OF THE FOREST OF ROSSENDALE. NEWBIGGING. THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES VVII.I.IAM GEORGE'S SONS L-rD.i H I STO RY OF THE FOREST OF ROSSENDALE. SECOND EDITION. ILLUSTRATED. i* HV^. OFTHE A H ISTORY OF THE FOREST OF ROSSENDHLE BY THOMAS NEWBIGGING. SECON D EDITION ILLUSTRATED. Printed and Published by J. J. RiLEV, AT THE " ROSSENDALE FrEE PrESS " OFFICES, Rawtexstall. 1893. ) ^^ 3 PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. Some apology or explanation would seem to be due from me to those who will peruse the present Work, why I, who am no native of the Forest of Rossendale, should have presumed to write its History. I am aware that there are those residing in Rossendale who, by their antiquarian and genealogical acquirements and their longer acquaintance with the locality, are more fitted for the duty, and have access, probably, to more copious sources of information than those of which I can boast; but I have not been able to learn that such have ever contemplated the undertaking, though their researches, if given to the public, would be of enduring interest. Their backwardness in this respect may, therefore, be accepted as one reason why I have taken it in hand. Again, the longer such a work is delayed the more difficult it is of accomplishment, and the less trustworthy many of the sources of information become ; and how desirable it is (applying the remark to any district) that the fragments of Fact and Legendary Lore which exist on our right hand and on our left, should be gathered up and strung together, however indifferently, before they become utterly dispersed and lost. And how many there are amongst us who, possessing but vague notions of the past History of the Forest, would rejoice in a better acquaintance therewith — would delight to be told the story of its earlier existence — to learn more than they at present know of "the rude forefathers" who thinly tenanted its bleak hill-sides, or wandered centuries ago in its wooded doughs ; where, instead of the noise of manufacturing Industry, the rush of the Red Deer through the leafy covert alone broke the prevailing stillness. 547904 ENGLISH LOCAL vi Preface. But I have a further reason to assign for the present venture. A residence of nearly seventeen years has endeared me to the district (all the pleasanter for its rugged character) and its people ; and should my efforts afford pleasure to the dwellers within the boundaries of the Ancient Forest, I shall be, in some measure, repaying the debt due for kindnesses received, and which I can neither enumerate nor forget. I have another and final plea to urge— the desire of personal gratification. The enjoyment associated with the preparation of any History, however limited in its range, or humble in its preten- sions, is only such as can be fully appreciated by those who undertake the pleasing labour. In following such pursuits we live a double life ; for, whilst enjoying the intercourse of present friends, we delight ourselves in the society of those who have long since passed away. A Work of this character, to be moderately complete, must necessarily glean its material from every available source. I have spared neither pains nor expense in the. search for authorities. Dr. Whitaker's "History of the Parish of Whalley," of which this district forms a part, contains many interesting particulars relating to Rossendale and the neighbourhood ; and I have freely dipped into the pages of that comprehensive work. In the "History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster," by Edward Baines, Esq., are also some references to this locality, and of the informa- tion therein contained I have occasionally availed myself. The elaborate papers "On the Battle of Brunanburh, and the probable Locality of the Conflict," by T. T. Wilkinson, Esq., F.R.A.S. of Burnley, read before the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, and published in the Society's Transactions, are replete with information of a Local character, and have enabled me to supply a chapter connecting the district with the events of the most important period in Saxon History. In the early stages of the Work I received valuable assistance from documents kindly placed at my service by the late Miss Preface. vii Maden, of Greens House, and Mr. George Howorth, of Bacup-fold. To George Hargreaves, Esq., J. P., of Newchurch, and to James Rushton, Esq., of the same place, I am indebted for much that is indispensable in elucidating the bygone manners and economy of the inhabitants. During the progress of the Work I have received many valuable oral communications from different persons ; and several unknown correspondents have supplied me with interesting material. For all the assistance received, I am sensibly obliged, and desire to tender my sincere thanks. Other sources of information are duly recognised in the body of the Volume. Lastly, to my friend, J. H. Redman, Esq., I am an.xious to express my grateful acknow- ledgments for counsel in matters of Literary taste, and for his kindly aid in revising the proof sheets of the Work. Let me now crave indulgence for any mistakes or omissions which may have been made. These cannot always be avoided, even where the time at the disposal of the writer is most ample ; and in the work that is performed during the intervals of leisure to be found in the midst of other responsible duties, they may be expected to occur. ■ T. N. B.ACUP, November i, 1867. "• PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The writing of the History of the Forest of Rossendale, more than a quarter of a century ago (how time slips away!) was a great pleasure to me. Perhaps, after all, I was fairly well qualified to undertake the work, because my duties during the years I resided in the locality led me constantly to traverse the district from end to end. In this way its places grew very familiar to me; I came in contact with many of the old inhabitants, I noted their characteristics, and became acquainted with circumstances and incidents that might, and probably would, have passed into oblivion (as doubtless many such have really done) had I not taken care to preserve them. Besides actual observations and notes made on the spot, I searched original documents, and such works as were available, for material throwing light on past occurrences in the district, and read all that I could find written in books on the subject. In this way my notes grew, and eventually took the form of a regular History. The work was widely and favourably reviewed ; it has since become scarce, and copies of the first edition that find their way into the market fetch a price beyond what many people are willing, or can afford, to pay. These considerations have influenced me to undertake the revision of the work, and also to add to the record the further materials of interest which I have accumulated in the interval. From a few friends, some of whom have passed away of recent years, I received both encouragement and assistance by the loan of original documents, and without these the work would have been less attractive and valuable. My personal acquaintance with Mr. J. J. Riley, J. P., the present publisher, justifies me in believing that the production of the volume will be highly creditable to him and acceptable to readers. Thomas Newbigging. Manchester, September 30th, 1893. CONTENTS BOOK FIRST. CHAPTEE I. Absence of Eoman remains in Eossendale — The ancient Britons, their worship, mode of life, and dwellings— The natural fealores of a country or a district usually its most permanent monuments — The Forest of Eossendale once the resort of wild animals of different kinds : the Wild Boar, the Wolf, Wild Oxen, the Deer tribe— Names of places in Eossendale having rcfci-ence to the Deer and its kindred — Discovery of antlered horns, described by Captain Aitkin — Wild animals of an inferior class — Fish formerly plentiful in the different streams — The great natural and prominent boundaries of the Forest — The " WatUng Street " of the Eomans— The " Limersgate," one of the oldest roads in the locality — Derivation of the name, Eossendale, and of other place- names in the District, .... Pp. 1-8 CHAPTEE II. The Dykes at Broadclough— Described by Dr. Whitaker and by Mr. T. T. Wilkinson, F.E.A.S. — Further description — Believed to be of Saxon or Danish origin — Mr. Wilkinson's investigations connecting the Dyke with the Battle of Brnnanburh— The history of the period recounted —Ethelred— Alfred the Great— The Battle of Ethandune— Edward— Athelstan, King of Wessex— On the death of Sihtric he annexes the kingdom of Northumbria to his own dominions — Flight of Gnthfred and- Anlaf — The ambition of Anlat to recover the kingdom of his father — Sails from Ii'eland on an expedition — Lands his forces on the banks of the Mersey, the Eibble, the Wyre, and the Lnne— Their advance through the country— The Battle of Brnnanburh— Saxon Ode on tho Battle — Discovery of relics- Tho Beacon remains on Thieveley Pike — Central position of tlie Pike— View obtained therefrom, . Pp 9-21 X Conienls. CHAPTER III. The Biver Irwell— Its source in Cliviger— The original boundary between Clivigtr and the Forest of Kossendale— Removal of the ancient meres or bouudry marks —Law-suit instituted by the Proprietors of Bacup Booth against those of Cliviger daring the reign of Elizabeth— First mention of the Irwell— Account of the origin of the name by Mr. Whitaker, the historian of Manchester- The same by Dr. Wbitaker, the historian of Whalley— Farther conjectures as to the derivation of the name— Michael Drayton on the Irwell, . • Pp. 22-31 BOOK SECOND. CHAPTER I. Pendle, Trawden, Accrington, and Rossendalc Forests formerly embraced in the general name of the Forest of Blackburnshire — Signification of the term Honor — Area of the Forest of Blackburnshire — Area of Bos- sendale Forest — Account of the Hundred given in Domesday Book — Measurement of Forests not included therein — Roger de Poictou fiist lord of the Honors of Lancaster and Clitheroe — Succeeding owners — The House of Lacy — Union of the Houses of Lancaster and Lacy — Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, beheaded — His possessions forfeited on account of his share in the insurrection of the barons against the De Spensera — Act for reversing the attainder of his brother Thomas, obtained by Henry, Earl of Lancaster— Henry, Dake of Lancaster — John of Gaunt — Henry of Boliugbroke, afterwards Henry IV. of England — The Honor of Clitheroe bestowed by Charles II. upon General Monk — Duke of Montague succeeds to the Honor — Its posses- sion by the Duke of Buccleuch, . . . Pp. 32-36 CHAPTER n. ft Grant by Roger do Lacy of Brandwood to the Monastery of Stanlaw, in Cheshire — Brandwood the first part of the Forest cleared and culti- vated — The Deed of Roger de Lacy — Grant of John de Lacy to the same Abbey, of the right to cut Hay in the Forest — Confirmation of the foregoing grants to the Abbot and Monks of Whalley — Suit between the Abbot of Whalley and Richard do RatclifEe, Master Contents. xi Forester, for Patnre of the Foresters — Deed of Henry, Dnke of Lancaster, confirming previous Grants of Brandwood, &o., and relinqnisbing his right to pasture therein — References to Eossendale in the rolls of the Duchy of Lancaster in the reign of Edward III. — Commission of Henry VII. relating to the Pnture Rents within the Forest — Character of Henry VII., . . . Pp. 37-51 CHAPTER III. Rossendale a favourite Hunting-ground — Disappearance of the larger animals of chase — The Deans of Whalley : Mighty hunters — Liwiphus Cutwnlph — Forest Laws — Definition of a Forest — The Constitutiones de Foresta of King Canute — Forest Courts — Justice-seat — Swainmote — Woodmote or Attachment — Officers of the Forest — Their duties — Signification of the terms Venison and Vert — Difference between a Forest and a Chase — Beasts of Forest — Beasts of Park and Chase — Beasts of Warren — Fowls of Warren — Appropriation of Forests by the King — Exceptions to this rule — The Forests of Lancaster and Pickering — Complaint of the Earl of Lancaster, temp, of Edward II., of malefactors and disturbers of the peace — Saxon Forest Laws — Punishments inflicted comparatively mild — A stern and merciless code introduced after the Conquest — Severity of punishments during the reign of William Rufns — A milder policy inaugurated by Henry III. and Edward I. — Curious provision in the Carta Foresta of Henry III. — Provision of Edward I. — Inquisition to be made of any Deer found dead or wounded — Spaniels and Greyhounds forbidden in the Forest — The Mastiff admitted — " Hambling," or " Expeditation," how performed — Agisting of goats and sheep — Agisting of lands held by persons within the boundaries of the Forests — The Boundaries of a Forest of two kinds—" Dog-draw "— " Stable-stand "— " Back-Bear "— " Bloody, hand " — The Fence-mouth — Rhymed Oath