payment of members of parliament (poor men
also to be eligible for election), and representation
in parliament to be proportional to population. The
six points of the Charter correspond very closely with
the reforms advocated at the public meeting at
Lumbutts in 1830 (p. 184), and it is not surprising
that Chartism had many local supporters. Meetings
were frequently held on the moors, where thousands
of persons assembled to hear the Chartist leaders,
Feargus O'Connor and Ernest Jones.
One section of the Chartists proposed methods of
"physical force," and it is said that men secretly
collected pikes and engaged in drill exercises on the
188 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Todmorden uplands. Some agitators wished for a
universal strike among working men. Among those
responsible for the rising of the plngdrawers were
some who belonged to this section. In that month
(August, 1842) a Chartist meeting was held at Basons
Stone, when a thousand persons were present.
Robert Brooke, a lame schoolmaster, urged that men
should cease working till the Charter was obtained;
that the overseers should be asked for relief or some
other means be adopted to obtain it. For this speech
Brooke was arrested and tried at Lancaster with
more than fifty other Chartists, who were also
charged with uttering seditious speeches. All, how-
ever, were acquitted. Many leading Chartists were
imprisoned for inciting men to use force rather than
to rely on argument. Their friends raised money
for their support. A meeting was held, for example,
at Pike Holes, near Stoodley Pike, attended by 2,000
persons, to protest against the non-representation of
working men in Parliament, and the sum of £1 13 6
was collected " to help to freedom, Ernest Jones. "
The Chartist movement did not continue beyond
the year 1848. Cheaper bread, better trade and
reduced taxation eased the lot of working people and
made men content to wait more patiently for further
reforms.
In Appendix III. an account is given of the
changes made in the Parliamentary representation
of this district by the Reform Bills of 1832, 186T
and 1885.
III. — Introduction of the Poo?' Law.
Within a few years of the passing of the Reform
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTURY 189
Bill. Parliament dealt successfully with several
important questions. By the Poor Law Amendment
Act of 1834 the older system of township relief as
administered by overseers came to an end. In its
place, larger areas, called Poor Law Unions, were
taken, and within each Union the relief of the poor
was vested in a committee elected by the inhabitants
and known as a Board of Guardians. It was the
duty of each Board to obey the instructions of Poor
Law Commissioners appointed by the Government to
assist in carrying out the law. An overseer's duty
was confined to levying a rate and collecting the
money required by the Guardians; he took no part
in its distribution. The new Act restricted outdoor
relief within much narrower limits. Able-bodied
persons who needed relief could only receive it in
workhouses, erected within each Union.
The new system aroused great opposition. Town-
ships disliked the control exercised by the Commis-
sioners; a workhouse was regarded as a prison and
given the name of Bastille,* and the treatment of the
poor was considered harsh and degrading. The
opposition in this neighbourhood was more persistent
than in any other part of England, and a disgraceful
riot occurred when an attempt was made to enforce
some of the provisions of the Act. A brief sketch of
the introduction of the new system into this district
will explain how this came about.
An order of the Poor Law Commissioners, dated
January 28, 1837, declared the townships of Tod-
morden and Walsden, Stansfield, Wadsworth, Hep-
* A famous prison in Paris that was destroyed during the French
Revolution.
190 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
tonstall, Langfield and Erringden to be a united
district, known as the Todmorden Union. The
Board of Guardians was to consist of 18 members,
viz., 4 each from Todmorden and Walsden and
Stansfield ; 3 each from Wadsworth and Heptonstall,
and 2 each from Erringden and Langfield. The
following month, when the first election of Guardians
took place, it was found that Todmorden and Walsden
and Langfield declined to appoint any representa-
tives at all. The first Board, therefore, comprised
only twelve members. It elected James Stansfield,
solicitor, as clerk; and the Union was divided into
a Todmorden and Hebden Bridge section for the
registration of births and deaths. A fresh election
then took place, and about a year later precise
instructions were received from the Commissioners
as to the duties of the Board and its officials, wherein
it was stated that on and after July 6, 1838, the
Guardians would be held responsible for the proper
discharge of their duties.
Meanwhile opposition to these changes was steadily
growing. John Fielden was most uncompromising
in his hostility to the new Act, and many of his
fellow townspeople did not scruple to threaten
violence. It was determined to hold a great anti-
poor law meeting at Wood Mill, Eastwood, on July 6,
at the very time and place appointed for the meeting
of the Guardians. In consequence, at a special
meeting held at the White Hart Inn on the preceding
day, the Guardians decided to postpone their meeting.
They expressed their willingness to bring the new
Act into operation if adequate civil and military
protection were granted, but declared that it could
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTURY 191
not be successfully introduced unless the local
influence and opposition of Mr. Fielden could by
some means be overcome by the Government.
The Guardians made their first demand for money
on July 27, 1838. The sum of £50 was required
from Todmorden and Walsden, and £20 each from
Langfield and Erringden. The townships declined
to pay, and the overseers of Langfield and Erringden
were summoned before the Halifax magistrates.
William Ingham of Mankinholes, acting on the
instructions of the Langfield ratepayers, still de-
clined payment and was fined £5. As he refused
to pay the fine, two constables, Messrs. Feather and
King, were sent from Halifax to make a distraint on
Mr. Ingham's household goods. Their arrival was
anxiously awaited, and when, on Friday afternoon,
November 16, they reached Mankinholes with a horse
and cart, an alarm bell was rung, and from all sides
hundreds of angry men and women hurried to the
village. A terrible scene ensued. The horse and
cart were thrown violently down, with one of the
constables on the top. The cart was smashed and
burnt. The two constables, after seeking refuge in
the overseer's house, were compelled by the mob to
come out and swear never to engage in the like
business again. Being let go, they raced along the
road to Stoodley, pursued by an infuriated crowd
who repeatedly assaulted them, until at last they
found shelter near Eastwood.
The following Wednesday, a rumour spread
through the district that the constables were coming
with a- company of soldiers. This false report led
to a still more serious riot. Hundreds of men,
192 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
armed with clubs, assembled in Mankinholes and
then proceeded to visit the homes of the Guardians
or of prominent supporters of the new Act, and to
break windows, doors and furniture. Royston Oliver,
Multure Hall; Samuel Oliver, Wood Mill (where
Constable Feather had found protection) ; Mr.
Ormerod; Stones Wood; Mr. Greenwood, Watty
Place; Dr. James Taylor, Todmorden Hall, Chair-
man of the Board of Guardians ; and Mr. Greenwood,
Hare Hill, were among those on whom the rioters
wreaked vengeance. At Todmorden Hall, damage to
the extent of £1,000 was inflicted. This wanton
violence was met by energetic action on the part of
the magistrates. Special constables were sworn in,
and soldiers, both horse and foot, were quartered in
the town. A raid was made on the mill of Fielden
Brothers at Lumbutts and about 40 men were taken
into custody. Some were conveyed to York Castle
and after trial were found guilty, but the Judge
dismissed them with a caution. One person, tried
at Lancaster, was sentenced to nine months' im-
prisonment.
Several years later the townships of Todmorden
and Walsden and Langfield still declined to contri-
bute towards Poor Law relief, but the magistrates
refused to grant distress warrants unless the Poor
Law Commissioners would secure them against
any damage that might be caused. Moreover the
Guardians themselves, in a petition to the Govern-
ment, expressed their decided opinion that the Act
had not led to an improvement in the condition of
the poor, or a diminution of pauperism, or a saving
in the poor rate. They asserted that an " honest,
industrious poor man who stood in absolute need of
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTURY 193
relief . . . was an object of compassion, but that
the new Poor Law ... by denying all out-door
relief to able-bodied labourers, however meritorious,
punishes poverty as a crime," a proceeding they
regarded as unchristian in its severity and certain
to produce distressing and appalling results in
manufacturing districts.
The Guardians continued to rent buildings as poor
houses in each township, but no steps were taken to
build a workhouse for the Union. The Fieldens of
Waterside proposed to build three cottage hospitals
in different parts of the Union for the aged and
infirm. At different periods deputations went up to
London to gain the consent of the Central Board,
but without success. Finally, after 40 years bad
elapsed (1877) the central authority threatened to
break up the Todmorden Union, including one part
in the Rochdale, and another part in the Halifax,
Union, unless a workhouse was built; and all
opposition ceased.
IV. — County Police.
Dislike of outside interference was also shown in
the days when Sir Robert Peel's new system of
police organisation was brought into this district.
By this Act a township ceased to control the con-
stable. The magistrates might appoint constables
without any regard to the wishes of the inhabitants,
and the cost of police was met out of the county
rate. Some such action on the part of the magis-
trates in this neighbourhood led to a crowded meet-
ing being held in Oddfellows' Hall, Todmorden
(1853), when Joshua Fielden of Stansfield Hall took
194 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
the chair. In the speeches delivered, the main
objection raised was that the police formed an
additional standing army and were a menace to the
liberties of Englishmen. Local jealousies, however,
were powerless to prevent the adoption of newer
methods, and opposition died away.
Sixty years ago a spirit of independence was
dominant in this neighbourhood. Men were eager
to gain greater political privileges, but were anxious
to preserve the older powers of local administration,
and were jealous of outside interference. The spirit
of independence and thrift among the working
classes is also apparent in the story of the rise of
the Co-operative movement in this district, to which
brief allusion may now be made.
The beginning of the Co-operative movement in
Todmorden dates from 1847, when a few men com-
bined together to buy flour and meal and then sold
these articles to each other at cost price. It was a
small beginning. Each week the particulars of
every purchase were written on a blackboard for the
inspection of members. The following year a sub-
scription of <£1 was paid by each member, the
society began to accumulate capital, and goods were
sold at a profit so as to provide interest on the
members' deposits. A general grocery department
was also established, and in April 1848, the society
was registered under the name of " James Hindle &
Co." Cash payment was insisted on from the start,
and at first members of the committee of manage-
ment served in turn as shopmen. In 1850, owing to
an increasing membership, a separate shop was
established in Shade, under the control of the Shade
LOCAL POLITICS IN 19TH CENTURY 195
members. Next year the two branches dissolved
partnership, and in this way there were founded the
two oldest local Co-operative societies, viz., the
Todmorden and Bridge End Societies. The immense
expansion in business and in wealth of these societies
during the last fifty years shows how widespread is
the support that has been given to the principles of
co-operation among the industrial classes in this
neighbourhood .
196
CHAPTER XXIII.
Educational Progress in Todmorden in the
19th Century.
A century ago there were only a few schools in
this neighbourhood. Heptonstall Grammar School,
Clegg's Endowed School in Todmorden and Cross
Stone School, with various private "academies" and
schools, supplied the needs of the middle classes.
The Grammar School at Heptonstall had 50 pupils;
seventeen of them received free instruction in Latin,
the remainder paid fees for instruction in English
subjects by an assistant master. Clegg's Endowed
School had 40 fee-paying pupils.
Working-class children had no such opportunities
of education during the earlier part of the 19th
century. Their only chance of education lay in
attendance at Sunday Schools. In 1801 the rate-
payers of Todmorden and Walsden employed Ellis
Hartley, Schoolmaster, to teach reading to " little
children who ivere not otherwise em/ployed." Five
years later the ratepayers of the fame township
passed a resolution declaring, " That Sunday Schools
are a laudable institution, and that a charity sermon
or sermons be recommended to be preached, and a
subscription be opened ; and, in case people come
forward in a generous manner, that twenty guineas
be allowed out of the poor rate to support the same
for one year." It was further resolved that the most
convenient places for schools in this district would
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS 197
be at Todmorden, Sourhall, Gauksholine and Square,
in Walsden.
What measure of success attended these resolutions
is uncertain. Ten years later, however, a meeting
was- held in the vestry of the Methodist Chapel,
Doghouse, attended by Mr. Atkinson, curate of St.
Mary's, and Mr. Gloyne, Wesleyan minister, when
it was decided to establish a Todmorden Sunday
School in premises where the Town Hall now stands.
The movement received very hearty support, and
within a few months a room was fitted up for Sunday
School work. Some idea of the cost of equipment
may be gathered from the following items : —
" July 8, 1816. Fitting up School by Jno. Holt.
150 ft. 3 inch Petersb* Deals in '
forms at lOd.
-
- £6
5s.
Od.
Sawing in Do.
-
-
8s.
Od.
Nails and screws for Do.
-
-
9s.
6d.
Making and fixing up -
-
- £2
16s.
Od.
48 Heading Boards at 5d.
each
- £1
0s.
Od.
Writing Desk and Footboard
for
Superintendent -
-
-
14s.
Od.
Pointers for Monitors -
-
-
6d."
Nearly £15 was spent on furniture. The pre-
liminary outlay on letters and alphabets, spelling
books, Catechisms, Testaments and Bibles, paper,
quills and candles brought the total cost to more
than £50.
The following year a branch school was opened at
Cloughfoot. At a general meeting of subscribers
and teachers held on April 26th, 1818, the report
stated that owing to the depressed state of trade, and
198 HISTOEY OF TODMORDEN
consequent diminution of wages, a great number of
parents were unable to provide their children
learning by any other means than that of Sunday
Schools. Upwards of 400 children attended the
Sunday School at Dog House ; there were 150 children
in the Union School and the same number at Clough-
foot. Great progress had been made in reading and
writing, and there was an evident improvement in
behaviour. Several boys and girls at Clbughfoot
who scarcely knew a letter in the alphabet when the
school was first established, after a year could read
well in the Bible.
The Todmorden Union School was worked for the
most part by Wesleyan Methodists, and in a few
years seems definitely to have been associated with
them. The character of the instruction given may
be illustrated from the minutes of the Teachers'
Meetings (1820—1828). The School was held every
Sunday morning, from 9 to 11 o'clock, and in the
afternoon, from 1-30 to 3-30. After singing and
prayer, 40 minutes were devoted to reading, 10
minutes to spelling and 35 minutes to religious
instruction. Markham's Spelling Books, for the
older scholars, were bought from Mr. Hartley, of
Rochdale, at 9s. 6d. a dozen ; children in the alphabet
and easy reading classes were supplied with sheets.
In 1828 evening classes for writing were held twice a
week. Juvenile teachers were employed in teaching
infants, and as a reward for their valuable services
were themselves taught writing on Saturday even-
ings.
Other Sunday Schools were established in various
parts of the district. In 1818 a school was built by
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS 199
public subscription at Lanebottom, "Walsden, " to
consist of 4 dwelling-houses on the ground floor, with
B chamber above to be used from time to time as a
school for teaching the children of poor and indigent
parents to read and write and the common rules of
arithmetic upon each Sunday." The Unitarians
established (in 1825) a " free school for 100 children
of all denominations from the age of four years to
the time of going to the factory." Three years later
a Todmorden Friendly School taught " knitting,
sewing, reading, writing and arithmetic and other
useful arts." In 1830 a schoolroom was erected at
Cloughfoot, " to be used as a Sunday and day school
for the education of youths of both sexes and of all
denominations. " There was also a school for 100 girls
in connection with St. Mary's Church.