taken by the inhabitants of the Forest — Purlieus — Parks — Mnsbury, the Park or Laund of the Forest of Rossendale, .... Pp. 52-60 CHAPTER IV. Earliest known record of any Rossendale Inhabitant — Henry Rossyndale, of Rosindale — Granted Lands in Denbigh — Certain of his descendants — Humphrey Lloyd, the Antiquary — William Rosindale — The Rosindale Arms — Adam de Rosindale — Owner of Hulme Hall, Manchester — Grotesque Wood Carvings therein — Rossendale as a Surname — Examples of, in the Diary of the Rev. Oliver Heywoq^, . Pp. 61-66 xii Contents. BOOK THIRD. CHAPTER I. Commission for Granting of the Forosts — Eleven Vacearies in Rossondale in time of Edward II. — Afterwards increased to Nineteen — Then to Twenty — Their names and estimated value — Particulars relating to property in Brandwood in the time of Henry VIII., . Pp. 67-73 CHAPTER II. Freehold lands in Brandwood— Possessed by Henry VIII. after the Exocn- tion of John Paslew, Abbot of Whalley — Granted by the king to Thomas Holt of Gristlehnrst — Subsequent descent of tho Property — Manor of Rochdale possessed by tho Byron family — Letter of Lord Byron — Manor purchased by James Dcarden, Esq. — Action at law respecting tho manorial rights of tho Freehold in Brandwood — Summary of the trial — Verdict of the jury, . . Pp. 74-79 CHAPTER ni. The titles to copyhold property in the Forests disputed by tho Crown Lawyers of James I. — The land said to be only of the nature of assart land — Explanation of the term — Letter of Richard Towneley, Edward Rausthorn, and others — Dr. Whitakor's comments upon the proceed- ings — Settlement of tho dispute — Titles to Wapontake, or copyhold lands of the new tenure in Blackburnshire, . . Pp. 80-86 BOOK FOURTH. CHAPTER L The Greave of the Forest— His Daties — Fulfilment of the ofiBoe not optional— Accounts of the Greave— Dr. Whitaker and Mr. Baines on the Greave of Rossendale Forest — The Reeve of Chaucer — List of the Greaves of Rossendale from A D. 1559 to 1818— Historical value of the list, in being an enumeration of tho oldest families of the district — The Cause of the Parliament espoused by the inhabitants of Rossendale during the Revolution — Names of Persons common to the locality, ^ . . . . . Pp. 87-107 Contents. xiii CHAPTER II. Description of tho Greaves' Accounts— Explanation of the various Kates for the County Palatine of Lancaster— I. The Subsidy- Ii: The Fifteenth— III. The Oxley— IV. Tho Jlaimed Lay— Y. The Prisoners' Lay— VI. The Soldiers' Lay, or County Lay— Extracts from the Greaves' Book— The Bridle or Brank for Scolding women— The Ducking Stool — The Bridle formerly used in the Township of Pilkington— Finger or Guide Posts— The Rebellion of 1715 — Trophey Money — The Rebellion of 1745 — List of the Posts for Eossendale Militia, 1744-5- The taking of Carlisle and Stirling— Watch and Ward- Stocks in the different villages in Eossendale — Sabbath, breaking and Profane Swearing— Old Custom of the Churchwardens — The Town Box— Bacup Stocks — Impressing for the Navy— Dungeons at Bacup — Minute respecting Dungeons at Newchnrch and Goodshaw Chapel— Dungeon at Crawshawbooth— The war with France — Expenses on account of the Militia — Numbering the Inhabitants- Able-bodied men in Eossendale capable of actual service — The Peace of Amiens — Threatened Invasion of Great Britain — Meetings held in Eossendale for the Defence of the Nation— Eeturns made by the Greave — Prisoners formerly conveyed to Holmes Chapel — Public Notices in the Church- Cloughfold Pinfold— List of Pinders from 1747 to 1753— Workhouse Accounts for 1734-5, . . Pp. 108-137 CHAPTER ni. Other Officers appointed by the Halmot Court — The Office of Ale- Taster— The Ale-Taster's Oath— Richard Taylor, the Eossendale Ale-Taster— His Eccentricities — His Petitions to the Court- Died, a martyr to duty, ...... Pp. 138-145 BOOK FIFTH. CHAPTER I. Eongh'Lee — View of the landscape from the hill — Chapel erected there — Traditions respecting the Chapel — Description of the same — Fragments of Stones bearing inscriptions found — Conjectures respecting the foundation of the Chapel— The "Waste of Brendewode "— The Old Hall, Newballhey, . . . .Pp. 146-149 xiv Contents. CHAPTER II. Docroe ot the Cliancellor of the Dachy of Lancaster relating to the Chapel in Hosseiiflalo — The original Chapel at Newchurch — Date of ita erection— Rebuilt in the third year of the reign of Qaeon Elizabeth- Legend connected with the Church— Addition made to the structnro by Mr. John Ormcrod, of Tnnstead, and Mr. John Hargreavos, of Newchurch, in 175.3— Memorial to the Bishop of Chester for authority to enlarge- Extract from Bishop Gastrell's Notitia Cestricnsis— Church rebuilt and enlarged in 1824-5 — Its Architecture and Situation — Newchurch Bell-ringers— Surrender of Lands by Lattice JacVson for the use of the New Church— Remarks by Dr. Whitaker thereon- Letter from the Rev. J. B. Phillips respecting the same— Note by Canon Raines on tlie same — Lambeth Inquisition — List of Incumbents from the foundation— Will of Sir George Gregory, Priest— Bees in Rossendule- Contest, for the right of Patronage, betwixt Dr. Keene, Bishop of Chester ; the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and Mr. Johnson, Vicar of Whalley — Extracts from the correspondence — Remarks thereon— National School, Newchurch— Grammar School, Newchurch — Endowments — Account of Thomas Sanders, Incumbent of Newchurch, in parochial register— John Shorrock, A.M., Incumbent — The "Book of Sports" — Newchurch Charities — Goodshaw Chapel — Deed entered into for the building thereof— Extract from Bishop Gastrell's Notitia Ccstriensia — Note by Canon Raines — Incumbents of Goodshaw — St. John's Church, Sunnyside— Mills' Charity, . . Pp. 150-181 CHAPTER III. St. John's Church, Bacup— " Th' Kirk Gate "—Foundation of St. John's— Consecration — " The Old School," Bacup, used as an Episcopal place of worship— National School erected — Minister's Salary — Rev. Joseph Ogden first Incumbent — His character — Rev. William Porter, Incnm- bent — Fees — The Parsonage — Meadowhoad Farm, near Gambleside, purchased by the Congregation of St. John's — Character of Mr. Porter — Living sold to the Hulmeian Trustees — Account of the origin of Halme's foundation — Names of Incumbents — Bacup made a Con- solidated Chapelry in 1837 — Interments in the Churchyard ot St. John's — Erection of a New Structure — St. Mary's Church, Rawtbnstall — Its consecration — Names of principal Subscribers to its erection — Incnmbents thereof — Tunstead Church, built through the efforts of Robert Munn and George Ormerod, Esquires — Patrons — Incumbents — District assigned to this Church— Lumb Church — Its consecration — Contents. xv Patrons — Incnmbent — Lumb constituted an Ecclesiastical District by Order in Council — Christ Chnrcb — Cost of erection — Patron — Conse- cration — Incumbent — St. James's Church, Waterfoot — Date of opeuir.g — Of consecracion — Cost of erection — Patrons — Incumbent — St. Saviour's Church, Baoup — Date of consecration — Incumbent — Baptistery for Adults — School — Parsonage — Patron — St. Anue'a Church, Edgeside — Chief contributors — Patrons and Vicar — Church of St. John the Divine, Cloughfold — Principal contributors — Patrons and Vicar, . . . . . .Pp. 185-196 CHAPTER IV. The New Church originally Eoman Catholic — Goodshaw original Church the same — Dispersion of Catholics at the Reformation — The Booth family re-iutroduoe Catholicism into Eossendale — Early meeting places of the Catholics — First resident Priest — Church at Constablee, Eaw- tenstall — Opening ceremony— List of Inoumbents^-St. Mary's Church, Bankside, Bacup — Incumbents, . . . Pp. 1&7-200 CHAPTER V. The Baptist denomination in Rossendalo — Bacup at the end of the 17th century— No place of worship in Bacup prior to the establishment of the Baptist denomination in Eossendale — William Mitchel and David Crossley — Their character and labours — Mitchel taken prisoner uuder the Conventicle Act — Crossley, the friend of Bunyau and Wbitefield — Lawrence Britliffe executed at Lancaster — The United Congregations of Bacup and Cloughfold — The Old School, Bacup, erected for the use of the Protestant Dissenters— Trust-deed of the Building — Deed of admission — Henry Lord and Joseph Piccop, successors to D. Crossley — Erection of the "Now Meeting House" — Extracts from the Building Accounts — Chapel rebuilt in 1778— Gallery erfeoted in 1783 — Again taken down and rebuilt in 1811 — Cloughfold Section of the Baptist Church in Eossendale — Writings belonging to the same — Endowments — Baptist Chapel at Lnnib — Musical skill of the inhabitants of the Lumb and Dean Valleys — John Nuttall — -Removal to Goodshaw — Other Baptist Chapels in Eossendale — Baptist Churches which have sprung from those in the district — Table, showing present position of Baptist denomination in Eossendale — Sketch of Joseph Piccop — John Hirst, forty-two years minister at Bacup, . . Pp. -201-213 xvi Contents. CHAPTER VI. The Methodist denomination in Kossendalo — William Darney and John Maden — Sketch of the life of John Madeu, the first Rossendale Slethodist — Mr. Darney preaches at Heap Barn — Formation of a Society at Miller Bam, Wolfenden Booth — Mr. Maden opens hia honse for divine service — Progress of the Society — Another house taken — The use of the Baptist Meeting-honse obtained — The propriety of Building a Chapel discassed — The work accomplished — The New Erection opened by John Wesley — Extracts from Mr. Wesley's Joarnal relative to visits which he paid to Rossendale — Mr. Maden'a death — Interred at Mount Pleasant, Bacnp — Inscription on Tombstone — Character and labours of William Darney — Number of Methodist Chapels in Rossendale — The Quakers j their place of meeting ; decrease in th&ir numbers — Unitarians — Original Unitarian Chapel at Rawten- stall — The old School there — Independents at Bacnp — Number of Places of Worship within the Forest, . . Pp. 214-221 BOOK SIXTH. CHAPTER I. ' Genesis of the original inhabitants of Rossendale— Pendle and Rossendale compared — Clitheroe Castle and Church — The Parish Church of Rossendale — The inhabitants of Rossendale proverbial for their shi-ewd, enterprising character — The chief men of wealth and position in the district risen from the ranks — Key to the success and growing importance of Rossendale — Table showing the annual value of the Rateable Property in each Township from 1815 to 1892 — Increase per cent — Acreage of each Township — Increase on the "advanced rents" confirmed by King James I. — Population of the district in 1511, 1551, and during the Commonwealth — Table showing the amount of the Population in each Township, and its increase from ISOl to 1801 — Excess of Females over the Males in Rossendale — The Cotton Dearth — Migration of many families into Yorkshire — The Municipal Boroughs of Bacnp and Rawtenstall, . . . Pp. 222-230 CHAPTER II. Rossendale forty years ago — Views of Scenery in Rossendale— The Hills and their venerable antiquity — Wind on the Hills— Climate of Rossendale — Effect of the HiUs in bringing down the rain — Character Contents. xvii of thfl soil — The Climate not congenial to delicate constitntioas — Eainfall — Number of days on which rain fell — Weight of rain annually deposited on the area of the district — Mean temperature of Eossendale Its Agrionlture — Dairy Farming — Epidemic diseases rare in Eossen- dale— Births and Deaths for the years 1891-2, . Pp. 231-235 BOOK SEVENTH. CHAPTER I. Local worthies — John Lord, schoolmaster— Traitsof his character — Bhyming Calendar— Rev. John Butterworth — His religions views — Author of a Concordance to the Holy Scriptures — His father Henry Butterworth, and brothers — James Hargreavcs, author of the " Life of John Hirst " — Incidents in his early youth — His first essay at preaching — Joins the Baptist Society at Bacnp — Removes to Bolton, and afterwards to Ogden — Opens a Boardiug-School — Accepts a Call to Wild Street Chapel, London — Finally settles at Waltham Abbey Cross — He is appointed Secretary of the Peace Society — His labours in connection therewith — List of his Published Works — Lawrence Heyworth — His birth and parentage — Education — Commences business — His success in Portugal —Embarks for South America — Establishes Commission houses there — Resists Sir James Chamberlain in his attempts to impose a tax upon English goods imported into Rio de Janeiro — Founds an Establishment at Hamburgh — Retires from business, and invests his Capital in Railways — Begins to take an active part in Politics — His connection with the Anti-Corn Law League — Is returned to Parliament for the borough of Derby — His Political views — Resigns his seat in Parlia- ment — His Literary Labours — John Crabtree, II.D. — Birthplace — Early Education — Studies in Edinburgh and Dublin for the Medical Profession — Takes the degree of M.D. — Obtains his disploma — Begins to practise — Estimate of his abilities — His character — Decease — Sketch of the life of Robert Muun — John Aitken — Henry Cunliffe — William Hoyle, . . . . .Pp. 236-257 xviii Contents. CHAPTER n. Musical abilities displayed by tlie inhabitants of the Forest of Rossendale — The "Dcighn Layrocks "—Sketch from the pen of Edwin Waugh— Psalm Tnnes and Chants composed by the " Deighners "— " Old Simon" — Hand-loom days — Anecdote of two Masical cnthnsiasts — Anniversary Services at Lumb Chapel — Description of the Singers' Gallery— The Minister peruses the Sacred Volume— His earnest prayer -The old-fashionod instruments at Lumb supplanted by tho Organ— The Hallelujah Chorus— Unspeakable value to mankind of these glorious Musical Productions, . . . Pp. 258-265 CHAPTER III. Visits of Remarkable Men to Rossendale — John Wesley — George Whitefield — Christopher Hopper — William Gadsby — Fergus O'Connor — Mary Harrison, aged 108 years — Sharueyford Mill — Changes in Baonp — Bull-baiting formerly a common spurt in Rossendale — " Abb o' th' Yate" — Tho Thrutch — Th' Arks o' Doarden and Pike Law — Legend connected with Hell Clough — The belief in Witchcraft — Tong Boggart — The Goodshaw Witch — Account of the killing of a Rossendale Witch or Wizard, from Harland and Wilkinson's " Lancashire Fulk-Lore " — Another Rossendale Witch— His Satanic Majesty at Crawshawbooth — Story of a bewitched cow — Edwin Wangh's references to Rossendale, Pp. 266-277 BOOK EIGHTH. CHAPTER I. Result of the fulfilment of the decree of Henry VII. — Growth in tho number of tho Population— Corn Mills in Rossendale — Introduction of the Woollen Manufacture daring the reign of Henry VIII. — The Wool at first greased with butter in lieu of oil— The processes of Carding, Spinning, and Weaving originally performed by hand — Invention of the Shuttle — Application of Water power in turning the Machinery — Prejudices against the Water-turned Machines — Arkwright's Inventions for Spinning Cotton — Invention of the Steam Engine — Woollen Carding Mills in Rossendale from forty to fifty years ago — Spinning and Weaving formerly entirely domestic processes — Lawrence Hard- man, of Greens Spotland — John and James Hardman, merchants — Prior to the erectiju of large factories, the warp and wool " put out " Contents. xix to the several hands living in the district — Description of the Sizing process — Drying the Warps — Jack Spinning — Hareholme Mill erected in 1798 — The first building in Rossendale lighted with gas — Wool combing — Festival in honour of Bishop Blaizo — Particnlars of the Woollen trade of the district at the present time — The Slipper trade — Silk Weaving— Manufaotore of Ginghams, . . Pp. 278-293 CHAPTER II. The Cotton Trade — The prosperity of the district chiefly dae to its development — Increase in the population — Probably no Cotton goods mannfactured in Rossendale prior to 1770 — Fastian Weaving — The Deeting Frame — Early records of the Trade — The oldest Cotton Factory in the district — J. & W. Clegg at Little Baltic — Haudloom Weaving from 1815 to 1830 — Robert and John Munu — Whitehead Brothers — Hardman Brothers — Trades directly dependent upon the Cotton Manufacture — Other Trades — Gas and Water Supply — The Rossendale Branch Railway — Tho Stone Trade — Coal and other Mines, Pp. 291-303 CHAPTER III. The Co-operative Movement in Rossendale — Account of the origin of the Bacup Co-operative Store — Difficulties experienced by the early Co-operators — Mistakes in "buying in" — Educational appliances — Table of Industrial and Provident Societies in Rossendale— Population represented by the number of Members in the various Stores, Pp. 301-311 CHAPTER IV. The Power.loom Riots of April, 1826 — Description of tho Rioters — Progress of tho Mob through the Rossendale valley — Names of persons in Rossendale charged with being concerned in the Riots — List of persons killed in the encounter with the Military at Chatterton — Compensation paid to the Manufacturers — Distress amongst the Operatives- Opposition of the Merchants and Woollen Manufacturers to the introduction of Power-looms into the district — Extract from " Scars- dale " — Remedies suggested to mitigate the distress — Pamphlet by "A Friend to the Poor" — His arguments examined — The "Dandy-Loom" —The Luddite Riots of 1812— The Plug Riots of August, 1842— Prevailing distress of the period — Causes of the distress — The Corn Laws abolished — Conclusion, . . . Pp. 312-.327 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. THE AUTHOR .... 2 HAREHOLME MILL ... 3 THE RIVER IRWELL, NEAR WATERFOOT . 29 COODSHAWFOLD . . . .127 HIGHER CLOUGHFOLD . . . I36 OLD HALL AT NEW HALL HEY, RAWTENSTALL I49 THE OLD CHURCH AT NEWCHURCH . 156 friends' MEETING HOUSE, CRAWSHAWBOOTH 220 NEWCHURCH .... 231 PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION TABLE OF CONTENTS APPENDIX . - INDEX LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS . . Pp. v-vii Pp. viii Pp. ix-xix Pp. 328-344 Pp- 345-352 PP- 353-369 H ISTORY OF THE Forest of Rossendale. > ♦ » ♦ < BOOK FI RST. > ♦»♦ < CHAPTER I. " This is the Forest primeval." — Longfellow. nPHE ancient Chase or Forest of Rossendale has Httle or no -*- Roman history. No remains Roman in their character, with the exception of the road through Musbury, (a) leading to Ribchester, and the Beacon-remains on Thieveley Pike, so far as has yet been ascertained, have ever been discovered within its boundaries. (le, was that usually adopted in the construction of the beacon bed, the centre being hollowed or scooped out, and surrounded by an embankment, doubtless as a protection to the fire, to prevent its being extinguished when strong winds prevailed. On a clear day a magnificent view is obtained from the Pike, embracing to the west Hameldon Hill and the country stretching far beyond to the Irish Sea ; to the north-west, Pendle Hill, Ingle- borough, and Pennyghent ; while due north are Worsthorn and Beadle Hill ; to the east Black Humbledon, and inchning a little farther south, Stoodley Pike ; more southerly still, Tooter (/) Hill, below Sharneyford, and the bleak profile of Blackstonedge ; while nearly due south are Coupe Law, Cribden, Musbury Tor, Hol- combe Hill, and, beyond, the great plain of Lancashire. (j) Tout, Dut. to look out. — '• We eftsones coine to the rising up of th;: hill towards ye Mount of Sion, which is called the tootyng hill, or peake, or high beakon place, or watching toure, from whence to see a ferre of.'' — Uttal. Luke .\i\". A Correspondunt ilMr. J. k. Buyh-i .suggests that the name of Tooter Hill may be derived from the name of the Celtic god Tot. In confirmation of this he refers to Harland and Wilkinson's Folk Lore, where (page 45,) it is pointed out that Toland in his History of the Druids speaks of Toot hills as the hills dedicated to the worship of the Celtic god Tot, or Tent, or Tentates, the same with the Egyptian Thoth, and from which " the grand sacred fires Forest of Rossendale. 2 I Occupying, as it does, a central position, the beacon lights of Thieveley would blazon forth their ominous signals, and answering fires would soon flare on every surrounding hill. This is no vague, unsubstantial picture uf the imagination : the existing vestiges of occupation by one or other, or all of the primitive tribes in succes- sion, speak a language that can scarcely be misunderstood. of the Bel-Tine flamed thrice a year, at three ot the great festivals of the Druids, in honour of Beal, or the sun, viz., on the eve of May-day, on Mid- summer-eve, and on the eve of the 1st November." There is much relevancy in this suggestion. CHAPTER III. " The niislayer of a mere stone is to blame." — Baciin. " Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen." — Deut. .\xvii. 17. " Men may come, and men may go, But 1 go on for ever. — Tknnvson. rr^HE River Irwell takes its rise in Cliviger((?) in a large tract of moorland, to the right of, and including Derplay Hill, the whole of which originally constituted a part of the Forest. Owing, however, to the carelessness or indifference of the proprietors residing in Bacup Booth, which at one time embraced what is now a portion of Cliviger, or probably to the superior cunning or unscrupulousness of those of the latter, this e.xtensive tract was lost to Rossendale and became a jjart of Cliviger. It would appear that in the earlier years of the reign of Edward IV, the meres marking the boundary between Cliviger and the Forest had been wrongfully extended into Bacup Booth ; and although the proprietors of the latter during the reign of Elizabeth instituted a suit for the recovery of this part of the common, a prescriptive right was established against them. "The original boundary between Cliviger and the Forest of Rossendale " (states Dr. Whitaker) " was unquestionably the old dyke which traverses the ridge of the hill nearly from east to west by Pikelaw. The freeholders of Cliviger, however, are now pos- sessed of a large tract of moor ground on the other side ; a poor la) Formerly Clivacher 1 Anglo-Saxon 1, rocky field.— East Lancashire Nomenclature by H. C. March, M.D., p. 21. Forest of Rossendale. 23 compensation for the loss of their freehold rights in all their ancient commons, which the acquirement of this occasioned. "In the earlier part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a suit was instituted by the proprietors of the vaccary of ITorelaw Head, otherwise Bacop Booth, against those of Cliviger, to recover this, parcel of common, on the following grounds : — " It appeared from the evidence of several ancient persons, who remembered the boundaries before the disforesting of Rossendale, that the meres (1^) lay from Tower Hill (near Bearnshaw Tower) to Hag-gate, or the old road along the Haia Dominicalis, still called Old Dyke, thence to Routandclough Head, thence to Pike Law, and thence to Derplay Hill. And this division nature as well as tradition pointed out. " But on the other hand, it was proved on the behalf of Cliviger, that, about sixty years before, certain marked stones then remaining, and including the disputed ground, had been laid as meres by Sir John Townley, knight, in the presence of Sir Peter Legh, steward of the Honor of Clitheroe, and Sir John Booth, receiver. " Secondly, it appeared from court rolls, that two acres of land, parcel of the two hundred and forty acres in dispute, had been granted to Robert Whitaker, of Holme, as part of the common of Cliviger within Dirpley Graining, Anno 17 Edward IV., and two acres more to Thomas, his son, Anno . . . Henry VII. " To all these things the people of the vaccary replied, that they were done without their knowledge or privity. " On the whole, there can be no doubt that the Old Dyke had been the original boundary of the forest, but that the meres of Cliviger had been wrongfully extended at some indefinite period before the 17th of Edward IV., in consequence of which a prescrip- tion was established against the foresters. " Under this impression, therefore, they abandoned the suit, and consented to enclose along the meres which Sir John (A) Meres or Meers : lakes or other waters ; but the term is often appUed to dykes or stones set up to mark the bounds of property. 24 History of the Townley had laid ; and the outfcnce then built forms the present boundary.'' (c) Harrison, in his Descriptioti of England, remarks : — " The Irwell is a notable water which riseth above Baco]i, and goeth thence to Rossendale, and in the way to Aytenfielde it taketh in a water from Haselden. After this confluence, it goeth to Newhall, Brandlesham, Bury, and above Radcliffe joineth with the Rache water, a fair stream. Being therefore past these two, our Irwell goeth on to Clifton, Holland, Edgecroft, Strangways, and to Man- chester, where it uniteth with the Yrke, that runneth thereinto by Royton, Middleton, Heaton Hill, and Blakeley. Beneath Man- chester also it meeteth with the Medlocke, that cometh thither from the N.E. side of Oldham, and between Clayton and Garret Halls, and so between two parks falling into it about Holm. Thence our Irwell goeth forward to Woodsall, Whicleswijc, Eccles, Barton, and Denelham, it falleth near unto Flixton, into the water of the Mersey. Yrke, Irwell, Medlocke, and Tame, When they meet with the Mersey, do lose their name." The first mention of the Irwell is to be found in the charter of Brandwood, by Roger de Lacy, about the year 1200. With respect to the origin of the name, opinions differ. Mr. Whitaker, the historian of Manchester, states that the Irwell springs from a double fountain near the upper part of a hill between Broadclough and Holme ; that it carries its waters on the western side of Mancenion, and was therefore denominated Ir Gaeil, Irwell, Irwill, or the western torrent. This explanation is plausible, and is worthy of consideration in any investigations as to the origin of the name. Dr. Whitaker, the historian of Whalley, entirely differs from the conjectures of his namesake, and he elaborately endeavours to prove that the word is deduced " from a nearer and less venerable source than the British language." He states that " Ere, in the (c) Hist. Whalley, pp. 365, 366. Forest of Rossendale. 