Factory schools came into existence in 1833, and
to these schools factory children were compelled to
go. A school had already been established at
Waterside by Fielden Brothers, one of the office
clerks serving as schoolmaster. There were more
than 100 children in attendance in 1837. At that
time Mr. Cooke was the master, in whose opinion a
halfpenny a day was a reasonable sum for each child
to pay for instruction. An inspector's report (dated
1848) commented on the small number of children
who could write, and directed that certificates should
be refused to such as " ought to write and did not."
Only a very small proportion of men and women
could write; three out of four persons might know
how to read, but not one in ten could sign their own
names.
On the uplands similar educational methods were
200 HISTOEY OF TODMORDEN
gradually adopted. At Shore Sunday School, for
example, a teachers' meeting was held in 1845 to
consider how best to introduce writing into the school.
Some years later a free night school was instituted
for the scholars. The minister was appointed teacher
and was paid ninepence per night for his services.
The scholars, however, were ordered to pay " a half-
penny per month towards light."
The efforts on behalf of education hitherto described
were due mainly to the zeal of local religious organi-
sations. The beginning of a national system' of
education was made in 1833, when Parliament first
gave grants in aid of day schools built by various
churches. The Todmorden National School was the
first school in this neighbourhood to satisfy Govern-
ment requirements and to receive Government grants.
It was stated by the promoters that with the exception
of Sunday Schools, there were no schools in this
locality for the children of the poor. The cost of the
school was estimated at £1,599 ; £600 had been raised
by subscription, £300 had been received from the
National Society, and a further grant of £500 was
paid by the Government. Among the principal
supporters of the school were James Taylor, of Tod-
morden Hall; Mr. Hammerton, solicitor, and John
Crossley, of Scaitcliffe, who laid the corner-stone of
the porch (May, 1844). Other Church schools were
built at Priestwell, Walsden, Harley Wood and
Shade. Hence with the undenominational and
factory schools already in existence, day schools
gradually took the place of Sunday schools in the
education of the poor.
The day schools that had been established proved
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS 201
insufficient for the needs of the population, and in
LS74 the Education Act of 1870 came into operation
in this locality. By this Act the district included
within the Todmorden Poor Law Union was converted
into a School Board area, known as the United
District of Todmorden. The ratepayers were em-
powered to elect a board of thirteen members, whose
duty it was to provide elementary education for the
whole of the children in the district. A preliminary
enquiry by the Education Department in London
revealed the fact that, whereas there was school
accommodation for 2,250 children, additional accom-
modation was needed for 2,760 children.
The first School Board for the United District was
elected in August, 1874. The first Chairman was
H. W. Horsfall, of Hebden Bridge; its most dis-
tinguished member was Mrs. Samuel Fielden, of
Centre Yale. Mrs. Fielden had devoted many years
to the study of educational methods for younger
children. She was anxious also to do something
towards training more efficient elementary school
teachers, and herself engaged for many years in the
actual work of a school. At first in unpretentious
buildings in Cobden, and later in her own school at
Centre Yale, Mrs. Fielden engaged in educational
work along lines she herself had sketched out and
practically tested. Centre Yale School continued in
existence until 1896, and had an excellent reputation.
The standard attained by Mrs. Fielden's pupils in
reading was particularly noteworthy.
Mrs. Fielden's educational interests were not
confined to her school or to her work on the Todmorden
School Board. In the University of Manchester she
202 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
founded the Fielden Chair of Education, and later
established the Fielden Practising School in connec-
tion with the Education Department of the University.
Her valuable services to the cause of education were
recognised by Manchester University when the
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature was con-
ferred upon her (1906).
Under the management of the United District
School Board many new schools known as Board
Schools (now Council Schools) were built both in
Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. The Board also
were anxious to develop the work of the upper
standards in the Roomfield School, Todmorden, and
the Central Schools, Hebden Bridge. In 1893
Organised Science Classes were established at Room-
field, from which after many changes the present
Todmorden Secondary School was developed.
The United District of Todmorden and Hebden
Bridge was divided in 1896 into separate areas, each
town coming under the control of a separate School
Board. In 1903, the Todmorden Borough Council
became the Education Authority of the Borough.
Through its Education Committee it exercised full
control over elementary education, but shared with
the West Riding County Council the management of
secondary, technical and evening schools. In the
same year the schools in Hebden Bridge passed under
the control of the West Riding County Council, and
a Secondary School has since been established to meet
the needs of the older pupils in the locality.
Such in brief outline is the story of schools in the
Todmorden district during the 19th century.
As regards the means of mental improvement
EDUCATIONAL PKOGRESS 203
among men and women, it should be remembered
that two generations ago books and newspapers were
dear (the first number of the "Todmorden Advertiser"
cost 4d.), and hence those who were anxious to gain
increased knowledge were interested in the promotion
of libraries, and such organisations as Mechanics'
Institutes. The Todmorden Old Library was founded
as early as 1798; its members met on each " Monday
before full moon." In 1836 a Mechanics' Institute
was established, and for a time had a vigorous
existence. A well-used library, and classes for the
study of various sciences, grammar, elocution and
music were included in its activities. Then for a
time it declined, to be revived later through the
influence of lectures by men like Henry Vincent and
Thomas Cooper. In 1869 the Mechanics' Institute
was affiliated to the Yorkshire Union of Mechanics'
Institutes, and the first Government Science Classes
ever held in this district were organised. Joshua
Fielden, M.P., was President of the Institute,
Alderman Bracewell, Mayor of Todmorden (1908-9),
and James Whitehead, Clerk to the Education Com-
mittee, were the first joint secretaries. Examinations
were held in May, 1870, in Practical, Plane and Solid
Geometry, Machine Construction and Building
Construction. Among the successful students was
the late Alderman Crossley, Mayor o£ Todmorden
(1905-8). The work thus inaugurated, remained for
many years under the management of a local com-
mittee ; it then passed under the control of the School
Board, and finally of the Todmorden Education
Committee. Through every change for a period of
more than 40 years, Mr. Whitehead has faithfully
204 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
served the highest interests of this neighbourhood by
his work as Secretary. To-day the three classes of
the year 1870 have grown into the Technical School
at Waterside, several Branch Evening Schools and
the Fielden School of Art.
Several men in this neighbourhood have achieved
distinction by their ardent pursuit of knowledge in
one or other of its branches. John Nowell, of Springs,
Harley Wood (1802-67), became a noted specialist in
mosses, and in conjunction with Abraham Stansfield,
founded the Todmorden Botanical Society. When a
young man Mr. Nowell attended a grammar class
held at Shore Sunday School; his first teacher of
botany was Edmund Holt, of Lumbutts. Mr. Nowell
and Mr. Stansfield began the compilation of a Flora
of Todmorden, including flowering plants, ferns and
inosses.* A monument was erected in St. Mary's
Churchyard in honour of Mr. Nowell, who, despite
his scientific distinction, was content to earn his
livelihood as a " twister-in."
Samuel Gibson, of Hebden Bridge, ranks with John
Nowell and Abraham Stansfield as an enthusiastic
nature student. Interested more particularly in
geology, he discovered among beds of shale in Horse -
bridge Clough, a new species of fossil-shell that has
been named after him, Goniatites gibsonii, or
Gibson's goniatite.
Robert Law, of Walsden (1840 — 1907), was another
local geologist. He became a successful teacher of
geology, and by persistent work in this neighbour-
*See Appendix II. Recently a Book on the Flora of Todmorden
has been published, which was written by Mr. Abraham Stansfield
of Kersal Moor, Manchester.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS 205
hood, Derbyshire, East Yorkshire, the Isle of Man,
and also in Switzerland and Canada, gathered
together a valuable collection of Carboniferous fossils
and of flint implements. He was elected a Fellow
of the Geological Society (1886). To-day the " Law
Collection of Carboniferous Limestone Fossils " may
be seen in the South Kensington Museum. His
memory will also be perpetuated by the Law Medal,
awarded annually by the Geological Society for the
best research work in practical geology.
In mechanical science John Ramsbottom was pre-
eminent among local men. His inventive faculty
and power of hard work raised him to the position of
chief engineer of the London and North- Western
Railway.
The Todmorden Scientific Society came into exist-
ence soon after the establishment of science classes in
the early seventies, and lived for about twenty years.
In 1893 a local Reading Circle developed into the
Todmorden Literary Society, and for a few years
flourished vigorously, before being dissolved. The
name of James Standing should not be omitted from
any list of local writers. His verses in dialect,
notably, " Women's wark is nivvir done," are well
known, and entitle him to a place among Lancashire
writers with Edwin Waugh and Ben Brierley. His
early death prevented the full development of his
literary gifts.
In the world of art, Todmorden has had one
distinguished representative in Alfred W. Bayes
(1831—1909), who left his home in Lumbutts in
early life for London in order to develop his artistic
gifts. As a painter and etcher Mr. Bayes achieved
206 HISTOEY OF TODMORDEN
considerable repute, and for a great number of years
his pictures were exhibited in the Royal Academy
and the chief art galleries in London and the
provinces. He frequently visited this neighbourhood,
and his pictures of local scenery and pictures illus-
trative of old Puritan customs and ways of life are
to be found in the homes of many Todmordians.
207
CHAPTER XXIY.
todmoeden in recent days. how todmorden
Became a Borough.
The changes that remain to be described may be
conveniently grouped under three heads : first, trade
and population ; second, ecclesiastical changes ; third,
local government.
I. — Trade and Population.
I)uring the earlier half of the 19th century the firm
of Fielden Brothers overshadowed all others in this
neighbourhood. To-day " Fielden Brothers, Ltd." is
still the premier firm, with 100,000 spindles and
1,600 looms. There are other firms, however, of
great importance, especially that of Mr. Caleb Hoyle,
J. P., of Derdale and Walsden, with 60,000 spindles
and 1,600 looms. Mention may be made of the mills
belonging to Mr. Joshua Smith, of Cornholme (1,760
looms), and to Messrs. Luke Barker and Sons (1,406
looms, and 7,500 spindles), and also of Ridgefoot
Mill that for a long time was in the possession of
Ormerod Brothers. In Cornholme the bobbin works
founded by Mr. Lawrence Wilson continued to
prosper, and to-day the buildings at Cornholme and
Garston cover 15| acres. In other departments of
enterprise the firm of Lord Brothers, Canal Street
Works, founded by Mr. Edward Lord, has been long
noted for the manufacture of cotton spinning
machinery, a very large quantity being sent abroad.
208 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
The population of Todmorden lias increased but
slowly during the last forty years, rising from about
20,000 in 1861 to 25,400 in 1901 : an increase of 25
per cent. In Hebden Bridge the population has
grown much more rapidly, the increase in thirty
years (from 1861 to 1891) being as much as 45 per
cent. (10,800 to 15,700). Hebden Bridge is one of
the chief centres in England for the manufacture of
fustians and ready-made clothing. To-day the
hillsides are lined with rows of cottages and dotted
with new houses that indicate the prosperity of the
district.
II. — Ecclesiastical Changes.
Not long after the erection of Christ Church,
Walsden became a separate parish, and St. Peter's
Church was built (1847). A large number of the
worshippers at St. Mary's Church came from
Walsden, and after the " Old Church " was closed
another church was needed by Anglicans in Walsden.
Similarly Harley Wood Church was built (1859) for
the village of Lydgate, and a few years ago, through
the generosity of Mrs. Masters-Whitaker, of Holme,
a church has been erected in Cornholme. An Act of
Parliament, passed in 1866, constituted Christ Church
the parish church of Todmorden (as distinct from
those of Cross Stone, Walsden and Harley Wood),
St. Mary's Church being associated with it as a
chapel of ease. Hence the old church of St. Mary's
has never attained to the dignity of a parish church.*
* In earlier days St. Mary's Church was strictly a chapel of ease
in the Parish of Rochdale. The clergyman in charge was "curate
of the chapel of Todmorden."
IN RECENT DAYS 209
Most of the Nonconformist chapels on the hillsides
were abandoned and replaced by larger buildings in
the valleys below. The Presbyterian Meeting House
at Chapel House was replaced by Eastwood Congre-
gational Chapel; the Wesleyan Chapel at Rodhill
End by Springside Chapel ; the Baptists long ago
moved from Rehoboth to Rooinfield Chapel, whilst
from Shore Baptist Chapel sprang the churches at
Wellington Road, Yale and Lineholme. Larger
upland villages, however, such as Mankinholes, Lum-
butts and Blackshaw Head, still retain their Metho-
dist chapels. The present Unitarian Church was
built by the three sons of John Fielden, M.P. In
excellence of workmanship and beauty of design it
is unique among the churches and chapels in this
district. In the Hebden Bridge district the most
noteworthy change was the erection of the new
church at Heptonstall and abandonment of the " Old
Church." Mytholm Church (1844) stands at the foot
of the cliff on which Heptonstall is built. St.
Michael's Church, Mytholmroyd, as well as many
Nonconformist chapels that have been built, indicate
the populous condition of the valley as compared
with what it was a century ago. On the uplands
there are still large chapels at Heptonstall, Wains-
gate and Midgley.
III. — Local Government.
In the 18th century churchwardens and vestry
meetings of parishioners were of great importance in
local government. Last century, however, local
administration was almost entirely taken out of the
hands of religious bodies. Paupers are no longer
H
210 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
relieved by churchwardens, hut by Boards of
Guardians (chap xxii.) ; education is under the con-
trol of committees of County and Borough Councils
(chap, xxiii.). This change, whereby local affairs
are managed by specially elected local committees,
responsible both to the ratepayers and to central
departments in London, has now to be traced in
other directions.
About sixty years ago a demand arose for greater
local control in housing and sanitation. Various
Public Health Acts were passed (especially from
1848 to 1875) which enabled different localities to be
formed into sanitary districts controlled by local
committees elected by the ratepayers. The adminis-
tration of more populous or urban districts was vested
in Local Boards whose duty it was to look after
sewerage, water supply, highways and lighting, and
to deal with infectious diseases and nuisances. In
this district there were many matters urgently need-
ing attention, for the roads were " badly paved,
badly lighted and badly sewered." In 1860, at a
meeting held in Oddfellows' Hall, Todmorden, under
the chairmanship of John Fielden, of Ashenhurst, it
was decided to take the necessary steps for putting
the Public Health Act of 1858 into operation. The
Todmorden Urban Sanitary District was thus consti-
tuted, extending along the three valleys as far as
Knotts Road, Lobmill and Inchfield Fold. The
population of the district was 11,840; its rateable
value, £31,156.
The district was divided into four wards : Tod-
morden, Walsden, Langfield and Stansfield, each
being part of the corresponding township. The
IN RECENT DAYS 211
election of the first Todmorden Local Board took
place in July, 1861. Each ward sent four members,
among whom were Messrs. John Fielden (Chairman),
Edmund Whitaker, Joseph Knowles, Peter Ormerod,
William Sutcliife (Lowerlaithe) and William Barker.*
A few years later (1868) Hebden Bridge and Corn-
holme were formed into urban sanitary districts, but
in 1875 Cornholme was merged in the Todmorden
district, outlying parts of Langfield and a large part
of the township of Stansfield being also added.
Hence there were the following sanitary districts
in this neighbourhood : —
1 . The Todmorden Local Board District, comprising
the townships of Todmorden and Walsden, Langfield,
the two upper thirds of Stansfield, a part of the
lowest third and a small part of Cliviger.
2. The Hebden Bridge Local Board District r
comprising parts of the townships of Wadsworth,
Erringden and Heptonstall and another part of the
lowest third of Stansfield.
3. The Todmorden Rural Sanitary District, com-
prising the remaining and more upland portions of
Heptonstall, Erringden, Wadsworth and Stansfield.
The Rural District was administered by the Board
of Guardians until 1894, when, by the Parish
Councils Act, Rural District Councils became the
sanitary authority.
The area of the Todmorden Local Board District
was a little larger than that of the present Borough.
The business transacted by the Board was similar, in
many respects, to that of the Town Council. A clerk,
»Wm Barker was father of Dr. J. H. Barker, Chairman of the
Todmorden School Board and Education Committee, 1896 — 1906.
212 HISTOEY OF TODMOEDEN
treasurer, surveyor, medical officer and sanitary
inspector had charge of different departments of
public business. During the period in which Tod-
morden was under the control of the Local Board,
footpaths were laid along the main roads, main drains
were constructed and streets were lighted ; the Market
Hall was built, the Infectious Diseases Hospital at
Sourhall was opened, and afire engine was purchased.
The supplies of gas and water, however, were in the
hands of private companies or of property owners.
Fielden Brothers had constructed a gasworks at
Waterside as early as 1830, and supplied gas far
beyond their own premises. There was also a gas-
works at Wilson Brothers, Cornholme. Later the
Todmorden Gas Company was formed, and the works
at Millwood were erected. In 1892 these various
gasworks were purchased by the Todmorden Local
Board for £110,000, as it was believed that gas might
be supplied to the inhabitants more cheaply if under
public management; a belief that experience has
since justified.
With regard to water supply, Todmorden had long
been dependent on small reservoirs or on springs
gushing from the hillsides. No storage existed that
ensured the inhabitants against drought in a dry
season. Hence to meet the ever- increasing needs of
the population the reservoir above Hamsden Clough
was constructed by the Todmorden Waterworks
Company. Further, in 1892, Mr. John Ashton
Fielden carried out the wishes of the late Samuel
Fielden, of Centre Yale, by building at Leebottom,
and presenting to the town, a large and well-equipped
hospital, known as the Fielden Hospital. In like
IN RECENT DAYS 213
maimer the Town Hall, built in 1875, at a cost of
£54,000, by the three sons of John Fielden, M.P., in
honour of his memory, was handed over for the use of
the town.
These were the principal changes that took place
whilst Todmorden was under the control of the Local
Board. In 1894, by the operation of the Local
Government Act, the Local Board became an Urban
District Council. Two years later the final change
was made in the constitution of the Local Authority
when Todmorden received a Charter of Incorporation
and became a Borough. To many persons this may
appear to have been only a change in name. But
the grant of a charter meant more than a change in
name, or the additional dignity that is associated
with a mayor, aldermen, and councillors. When
Todmorden became a Borough, she gained additional
powers of self-government and her name was added
to the long list of towns and cities to whom already
such increased powers had been granted. As a non-
•county borough, for example, Todmorden has full
■control over her elementary schools and has escaped
absorption in the wider area of the West Riding.
The first steps towards incorporation were taken in
1885, but opposition during a lengthy public enquiry
led to the rejection of the scheme. Nearly ten years
later the project was revived, no serious objection was
raised, and on June 2nd, 1896, a Charter of Incor-
poration was granted by the Privy Council. Two
months later, on Charter Day, (August 2nd, 1896),
the event was celebrated by a public procession
through the streets gay with bunting, and by a
banquet in the Town Hall. The Todmorden Co-
214 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
operative Society, however, celebrated the occasion
most notably, inasmuch as on Charter Day the
foundation stones of the Todmorden Free Library
were laid by Alderman William Jackson, J. P., then
President of the Society, and the late A. G. Eastwood,
Provisional Mayor of Todmorden. The members of
the Co-operative Society, in honour of their own
jubilee, decided to build and present to the town a
public library and to hand over their own admirable
collection of 8,000 volumes. The Library now con-
tains about 14,000 volumes and is administered under
the provisions of the Public Libraries' Act.
The first Mayor of Todmorden was Mr. Caleb
Hoyle, J. P. (1896-9). His successors have been Aid.
William Ormerod, J. P. (1899—1902), Aid. William
Jackson, J. P. (1902-5) ; the late Aid. Abraham Cross-
ley (1905-8); Aid. James Bracewell (1908-9); Aid.
Edward Lord (1909-11) and Aid. Eobert Jackson
(1911). During the period covered by these years of
office many important enterprises have been under-
taken by the Council. The purchase of Ramsden
Waterworks by the Rochdale Corporation necessitated
the construction of Gorpley Reservoir (1900-5),
whereby a pure and adequate water supply has been
secured for the Borough. A scheme of sewerage was
completed by the establishment of sewage disposal
works at Eastwood (1901-8). Centre Yale School was
conveyed to the Borough by Mr. John Ashton Eielden
(1897) and converted into an Art School, known as
the Fielden School of Art. Buildings at Waterside
were also bought and adapted for the purpose of a
Technical School, and also of a Fire Station. The
Electricity Works were erected at Millwood (1905),
IN RECENT DAYS 215
and a convenient system of motor 'buses has also been
established (1907). After considerable delay the new
premises of the Secondary School have been built on
the Stile estate (1910-12).
In 1909 Messrs. John and Hawksworth Barker
bought upwards of three acres of land at Inchfield,
Walsden, and presented it to the Corporation for a
cricket field and recreation ground. After the death
of Mrs. Fielden, of Centre Yale, Mr. John Ashton
Fielden permitted the Todmorden Town Council
to acquire the whole of Centre Yale estate for the
nominal sum of £10,000. This transfer was effected
during the Mayoralty of Aid. Edward Lord, who
acted as intermediary, and the estate has been
handed over to the town for the purpose of a public
park. Buckley Wood, that clothes the hillside
above Centre Yale, has also been presented to the
town by Mrs. Greenwood, of Glen Yiew. The
first year of the Mayoralty of Aid. Robert Jackson
has been rendered noteworthy by the formal opening,
on March 30, 1912, of the Park at Centre Yale and
of the Secondary School.
216
CHAPTER XXV.
To the Reader.
The story outlined in the preceding chapters began
with the formation of the hills and the appearance
of primitive man in this neighbourhood. It ended
with the inclusion of Todmorden in the long list of
English boroughs.
In the last chapter the reader was brought face to
face with the actual government of Todmorden at the
present day. The mere enumeration of such questions
as education, the relief of the poor, sanitation and
disease, or the supply of gas, water and electricity,
shows how important the work of local administration
has become. It also suggests how much the town
owes to the men who, during the last forty years,
served as members of the Board of Guardians, Local
Board, School Board and Borough Council.
The improvements brought about during this period
have involved great expense. The following table
shows, in round numbers, what the cost of the most
important public undertakings has been, with the
charge on the rates during the year 1911-12: —
Amount Amount
Outlay. Repaid. Unpaid. Rate.
Education (Council
£
£
£
s. d.
Schools)
49,000
18,000
31,000
1 5
"Water ...
96,000
13,000
83,000
5
Sewerage and
Sewage Disposal
106,000
12,000
94,000
1 ?l
Electricity
21,000
5,000
16,000
i
4
Gas*
165,000
33,000
132,000
* The accumulated surplus of gas profits amounts to £12,000.
TO THE READER 217
The heavy municipal debt thus incurred is due to
the fact that many necessary public enterprises have
been undertaken within a comparatively few years.
Moreover, with the exception of gas production, there
is not one which yields any surplus revenue. Despite
these facts, no one would wish to go back to local
conditions forty years ago, as sketched in preceding
chapters. The actual cost of the advantages enjoyed,
so far as the great majority of ratepayers are con-
cerned, may be easily calculated. The total rate for
the year 1911-12 was 7s. 9d. A householder in a
cottage rated at £6 paid 46s. 6d. in rates, or less than
a shilling a week; a £10 householder paid Is. 6d. a
week. Thirty years ago schoolpence in a single
family often cost more than a shilling a week. To-
day, for the same money, in addition to greater
educational facilities, elementary, secondary and
technical, with the possession of a Free Public
Library, immense improvements have taken place in
cleanliness, sanitation and lighting; an ample water
supply has been guaranteed; electricity is available
and a motor 'bus service has rendered communication
within the Borough much easier.
The present generation in Todmorden is reaping
the advantages derived from the public-spirited zeal
of former generations. It is hoped that the account
which has been given of Todmorden's past history
will strengthen the reader's determination to make
Todmorden increasingly capable of producing healthy,
intelligent and public-spirited citizens. The reader
is invited to look forward to the future, to consider
in what ways Todmorden may be improved, and then
loyally to work for the realisation of a high ideal.
218
HISTOEY OF TODMORDEN
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219
APPENDIX I.
TODMORDEN OF To-DAY.
1. Municipal.
Todmorden is a non-county borough, situated
within the West Riding of Yorkshire; population
(1911), 25,455. The Borough Council consists of
6 Aldermen and 18 Councillors, presided over by the
Mayor. The Borough is divided into six wards ; the
names and population (1901) of each are as follows :
Stansfield 4,440
Central 4,134
Langfield 4,109
Todmorden 3,922
Walsden 3,500
Cornholme 5,313
Each ward is represented on the Council by one
Alderman and three Councillors. Each year six
Councillors are elected, viz., one from each ward.
Three Aldermen are elected by the Council every
three years.
2. Township Divisions.
These divisions are much older than the wards just
mentioned. The latter were created in 1896, when
Todmorden became a Borough. The former came
into existence, in some instances, many centuries ago.
(a) Stansfield and Langfield. These townships are
situated wholly in Yorkshire. The whole of Langfield
is included within the Borough, but part of Stansfield
is within the Hebden Bridge Urban District and the
Rural Parish of Blackshaw.
220 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
(6) Todmorden and Walsden. Tliis township is
situated in Lancashire, and was created in 1801 by
the union of the older hamlets of Todmorden and
Walsden.
(c) A small portion of the township of Cliviger
(also in Lancashire) is included within the Borough.
3. Ecclesiastical Divisions.
(a) The parishes of Cross Stone, Harley Wood and
Cornholme are included within the Yorkshire diocese
of Wakefield.
(b) The parishes of Todmorden and Walsden are
included within the Lancashire diocese of Man-
chester.
The areas covered by these parishes do not corre-
spond to any of the older township divisions or the
municipal wards of the same names.
4. Parliamentary Divisions.
Todmorden is included within the following con-
stituencies, the number of inhabitants within the
Borough being also given :
(a) Sowerby Division of the West Riding of York-
shire (population, 1901, 15,571).
(b) Middleton Division of South-east Lancashire
(population, 1901, 9,086).
(c) Clitheroe Division of North-east Lancashire
(population, 1901, 753).
5. Poor Law Administration.
The Todmorden Union consists of two sub-districts,
viz. :
(a) Todmorden, or the civil parish of Todmorden
APPENDIX I 221
(coterminous with the present borough), and
comprising the townships of Langfield, Tod-
morden and Walsden, part of Stansfield and
a small part of Cliviger.
(6) Hebden Bridge, including the civil parishes of
(1) Hebden Bridge (part of the townships of
Erringden, Heptonstall and Wadsworth); (2)
Blackshaw (part of Stansfield) ; (3) Mytholm-
royd (part of Erringden, Wadsworth, Sowerby
and Midgley).
The Board of Guardians consists of 23 members,
16 being elected by the civil parish of Todmorden,
4 by Hebden Bridge and 3 by Mytholmroyd.
6. Climate.
Prevailing winds : westerly, with north-east to east
winds, especially in spring.
Rainfall : At Sourhall Hospital, the average rain-
fall during the years 1898 — 1911 = 519 inches, vary-
ing from 43-5 ins. (1905) to 662 ins. (1903).
The valleys are particularly liable to mist and fog.
7. Death Rate.
The average death rate during the same period
(1898— 1911) = 16-4 per 1,000, varying from 20'8
(1898) to 13-9 (1910).
8 Table of Principal Elevations.
(1) Valleys. The valleys descend from the Ports-
mouth boundary (702 ft.) and Walsden boundary at
Steanor Bottom" (605 ft.), via the Town Hall (423 ft.)
to Sandbed (361ft.).
222
HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
(2) Uplands.
Fielden Hospital
... 640 ft.
Mankinholes
... 725 ft
Cross Stone Church
... 750 ft
Sourhall Hospital
... 1,025 ft
(3) Moorlands.
Whirlaw
... 1,200 ft.
Stoodley Pike
... 1,307 ft
Bride Stones
... 1,400 ft.
Trough Edge
... 1,491ft
Blackstone Edge
... 1,559 ft
Hough Stones (above
Stiperden) 1,574 ft.
223
APPENDIX II.
Flowers and Animals in Todmorden..
(By Bev. John Nay lor.)
(A) Flowers.
The plants of this locality were long ago diligently
studied by the members of the Botanical Society.
Two members, Abraham Stansfield and John Nowell,
were among the most distinguished botanists in the
North of England. The former was almost unrivalled
as an authority on ferns ; the latter attained fame as
a student of mosses. These men knew every plant
that grew in the valley or on the hills, and they
noticed that at a few places the underlying rock was
indicated by the kind of plants growing thereon.
They found in certain spots plants which flourish
where there is lime, and this led to the discovery of
lime in some of the Millstone Grit beds.
Of late years botany has become more and more a
study of plants in relation to soil and climate. From
this modern point of view, plants which grow together
under like conditions are named " associations." In
this district there are several of these more or less
clearly marked off from each other. A few such
associations, with their commonest representatives,
are given below.
Heather Moor. "Where peat abounds as soil
bilberry, ling, crowberry, and whin are met with;
224 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
but in boggy places cranberry, sundew, sedges, and
bog asphodel are found.
Grass Moor. In the drier places occur the mat
grass, sheep's fescue grass , wavy hair grass, tormen-
tilla, ladies' bedstraw ; whilst in the damper spots are
found the purple molinia grass, several species of
rush, cotton grass, and the four-leaved heath.
Pasture. Descending to the hill pastures just
below the moors we find the field wood-rush, quaking
grass, yellow violet, gentian, milkwort, eyebright,
adders-tongue fern, and many a common grass.