25 semi-Saxon dialect of this neighbourhood, is hoar, used as a sub- stantive ; and very high grounds, which are often gray with sleet or hoarfrost while the meadows and pastures beneath remain unsprinkled, are said to be in the Ere. Now this remark is strikingly verified in Derplay Hill, which, many times in winter, presents a hoary head, while the lowlands of Rossendale retain their native brown. Erewell, therefore, is the spring in the Ere. The neigh- bouring Whitewell probably derives its name from the same circumstance ; and the very next elevation north-west of Derplay Hill in ancient charters (for the present coarse orthography of the word rests on no authority) is styled Her, or Horelaw." (i) This is ingenious reasoning, but not altogether convincing. The quality of whiteness in winter is by no means peculiar to Derplay, but is probably more or less common to every lofty elevation in the United Kingdom ; and that this occasional white appearance of the hill top— which would surely be neither un- usual nor unexpected in the winter season — should be the cause of the origin of the name, is not satisfactorily demonstrated. Had the crown or summit of Derplay Hill retained its white appearance all the year round, the argument might have been indisputable ; but the whiteness is by far the exception, and not the rule. The names of the neighbouring stream, Whitewell, and Horelaw Hill certainly give weight to the argument of the learned historian, but the coincidence may be accidental, nevertheless. But further, in a deed in the possession of Mr. Whitaker, late of Broadclough, of the time of Henry VH., and to which reference is made by Baines, in his " History of Lancashire," (e) the name of the adja- cent hill is spelt Harlawhead, and not Horlawhead, thus : — " Harlawhead, alias vocat. Bacopboothe. Also there is another vaccherye called Harleyhead, otherwise called Bacopboothe, late in Ferme, at ;^8 13s. 4d. by yere, is now letten to Lawrence Lorde, Alexander Lorde, John Whiteacr, and Christopher Tatter- sall for ^i\ yere. Ex. per W. Tusser." (d) Hist. Whalley, third edition, p. 226. (c) Vol iii. p. 275. 26 History of the In regard to the opinion of ^Vhitaker, the historian of Man- chester, that Irwell is a British name signifying " Western torrent." Mr. H. Kerr, a well-known local antiquary, remarks, that "what- ever it is in its lower reaches, the Irwell in its upper course at least, is certainly a torrential stream, and has on many occasions proved itself a most destructive torrent, as the inhabitants of Rossendale know to their cost. The terrible flood of 1870, and the scarcely less disastrous one in July, 188 1, are fresh in the memory of all who dwell near its banks. The rapidity of the stream when in flood may be estimated from the fact that within the limits of Rossendale it has a fall of about 800 feet in a distance of some eight miles." Mr. Kerr, however, inclines to the opinion of some other authorities that the prefix "ere" or "ire" means simply water, stream or river ; and that the same word in various forms occurs in the designation of other rivers such as the Yure, the Orwell, and the /^. The following is the account of the origin of the name, Irwell, in " Mamecestre," edited by the late John Harland, F.S.A., (f) "The Irwell. from Ir. (Welsh), fresh, vigorous; and G^rc//? (Welsh), a name for river, as the Gwili in Carmarthenshire ; properly that which turns or winds — a winding stream. In composition, ' gwili ' loses the initial G." Other derivations have been suggested, as, for instance, that the name may have reference to the Chief Justice in " Eyre " of the Forest. 2. The Higher Well, afterwards changed to Ire\\€A, as contradistinguished from the lower well ; the two together con- stituting the " double fountain " spoken of by Mr. Whitaker, the historian of Manchester. 3. The more poetical one, that it may have been named after the fabulous nymph of Arcadia, " Hyrie," who, it is said, in lamentation for the loss of her son, dissolved into a fountain. Hypothetical as these are, any one of them, in my judgment, is more probable than the derivation grven by Dr. Whitaker. (/j Vol. i. p. 9. Forest of Rossendale. 27 There can be so little of certainty in any investigations con- cerning the origin of the name ; and so much room for doubt and contention, seeing that the materials for forming an opinion are scarce and inadequate, that I have no desire to dogmatise on the subject, or unnecessarily to dispute the conclusions of previous writers thereon. These, however, are so unsatisfactory, that I hope to be excused for stating an impression which I entertain, that the name is, after all, one which has been handed down to us from our earliest British ancestors. I am fully sensible of the deficiencies of the argument, and it is with some diffidence that I advance it at all ; but it is not less plausible than those already put forward, and it may serve to awaken a degree of interest on a subject which, perhaps, has not received the attention it deserves. " Eire is the name of one of the ancient Celtic deities, who is commemorated in such words as Aldeire (Auldearn,) Stratheire (Strathdearn and Strathearn.) This word is probably also the origin of the name Eire for Ireland ; and not larinn, as generally supposed." {a) In the Green at Glasgow there is a celebrated well or spring, popularly known to the inhabitants as Eirn's, or Aim's Well, which, no doubt, has reference to the same mythical deity. Is it too much to suppose that Ire in Irewell, or Irwell, is from the like source ? • But again, in the charter of Roger de Lacy, in which the first mention of the river occurs, the name is not spelt Irwell or Irewell, but Iretvill. In the Celtic language, Uillt, pronounced wW, or 7vilt (the / at the end of the word having the liquefied sound of iia in Christian), is a mountain stream — a brook — a river. The conclusion, then, to which we are naturally led is — First, that we are not necessarily indebted to its source for the name of the river. It is by no means essential that we should trace a stream to its rise in order to arrive at the origin of its name. Secondly, that the prefix Ir, or Ire, has reference to the ancient British deity of that name. Thirdly, that will (Uillt), is the Celtic word for stream. It {a) Celtic Gleanings, by the Rev. T. M'Laughlin, A.M., F.S.A.S., p. 130. 28 History of the therefore requires no violent effort of the imagination to beheve that the river which takes its rise on Derplay Hill was dedicated to and designated after the British Deity Eire, or Ire — that it was known as Ire will, the stream of the god — and that the name has survived to the present time. The Irwell, it should be noted, has really two sources or springs, separated by a few hundred yards, on Derpley Moor, down which the rivulets flow, uniting near to the present boundary of Bacup Booth. Its five principal tributaries within the confines of Rossen- dale are (i). Tong Brook, which rises in the moors of Tooter Hill and Sharneyford, flows down Greave Clough, and joins the Irwell at Bacup Fold. (2). Coupe Brook, rising in the Brandwood Moors and falling into the main stream at Waterfoot. (3). The river Whitewell, having its source on the hill slope overlooking the Cliviger Valley, and not far distant from the spring of the Irwell. It flows down the Lumb and Whitewell valleys, and falls into the Irwell also at Waterfoot. (4). The Limy Water, which rises in the moors above Dunnockshaw, and, traversing the Crawshawbooth valley, joins the Irwell at Rawtenstall. (5). Balladen Brook, which forms the boundary of Rossendale to the South West ; this, coming down from the adjacent height.s, falls into the Irwell near to Townsend Fold. Reference has already been made to the legend that Tunslead bottoms at one time formed a deep lake, the only outlet for its waters being a narrow gorge through the rocks at what is now called Glen Top. In proof of this, the late H. Cunliffe vouches for the statement that when the present turnpike road was cut from ' Stacksteads to Rawtenstall in the year 1826, numerous remains of stags and other forest animals were dug out of the ground above the Thrutch, as though they had been washed down the river, and had settled in the still waters of the lake. If Cliviger can claim the high honour of giving birth to the Irwell, so Rossendale is surely foster-parent to the nursling ; and who shall compass the honour of being the parent and nurse of that stream, which, while yet a mere stripling, has performed more H O O OS w <: > o _) w m > Pi Forest of Rossendale. 29 work than a hundred rivers of greater pretensions — and which, ere it has discharged its vexed and darkened waters into the Mersey, has accomplished labours only paralleled by those recorded in fable of the mighty Hercules of old ! Fitting emblem of true greatness, it springs from its parent bed on the bleak hillside ; no enchanting scenery distinguishes the place of its rise ; it is the sole fruitful offspring of a sterile and uninviting tract of country. Neither throughout its whole course does it meander through delicious wildernesses of rural beauty, fringed by overhanging foliage, or embroidered with wide-reaching acres of velvet-lawn. Far other scenes the bounteous river affects : the abodes of men, the forests of piled stones where Labour lives and thrives, and where the incense of Vulcan's fires continually ascends ; where the busy hammer is heard to reverberate ; where the endless whir of the spindle and the unceasing tumult of the loom, with all their generous produce, bring gladness to the pale mechanic's hearth, and light up with cheerful glow the humble fireside of the thrifty operative. Having more of the useful than the ornamental in its composition, the Irwell is a noble work-a-day river, with smutty face, winning the children's bread. Michael Drayton, in his Poly-Olbion pubHshed in 1622, reciting a contest that took place between the Irwell and the Ribble as to " which of those floods deserved to have their sovereign due " of " the neat Lancastrian Nymphs for beauty that excel," makes the " lovely Erwell " say : — "Note, " As from my fountain I tow'rds mightier Mersey float, " First Roach, a dainty rill, from Rochdale, her dear dam, " Who, honoured with the half of her stern mother's name, " Grows proud ; yet, glad herself into my banks to get, " Which Spodden from her spring, a pretty rivulet, " As her attendants brings, when Irck adds to my store, "And Medlock to their much by lending somewhat more, " At Manchester do meet, all kneeling to my state, " Where brave I show myself. Then with a prouder gait, "Tow'rds Mersey making on. Great Chatmosse at my fall, "Piles full of turf, and marie, her unctuous mineral. 30 History of the " And blocks as black as pitch (with boring augurs found), " There at the general flood supposed to be drowned. " Thus chief of Mersey's train, away with her I run, " When in her prosperous course she wat'reth Warrington, " And her fair silver load in Le'rpoole down doth lay. " A road none more renown'd in the Vergivian sea. " Ye lusty lasses, then, in Lancashire that dwell, " For beauty that are said to bear away the bell. " Your country's hornpipe ye so mincingly that tread, " As ye the egg-pye love, and apple cheery red, '■ In all your mirthful songs and merry meetings tell " That Erwell every way doth Ribble far excel." A transformation in the charms of. the river has taken place since the poet sang the praises of the " lovely Erwell ; " and whatever the circumstances may have been in the past, the man, to-day, would be a false witness who declared " That Erwell every way doth Ribble far excel." There is an interesting reference to Rossendale as the district in which the river Irwell takes its rise, in a poem entitled " Irwell," {6) possessing some merit. After a short introduction it proceeds : — But not so high my fancy soars, Content to roam on Irwell's shores, Its fleeting relics seek among, Fit subjects for my simple song ; Nor would my muse to this aspire. But thoughts of early days inspire My pen to move unfettered, free, Irwell, in love alone to thee I Black as thou art, thou sullen stream, Thee have I chosen for my theme; For there are spots which skirt thy tide Full many a favoured land might pride. Where speed thy waters in their youth, As childhood bright, and pure as truth. So very fair, I've seen on thee The shadowed form of passing bee. (b) Irwell and other Poems by A. (Joseph Anthony), Dedicated to Charles Swain, 1843. Forest of Rossendale. 