Woodland. Where the beech trees are numerous
and the shade and humus somewhat thick, little will
grow besides the broad shield fern, anemone, lesser
celandine, woodruff and wood sorrel. But beneath
the lighter shade and on the better soil of the oak and
birch woods thrive dogrose, raspberry, ivy, bramble,
honeysuckle, cow-wheat, lady fern, male fern, soft
grass and golden rod. In damp portions of the
woodland, coltsfoot, lesser celandine, wood anemone,
stitchwort, bluebell, garlic, ragged robin greet us in
spring; while bracken and cow parsnip flourish in
summer. Loving the dampness, we find the oak,
sycamore and wych elm abundant, and ash, hazel,
alder and elder, willoiv and mountain ash by no
means rare. Among these trees flourish wood-rush,
sweet-cicely, wood-sorrel, woundwort and dock.
Clough Stream. Where the water oozes lazily
across swampy patches or drips over rocks we may
expect to find horsetails, marsh pennywort, golden
saxifrage, brooklime, herb Robert, bitter cress, wall
lettuce with many a sedge and rush.
Stagnant Pools. Floating here is the duckiveed,
APPENDIX II 225
anchored to the bottom is the pond we cd, fringing the
edges is the tall upright glyceria (so common by the
canal side) or the floating glyceria, and in the sodden
ground around spearwort, marsh marigold, willow
herb, spiraea and marsh thistle mingle with other
thirsty plants.
Let the student follow out this method of grouping
the local flora, and let him not only find out what
plants live together, and in what conditions; but
enquire into the reason why associations grow where
they do grow and not elsewhere.
(B) Animals.
I. Mammals.
Common are the mole, common shrew, water shrew,
weasel, stoat, long-tailed mouse, common mouse,
brown rat (which has killed off the black rat), water
vole (often miscalled water rat), field vole, hedgehog,
and rabbit. Rare are the long -eared bat, the very
hairy natter er's bat, fox, and hare : and extinction
has become the fate of the once common marten,
polecat, otter, badger, and deer.
II. Reptiles, Amphibians and Fishes.
Of the three English snakes the only one that
occasionally occurs here is the harmless grass or
ringed snake. The venomous adder or viper and the
smooth snake are absent. Sometimes the common
lizard is seen on the moors; now and then a blind
worm — a lizard which has lost its legs but not its
eyes, basks in our sun. Newts are very rare, but at
intervals the smooth newt appears. The common frog
is everywhere, but the edible frog nowhere, to be
seen ; nor is the toad often to be met with.
226 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
In former days before the pollution of the streams
perch, carp, roach and other fishes rewarded the
angler's patience ; but now he is not only patient but
lucky if he catches a trout, loach or gold carp in our
neighbourhood. The three-spined stickleback is the
brave little representative of finned tribes which have
left our streams and ponds — perhaps for ever.
III. Birds.
Although birds are the most changeful creatures
we know in respect of habitation, it will best meet the
needs of the reader of this book if we deal with them
in the same way as with the plants. This can only
be done in rough outline, but even this treatment of
them will help to easier identification and study of
them. Rare birds are omitted.
Moorlands and Grassy Uplands. Most of the
following occur at special seasons but a few all the
year round : redwing, fieldfare, starling, ringousel,
wheatear, hedge warbler, yellow -hammer, chaffinch,
skylark, whinchat, twite, greenfinch, redstart, meadow
pipit, night- jar, cuckoo, short-eared owl, kestrel, red-
grouse, corncrake, golden plover, curlew, lapwing,
Jack snipe. On the reservoirs and swamps are to be
frequently seen the mallard, moorhen, and black-
headed gull. Several sea birds occur there at
intervals.
Woods. Here are the song thrush, missel thrush,
blackbird, redbreast, blackcap (our best songster in
the woods), magpie, rook, great tit, blue tit, wren,
sparrow-hawk, woodcock, and great spotted wood-
pecker.
Streams. The home of the dipper is here. Three
APPENDIX II 227
wagtails — the pied, grey and yellow — forage and play
here, and occasionally the kingfisher flashes past
them.
The house sparrow, swallow, house martin, and
from time to time, the swift are met with among
houses and around farms. The three latter love
open spaces most. Their flight is not suitable to
woodlands. The sparrow, like the Anglo-Saxon, is
everywhere.
228
APPENDIX III.
Parliamentary Representation of Todmorden
DURING THE 19tH CENTURY.
The township of Todmorden and Walsden has
always been included in a Lancashire constituency;
the townships of Stansfield and Langfield have
formed part of a Yorkshire constituency.
The Reform Bills of 1832, 1867 and 1885 brought
about great changes, 1st, in the number of persons
entitled to vote, and, 2nd, in the size of the
constituencies in which the two parts of Todmorden
were included. With regard to the number of
electors, it is sufficiently accurate to say that the
right to vote was gained, in 1832, by the middle
classes; in 1867, by the working classes in towns;
and in 1885, by the agricultural labourers in the
rural districts. The changes produced in the size of
the constituencies may be briefly indicated.
I. Before 1832 the County of Lancashire returned
two members to Parliament, and in this immense
constituency the local township of Todmorden and
Walsden was included. The remaining portion of
Todmorden was comprised within the County of
Yorkshire, which at first sent two, and after 1826,
four members to Parliament. The Reform Bills
above mentioned brought about the following changes.
II. Lancashire was first divided (in 1832) into two
divisions, North and South, each with two members ;
then (1867) into four divisions, N., N.E., S.E. and
APPENDIX III 229
S.W., also with two members each; and, finally
(1885), into 23 divisions, each returning one member.
Within South-east Lancashire there were eight
constituencies, of which the Middleton Division was
one. Corresponding to these changes, the township
of Todmorden and Walsden was successively com-
prised within South Lancashire (1832), South-east
Lancashire (1867) and the Middleton Division of
South-east Lancashire (1885). Since 1885 a small
portion of the township of Cliviger has been included
in the Clitheroe Division of North-east Lancashire.
III. Yorkshire underwent a similar process of sub-
division. By the Act of 1832, each riding returned
two members. Later the West Riding was divided,
first (1861) into two divisions (North and South) ;
then (1867) into three divisions (North, South and
East), each division in each case returning two
members; and, lastly, (1885), the North Division of
the West Riding was subdivided into five constituen-
cies, including the Sowerby Division, each constitu-
ency returning one member. During these changes
the Yorkshire portion of Todmorden was successively
included within the West Riding (1832) ; the two
North Divisions (1861 and 1867), and, finally (1885),
the Sowerby Division of the Northern portion of the
West Riding.
The political views of the inhabitants of this
district, both in Lancashire and Yorkshire, seem to
have been uniformly Liberal. In old days, before
the passing of the Ballot Act, when votes were
publicly recorded, a majority of votes was given to
the Liberal candidate in Todmorden, even when a
Conservative was returned by the whole division.
230 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
The most noted Yorkshire representative was Lord
Frederick Cavendish. He represented the North
Division of the West Riding from 1865, until his
assassination in 1882 in Phoenix Park, Dublin. For
many years the Middleton Division of South-east
Lancashire was represented in the Conservative
interest by Mr. Thomas Fielden and Mr. Edward
B. Fielden, both grandsons of John Fielden, M.P.
231
APPENDIX IV.
The Genealogies of the Radcliffe and Fielden
Families.
I. The Family of Radcliffe.
William Radcliffe of Langfield & Todmorden (1364),
J.
William Radcliffe of Todmorden.
I
William de Radcliffe of Todmorden (1433).
I
Richard Radcliffe of Todmorden (died c. 1503).
I
Charles Radcliffe (died 1536).
I
Edward Radcliffe (died 1557).
I
Charles Radcliffe (died 1591).
Henry Radcliffe (will dated 1600). Robert Radcliffe,
First Headmaster of
Rochdale Grammar School.
Joshua Radcliffe Jonas Radcliffe, who became
President of University
College, Oxford.
232 HISTORY OF TODMORDEN
Savile Radcliffe (b. 1583; d. 1652), who re-built
Todmorden Hall in 1603.
Thomas Radcliffe. Joshua Radcliffe (died 1676).
I
Elizabeth Radcliife m. Roger
Mainwaring of
Kerincham,
Cheshire.
James Mainwaring.
I
Roger Mainwaring.
In 1717 Roger Mainwaring sold Todmorden Hall
to John Fielden, fifth son of Joshua Fielden,
Bottomley, Walsden.
II. The Family of Fielden.
William ffeilden of Leventhorpe, near Bradford.
(His will was proved in 1573) .
Nicholas ffeilden of Inchfield, Walsden.
I
Abraham Fielden of Inchfield, Walsden
| (Will proved 1644).
Joshua Fielden of Bottomley (d. 1693).
I.
Joshua Fielden of Bottomley (d. 1715).
I
Joshua Fielden of Bottomlev and Edge End,
| Todmorden (1701—1781).
APPENDIX IV
233
Joshua Fielden of Edge End and Waterside
| (1748—1811).
John Fielden of Dawson Weir and Centre Vale
(1784—1849).
M.P. for Oldham.
Samuel Fielden John Fielden Joshua Fielden
of Centre Vale. of Dobroyd Castle, of Stansfield
etc. Hall, etc.
Thomas Fielden.
John Ashton Fielden.
Edward B. Fielden.
234
APPENDIX Y.
Local Maps and Records.
I. Maps.
Ordnance Survey Maps. England and Wales.
One Inch to the Mile. Nos. 76 and 77.
Both maps are required for the whole neighbour-
hood.
Six Inches to the Mile.
Todmorden. 229N.W., N.E., S.W., S.E. (4maps).
229A. N.E., 214 S.W.
244 N.W., N.E.
Hebden Bridge. 230 N.W., S.W., N.E., 229 N.E.
215 S.W., 3ST.W.
214S.E., N.E.
Geological Survey Maps. England and Wales.
One Inch to the Mile. No. 88 N.W. (Original
1 inch Survey).
Four Miles to the Inch, including most of York-
shire and part of Lancashire. No. 7.
II. Township Records.
(a) In the possession of the Assistant Overseer.
1. Certificates of Settlement. Township of
Hundersfield (1677—1833).
2. Ledger of accounts of churchwardens of the
Township of Stansfield (1726—1758).
3. Accounts of churchwardens, overseers,
constables and surveyors of highways.
Township of Langfield (1700—1832).
APPENDIX V 235
4. Extracts from an Old Minute Book of the
Langfield Freeholders.
5. Minute Books. Todmorden and Walsden
(from the year 1801).
(6) In the possession of the Clerk to the Board of
Guardians.
1. Accounts of churchwardens, constables and
surveyors for Erringden (1764 — 1840).
2. Minute Books of meetings of Board of
Guardians (from the year 1837).
III. Reference Department of Todmorden Free
Library.
This Department contains a large number of
valuable books, papers and documents dealing with
local history and local affairs. See Catalogue.
INDEX.
Agistment, 61
Ale Taster, 69, 71
Ashburn, Christopher, 91
Astley, Gilbert, 92
Atkinson, Joseph, 133
Baptists, 107
Particular, 130, 131, 133, 134
General, 133, 134, 175
Bayes, Alfred W., 205
Beacons, 125
Berewicks, 47, 48, 49
Bloomeries, 63
Bobbin mill at Hough Stones and
Cornholme, 173
Bordars, 47, 48, 49, 52, 53
Bride Stones, 28
Brigantes, 29, 32
Bronze age, 27
Brooke, Robert, 188
Buckley's mill, 163, 170, 172
Buckley Wood, 215
Calder, bridges over, 171, 172
Camden, 108
Canals, the first, 156
scale of charges, 157
Carboniferous limestone, 7, 13, 14
Carr House Fold, 122, 123
Carucate, 48
Celtic graveyard, Butt Stones, 25-27
Celts, Brythonic, 29, 35
■ Goidelic, 27, 28
Centre Vale, 173, 201, 215
school, 201, 214
" Certificates of Settlement," 147
Chantries, Heptonstall, 86-89
Chapel house in Stansfield, 129, 130,
131, 209
Charter day, 213
Chartist movement, 163, 187-188
Children in mills, hours of, 160, 161
Christ Church, school and parsonage,
175, 208
Christianity, introduction of, 38
Churchwardens' accounts, 139-142
Civil wars in West Riding, 98-103,
104, 105
Clegg, Richard, 136
Cloth halls, at Halifax, 110, 113, 125 .
at Heptonstall, 110, 125
at Rochdale, 110, 125
Coal Measures, 10, 15
fossils in, 11, 17
Constables' accounts, 144-146, 181, 182
Constable, duties of township, 143, 144
Co-operative movement, beginning of,
194, 195
Corn mills in 13th and 14th century,
62
Cornholme, 207
Church, 208
Cotton industry, development of, 157—
160
mill, first local, 158
238
INDEX
Court Baron, 69
Leet, 70
Cowell, Rev. Joseph, 175
Cross Stone Chapel, 85, 136, 137, 140
175
School, 136, 137, 138, 196
Crossley, Alderman, 25
Anthony, 136, 155
David, 130
of Scaitcliffe, family of, 79, 103
Crowther, J., of Walsden, 45
Darney, William, 131
Day Schools, Establishment of, 200-202
Defoe's description of Halifax parish,
113
Deira, Anglian kingdom of, 35
Dewsbury, William, 126
Dialect, 41, 43, 44, 45
Domesday Book, 46-54
Domestic system of manufacture, 109
description of, 113
Druids, 28
Earth Circle, ancient, 25
Education Act of 1870, 201
Edwin, 37
Elmet, forest of, 35, 36, 37
Erringden township, 48, 56, 68, 75, 81,
108
Ethelburga, 37
Ethelfrith, 35
Factory Acts, 161, 165, 167
Schools, introduction of, 199
System, development of, 157-162
Cruelties of, 160-161
Farmhouses in 17th century, 123
Fault in Todmorden, 15
Fawcett, Dr., 134
Ferrar, Bishop of St. David's, 91
Feudalism, rise of, 40, 46
effect of Norman Conquest on,
46, 54
Fielden and Travis of Clough mill, i58
Art School, 214
Bros. Ltd., 207
family of, 232
Hospital, 212
John, M.P., 159, 163-168, 170,
173, 184, 190, 233
Joshua, 157, 159, 161, 233
Luke, 21
monument, 168
Mrs. Samuel, 201-2, 215
Flint implements, 21, 22, 25
nodules, 24
Foresters, position of, 56
Forests, importance in Norman times,
55
punishments for offences in, 57
Foster, John, 134
Friends, see Quakers
Fulling mills, early, 114
Gaddens reservoirs, 157
Gallows, right of, 75
Gamel, 53, 54
Gas, supply of, 212
Gastrell, Bishop, 130, 135
Gibbet law, 75
the Halifax, 76, 77
farm, 77
Gibson, Samuel, 204
Glacial Drift deposits, 18, 19, 20
Golden Lion Inn, 170, 177
INDEX
239
Gorpley reservoir, 214
Government, Celtic and Anglian
methods compared, 38, 39
Great House in Stansfield, 128, 130
Grimshaw, William, 131, 132, 134
Guardians, Board of, 189, 190
Halifax, 48, 77, 81, 100, 109, 110, 113,
114, 121
Church, 66, 67
parish, value of Church lands in,
68
Hammerton, Mr., 172, 200
Hardman, Dr., 176, 184
Harley Wood Church, 208
Hebden Bridge, growth of, 208
Heptonstall, 67, 68, 75, 81, 120
during Civil War, 100-103
Methodism in, 131-133
Chapel, 68, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89,
138, 141, 209
Chapelry, 68, 139
Grammar School, 115, 138, 196
Heywood, Oliver, of Coley Chapel, 128
129
Hey worth, Dr. Hey worth, 151, 176
Hipping bequest, 140, 141
Holme, 67, 93
Horsfall, Lieut., 98, 99
Houses in the 14th century, 63
16th and 17th century, 121-123
Hoyle, J. P., Caleb, 207
Hundreds, 39
Industrial revolution, 154 et seq.
Ingham, William, 191
Instaurator, 60
Iron smelting in 14th century, 63
Jackman, Mr., 21
Krabtree, Henry, Curate of Todmorden,
106, 116, 118-120, 127
Land, measurement of, 48
Bovate, 48
Carucate, 48, 52, 53, 67
Hide, 48, 53
Law, Robert, F.G.S., 21, 25, 204
Langfield township, 48, 68, 75, 81
Legend of Lady Sybil of Bernshaw
Tower, 116-118
Lewes, Priory of, 61, 67, 68, 88
Lincoln, Henry de Lacy, Earl of, 57, 58
Lineholme Baptist Chapel, 175, 209
Local Board Districts, 211
Long Causeway, 32
Loyal Association in Elizabeth's reign,
93
Mat •kworth, Sir Francis, 100, 102, 103
Maiden Cross, 103
Mankinholes, 56, 60, 126, 209, 222
Manor Courts, Local, business of, 70-
75, 78
Manors, 47
Maps, ordnance, 234
Markets in 14th century, 65
Mediaeval times, buildings in, 63, 64
farming in, 60
markets, 65
prices in, 60, 63
rents in, 59, 63
wages in, 64
wool growing in, 61
Merlinus Rusticus, 118, 119
Methodists, first, 131
240
INDEX
Midgeley, Joseph, 91, 96, 116
Richard, 91, 92
township, 48, 81
Militia bounties, 181
clubs, 180
Millstone grit 9, 13, 14
Kinderscout, 9, 13, 14, 15
Middle, 9, 14, 15, 17
Rough Rock, 10, 15
Mineral wealth, 109
Mining industry in Middle Ages, 62,
63
in 16th century, 109
Mitchell, William, 130
Monasteries, 67
Mount Cross, 38, 66
Neolithic man, 21-24
Normans, influence of, in building
churches, 66
Nowell, John, 204
Out of school exercises, 16, 17, 20
Overseer's accounts, 148-150
Overseers of the Poor in 18th century,
duties of, 146-151
Packhorse roads, 123, 124
Pannage, 61
Parliamentary representation, 228-230
Patmos Chapel, 172, 175
Paulinus, 38
Paupers, treatment of, 147-151
Pennine Chain, 5, 12, 14, 15,. 19
Pilgrimage of Grace 88
Pinder, 153
Pinfold, 153
Place names, 35, 42, 43, 58, 83
Plague, 120
' Plug drawers,' 163
Police, opposition to County, 193-4
Pollard's bequest, 140
Poll Tax, Richard IPs reign, 80
Poorhouses in 18th century, 149, 150
Poor Law Amendment Act, 188-193
Union, 189-190, 220-221
Riots, 191-192
Post Office, the first, 177
Power looms, introduction of, 162, 164
Presbyterianism in Todmorden, 104,
107, 128, 130, 131
Press gang, 181
Prior's Court, 69
Pronunciation, local, 45
Protestantism, beginning of local, 90
Puritanism, growth of, 91, 92, 93, 94,
95
Quakers or Friends, 106, 107, 126, 127,
131
burial grounds, 127
meeting houses, 128, 170
sufferings of, 127, 128
Radcliffe, family of, 79, 91, 103, 169,
231-232
Joshua, 103, 232
Savile, 96, 122, 232
Railway, construction of, 177-179
Ramsbotham, Thomas, 173
Ramsbottom, Henry, 161
John, 205
Recedham (Rochdale), 53
Reform movement, 183-188
Ridgefoot mill, 207
Ripon, 109
INDEX
241
Roads, construction and repair of, 151,
155
Rochdale Grammar School, 115, 231
Rodhill End Chapel, 130, 131, 133, 175
Roger of Poitou, 52, 53, 54
Roman Catholic services illegal, 93
Roman coins, 32, 33
— — entrenchments, 32
roads, 30, 31, 32, 124
Russell, Dr., 25
St. Peter's Church, Walsden, 208
Salford, Hundred of, 52, 54, 55
Sandal Magna, Church at, 51
Scholefield, Jonathan, Curate of Cross
Stone, 98, 99, 100
School Board, the first, 201
Serfs, 53
Sewage disposal works, 214, 21G
Ship money, 96, 112
Shore Baptist Chapel, 134, 176
Smith, Richard, 134
Sokemen, 47, 49, 51
Sowerby township, 48, 81
Spring Gardens Inn, 156, 169
Standing, James, 205
Stansfield, Abraham, 204
family of, 79, 85, 103
hall, 79
mill, 79
township, 48, 67, 68, 75, 81, 108
"Steam factory," the first, 161, 170
Stoodley Pik3, 182, 183
Sunday Schools, 196-199
Superstitions local, 116, 118, 176
Surnames, b< ginning of, 61, 62, 81, 82,
83
I
Surveyor of highways, duties cf, 151
difficulties of, 154
Surveyor's accounts, 152, 153
Taylor, Dan, 133
Todmorden "Advertiser," 203
animals, 225-227
changes in local government, 209-
214
Chapel (St. Mary's), 85, 90, 104,
105, 106, 135, 138, 174, 208
climate, 221
coaches, 176, 177
Co-operative Society, 195, 213-214
cricket field, first, 172
death rate, 221
elevations, principal, 221-222
Endowed School, 136, 196
fairs, 146, 174
flowers, 223-225
Free Library, 214, 235
Hall, 79, 91, 122
hills, 12-16
in 18th century, 135
in 19th century, 169-177
Literary Society, 205
markets, 174
mayors, 214
Mechanics' Institute, 203
municipal debt, 217
name, first mention of, 78
National School, 200
Old Library, 203
parishes, 220
parliamentary divisions, 220
pastimes, 177
Political Union, 184-187
242
INDEX
Todmorden, population, 52, 80, 173,
174, 208, 209
rainfall, 221
■ religious life in, 174-176
Scientific Society, 205
Secondary School, 202, 215
Town Hall, 213
township divisions, 219-220
— — Urban Sanitary District, 210-211
waterworks, 212, 216
Towneley, Charles, 103
Sir John, 92
Township records, 234, 235
Turnpike road, the first, 154, 155,
tolls on, 156
Ulnagers, 112
Unitarian Chapel, 170, 209
Villeins, 47, 49, 52, 53, 60, 74, 108
Volunteer movement, 181, 182
Wadsworth township, 48, 67, 68, 75,
81, 108
Wager of law, 72
Wages in the 14th century, 64
Wakefield Church, 51
manor of, 48, 55
Wapentakes, 40
Warley township, 48, 81
Warren, family of, Earls of Surrey,
first earl, 67
second earl, 55, 67, 79
fifth earl, 56, 58, 75
Waterside mill, 159, 162, 170
Wesley, John, 131-133, 138
Wesley an Chapel, Doghouse, 133
York Street, 175
West Lodge, 172
Whitehart Fold, 174
Whitehead, James, 203
Wilkinson, Mr., of Burnley, 25
Wilson, Lawrence, 173
Witchcraft, belief in, 116
Wolves in the 14th century, 64
Woollen manufacture, 61, 82, 83 109,
111, 112
Workhouses, opposition to, 183, 193
Working classes in early 19th century,
condition of, 162
Yoredale rocks, 7, 9, 13, 15
Yorkshire, invasion of, by Angles and
Danes, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41
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No. II. THE LANGUAGE OF THE ANNALS OF ULSTER. By
Tomas O'Maille, M.A., Professor of Irish in University College,
Galway. Demy 8vo, pp xiii. 220. 7s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 53, 1910.)
The objects of this dissertation are firstly to investigate the date at
which certain old-Irish phonological developments took place, and
secondly to give an acco mt of old-Irish declension as evidenced by the
language of the Annals of Ulster. An Appendix on the analysis of
Irish personal names is appended.
" As a valuable book, the work of an excellent scholar, as treating of
a most interesting period of the Irish language, as containing apart from
its very great academic use a surprising amount of matter that must
fascinate all who have any feeling for the blend of old and new
in Modern Irish, this elaborate treatise must be welcomed with joy.
.... Learned the book is, patiently methodical, full of the invaluable
statement of " document," widely enlightening for the scholars, and they
already know that, and need no pushing towards the book, for which
they and their special works have been impatiently waiting."
— Freeman's Journal.
" The book is a painstaking and accurate piece of work, and does
honour to its author and the University which has printed it."
— The Athenaeum.
"It is a work of fine scholarship, which will prove of great service to
the student of early and middle Irish, and it is a valuable testimony
of the interest which is being taken in our day in Irish letters."
— Scotsman.
" Obviously we have here an invaluable guide to the early history of
the language. The book is carefully indexed, and will be found
invaluable as a work of reference." — Irish Times.
" It is one of the most important contributions to old Irish studies
issued in recent years The author had the enormous advantage of
knowing modern Irish from childhood, and his investigations of the
language of the annals ai? evidence of the advantage."
— Irish Independent.
" The book is notable as extending the lines of investigation, chiefly
directed upon Old Irish, with which we have grown familiar in the last
*>en or twelve years." — Manchester Guardian.
CLASSICAL SERIES.
No. I. A STUDY OF THE BACCHAE OF EURIPIDES. By G.
Norwood, M.A , Assistant Lecturer in Classics. Demy 8vo, pp. xx,
188. 5s. net. (Publication No. 31, 1908.)
"The interest of Mr. Norwood's book, which ... is a very welcome
addition to the bibliography of Euripides, and a scholarly and interesting
2 34. Cross Street, Manchester
SIlKltltATT .V HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
CLASSICAL SERIES.
A STUDY OF THE BACCHAE OF EURIPIDES (continued),
piece of work, displaying erudition and insight beyond the ordinary,
lies in the way in which, by applying Dr. Verrall's methods .... he
first shows up difficulties and inconsistencies, some of which have hardly
been noticed before . . . and then produces his own startling theory,
which he claims is the great solvent of all the perplexities."
— Saturday Review.
" Unless very strong evidence can be produced against Mr. Norwood's
view, it must be accepted as the true solution of the problem. . . . Mr.
Norwood is generally clear, and abounds in illuminating thoughts. He
has added a full bibliography (running to twenty-three pages) of writings
on Euripides, and for this every scholar will offer his sincere thanks.
. . . He has done a very good piece of work." — Athenaum.
" This volume forms the first of a Classical Series projected by the
Manchester University, who are to be congratulated on having begun
with a book so original and full of interest. ... It is admirably argued,
and is instinct with a sympathetic imagination. It is, at the very least,
an extremely able attempt to solve a very complex problem. "
— Manchester Guardian.
" Mr. Norwood's book has even in the eyes of a sceptic the considerable
merit of stating the hypothesis in a very thoroughgoing and able
manner, and at least giving it its full chance of being believed."
— Professor Gilbert Murray in the Nation.
" L'interpretation de M. Norwood est certainement tres ingenieuse;
elle est meme tres seduisante." — Itecue Critique.
ECONOMIC SERIES.
No. I. THE LANCASHIRE COTTON INDUSTRY. By S. J.
Chapman, M.A., M. Com., Stanley Jevons Professor of Political
Economy and Dean of the Faculty of Commerce. Demy 8vo, pp.
vii. 309. 7s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 4, 1904.)
" Such a book as this ought to be, and will be, read far beyond the
bounds of the trade." — Manchester Guardiun.
" There have been books dealing with various phases of the subject,
but no other has so ably treated it from the economic as well as from
the historical point of view." — Manchester Courier.
"The story of the evolution of the industry from small and insignificant
beginnings up to its present imposing proportions and highly developed
and specialised forms, is told in a way to rivet the attention of the
reader the book is a valuable and instructive treatise on a
fascinating yet important subject." — Cotton Factory Times.
33, Soho Square, London, W- 3
SHERRATT & HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
ECONOMIC SERIES.
(Gartside Report, No. 1.)
No. II. COTTON SPINNING AND MANUFACTURING IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. By T. W. Uttley, B.A.,
Gartside Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. xii. 70. Is. net.
(Publication No. 8, 1905.)
" The writer gives ample details concerning wages and other features
connected with typical mills . . . and the information thus gathered is
of interest and value to the factory operative as well as the student and
economist." — Cotton Factory Times.
" Mr. Uttley describes how he visited the mills in various States in
very systematic and detailed manner. Altogether the report makes an
admirable and welcome collection of information, and will be found on
many occasions worthy of reference." — Textile Mercury.
(Gartside Report, No. 2.)
No. III. SOME MODERN CONDITIONS AND RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS IN IRON AND STEEL PRODUCTION IN
AMERICA, being a Report to the Gartside Electors, on the results
of a Tour in the U.S.A. By Frank Popplewell, B.Sc, Gartside
Scholar. Demy Svo, pp. xii. 120. Is. net
(Publication No 21, 1906.)
" Mr. Popplewell gives a clear exposition of the results of specialisa-
tion in production, of the development of ore-handling machinery, and
Df the general use of the charging machine, features that characterise
American practice. He shows, too, that the colossal blast-furnace with
huge yield due to high-blast pressure, regardless of consumption of steam
and boiler coal, is giving place to a blast furnace of more modest
dimensions. . . .
"The impression derived from reading Mr. Popplewell's report is that
many of the most striking developments, admirable as they are, were
designed to meet special wants, and are not necessarily applicable in
Great Britain." — Nature.
(Gartside Report, No. 3.)
No. IV. ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS IN
THE UNITED STATES. By Frank Foster, M.Sc, Gartside
Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. ix. 106. Is. net.
(Publication No 22, 1906.)
" The report under review is of very great interest to those connected
with the manufacturing branch of engineering in this country, many of
whom will have to relinquish their preconceived notions regarding
American methods, if Mr. Foster's conclusions are to be accepted."
• — Electrical Review.