31 Rich is the spot, in nature's worth, Sweet Rossendale, that gives thee birth; Whoe'er from thence thy charms may trace, Till charms are lost in Art's embrace — Shall (having seen thy murky gloom^ See beauty's birth and beauty's tomb. And SO the poem goes on to narrate a legend of Old Kersal Hall. The beginning of the pollution of the Irwell is by no means of recent date, as appears by the following lines from " Knaster," a humourous poem written by John Ferriar, M.D. of Manchester, (r) a century ago, where, referring to one of his hterary townsmen, he says, — Deep in a den, conceal'd from Phoebus' beams, Where neighb'ring Irwell leads his sable streams, Where misty dye-rooms fragrant scents bestow, And fires more fierce than love for ever glow. The scurvy way in which the Irwell has been treated all these years is enough to make it dry up its waters and retire to cavernous depths. Vex not the spirit of the stream ! Why not a spirit in the waters as well as in these dull clods of mortal bodies of ours? There is a spirit I We can hear it speak, and it looks out at us with a thousand appealing eyes ! (c) Palatine Note Book, Vol. II., p. 69. BOOK S ECO N D > ♦♦♦ < CHAPTER I. " One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh ; but the earth abideth for ever." — Eccles. i. 4. \\r E have now reached that point when it becomes necessary " '^ to trace the connexion of the present lord of the manor with the district. History and existing records are sufficiently full and explicit on this head ; and we shall experience no difficulty in tracing the ownership from the time of the Conqueror down to the present day. In order to do this clearly and satisfactorily, we must view Rossendale as constituting a portion of the Hundred of Blackburn, or Honor of Clitheroe, {a) parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster. Previous to and at the time of the Norman Conquest, (a.d. 1066,) the four forests of Pendle, Trawden, Rossendale, and Accrington were embraced in the general name of the " Forest of Blackburnshire ; " and though the different subdivisions were pro- bably well known by their distinctive appellations, yet we may form a fair estimate of the limited extent of occupation and cultivation (a) " The term Honor implied superiority over several dependent manors, whose proprietors were obliged to do suit and service to their superior baron or chief, who kept his Honor Court annually with great pomp, all the inferior landholders standing bareheaded in his presence, while he sat in a chair of state." — CoRRV, Hist, of Lancashire, vol. i. p. 151. Forest of Ros sen dale. 33 throughout this portion of the county of Lancaster in those remote times, from a consideration of the significant and interesting fact that the broad and far-extending woodlands, so branched or dove- tailed one into the other, as to justify the title which inchided them all in one vast, wide-reaching forest. The area of the whole was about 76)^ square miles, or 48,945 statute acres ; the superficial extent of Rossendale— which is the largest of the four— being about TfiYi square miles, or 19,505 statute acres. The forests at that time were not comprised within the limits of any township or other subdivision of property or estate, and being without paramount owner, were naturally claimed by the great Norman barons or other dignitaries, the favourites and followers of the Conqueror, who would readily endorse their title thereto in consideration of fealty and distinguished services. Neither in the latter years of William's reign, at the time of the Domesday survey, were they embraced within the measurement of the Hundred of Blackburn, as given in that authentic and valuable record. " William brought in his train a large body of military adven- turers, and the Roll of Battle Abbey, given by Ralph Holinshed, contains the names of six hundred and twenty-nine Normans, who all became claimants upon the fair territory of Britain. To satisfy the cravings of this rapacious host was a task of some difficulty ; but the new monarch did not hesitate to seize the possessions of the Anglo-Saxon proprietors in every direction, and to confer them with no parsimonious hand, upon his companions in arms." {b) The vast possessions which included the Honors of Lancaster and Clitheroe were given to Roger de Poictou, alias Roger Picta- vensis, the third son of Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel and Shrewsbury. This Roger de Poictou, then, was the first Lord of the Honor of which the Forest of Rossendale forms a not unimportant part. He was the founder of the Castles of Lancaster and Liverpool. Owing, however, to his taking part in certain rebellions, his inheritance was forfeited. The Honor of Lancaster (i) Baines. 24 History of the was given to Stephen, who became king of England. From this monarch it passed to a series of noble and royal owners in succes- sion—William de Blois, Earl of Montaign and Bollogne ; King John, of Magna Charta fame ; Ranulph, fourth earl of Chester ; William, Earl of Ferrers. Henry III., son of King John, gave the Honor to his youngest son, Edmund Crouchback, and conferred upon him the title of Earl of Lancaster. Thomas Plantagenet, the next earl, afterwards became the possessor, and to him we shall again immediately refer. The house of Lacy (the first of which family in this country, Ilbert de Lacy, came over from Normandy with the Conqueror) became possessors of the Hundred of Blackburn, or Honor of Clitheroe, either by direct gift from \Villiam the Norman, or through Roger de Busli and Albert Greslet, to whom the original Baron, Roger de Poictou, had granted the Hundred. There is some obscurity about the transfer, the best authorities differing on the subject. The following is a translation of the account which is given of the Hundred in " Domesday Book : " — " IN BLACHEBURNE HUNDRET " King Edward held Blacheburne. " There are two hides (c) and two carucates (d) of land. The Church had two bovates (c) of this land; and the Church of St. Mary's had in Whalley two carucates of land, free from all custom. In the same manor there is a wood, one mile in length and the same in width, and there was an aerie of hawks. " To this manor belonged twenty-eight freemen, holding five hides and a half and forty carucates of land for twenty-eight manors. There is a wood six miles long and four broad, and there were the above-said customs. (c) Hide or oxgang of land, as much land as can reasonably be ploughed in a year by one yoke of oxen, the yoke consisting of two beasts. (rf) Carucate of land, from caruca, a plough, as much land as can reason- ably be cultivated in a year by one plough. [e) Bovate of land, as much land as can reasonably be ploughed by one ox in a year. There is some uncertainty about these several quantities, the bovate according to different authorities, ranging from 13 to 18 acres. Forest of Rossendale. 35 " In the same hundred King Edward had Hunnicot (Huncote), with two carucates of land ; Waletune (Walton), with two carucates of land ; Penil- tune (Pendleton), half a hide. The whole manor and hundred paid to the king for rent thirty-two pounds two shiUings. "The whole of the hundred was given by Rogerius Pidavenis to Rogerio de Btisli and Alberto Greslet, and there are as many men who have eleven carucates and a half ; they allowed these to be exempt lor three years, and therefore they are not rated.'' As Lords of the Hundred of Blackburn, or Honor of Clitheroe, the house of Lacy exercised power and authority through a series of generations, its members being more or less distinguished, till the marriage of Alice de Lacy to Thomas, the Earl of Lancaster, already mentioned. This event united the two powerful families of the county, the rich and vast possessions of which, from that time forth, all centred in the house of Lancaster. This unfortunate earl was beheaded for joining the insurrection of the barons against the De Spencers, and his estates and title devolved to his brother Henry. Among the records preserved in the Treasury of the Court of Exchequer, on a roll endorsed " Pleas of the Crown, &c., county of Lancaster, in the 17th year of King Edward HL,"— it is stated that, after the death of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (beheaded), his wife Alice surrendered into the hands of King Edward H. all the Forest of Eossendale, with the appurtenances, at whose death it descended to his son, King Edward HL, who granted the same Forest, with its appurtenances, to Isabella, Queen of England, his mother, to hold for the whole of her natural life— and that during the time of her possession she confirmed a grant of the office of forester to Richard de Radeclyve. The ownership of the Forest is not pursued further in the roll in question ; but at the death of Isabella, the possession returned to the Earl of Lancaster, agreeably to the Act obtained by Henry, Earl of Lancaster, in the first year of Edward III., for reversing the attainder of his brother Thomas, whose vast possessions had been forfeited on account of his share in the rebellion. 36 History of the Henry (the brother of Thomas), at his death left an only son, Henry, on whom was conferred the title of Duke of Lancaster by King Edward HI. Henry left two daughters, Maude and Blanche, the latter of whom was married to the great John of Gaunt, the fourth son of Edward HI., by the title of "John, son of the King of England ; Duke of Aquitaine and Lancaster ; Earl of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester; and Seneschal (High Steward) of England." At the death of John of Gaunt, his eldest son, Henry of Boling- broke, became Duke of Lancaster, and he afterwards ascended the throne of England as Henry IV. A line of sovereigns thenceforth possessed the Honor of Clitheroe, till King Charles H., at his restoration, bestowed it upon General Monk, Duke of Albemarle, for distinguished services rendered to the Crown. His son, Christopher, who became possessed of the estates, died without leaving issue, having bequeathed the possession to his wife, the daughter and co-heiress of Henry Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle. For her second husband she married Ralph, Duke of Montague, whose heir, by a previous marriage, John, Duke of Montague, became the owner of the property, leaving at his decease two daughters, Isabella and Mary, the latter of whom was married to George Brudenel, afterwards Duke of Montague, whose daughter, Elizabeth, in 1767 married Henry, Duke of Buccleuch, who thus became the possessor of the estates, as lord of the Honor which includes the Forest of Rossendale, and in whose family the freehold still remains. I CHAPTER II. " The Abbot he was a holy man, And eke he was an able ; He ruled with gentlest master han' The monks that graced his table. But woe betide th' unlucky wight That dared bereave him of his right !" " I will carpe of kings that conquered full wide, That dwelled in this land .... Henry the Seventh, that sovereign lord." N the earlier stages of our enquiry we have been, as it were, groping along in the mists of antiquity, with but few rays of light to guide our path ; and with scarce a finger-post to direct us on our way. But, leaving in our wake the times of the Ancient Briton, the Roman, the Saxon, and the Dane, and reaching far into the rule of later days, we draw near to a period in the history of the district possessing more substantial records, over which we can pace with firmer tread; we begin to detect the sound of footsteps, and we descry in the hazy distance, " men as trees walking." The association of the Forest of Rossendale, in those early days, with Whalley Abbey and the Monastery of Stanlaw in Cheshire — the prior abode of the Cistertian monks— was so intimate as to call for some notice of these by way of elucidation of the history of the district. Before the erection of the religious edifice at Whalley, the mouldering ruins of which add an additional charm to that romantic and delightful locality, the abbot and his inferiors the monks occupied the Cistertian Monastery of Stanlaw. This 38 History of the abbey was founded by John, sixth Baron of Halton, and Constable of Chester, in the year 11 78, being the 24th of Henry II., on the eve of his departure for the Holy Land, where he died in the year 1190. "The site was singularly inauspicious, and probably owed its selection to the austere and mortified views of the founder on the approach of his meditated crusade. In 1279, according to the Chronicle of St. Werburgh, the sea (or Mersey) broke in upon the house and did the Religious incredible injury. In 1287 the great tower of their church fell in a violent storm, and in 1289 the greater part of the Abbey perished in a conflagration, and the sea again inundated their lands. On a representation of their accumu- lated calamities to Pope Nicholas the Fourth, the Abbot and Convent obtained permission to remove to Whalley in Lancashire, where their munificent patron, Henry de Lacy, had given them a new and more fertile site. This auspicious event took place in the year 1296, and Stanlaw continued to be a cell to the Abbey of Whalley (as it had formerly been reputed a filial dependency of Combermere) until the suppression of that house, when it was granted to Sir Richard Cotton, whose son sold it, anno 13th Eliza- beth, to Sir John Poole, of Poole, in whose descendant it is now vested." (a) About the year 1200, during the reign of King John, Roger de Lacy, one of the lords of the Honor of Clitheroe, granted to the monastery, along with other valuable donations, that portion of Rossendale known as Brandwood ; {b) and, as a result of this gift, the district so named, by being cleared and cultivated, was the first part of the Forest which was rendered suitable for the habitation of man. The following is a copy of the deed granting the land in question, with other important and interesting documents having a local bearing. It is given in the " Coucher Book " of Whalley Abbey, leaf 82, the following being a translation : — (a) Canon Raines. Notitia Cestriensis, vol. i. pp. 82-3 (1845.) (6) Brandwood : brent, burnt. Brentwood, firewood from the forest. Forest of Rossendale. 39 (c) " The deed of Roger of Chester of 4 Bovates {d) of Land in Rachdale and of Brendewod. " Know all men, as well present as future, that I Roger de Lacy, Constable of Chester, having given and granted, and by this my present charter have confirmed to God and the Blessed Mary, and to my Abbot and Monks of the Blessed place of Stanlawe, 4 Oxgangs of Land in Rachdale, in the Township which is called Castleton, with all their appurtenances, with common of the whole Township of Rachdale, free and discharged from all service, exaction, and custom, belonging to me or my Heirs for ever. Also, (c) The original is as follows : — "Carta Rogeri Constabularij de quatuoi bouatis terre in Rachedale et de Brendewod. " Sciant omnes tarn presentes quam futuri quod ego Rogenis de Lascy, constab. Cestrie, dedi et concessi et hac presenti carta mea confirniani Deo et beate Marie et Abbati et monachis meis Loci Benedict! de Stanlawe quatuor bouatas terre in Rach. in villa que dicitur Castellana cum omnib3 Ptinentijs suis, scil. cum communione totius ville de Rach., liberas et quietas ab omni seruicio, exactione et consuetudine ad me vel ad heredes meos ptinente imppetuum. Dedi etiam eis in foresta mea pasturam illam que dicitur Brendewod ad eorum animalia pascenda p diuisas subnotatas, scil. do Gorsichelache usq. Cuhopheued, et sic sicut Cuhope descendit in Irewil, et sic Irewil usq. ffulebachope, deinde ascendendo usq. Saltergat, sic usq. Ham- stalesclogh, et sic usq. Denesgreue, et sic p transitum muse usq. Cumbehop ad Gorsichelache. Habebunt autem predict! monachi in pastura ilia centum vaccas cum excitu duorum annorum. Et si animalia ibi habuero, eorum animalia pascent et ibunt in latum et in longum ubicunq. mea pascunt et vadunt. Et phibeo ne quis balliuorum et seruientium meorum predictis monachis vel eorum hominib3 molestiam vel grauamen inferat, vel injuriando eorum animalia iniuste fatiget. Ego autem et heredes mei hanc donationem predictis monachis meis contra omnes homines fideliter warantizabimus. Hijs testib3, dno Turgisio Abbate de Kyrkestall, Ric. de Cestria, Eust. de Cestria, fratrib3 meis, Rob. Wallensi, Willo de LunguiUers, Hug. Dispenser, Thomas Dispenser, Hug. de Dutton, Adam de Dutton, Galfr. fratre eorum, Hendone de LunguiUers, Henr. Wallensi, Galfr. Pincerna, Magistro Waltero medico, Roberto Clerico, Henr. Probo, et multis alijs." [cl) For an explanation of the terms "bovate" and " oxgang " of land, see Ante, Chap. I, Book Second. 40 History of the I have given to them in my Forest, that Pasture which is called Brendewod, to feed their Animals by the divisions undermentioned, to wit, from Gorischelache to Cuhopheved, and so as the Cuhope descends to the Irewill, and so Irewill to Fulbachope, (e) then going up to Saltergate, then to Hamstalesclogh, and so on to the Denes- greve, and so by the Top of the Moss to Cupehep to Gorischelache. Also the aforesaid Monks shall have in that pasture loo Cows, with the Offspring of 2 years. .\nd if I shall have Cattle there, their Cattle shall feed and go far and wide wheresoever mine feed and go. And I forbid any of my Bailiffs, or Servants, to offer to my said Monks, or their men, any trouble or grievance, or by injuring their Animals, to unjustly distress them. And I and my Heirs will faithfully warrant this gift to my aforesaid Monks against all men. To these being Witnesses. Lord Turgesius Abbot of Kyrkestall, Richard de Chester, Eustace de Chester, My Brothers, Robert VVallensis, William de Longvillers, Hugh de Spencer, Thomas de Spencer, Hugh de Button, Adam de Button, Jeoffrey their Brother, Hendon de Longvillers, Henry Wallens, Jeoffrey Pincerna, Master Walter the Physician, Robert the Clerk, Henry the Yeoman, and many others." A grant or gift was also made to the same Abbey by John de Lacy the son of Roger, of the right to cut Hay in his Forest of Rossendale, viz: " Carta lohannis de Lascy de licentia falcandi in Rossendale. " lohannes de Lascy, constab. Cestrie, omnib3 forestarijs et balliuis suis salutem. Sciatis me dedisse licentiam Abbati et monachis meis Loci Benedict! de Stanl. falcandi fenum in foresta mea de Rossendile, sicut antea solebant, ad sustentand. in hyeme aueria sua que illic habent. Hijs testib3, Gilberto de Notton tunc senescallo, Henr. de Nouo campo, Henr. de Tieys, magistro Rogero, et multis alijs." (e) Fulbachope : no doubt intended to mean Bacup-foot. In the Greaves' accounts for the year 1799, George Haworth is stated to be Greave of the Forest for the inhabitants of Bankside within Backup-foot in Rossendale. This expression seems to favour the derivation of the name Bacup as suggested in Chap. I. Baycop foot, the foot of the bay cop or red-hill. Forest of Rossendale. 41 Among the records of the Court of Chancery preserved in the Tower of London, and in the Patent Roll of the 2d year of the Reign of King Edward the Third (1328), p. i. M. 24, is contained a confirmation of the foregoing Grants, as follows : — " For the Abbot and Monks of Whalley. " The King to all whom it may concern, Greeting. [Here is given a detailed enumeration of the many Gifts and Grants made to the Abbot and Monks when in their Abbey, at Stanlaw in Cheshire, and afterwards when they had removed to their new abode at Whalley, and it proceeds :] — The gift, also grant and confirmation, which Roger de Lacy, formerly Constable of Chester, made by his deed, to the said Abbot and Monks, of Four Oxgangs (/) of Land with the Appurtenances in Rochdale, and of the pasture which is called Brendwood in the Forest of the said Roger The gift also which John de Lacy, formerly Constable of Chester, made by his deed to the said Abbot and Monks, of cutting Hay in his Forest of Rossendale . Grant and Confirm those things for ourselves, and our heirs, as much as in us lies, to the aforesaid Abbot and Monks now residing at Whalley and their Successors. In witness, &c., the King at York." Among the Eecords preserved in the Treasury of the Court of Receipt of Exchequer, on a Roll endorsed "Pleas of the Crown and of Trespasses before the Justices in Eyre, in the County of Lancaster, in the 17th year of King Edward IIL," (1343) is an Account of a suit between the Abbot and Convent of Whalley and Richard de RatclifTe, Master Forester, for puture of the foresters ; in which, strangely enough, the Forest of Rossendale is spoken of as being included within that of Pendle ; and which affords some glimpses of the condition of a portion of the district in the earlier periods of its history. In ancient Law, the term Puture (Putura) had reference to the custom, or privilege, which the Foresters had of claiming meat and drink, gratis, for themselves, their horses and dogs, from the tenants within the bounds of a forest. The document is one of considerable length, but I shall extract only those portions which relate immediately to the district under consideration. (/) For an explanation of the term an " oxgang of land," see Ante, Chap. I., Book Second. 42 History of the " Lancashire to wit, " Richard de Radeclyve [Radcliffe], Master Forester of the Forest of Penhull, [Pendle], in the Wapentake of Blakeburnshire, was attached to answer the Abbot of Whalley of a Plea, wherefore while the said Abbot holds the Manor of Bryndewode, in Rossendale, in free pure and perpetual Alms, as belonging to the said Abbot's Church, of St. Mary of Whalley, without any services or other charges therefore payable, or to be done to any one, except only prayers and orisons for the souls of its founders and feoffers, the said Richard by color of his aforesaid office, in divers manners charged the said Manor, by claiming there, certain puture for himself and his four foresters, and for his horse, and one boy, to wit, for each Thursday night, and for each Friday during the whole year, to wit, victuals, as well meat as drink, at the costs of the said Abbot's aforesaid Manor, unduly and by oppression against the will of the said Abbot, and against the law and statute in such case provided, to the disinheritance ot the said Abbot's Church of the blessed Mary of Whalley. And in that way the said Richard continued the aforesaid oppression, and took the aforesaid puture unjustly, and by extortion, to wit, on every Friday, and on the night preceding the same day, as is aforesaid, from the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, in the sixteenth year of the reign of the Lord the now King of England, to the day of the delivery of this Bill, to wit, until Friday, on the morrow of the feast of Corpus Christi, in the 17th year of the reign of the said Lord the now King, to the grievous damage of the said Abbot, of one hundred marks and wherefore he brings suit," &c. On the behalf of Richard de Radeclyve, the Master Forester, it was contended that one Henry de Lacy, formerly Earl of Lincoln, and his ancestors were seised of the Forest of Penhull [Pendle] and Rossendale, and had therein their Master Foresters and other under Foresters, who were seised of the puture as belonging to their office. That on the death of Henry, the Forest descended to Alicia his daughter, who married Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and that the latter granted and demised the office of Forester, together with the puture, to one Richard Mereclesdene, [Marsden,] for the whole of his life. But that during the reign of his then present majesty Edward HI., this Richard Mereclesdene had granted his Estate in the office of the Forestship, and in the puture, to the said Richard de Radeclyve ; whose right to the office was afterwards ratified and confirmed by Isabella, the Dowager Queen, to whom by her son King Edward HL, the Forest had been Forest of Rossendale. 43 granted for the whole of her hfe. So that he took the puture for himself, and his under-foresters, as belonging to his ofSce, justly, and as to him was lawful. For the Abbot it was argued, that one Roger de Lacy, former Constable of Chester, was seised of the Forest, with its appur- tenances, and of a certain piece of waste called Brendewode where the puture was claimed, which was parcel of the same Forest ; and that in the time of King John, the place of Brendewode was a waste, having no manor-house nor any habitation. That this Roger granted this piece of waste with other tenements, to God and the Blessed Mary, and to the Abbot of Stanlaw, in Cheshire, from which place, by the grant of the founders, and license of the Bishop, on account of the inundation of the Sea, the Abbey was transferred to Whalley ; in proof of which gift the original deed of Roger de Lacy, and the charter of 2nd Edward III. confirming the same, were recited. It was further urged, that the Abbot in the time of King Henry III., first constructed and built a manor-house in the waste of Brendewode, where the puture was claimed, and that the Manor was held in free pure and perpetual alms freed from all charge, excepting only prayers and orisons for the souls of the founders and feoffers, and their ancestors and heirs. But, moreover, it was contended, that even the original Grantor, Roger de Lacy, could have had no such puture as was now claimed ; because when the original grant was made the place was altogether waste, neither was there built upon it a manor-house or any house whatsoever, and where houses and inhabitants were wanting, it follows that puture there could be none ; so that even the title of Roger might be annulled by plea in Law. At intervals, from courtesy, and of their free will, the Abbot and his predecessors had fed the Foresters ; but this, it was urged, was no justification of the claim for puture. It was therefore commanded to the Sheriff that he summon twelve jurors, who by consent of the parties to the suit, being elected and sworn, found upon their oath that in the time of King John the place of Brendewode was