4 34, Cross Street, Manchester
SHERRATT & HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
ECONOMIC SERIES.
No. V. THE RATING OF LAND VALUES. By J.D. Chorlton, M.Sc.
Demy 8vo, pp. viii. 177. 3s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 23, 1907.)
" The first half of this book deserves to become a classic
is one of the best books on a practical economic question that has
appeared for many years. It is not only scientifically valuable, but so
well written as to be interesting to a novice on the subject." — The Nation.
" A very businesslike and serviceable collection of essays and notes on
this intricate question." — Manchester Guardian.
" Mr. Chorlton deals clearly and concisely with the whole subject of
rating and land values." — The Standard.
" The impartiality and candour of Mr. Chorlton's method are beyond
dispute, and his book will repay careful study by all who are interested
in the question, from whatever motive." — Westminster Gazette.
Gartside Report, No. 4.)
No. VI. DYEING IN GERMANY AND AMERICA. By Sydney
H. Higgins, M.Sc, Gaitside Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. xiii. 112.
Is. net. (Publication No. 24, 1907.)
" The book will . . make a valuable addition to the technical litera-
ture of this country." — Tribune.
" The work is one which .... should receive the attention of those
who desire a general view of the German and American dyeing in-
dustries. " — Textile Manufacturer.
No. VII. THE HOUSING PROBLEM IN ENGLAND. By
Ernest Ritson Dewsnup, M.A., Professor of Railway Economics in
the University of Chicago. Demy 8vo, pp. vii. 327. 5s. net.
(Publication No. 25, 1907.)
" Professor Dewsnup s book on the housing problem consists of three
distinct parts, each of which is a valuable contribution to economic
science. In Part I, Professor Dewsnup tries to give a clear and definite
account of the evil with which authorities in England are called upon
to cope. Avoiding all special pleading and all evidence of the sensational
kind which is apt to give a false idea of the extent and intensity of the
evil of overcrowding, he does not on the other hand fall into the error
of minimizing the evil.
" In Part II, Professor Dewsnup gives a most excellent and well-
digested summary of the legislation which has been passed by Parlia-
ment since 1851 to cope with the evils of overcrowded houses, and of
overcrowded areas.
" In Part III, the strictly informational and statistical work of the
previous parte is utilked by the author to support his own conclusions
as to the best methods of dealing with the problem of overcrowding.
" Whether or not the reader agrees with Professor Dewsnup in the
conclusions he draws from his data, every student of economics must
be grateful to him for the accuracy and care which have gone into the
collection and arrangement of his material." — The American Political
Science Review, vol. iii, No. 1, February, 1909.
33, Soho Square, London, W. 5
SliEKRATT & HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
ECONOMIC SERIES.
(GrARTSIDE I^jEPORT !No 5 \
No. VIII. AMERICAN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE. By Douglas
Knoop, M.A., Gartside Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. viii. 128. Is. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 30, 1907.)
" The book is calculated to give a clear and accurate description,
"essentially intended for the general reader," and the author has quite
rightly eliminated everything of a technical character, giving his theme
both the simplicity and the interest that are required. . . . The work
might well have been doubled in length without any loss of interest. . . .
Invaluable as a text-book." — The Economic Journal.
" Should on no account be missed, for it is a very good attempt at a
survey of the enormous field of American business in the true and
judicial spirit." — Pall Mall Gazette.
(Gartside Report, No. 6.)
No. IX. THE ARGENTINE AS A MARKET. By N. L. Watson,
M.A., Gartside Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. viii. 64. Is. net.
(Publication No. 33, 1908.)
"A valuable and thorough examination of the conditions and future
of Argentine commerce." — Morning Leader.
(Gartside Report, No. 7.)
No. X. SOME ELECTRO-CHEMICAL CENTRES. By J. N. Pring,
M.Sc, Gartside Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. xiv. 137. Is. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 41, 1908.)
" Concise, business-like, and furnished with some valuable papers of
statistics, the report will prove well worthy of the study of anyone
specially interested in this subject." — Scotsman.
" The reviewer says unhesitatingly that this
Gartside Report is the best all-round book on industrial electro-
chemistry that has so far come to his notice." — Electro-chemical and
Metallurgical Industry, May, 1909.
(Gartside Report, No. 8.)
No. XI. CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ON THE CONTINENT. By
Harold Baron, B.Sc, Gartside Scholar. Demy 8vo, pp. xi. 71.
Is. 6d. net. (Publication No. 44, 1909.)
"Well informed, well systematised, and written with businesslike
precision, it deserves the attention of everyone interested in its
subject." — Scotsman.
"For a good general account of the chemical industry on the Con-
tinent we think this report, so far as it goes, to be an excellent one and
is, moreover, unlike many works on the subject, interesting to read."
— Chemical Trades Journal.
" Clearly and intelligently handled." — The Times.
34. Cross Street. Manchester
SHERKATT & HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
ECONOMIC SERIES.
No. XII. UNEMPLOYMENT. By Prof. S. J. Chapman, M.A.,
M.Com., and H. M. Hallsworth, M.A., B.Sc. Demy 8vo, pp. xvi.
164. 2s. net, paper, 2s. 6d. net, cloth. (Publication No. 45, 1909.)
" On the whole, the authors offer a solid contribution, both as regards
facts and reasoning, to the solution of a peculiarly difficult and pressing
social problem." — Cotton Factory Times.
"... reproduces in amplified form a valuable set of articles, giving the
results of an investigation made in Lancashire, which lately appeared in
the Manchester Guardian. By way of Introduction we have an examina-
tion, not previously published, ot the Report of the Poor-law Commission
on Unemployment. There is a large accompaniment of Charts and
Tables, and indeed the whole work bears the mark of thoroughness."
— Guardian.
(Gartside Report, No. 9.)
No. XIII. THE COTTON INDUSTRY IN SWITZERLAND,
VORALBERG AND ITALY. A Technical and Economic Study.
By S. L. BE6SO, LL.B. Demy 8vo, pp. xv. 229. 3s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 54, 1910.)
"The large amount of information gathered has been carefully
arranged. . . . The work is a worthy one, interesting to the general
reader, and valuable to the captain of commerce, and inevitably suggests
the desirability of having the remaining countries of the Continent
similarly surveyed .... this volume, which is well worth careful
study by all who are interested in the social and economic conditions
of textile workers abroad." — The Cotton Factory Times.
" This volume may be heartily commended to the attention of all
persons interested in every phase of cotton mill economics, and we
congratulate Mr. Besso on the admirable manner in which he has set
forth the results of h^s painstaking investigations. In these days of
international comparisons, a series of volumes dealing in this way with
every industrial country would be of considerable value to students of
industrial and commercial affairs." — The Textile Mercury.
" . . . . the facts and statistics the author marshals so clearly ....
a skilled investigator. For the rest, this volume does infinite credit
alike to the author and to hio University." — Morning Leader.
33. Soho Square, London. W.
SHERRATT & HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
EDUCATIONAL SERIES.
No. I. CONTINUATION SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND & ELSEWHERE.
Their place in the Educational System of an Industrial and Com-
mercial State. By Michael E. Sadler, M.A., LL.D., Professor of
the History and Administration of Education. Demy 8vo, pp. xxvi.
779. 8s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 29, 1907.)
This work is largely based on an enquiry made by past and present
Students of the Educational Department of the University of
Manchester. Chapters on Continuation Schools in the German
Empire, Switzerland, Denmark, and France, have been contributed by
other writers.
" gives a record of what the principal nations are doing in the
prolongation of school work. It is invaluable as a corpus of material
from which to estimate the present position of the world — so far as its
analogies touch Britain — in 'further education,' as the phrase is."
— The Outlook.
"The most comprehensive book on continuation schools that has yet
been issued in this country " — Scottish Review.
" The whole question is discussed with an elaboration, an insistence on
detail, and a wisdom that mark this volume as the most important
contribution to educational effort that has yet been made."
— Contemporary Review.
" The subject of the work is one that goes to the very heart of
national education, and the treatise itself lays bare with a scientific but
humane hand the evils that beset our educational system, the waste of
life and national energy which that system has been unable in any
sufficient degree to check." — The Spectator.
" It is a treasure of facts and judicious opinions in the domain of the
history and administration of education." — The Athenaeum.
No. II. THE DEMONSTRATION SCHOOLS RECORD. No. I.
Being Contributions to the Study of Education from the Department
of Education in the University of Manchester. By J. J. Findlay,
M.A., Ph.D. Sarah Fielden Professor of Education. Demy 8vo,
pp. viii. 126. Is. 6d. net. (Publication No 32, 1908.)
" Professor Findlay and his skilled and experienced collaborators give
an interesting account of the uses of the demonstration classes, the
nature and scope of the work done in them, and the methods adopted
(as well as the underlying principles) in some of the courses of instruc-
tion."— The Athenceum.
"The book gives an instructive account of the attempts made to
correlate the subjects of school instruction, not only with each other, but
also with the children's pursuits out of school hours. . . . The problem
Professor Findlay has set himself to work out in the Demonstration
School is, How far is it possible by working with the children through
successive culture epochs of the human race to form within their minds
not only a truer conception of human history, but also eventually a
deeper comprehension of the underlying purpose and oneness of all
human activities?" — Morning Post.
34, Cross Street, Manchester
SHERKATT & HUGHES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
EDUCATIONAL SERIES.
No. III. THE TEACHING OF HISTORY IN GIRLS' SCHOOLS
IN NORTH AND CENTRAL GERMANY. A Report by Eva
Dodge, M.A., Gilchrist Student. Demy 8vo, pp. x. 149. Is. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 34, 1908.)
"We cordially recommend this most workmanlike, and extremely
valuable addition to pedagogic literature." — Education.
" Miss Dodge has much of interest to say on the limitations and
defects of history-teaching in girls' schools, but the real contribution
of this book is its revelation of how the history lesson can be made a
living thing." — Glasgow Herald.
" Gives a clear and detailed account of two well-organised schemes of
historical teaching in Germany." — School World.
No. IV. THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, 1890-1911. Demy 8vo,
146 pp. Is. 6d. net, paper; 2s. 6d. net, cloth.
(Publication No. 58, 1911.)
This book, published in commemoration of the twenty-first anniversary
of the education department, includes an article nearly 50 pages long by
Prof Sadler on University Training Colleges, their ©rigin, growth and
influence, a history by Mr. W. T. Goode of the department of education
in the University, a register of past and present students and a record
of the publications issued from the department. It is illustrated by
photographs of the University and some of the leading persons connected
with the education department. '
No. V. OUTLINES OF EDUCATION COURSES IN MAN-
CHESTER UNIVERSITY. Demy 8vo, pp. viii., 190. 3s. net.
[Publication No. 61, 1911.
No. VI. THE STORY OF THE MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL
FOR GIRLS, 1871—1911. By Sara A. Burstall, M.A. Demy
8vo., pp. xx. 214, with 18 Plates. 5s. net. (Publication No. 63, 1911.)
ENGLISH SERIES.
No. I. THE LITERARY PROFESSION IN THE ELIZABETHAN
AGE. By Ph. Sheatyn, M.A.,D.Lit., Special Lecturer in English
Literature and Tutor for Women Students ; Warden of the Hall of
Residence for Women Students.
A series of brief studies dealing with the conditions amidst which the
profession of literature was pursued under Elizabeth and James I. It
treats of their relations with patrons, publishers, and reading public, and
with various authorities exercising legal control over the press; and
discusses the possibility of earning a sufficient livelihood, in this period.
by the proceeds of literary work. Demy 8vo, pp. xii. 221. 5s. net.
(Publication No. 49, 1909.)
" . . . . scholarly and illuminating book. It opens a new series ir
the Manchester University publications, and opens it with distinction.
A more elaborately documented or more carefully indexed work need
not be desired. The subject is an engrossing one; and, although the
author has aimed rather at accuracy and completeness than at the arts of
entertainment, the result remains eminently readable."
— Manchester Guardian.
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MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS
ENGLISH SERIES.
No: II. BEOWULF : Edited, with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary,
by W. J. Sedgefield, Litt.D., Lecturer in English Language.
Demy 8vo, pp. xii. 300. 9s. net. (Publication No. 55, 1910.)
" It is his carefulness in this matter of the text that will win Mr.
Sedgefield the chief thanks of students. This record of variants is full
and accurate, and the fuller notes which follow the text itself should
be very helpful both to the pupil and the expert. In the glossarial
index Mr. Sedgefield has accomplished a task hitherto unattempted in
England. . . . Mr. Sedgefield's edition of "Beowulf "maintains admirably
the standard of scholarliness which Miss Sheavyn's recent volume set her
followers in the new English series of Manchester University studies,
and we need no longer reproach ourselves with the necessity of going
to Germany for a fully edited text of the greatest monument of our
early literature. All scholars must be grateful." — Manchester Guardian.
" Too often, the philologist and the man of letters find themselves at
variance, and it is rare indeed to find the two combined in one
personality, but, brief as Mr. Sedgefield's introductory essays necessarily
are, they suffice to show that the poem appeals to him in its literary
as well as in its linguistic aspect. His criticisms are admirably sugges-
tive, and his notes on the metre, origin, authorship and date are models
of clearness and condensation. The Bibliography and Glossary are
admirably full." — Guardian.
"... His hope that it will find acceptance with a larger public,
if not already fulfilled, certainly will be, for the edition is incomparably
better than any yet produced in England, and so complete in glossary,
bibliography, and other explanatory matter as to stand in no fear of a
rival." — Journal of Education.
"It is a scholarly piece of work, embodying the results of the latest
researches and containing an excellent bibliography. The introduction
provides an admirable analysis of the composition and structure of the
poem. It is the best English edition available of tha oldest extant epic
of the English tongue." — Scotsman.
"Mr. W. J. Sedgefield's new edition of "Beowulf" is a great step
forward in the study of Beowulf in particular and the general popularisa-
tion of the study of Anglo-Saxon in general. It may be said that in
each of its various sections the introduction, the notes, the glossary, and
the appendices, this work is much more complete than any other
English edition which has hitherto been published, and it should prove
the greatest help to students of this grand old epic poem ... a work
which essentially conforms to the spirit of modern science."
— Commentator.
"The notes handle all the chief difficulties frankly."
— Educational Times.
"The Bibliography deserves high praise." — The Athenceum.
No. III. PATIENCE : A West Midland Poem of the Fourteenth
Century. With an Introduction, Notes, and Glossary, by Hartley
Bateson, M.A. [In the Press.
10 34, Cross Street, Manchester
SUEltltATT k HUUUES
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
HISTORICAL SERIES.
No. I. MEDIAEVAL MANCHESTER AND THE BEGINNINGS
OF LANCASHIRE. By James Tait, M.A., Professor of Ancient
and Mediaeval History. Demy 8vo, pp. x. 211. 7s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 3, 1904.)
" Patient and enlightened scholarship and a sense of style and pro-
portion have enabled the writer to produce a work at once solid and
readable." — English Historical Review.