waste, not built upon, nor 44 Hisio>y of the cultivated, and was part of the Forest of Penhull, (/) which place of Brendewode, Roger de Lacy gave to the Abbot of Stanlaw, predecessor of the Abbot of Whalley, and to his Church ; by which gift the said Abbot and all his successors were seised as in right of their Church. Also, that John, son of Roger, Edmund and Henry, by deeds, granted and confirmed the gift to be held in free and perpetual alms. They further found that in the time of King Henry HI., one Abbot who then was, first constructed and built houses in the said waste, and brought into cultivation a great part of the land which was called the Manor of Brendewode ; at which time, one Henry de Lacy, who was Lord of the Forest, and had his Foresters there, went in obedience to King Henry HL, into Scotland, and before his departure requested the Abbot who then was, and other neighbours of the County, in his absence to succour and help his Foresters. Wherefore the Abbot from courtesy and free will, fed the Foresters at intervals, when he pleased ; and in the same manner other Abbots, his successors, did the like by their own free will. In conclusion the Jurors said that neither Richard nor any other Forester, never of right, or by any just title were seised of the puture as belonging to their office, but that Richard de Radeclyve, by extortion and oppression, under colour of his office, took the puture against the will of the Abbot to the damage of ;^4. The Abbot therefore recovered his damages, and Richard was committed to Gaol. Just eight years after the conclusion of the trial above recounted, Henry, first Duke of Lancaster, (son of Henry, Earl of Lancaster, in whose favour the attainder of his unfortunate brother Thomas had been reversed, on the plea that he had not been tried by his peers,) as Lord of the Honor and Hundred, by Deed confirmed and ratified the grants of previous lords, of Brandwood and other lands, to the Abbeys of Stanlaw and Whalley, and not only exonerated them from all claim on account of puture for the time to come, but also relinquished that which had been reserved (/ ) Evidently nn error of description. Forest of Rossendale. 45 to himself and his heirs — the right of pasturing cattle on the lands in question. In the " Coucher Book " of Whalley Abbey, leaf 409, is contained the Deed, of which the following is a translation : — ■ "The Deed of the Lord Henry of the Pasture of Brendewode, &c. {g) " To all whom this present writing indented shall come, Henry, Earl of Lancaster, Derby, Leicester, and Lincoln, Steward of England, Greeting. " Know ye that whereas the Lord, Roger de Lacy, Constable of Chester of good memory, and our predecessor of the Lordship of Blackburnshire and of Rachedal, formerly had given and granted by his Deed, which we have seen, among other things, to God and the Blessed Mary, and to the Abbot and Monks of the Benedictine place of Stanlawe, the Predecessors of the Abbot and Convent of Whalley, that Pasture which is called Brendewode, in his Forest, by the divisions undermentioned, to wit, from Gorsichelache to (g) The original Deed is as follows, — " Carta domini Henrici comitis Lancastrie depastura de Brendewod et de vastis approuyatis in Blakeburn. " Omnibus ad quos presens scriptum indentatum puenerit Henr. comes Lancastrie, Derbe, Leycestr, et Lyncoln, senescallus Anglie, salutem. Noueritis quod cum bone memorie dnus Rogerus de Lasey constabularis Cestrie et predeceesor noster dnij de Blakeburnschir et de Rachedale dudum inter cetera dedisset et concessisset per cartam suam, quam inspexi- mus, Deo et beate Marie et Abbati et monachis Loci Benedicti de Stanlawe predecessoribz Abbatis et conuentus de Whalleye pasturam illam que dicitur Brendewode in foresta sua per diuisas subnotatas videlicet de Gorsichelache 'usque Couhopeheued et sic sicut riuulus de Couhope descendit usque in aquam de Irewell, et sic ascendendo aquam de Irwell usque ad Saltergate, et sic per Saltergate usque in Hamstaleclogh, et dehinc usque ad Denes greue, et dehinc sequendo transitum musse per Coumbehore usque ad primum locum de Gorsichelache, liberam et quietam ab omni seculari seruicio consuetudine et exaotione. Nos Henricus comes predictus dona- tionem et concessionem supradictas ex certa scientia et de gratia nostra special! appbamus ratificamus et quantum in nobis est confirmamus. Volentes insuper ob donationem quam habemus ad Dei Genetricem virginem gloriosam, et effectionem specialem quam habemus ad personam fratris Johannis de Lyndelay, Abbatis dicte domus de Whalleye sacre pagine pfessoris, eisdem Abbati et conuentui ac eorum successorib;? gratiam ubiorem facere in hac parte, remisimes relaxauimus et omnino de nobis et heredibz nostris 46 History of the Cuhopheved, and so as the Cuhope descends to the Irewell, and so Irewell to Fulbachope, then going up to Saltergate, then to Hamstalesclogh, and so to the Denesgreve, and so by the Top of the Moss to Cupehep to Gorischelache. We, Henry, the aforesaid Earl, of our certain knowledge, and of our special favour, approve, ratify, and as much as in us lies, confirm the aforesaid gift and grant. We willing, moreover, on account of the devotion which we have to the Mother of God, the glorious virgin, and the special affection which we bear to the Person of Brother John de Lindelaye, Abbot of the said House of Whalley, Doctor of Divinity, to do so to the said Abbot and Convent and their successors the greater favour in this behalf, have remised, released, and altogether have quit claimed for us, and our heirs, to the said Abbot and Convent of Whalley, and their successors, for ever, all the right and claim which can belong to us or our heirs, by any title whatsoever, within the pasture aforesaid; so that, henceforth, the said Abbot and Convent may have and hold the said pasture in severality, exonerated, freed and discharged, as well from Future of the Foresters of us and our heirs, as from agistments (A) or any putting of Cattle on the Pasture aforesaid, by us or our heirs, or the quietuclamauimus prefatis Abbati et conuentui de Whalleye suisque suc- cessoribz imppetuum totum ius et clameum quod ad nos vel heredes nostros quocunque titulo ptinere poterit in pastura predicta. Ita quod de cetero predicti Abbas et conuentus ac eorum successores habeant et teneant dictam partem in sepali, epoueratam liberam et solutam tam a putura forestariorum nostrorum et heredum nostrorum quam ab agistiamentis seu quacunque supinductione animalium quorumlibet in pastura ilia p nos vel heredes et niinistros nostros ad heredum nostrorum faciend, atque ab alijs quibzcunque seruicijs exactionibz et demandis. Liceatque dictis Abbati et conventui ac eorum successoribz prefatam pasturam includere ipsamque redigere in culturam seu aliud quodcunque pficium suum inde facere p sua libera voluntate sine contradictione vel impedimento nostri vel heredum nostrorum. Saluis nobis et heredibz nostris in pastura predicta saluagio nostro seu venatione nostra absque dampnificatione vel molestatione dictorum Abbatis et conuentes et successorum atque seriuientium suorum, &c. Hijs testibz dno Henr. de Walton archid, Richemundie, Hugone de Berwyk senescallo nostro, Henr. de Trafford, Adam de Hoghton, Nicholao de Boteler, Willmo de Clifton, militibz, Ric. de Radeclif, Willmo Lawrentz, Joh. de Aluetham, et alijs. Dat. apud manerium nostrum de Sauuoye iuxta Londinum xx" die ffebr. anno regni Regis Edw. tertij a conquesta Anglie xxv°, regni vero sui ffrancie xij°." {h) Grass, or, as the term is sometimes used to mean, the right of pasturing cattle in the forest. Forest of Rossendale. 47 servants of us or our heirs ; and from all other services, exactions, and demands whatsoever. Aud that it may be lawful for the said Abbot and Convent, and their successors, to enclose the said Pasture and to reduce it to cultivation, or to make any other profit thereof, at their free will, without contradiction or impediment of us or our heirs, saving to us and our heirs in the aforesaid Pasture our right to hunt without injury or troubhng the said Abbot and Convent of Whalley or their successors and servants, &c. To these being witnesses, Master Henry de Walton, Archdeacon of Richmond ; Hugh de Berewick, our Steward ; Henry de Trafford; Adam de Houghton ; Nicholas le Botiller ; William de Clifton; Knight Richard de Ratcliffe, William Lawrentz, John de Aluetham, and others. — Given at our Manor House of the Savoy, near London, the twentieth day of February, in the twenty-fifth year (1349) of the reign of King Edward III. from the conquest of England, but of his Reign of France the twelfth." In the Patent Rolls, 20th Edward III. (1346 Sept. 15) it is stated that John de Radeclyf, Robt. Oilstones, Robt. de Henclif, forester, Robert de Catlowe, forester, Alan, son of Adam Greyeieson of Staytburn, and others were purturbators of the Abbot of Whalley, at Castleton, Blakebourn, and Brendwood in Rossendale. In the Rolls of the Duchy of Lancaster, during the time of the same Duke Henry aforementioned, in the reign of King Edward III., being the period of the first ducal administration, the following references to Rossendale occur : — A Grant of a Lease of the Herbage of Musbury Park. In the loth year of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, there was an Appointment of Justices to try Malefactors for Trespasses in the Chases of Rowland, Penhull, Trowden, Rochdale, Rossendale, and Romesgrene. After the death of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, which occurred March 24th, 1361, an Inquisition was made by Commission of King Edward III., before Henry de Haydok and John Cockayn, of all the Lands and Tenements of which the Duke was seised on the day that he died. This document is preserved amongst the records of the Court of Chancery, and, along with other particulars, it is therein stated, that the Chase of Penhull, [Pendle,] for herbage beyond the feeding the Beasts of Chase, is worth by the year ^20 13s. 4d. That the Chase of Trogden, [Trawden,] together with herbage and 48 History of the other profits, is worth by the j'ear 104s. That the Chase of Rossendale, with Accrington, for herbage and other profits beyond the feeding of Beasts of Chase, is worth by the year ;^2o, 2s. The Manor of Tottington, ^^29, 15s. i^d. ; and the Chase and Park there, £,(>, 53. Also the herbage of the Wood at Hoddesden, ^i, 9s. 6d. In the Register of John of Gaunt, under date 45th Edward III. (1372,) June 14th, Savoy, is a "Warrant to Richard de Radchf, our chief forester in Blakebournshire, to deliver to Robert Dyngeley, Esquire, two harts of grease, in the Chace of Rossendale, and two does in the Chace of Penhull." Two years later, in the same Rolls, under date " Hegham Ferrers, July 20th, T. Banastre " appointed forester of our Chaces of Penhill, Trowedon, and Rossyndal." This Tho. Banastre, as appears by the saine Records, was drowned at sea (" commanded to God by tempest in the sea") in the month of December, 1379, (3rd Richard II.) In the Calender of Rolls of the Chancery of the County Palatine of Lancashire, there is a precept dated the 1 2th year of Henry IV. (141 1), addressed to the Sheriff of Lancashire, requiring him to cause public proclamation to be made at the next ensuing Sessions to be held at Lancaster, against hunting and killing deer in the King's Forests of Bowland, Penhil, Rossyndale, and Trauden. The Coucher Book or Chartulary of Whalley Abbey contains a quittance or release (/■) for the tithes, amounting to ;^ii 13s. 4d., of the grass land and pasturage for cattle in the closes (enclosures) (/;) The original is as follows : — Acquietantia pro herbagio in EoUand, Penhull, et Rossendale. Nouerint universi p presentes nos Abbatem et conuentum de Whalleye recepisse et habuisse die confectionis presentium de Thoma Stanley milite receptore dni Regis in comitatu Lancastrie undecim libras tresdecim solidos et quatuor denarios p decima herbagij et agistamenti diuersorum clausorum in Bowland, Penhull, et Rossendale de anno ultimo preterito terminat. ad festum sancti Michaelis ultim preterit. De quibz quid ■em xj. libr. xiij. sol. et iiij. denar. fatemur nobis fore solut. diet, p dnum Regem ac receptorem predictum inde esse quietos p presentes. In cuius re: Forest of Rossendale. 