"A welcome addition to ihe literature of English local history, not
merely because it adds much to our knowledge of Manchester and
Lancashire, but also because it displays a scientific method of treatment
which is rare in this field of study in England." — Dr. Gross in American
Historical Review.
" La collection ne pouvait debuter plus significativement et plus heure-
usement que par un ouvrage d'histoire du Moyen Age du a M. Tait, car
l'enseignement medieviste est un de ceux qui font le plus d'honneur a
la jeune Universite de Manchester, et c'est a M. le Professeur Tait qu'il
faut attribuer une bonne part de ot succes." — Revue de Synthise
historique.
No. II. INITIA OPERUM LATINORUM QUAE SAECULIS XIII.,
XIV., XV. ATTRIBUUNTUR. By A. G. Little, M. A., Lecturer in
Palaeography. Demy 8vo, pp. xiii. 273 (interleaved). (Out of print.)
(Publication No. 5, 1904.)
"Whoever has attempted to ascertain the contents of a Mediaeval
miscellany in manuscript must often have been annoyed by the occurrence
of a blank space where the title of the treatise ought to be. Mr. Little
has therefore earned the gratitude of all such persons by making public
a collection of some 6,000 incipits, which he arranged in the first instance
for his private use, in compiling a catalogue of Franciscan MSS."
— English Historical Review.
No. III. THE OLD COLONIAL SYSTEM. By Gerald Berkeley
Hertz, M.A., B.C.L., Lecturer in Constitutional Law. Demy 8vo,
pp. xi. 232. 5s net. (Publication No. 7, 1905.)
" Mr. Hertz gives us an elaborate historical study of the old colonial
system, which disappeared with the American Revolution. • . • • He
shows a remarkable knowledge of contemporary literature, and his book
may claim to be a true history of popular opinion." — Spectator.
" Mr. Hertz's book is one which no student of imperial developments
can neglect. It is lucid, fair, thorough, and convincing."
— Glasgow Herald.
" Mr. Hertz's ' Old Colonial System ' is based on a careful study of
contemporary documents, with the result that several points of no small
importance are put in a new light .... it is careful, honest work ....
The story which he tells has its lesson for us," — The Times.
" Both the ordinary reader and the academic mind will get benefit
from this well-informed ana well-written book." — Scotsman.
"Mr. Hertz has made excellent use of contemporary literature, and
has given us a very valuable and thorough critique. The book is in-
teresting and very well written." — American Political Science Review.
33, Soho Square, London. W. H
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MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
HISTORICAL SERIES.
No. IV. STUDIES OF ROMAN IMPERIALISM. By W. T.
Arnold, M.A. Edited by Edward Fiddes, M.A., Lecturer in
Ancient History, with Memoir of the Author by Mrs. Humphry
Ward and C. E. Montague. With a Photogravure of W. T
Arnold. Demy 8vo, pp. cxxiii. 281. 7s. 6d. net
(Publication No. 16, 1906.)
" Mrs. Humphry Ward has used all her delicate and subtle art to
draw a picture of her beloved brother; and his friend Mr. Montague's
account of his middle life is also remarkable for its literary excellence."
— Athenceum.
" The memoir .... tenderly and skilfully written by the ' sister
and friend,' tells a story, which well deserved to be told, of a life rich
in aspiration, interests, and friendships, and not without its measure of
actual achievement." — Tribune.
" This geographical sense and his feeling for politics give colour to all
he wrote." — Times.
" Anyone who desires a general account of the Empire under Augustus
which is freshly and clearly written and based on wide reading will find
it here." — Manchester Guardian.
" Nothing could be better than the sympathetic tribute which Mrs.
Humphry Ward pays to her brother, or the analysis of his work and
method by his colleague Mr. Montague. The two together have more
stuff in them than many big books of recent biography."
— Westminster Gazette.
The Memoir may be had separately, price 2s. 6d net
No. V. CANON PIETRO CASOLA'S PILGRIMAGE TO
JERUSALEM IN THE YEAR 1494. By M. M. Newett,
B.A., formerly Jones Fellow. Demy 8vo, pp. viii. 427. 7s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 26, 1907.)
"Tra mezzo ai tanti libri esteri di semplici divulgazione su fatti e
figure della storia italiana, questo emerge piacevalmente e si legge
volontieri. E diverso di carattere e di trattazione. Esume .... dalla
polvere degli archivi e delle biblioteihe qualche cosa che ha un valore
fresco ed interessante, un valore storico e un valore umano."
— A.A.B. in the Archivio Storico Italiano
" L'introduction se termlne par toute une dissertation du plus grand
interet documentee a 1'aide des archives venitiennes, sur le caractere
commercial des pelerinages, dont les armateurs de Venise assumerent,
jusqu 'au XVIIe siecle l'entreprise."
— J.B. in the Revue de Synthese historique.
" Miss Newett has performed her task admirably, preserving much of
the racy humour and shrewd phrasing which mark the original, and
adding, in the introduction, a general treatise on the Venetian pilgrim
industry, and in the notes copious illustrations of the text."
— Horatio Brown in the English Historical Review.
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HISTORICAL SERIES.
CANON PIETRO CASOLA'S PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM
IN THE YEAR 1494.— Continued.
" Miss Newett's introduction is an admirable bit of work. She has
studied carefully what the archives of Venice have to say about pilgrim
ships and shipping laws, and her pages are a mine of information on
such subjects." — Dr. Thomas Lindsay in the Scottish Historical Review.
" This is a deeply interesting record, not merely of a Syrian pilgrim-
age, but of Mediterranean life and of the experiences of an intelligent
Italian gentleman at the close of the Middle Ages — two years after the
discovery of America. It would not be easy to find a more graphic
picture, in old days, of a voyage from Venice to the Levant."
— American Historical Review.
No. VI HISTORICAL ESSAYS. Edited by T. F. Tout, M.A.,
Professor of Mediaeval and Modern History, and James Tait, M.A.,
Professor of Ancient and Mediaeval History. Demy 8vo, pp. xv. 557.
6s. net. Reissue of the Edition of 1902 with index and New Preface
(Publication No. 27, 1907.)
"Diese zwanzig chronologisch geordneten Aufsatze heissen in der
Vorrede der Herausgeber Festchrift, behandeln zur Halfte ausser-englische
Themata, benutzen reichlich festlandische Literatur und verraten iiberall
neben weiten Ausblicken eine methodische Schulung die der dortigen
Facultat hohe Ehre mdc.ht." — Professor Liebermann in Deutsche
Literaturzeitung.
" Imperial history, local history, ecclesiastical history, economic history
and the methods of historical teaching — all these are in one way or another
touched upon by scholars who have collaborated in this volume. Men
and women alike have devoted their time and pains to working out
problems of importance and often of no slight difficulty. The result is
one of which the university and city may be justly proud." — The late
Professor York Powell in the Manchester Guardian.
" Esso contiene venti lavori storici dettati, quattro da professori e sedici
da licenziati del Collegio, e sono tutto scritti appositamente e condotti
secondo le piu rigorose norme della critica e su documenti." — R. Predelli
in Nuovo Archivio Veneto.
" Le variete des su jets et l'erudition avec laquelle ils sont traites font
grand honneur a la maniere dont 1'histoire est enseigne a Owens College."
— Revue Historique.
" Par nature, c'est un recueil savant, qui temoigne du respect et de
I'emulation que sait exercer pour les etudes historiques la jeune et deja
celebre universite." — Revue dliistoire ecclesiastique (Louvain).
" All these essays reach a high level ; they avoid the besetting sin of
most of our present historical writing, which consists of serving up a hash
of what other historiaas have written flavoured with an original spice of
error They are all based on original research and written by
specialists." — Professor A. F. Pollard in the English Historical Review.
" Sie bilden einen schonen Beweis fur die rationelle Art, mit der dort
dieses Studium betrieben wird." — Professor 0. Weber in Historische
Zeitschrift.
The index can be purchased separately, price 6d. net.
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HISTORICAL SERIES.
No. VII. STUDIES SUPPLEMENTARY TO STUBBS' CONSTI-
TUTIONAL HISTORY. Vol. i. By Ch. Petit-Dutaillis, Litt.D.,
rector of the University of Grenoble. Translated from the French
by W. E. Rhodes, M.A., and edited by Prof. James Tait, M.A.
Demy 8vo, pp. xiv. 152. 4s. net.
(Publication No. 38, 1908. Second Edition, 1911).
" The volume will be virtually indispensable to teachers and students
of history." — Athenaeum.
" This task has been carefully and well performed, under the supervi-
sion of Professor Tait, who has written a short but adequate introduc-
tion. This little book, ought, without delay, to be added to every
public or private library that contains a copy of the classic work to
which it forms an indispensable supplement."
— Dr. W. S. McKechnie in the Scottish Historical Review.
" These supplementary studies impress one as a discreet and learned
attempt to safeguard a public, which is likely to learn all that it will
know of a great subject from a single book," against the shortcomings
of that book." — Professor A. B. White in the American Historical Review.
" C'est un complement indispensable de l'ouvrage de Stubbs, et Ton
saura gre a l'Universite de Manchester d'avoir pris l'initiative de cette
publication." — M. Charles Bemont in Revue Historique.
" Ce sont des modeles de critique ingenieuse et sobre, une mise au point
remarquable des questions les plus importantes traitees jadis par
Stubbs." — M. Louis Halphen in Revue de Synthese historique.
" Zu der englischen Ubersetzung dieser Excurse, durch einen verdienten
jiingeren Historiker, die durchaus leicht wie Originalstil fliesst, hat Tait
die Vorrede geliefert und manche Note, die noch die Literatur von 1908
beriicksichtigt. Die historische Schule der Universitat, Manchester,
an Riihrigkeit und strenger Methode von keiner in England iibertroffen,
bietet mit der Veroffentlichung der werthvollen Arbeit des Franzosen
ein treffliches Lehrmittel." — Professor F. Liebermann, in Deutsche
Litera turzeitung.
No. VIII. MALARIA AND GREEK HISTORY. By W. H. S. Jones,
M.A. To which is added the History of Greek Therapeutics and
the Malaria Theory by E. T. Withington, M.A., M.B. Demy 8vo,
pp. xii. 176. 5s. net. (Publication No 43, 1909.)
" Mr. W. H. S. Jones is to be congratulated on the success with which
he has conducted what may be described as a pioneering expedition into
a practically unexplored field of history .... the publishers are to be
congratulated on the admirable way in which the book has been turned
out — a joy to handle and to read." — Manchester Guardian.
" This interesting volume is an endeavour to show that the decline of
the Greeks as a people for several centuries before and after the
Christian era was largely due to the prevalence of malaria in its various
forms." — Glasgow Herald.
"[The author] .... has &.massed a considerable store of valuable
information from the Greek classics and other sources which will prove
extremely useful to all who are interested in his theory."
— Birmingham Daily Post.
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No. IX. HANES GRUFFYDD AP CYNAN. The Welsh text with
translation, introduction, and notes by Arthur Jones, M.A., Jones
Fellow in History. Demy 8vo, pp. viii. 204. 6s. net.
(Publication No. 50, 1910.)
" No Welsh historian of the future can afford to neglect this scholarly
attempt to give the work of Griffith ap Cynan a true historical setting.
The introduction is an ideally well-balanced estimate of a singularly
quaint and beautiful piece of history." — Glasgow Herald.
" The Editor has prefaced his text with a comprehensive and nearly
always convincing introdaction of more than 100 pages, besides copious
notes. Nearly every page of both contains matter of Irish history,
sometimes really new, since taken from the document never deeply
studied before, and always valuable from the new light thrown by the
collation of independent, ' international ' testimonies. ... It will at
once be seen that we have here a document of the first interest to
ourselves ; the University and the Editor have put us in their debt for a
valuable contribution to our history." — Freeman's Journal.
" Mr. Jones prints the Welsh text in a scholarly recension, and
accompanies it page by page with a faithful version into English,
explains its obscurities and personal and local allusions in notes always
concise and to the point, and brings it in with an interesting introduction,
which treats fully of the transmission of the text, of its value as an
historical document, and of its relatiDn to other remaining original
authorities for the history of the Norman Conquest." — Scotsman.
"Mr. Jones's enterprise is the result of the happy union in the
University of Celtic and of historical studies. . . The textual editing,
the annotations, and the translation have all been admirably done, and
the work is a credit alik^ to the author, the University, and to the
Press." — Manchester Guardian.
"Hearty thanks are due for a most useful and satisfactory edition."
— Archaologia Cambrensis.
No. X. THE CIVIL WAR IN LANCASHIRE. By Ernest Broxap,
M.A. Demy 8vo, pp. xv. 226. 7s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 51, 1910.)
" By a judicious use of it he has produced an eminently readable and
informing work. . . . The University of Manchester, which, but for
the pressure of the political situation, would have been founded in
1642, is to be congratulated upon its choice of an historian of the war in
Lancashire." — A thenmtm
" Mr. Broxap's monograph must be welcomed as the most important
of those hitherto given to history to illuminate the county aspect of
the Civil War The whole book is very carefu^y revised and
accurate in its details, full and satisfactory, and the order in which the
story is told is excellent. The index is also sufficient, and the whole
study is amply annotated. Altogether, both the author and the
Manchester University Press are to be thoroughly congratulated upon
the volume." — Morning Post.
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THE CIVIL WAR IN LANCASHIRE (continued).
"It is clear that Mr. Broxap has minutely studied all available
original materials and that he uses them with care and discrimination.
. . . the highest praise that can be given to the author of a historical
monograph is that he set out to produce a book that was wanted,
does that extremely well, and does nothing else, and to this praise
Mr. Broxap is fully entitled." — Westminster Gazette.
No. XL A BIOGRAPHY OF THOMAS DEACON, THE MAN-
CHESTER NON-JUROR. By Henry Broxap, M.A. Demy 8vo,
pp. xix. 215, 2 plates. 7s. 6d, net. (Publication No. 59, 1911.)
"It has the signal merit, as history, of dealing with real historical
questions and bringing research and historical methods to bear
upon them. The author's motive has never been to concoct a book for
the circulating library, but to illustrate by a single instance the strong
and noble characteristics of a sect which Johnson and Macaulay
despised." — Manchester Guardian.
" The materials for a biography of Thomas Deacon are not too
plentiful, but Mr. Broxap has made the best possible use of the
available sources, and weaves into his story many interesting glimpses
of the social and religious life of the period." — Glasgow Herald.
No. XII. THE EJECTED OF 1662 : Their Predecessors and
Successors in Cumberland and Westmorland. By B. Nightingale,
M.A. In two volumes, demy 8vo, pp. xxiv. 1490. 28s. net.
(Publication No. 62, 1911.)
No. XIII. GERMANY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
Lectures by J. Holland Rose, Litt.D., C. H. Herford, Litt.D.,
E. C. K. Gonner, M.A., and M. E. Sadler, M.A., LL.D. With an
Introductory Note by Viscount Haldane. Demy 8vo, pp. xxi. 142.
2s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 65, 1912.)
No. XIV. A HISTORY OF PRESTON IN AMOUNDERNESS.
By H. W. Clemesha, M. A. Demy 8vo., 7s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 67, 1912.)
THE LOSS OF NORMANDY, 1189—1204. By F, M. Powicke, M.A.,
Professor of History in the University of Belfast. [In the Press.
DOCUMENTS RELATING TO IRELAND UNDER THE COM-
MONWEALTH. By Robert Dunlop, M.A., Lecturer on Irish
History. In 2 volumes, demy 8vo.
This work will consist of a series of unpublished documents relating
to the History of Ireland from 1651 to 1659, arranged, modernized, and
edited, with introduction, notes, etc., by Mr. Dunlop.
[In Preparation.
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MEDICAL SERIES.
No. I. SKETCHES OF THE LIVES AND WORK OF THE
HONORARY MEDICAL STAFF OF THE ROYAL INFIRMARY.
From its foundation in 1752 to 1830, when it became the Royal
Infirmary. By Edward Mansfield Brockbank, M.D., M.R.C.P.
Crown 4to. (illustrated), pp. vii. 311. 15s. net.
(Publication No. 1, 1904.)
" Dr. Brockbank's is a book of varied interest. It also deserves a
welcome as one of the earliest of the ' Publications of the University of
Manchester.' " — Manchester Guardian.
No. II. PRACTICAL PRESCRIBING AND DISPENSING. For
Medical Students. By William Kirkby, sometime Lecturer in
Pharmacognosy in the Owens College, Manchester. Crown 8vo,
pp. iv. 194. 5s. net.
(Publication No. 2, 1904, Second Edition, 1906.)
"The whole of the matter bears the impress of that technical skill
and thoroughness with which Mr. Kirkby's name must invariably be
associated, and the book must be welcomed as one of the most useful
recent additions to the working library of prescribers and dispensers."
— Pharmaceutical Journal.
" Thoroughly practical text-books on the subject are so rare, that we
welcome with pleasure Mr. William Kirkby's ' Practical Prescribing and
Dispensing.' The book is written by a pharmacist expressly for medical
students, and the author has been most happy in conceiving its scope
and arrangement." — British Medical Journal.
No. III. HANDBOOK OF SURGICAL ANATOMY. By G. A.
Wright, B.A., M.B. (Oxon.), F.R.C.S., Professor of Systematic
Surgery, and C. H. Preston, M.D., F.R.C.S., L.D.S., Lecturer on
Dental Anatomy ; Assistant Dental Surgeon to the Victoria Dental
Hospital of Manchester. Crown 8vo, pp. ix. 205. 5s. Second
edition. (Publication No. 6, 1905.)
"Dr. Wright and Dr. Preston have produced a concise and very
readable little handbook of surgical applied anatomy. . . . The subject
matter of the book is well arranged and the marginal notes in bold type
facilitate reference to any desired point." — Lancet.
No. IV. A COURSE OF INSTRUCTION IN OPERATIVE
SURGERY in the University of Manchester. By William
Thorburn, M.D., B.S. (Lond.), F.R.C.S., Lecturer in Operative
Surgery. Crown 8vo, pp. 75 (interleaved), 26 Figures in the Text.
2s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 11, 1906.)
"This little book gives the junior student all that he wants, and
nothing that he does not want. Its size is handy, and altogether for its
purpose it is excellent." — University Review.
No. V. A HANDBOOK OF LEGAL MEDICINE. By W. Sellers,
M.D. (London), of the Middle Temple, and Northern Circuit,
Barrister-at-law. With 7 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, pp. vii. 233.
7s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 14, 1906.)
"This is quite one of the best books of the kind we have come
across." — Law Times.
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No. VI. A CATALOGUE OF THE PATHOLOGICAL MUSEUM
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER. Edited by J.
Lorrain Smith, M.A., M.D. (Edin.), Professor of Pathology.
Crown 4to, 1260 pp. 7s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 15, 1906.)
" The catalogue compares very favourably with others of a similar
character, and, apart from its value for teaching purposes in an im-
portant medical school such as that of the University of Manchester, it
is capable of being of great assistance to others as a work of reference."
— Edinburgh Medical Journal
" In conclusion we need only say that Professor Lorrain Smith has
performed the most essential part of his task — the description of the
specimens — excellently and an honourable mention must be made of
the book as a publication." — British Medical Journal.
No. VII. HANDBOOK OF DISEASES OF THE HEART. By
Graham Steell, M.D., F.R.C.P., Professor of Medicine, and
Physician to the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Crown 8vo,
pp. xii. 389, 11 plates (5 in colours), and 100 illustrations in the text.
7s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 20, 1906.)
"It more truly reflects modern ideas of heart disease than any book
we are acquainted with, and therefore may be heartily recommended to
our readers." — Treatment.
" We regard this volume as an extremely useful guide to the study of
diseases of the heart, and consider that no better introduction to the
subject could possibly have been written."
— Medical Times and Hospital Gazette.
No. VIII. JULIUS DRESCHFELD. IN MEMORIAM. Medical
Studies by his colleagues and pupils at the Manchester University
and the Royal Infirmary. Imperial 8vo, pp. vi. 246. With a
Photogravure and 43 Plates. 10s. 6d. net. "(Publication No. 35, 1908.)
" A worthy memorial of one who left no small mark upon the study of
clinical pathology in this country." — British Medical Journal.
"The papers which compose the bulk of the volume have been re-
printed from the ' Manchester Chronicle,' vol. xiv, and they are of both
interest and permanent value." — Scottish Medical Journal.
" The editor, Dr. Brockbank, can be congratulated upon editing a
volume that will fitly perpetuate the memory of his eminent colleague."
— Medical Review.
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No. IX. HANDBOOK OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. By R. W.
Marsden, M.D. Crown 8vo, pp. vi. 296. 5s. net
(Publication No. 39, 1908.)
" This book aims at giving a practical account of the various infectious
diseases, suitable for ready reference in everyday work, and the author
has, on the whole, succeeded admirably in his attempt." — The Lancet.
" Throughout the book the information given seems thoroughly
adequate, and especial attention is paid to diagnosis."-
— Scottish Medical Journal.
"The subject matter is wsll arranged and easy of reference."
— The Medical Officer.
No. X. LECTURES ON THE PATHOLOGY OF CANCER. By
Charles Powell White, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.S. Imperial 8vo,
pp. x. 83, 33 plates. 3s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 42, 1908)
"The volume is a model of scientific self-restraint. In four chapters
the author covers in simple language much that is of main interest in
the present phase of investigation of cancer . . .
" The volume ... is well illustrated with statistical charts and
photomicrographs, and its perusal must prove profitable to all who wish
to be brought up-to-d ite in the biology of cancer." — Nature.
" Full of scholarly information and illustrated with a number of
excellent black-and-white plates." — Medical Press.
" These lectures give a short resume of recent work on the subject in
an easily assimilable form." — St. Bartholomew's Hospital Journal.
No. XL SEMMELWEIS : HIS LIFE AND HIS DOCTRINE. A
chapter in the history of Medicine. By Sir William J. Sinclair,
M.A., M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Univer-
sity of Manchester. Imperial 8vo, pp. x. 369, 2 plates. 7s. 6d. net.
(Publication No. 46, 1909.)
" Semmelweis has found a worthy biographer who has made a
noteworthy contribution to medical literature, and whose understanding
of the work and sympathy for the trial of his subject are obvious."
— Dublin Journal of Medical Science.
" Das wahrhaft vornehm geschriebene Buch des auch bei uns in
Deutschland hochverehrten englischen Kollegen spricht fur sich selbst.
Es ist berufen, in dem Vaterlande Lister's auch dem grossen Martyrer
Semmelweis Gerechtigkeit zuteil wer.ien zu lassen."
— Zentralblatt filr Gynakologie.
"There should be a wide public, lay as well as medical, for a book
as full of historical, scientific and human interest as this ' Life of
Semmelweis.' ... Sir William Sinclair's book is of the greatest interest,
and we are glad to welcome an adequate English appreciation ot
Semmelweis, who certainly ranks among the 'heroes of medicine.' " • « •
— Nature.
"It is a book all obstetricians and research men should read."
— Scottish Medical Journal.
"A most instructive and interesting biography of the discoverer of
the cause of puerperal fever. . . . The book is well printed and bound."
— Medical Review.
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MEDICAL SERIES.
No. XII. MODERN PROBLEMS IN PSYCHIATRY. By. E. Lugaro,
Professor of Nervous and Mental Diseases in the University of Modena.
Translated from the Italian by David Orr, M.D., Assistant Medical
Officer and Pathologist to the County Asylum, Prestwich; and
R. G. Rows, M.D., Assistant Medical Officer and Pathologist to the
County Asylum, Lancaster. With an introduction by T. S. Clotjston,
M.D., Physician Superintendent, Royal Asylum, Morningside, and
Lecturer on Mental Diseases in Edinburgh University. Imperial
8vo, pp. viii. 305, 8 plates. 7s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 47, 1909.)
" Professor Lugaro is to be congratulated upon the masterly and
judicious survey of his subject which he has given to the world in this
work. Not only have we a succinct and clear exposition of the present
state of our knowledge, but we are confronted with a tale of the
inexhaustible work that lies before us." — Lancet.
" The work should be on the shelf of every pathologist and asylum
physician ; it is thoughtful, suggestive and well written. The translation
also is excellent." — Nature.
" The book is a very distinct addition to the literature of psychiatry,
and one which will well repay careful study."
— Californian Medical Journal.
" The whole book is suggestive in the highest degree, and well worthy
of careful study. Dr. David Orr and Dr. R. G. Rows, the translators,
are to be heartily congratulated on the manner in which they have
rendered the original into terse and idiomatic English." — Athenceum.
No. XIII. FEEBLEMINDEDNESS IN CHILDREN OF SCHOOL
AGE. By C. Paget Lapage, M.D., M.R.C.P. With an Appendix
on Treatment and Training by Mary Dendy, M.A. Crown 8vo.
pp. xvi. 359, 12 Plates. 5s. net. (Publication No. 57, 1911.)
"There is indeed much of practical interest in the book, which is well
printed at the Manchester University Press and is admirably illustrated
and got up." — British Medical Journal.
"It will be thus seen that the author covers much ground and it is
surprising how much interesting information is included. Taken as a
whole the book is excellent and will, Ave feel sure, meet with a ready
sale We cordially welcome this volume as an admirable con-
tribution to the literature of the subject." — Medical Times
"We consider these objects have been achieved. The book is a
clear and accurate short account of the characteristics of feebleminded
children, which cannot fail to be of service to those for whom it is intended.
. . . The Appendix contributed by Miss Dendy is, as we should expect,
clear and practical, and is a valuable addition to the book."
— British Journal of Children's Diseases.
No. XIV. DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. By Judson
S. Bury, M.D. (Loud.), F.R.C.P. Demy 8vo., pp. xx. 788. 15/- net.
(Publication No. 66, 1912.)
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No. I. THE PHYSICAL LABORATORIES OF THE UNIVER-
SITY OF MANCHESTER. A record of 25 years' work. Demy8vo,
pp. viii. 142, witn a Photogravure, 10 Plates, and 4 Plans. 5s. net.
(Publication No. 13, 1906.)
This volume contains an illustrated description ot the Physical,
Electrical Engineering, and Electro-Chemistry Laboratories of the
Manchester University, also a complete Biographical and Biblio-
graphical Record of those who have worked in the Physics Depart-
ment of the University during the past 25 years.
" The book is excellently got up, and contains a description of the
department of physics and its equipment, a short biographical sketch of
the Professor with a list of his scientific writings and a well-executed
portrait and a record of the career of students and others who have passed
through Dr. Schuster's hands. Alumni of Owens will welcome the
volume as an interesting link with their alma mater." — Glasgow Herald.
" This interesting and valuable contribution to the history of the
Manchester University also contains several illustrations, and forms the
first of the ' physical series ' of the publications of the University of
Manchester." — The Times.
" It is a memorial of which any man would be justly proud, and the
University of which he is both an alumnus and a professor may well
share that pride." — Manchester Guardian.
No. II. LABORATORY EXERCISES IN PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY.
By J. N. Pring, D.Sc. Crown 8vo: 4s. net.
(Publication No. 64, 1912.)
PUBLIC HEALTH SERIES.
No. I. ARCHIVES OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER. Edited by
A. Sheridan Delepine, M.Sc, M.B., Ch.M., Director of the
Laboratory and Proctor Professor of Comparative Pathology and
Bacteriology. Crown 4to. pp. iv. 451. £1. Is. net.
(Publication No. 12, 1906.)
" The University of Manchester has taken the important and highly
commendable step of commencing the publication of the archives of its
Public Health Laboratory, and has issued, under the able and judicious
editorship of Professor Sheridan Delepine, the first volume of a series
that promises to be of no small interest and value alike to members of
the medical profession and to those of the laity. . . . Original communi-
cations bearing upon diseases which ar^ prevalent in the districts sur
rounding Manchester, or dealing with food- and water-supplies, air,
disposal of refuse, sterilisation and disinfection and kindred subjects,
will be published in future volumes ; and it is manifest that these, as
they successively appear, will form a constantly increasing body of trust-
worthy information upon subjects which are not only of the highest
interest to the profession but of supreme importance to the public."
— The Lancet.
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THEOLOGICAL SERIES.
No. I. INAUGURAL LECTURES delivered during the Session
1904-5, by the Professors and Lecturers of the Faculty of Theology,
viz. : —
Prof. T. F. Tout, M.A. ; Prof A. S. Peake, B.D. ; Prof. H. W.
Hogg, M.A; Prcf T. W. Rhys Davids, LL.D. ; Rev. W. F.
Adeney, D.D. ; Rev A. Gordon, M.A. ; Rev. L. Hasse, B.D. ; Rev.
Canon E. L. Hicks, M.A. ; Rev. H. D. Lockett, M.A. ; Rev. R.
Mackintosh, D.D. ; Re/. J. T. Marshall, D.D. ; Rev. J. H. Moulton,
D.Litt.
Edited by A. S. Peake, B.D., Dean of the Faculty.
Demy 8vo, pp. xi. 296. 7s. 6d. net. (Publication No. 9, 1905.)
"The lectures, while scholarly, are at the same time popular, and will
be found interesting and instructive by those who are not theologians.
.... The entire series is excellent, and the volume deserves a wide
circulation." — Scotsman.
"The lectures themselves give a valuable conspectus of the present
position of Theological Research. . . . They are, of course, not addressed
to experts, but they are exceedingly valuable, even when allowance is
made for their more or less popular form." — Examiner.
This is a most interesting and valuable book, the appearance of which
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