49 in Bolland, Pendle, and Rossendale forests for one year ending Michaelmas, to Sir Thomas Stanley, of Knowsley, Comptroller of the Household, and Chamberlain to the King. This deed bears date the 20th November in the 23rd year (1445) of the reign of Henry VI. Assuming, as we may fairly do, that this payment represented the one tenth part of the value of the cultivated lands in the three forests named, it would appear that in 1445 the total yearly value amounted to ;^ii6 13s. 4d. In the year 131 1, the herbage in Rossendale (excluding Brand wood) was valued at only ;^5 los. per annum, and in 1507 it had increased to j^t^-j 19s. 6d. ; so that even before the disforesting, a marked progression in value is apparent. The following Commission of King Henry VII, relates to the Future Rents within the Forests, exclusive of Brandwood, which was exempt from all claim for puture : — " To oure right trustie and well-beloved Father, the Erie of Derbie ; George Stanley, Knt. ; Lord Strange; Sir Henry Halsall, Knt.; Sir Ihon. Towneley; Sir Ric. Sherburne, Knt., &c. " Whereas of olde use and custome the Foresters and keepers of oure Forests of Penhull, Rossingdale, Accrington, and Trawden, have hadde of verie right and dutie at c'tayne tymes and dales meate and drinke of the tenants therein and adjoining, the which is now called Puture, otherwise Forster Fee, as is sett forth in a boke, in which boke it also apperith, that for divers displesours and annoyances that ye seide Forster committed agaynst ye seide tenants, ther wyves, and s'vaunts, ye seide tenaunts made complaynt to our p'genitors Dukes of Lancaster, whereupon ye seide tenaunts bounde themselves, their heyres, and tenures, to our p'genitours, to pay for tyme being, yerely XII/. XIIIs. IVd. to seide Foresters towards ther wages, and in recompence of ther meat and drinke, called Forster Fee, ye which was paid to ye ist yeare of King Edward IVth. ; in which yere, by labr and meanes made with hym, ye seide Puture was putt in respite, soe that CXIX/. Vis. Vllld. is now in respite, wch, if it shod be longer delayed, wold turn to our disherison, and ye utter destruction of oure Forst, for lack of kepyng : testimonium sigillum nostrum commune presentibz est appensum. Dat. vicesimo die Novembris anno regni Regis Henrici sexti vicesimo tertio. The Sir Thomas Stanley above named was summoned to Parliament as Baron Stanley on 2oth January, 1456. 50 History of the "Wheretor wee will and desire, and nathless charge youe, and anie five of youe, to call before you, as well our tenaunts nowe in being within ye seide Forests, as other most ancient p'sons adjoining, as ye in your discretioun shall think most convenient, and enquire which of ye seide tenaunts ought to pay ye seide Duties, and what some ev'y one of ym, after ye old usuage and custom ther, and thereupon to compel them, and evy of them to paye ye seide some, and for default to distreyn them and thpr tenures, and for utter refusing thereof to seaze on ther tenures imediately, and admyt such other persons as will bee content to paye ye sd Duties." The foregoing is eminently characteristic of the grasping, lucre- loving spirit of the king. Henry loved money for its own sake, and never was known to let slip an opportunity of obtaining it. "Indifferent enough to the rights of the people, he was always ready to increase his hoarded riches by cunning extortion rather than by parliamentary taxation." (?) Lord Bacon, the historian of his reign, observes, that, " Of nature, assuredly, he coveted to accumulate riches," and that " he did but traffic in the war with Charles VIII. of France, to make his return in money." " Even the king's clemency seems to have been influenced by the sordid motive of selling pardons ; and it has been shown that he made a profit of every office in his court, and received money for conferring bishoprics." (/) At the same time, it is but fair to admit that he appears to have been legally justified in enforcing the claim above set forth. Henry possessed business talents and administrative powers of a high order ; the exercise of which, though chiefly with a view to his own increase in wealth, tended to the advancement of his Country. He was accustomed to give his personal supervision to matters of trade and commerce usually considered as beneath the immediate notice of royalty. In an ancient Illumination in the Harleian Collection in the British Museum, the king is depicted mace in hand, in the Exchequer Chamber, superintending the proofs of the standards for testing weights and measures. (j) Knight's History of England, vol. II. p. 211. (_7) Hallam. Constitutional History, vol. i. p. 15. Forest of Rossendale. 51 I have thought it well to give the somewhat ragmentary details contained in this Chapter, relating to the district as it actually existed as a Forest, because they are the only materials which a true forest-history can fairly be expected to offer to the enquirer. The narrative is somewhat disjointed, and there is doubtless an absence, to some extent, of purely human interest in the story ; but this arises from the circumstance that in those early days the human inhabitant was himself all but absent ; the only repre- sentatives of the species being the chief Forester (not necessarily a resident), with a few stray keepers of the deer, and here and there a humble cultivator of the open spaces in the higher reaches of the valleys. The details, also, may serve to close the mouths of certain facetious critics who have been inclined to make merry over the conception that Rossendale as they see it to-day, with its smoky factory chimneys, and straggling rows of cottages, could, at any past time, have been entitled to the designation of " a royal forest ; " or that the antlered deer and other picturesque animals could ever have graced the hill sides, or slaked their thirst at the streams in the valleys. Such critics are apparently oblivious of the fact that it is their own narrow mental vision and restricted knowledge which are at fault, and that the picture as drawn is not the mere creation of the fertile brain of a too fanciful historian. CHAPTER III. '■ Of all oleasures or pastimes ever heard or seen, There's none in the world like to merry Hunting." — Old Hunting Song. " Marry I but these be hard laws, my master." — Old Pl.w. T) OSSENDALE has, from time immemorial, been a favourite ■*-^ hunting-ground ; and there are, doubtless, still to be found in the P'orest sportsmen as stout of heart and lithe of limb as ever cleared dike or ditch in the blythe days of yore ; but alas ! the • quality of the sportsman's game has woefully degenerated from its pristine excellence. Gone from within its bounds is that right royal brute, the stag ; the wild boar, the badger and the wolf have given place to a civilisation which tolerates not their existence ; even the wily fox has disappeared from its hill-sides, and no thrifty house-wife now laments her spohated hen-roost. The children's nursery rhyme records an incident which must have been of common occurrence in Rossendale in times past, when it states that — " Old Mother Widdle-waddle, jump'd out of bed, And out of the window popped her head : Crying ' John ! John 1 John ! the gray goose is gone, And the Fox is away to his den, 01'" But Reynard has sought regions more favourable to his depre- dations. The timid hare alone remains to kindle the huntsman's enthusiasm, and wake the " vollied thunder " of the eager pack. " The Deans of Whalley, like other ancient and dignified Ecclesiastics, were mighty hunters, and enjoyed the right of Forest of Rossendale. 53 chase— first, to a considerable extent in other manors adjoining to their own domains ; and, secondly, within the forests themselves." It is related that Liwlphus, one of the Deans of Whalley, while hunting in the Forest. of Rossendale, at a place called Deansgreve, cut off the tail of a wolf, and in consequence of this incident acquired the appellation of " Cutwulph," being afterwards known by the name of " Liwlphus Cutwulph." This circumstance hap- pened about the reign of King Canute (1016— 1035), in whose time the aforementioned Dean lived. Any outline of the History of the Forest of Rossendale would be manifestly incomplete which failed to give some account of the Laws by which the English Forests were governed, and the peculiar customs and practices which prevailed therein in primitive times. Those particulars I propose, briefly, to supply. A Forest is a certam Territory of woody grounds, with occa- sional clearances or cultivated pastures, privileged for wild beasts, and fowls of Forest, Chase, and Warren, to abide and rest there, in the king's safe protection, and for his delight and pleasure. This Territory or ground so set apart, is meered and bounded with certain marks, meres, and boundaries, known either by matter of . record or by prescription ; and replenished with beasts of Venery or Chase, and great coverts of Vert, for the succour of the various beasts. And tl^t this Territory may be preserved and continued, along with the Vert and Venison which it contains, there are par- ticular Officers, Laws and Privileges, requisite for that purpose, proper only to a Forest, and to no other place, {a) The Enghsh Forests are of a very remote antiquity, the latest formed being the New Forest, in Hampshire, created by William the Conqueror, and the Forest of Hampton Court, by Henry VHL Their first lawmaker was the Danish King Canute, who promulgated the Constitutiones de Foresia. These were super- seded, though in their principal features closely imitated, by a code of laws inaugurated after the Conquest ; and certain officers were (a) Manwood's Forest Laws, ed. 171 7, p. i43 54 History of the deputed, and courts established for their due administration. The courts so constituted were— the " Justice-Seat," held every third year before the Chief Justice in Eyre of the Forest ; the " Swain- mote," held thrice every year before the verdurers, and a jury composed of twelve swains or freeholders ; and the " Woodmote," or " Attachment," held once in every forty days before the verdurers. Of the holding of the Justice-Seat, forty days' notice by proclamation had to be given. The officers of a Forest were the warden, warder, or keeper, rangers, verdurers, foresters, agistors, regarders, bailiffs, and bedels, woodwards or woodreeves. The preservation of the " venison " was intrusted to the foresters ; and the " vert " was in charge of the woodwards or woodreeves, and the regarders. The verdurers or verderers are the judges of the Forest courts. The business of the bedel or beadle was to give notice of the time when the Courts of the Forest were to be kept, to make all kinds of proclamations in Court and out of it, and to e.xecute all the processes of the Forest. " Venison," in the language of the Forest laws, is a technical term, and includes game of every kind. " Vert " has reference to the trees and shrubs which afford shelter to the game, and signifies " everything that bears a green leaf, but especially great and thick coverts." A Forest differs from a Chase in three things — ift its Laws, its Officers, and in its particular Courts for the execution of the Laws. Offenders in a Chase are punishable by the Common Law, and not by the Laws of the Forests. The officers who are called Foresters in a Forest, are named Keepers in a Chase. Beasts of Forest are hart, hind, hare, boar, and wolf. Beasts of Park or Chase are the buck, doe, fox, marten, and roe. Beasts of Warren are the hare, coney, and roe — all, legally, wild animals of venery. Fowls of Warren are such as the partridge, quail, rail, pheasant, woodcock, mallard, and heron. The king appropriated the Forests for his own special use and pleasure. With Chases and Parks it was otherwise ; these could Forest of Rossendale. 55 be constructed under a licence, and owned and held by any sub- ject, and were not governed by the Laws of the Forests. Some exceptions there were to this rule, however ; and the Forests of Lancaster, in which was included the Forest of Rossen- dale, were of those exceptions ; for before they became the property of the Crown they were under the Forest Laws, and bad all the various officers and courts appertaining thereto. " By the Records of the Duchy Court of Lancaster, it appears that the Eari of Lancaster had a Forest in the Counties of Lancaster and York in the reign of Edward IL and Edward III., and did execute the Forest Laws there in as ample a manner as ever any king did before him. And even at this day (about the end of the sixteenth century) there are no Records extant which are of that validity relating to Forests as those Laws are ; and therefore it is necessary for him who will be learned in the Forest Laws, carefully to read the Assizes of the Forests of Lancaster and Pickering, in which he will find many precedents of Judgments and Resolu- tions, and almost anything which may happen or relate to Forests." (fi) In 7 Edward II., the Earl ol Lancaster makes complaint— " That several malefactors and disturbers of the peace, by force and arms have entered his free chases in PenhuU, Trouden, Acrington, Rossindale, Hoddesden, Romesgrene, and Todinton, and his parks in PenhuUand Todinton, in the county of Lancaster, and his free chases of Boweland and Marchedan, &c., without his leave ; and chased, taken, and carried away his wild animals, besides perpetrating other great enormities therein." In Saxon times, though the game was strictly preserved, and penalties inflicted for unlawful appropriation and for trespass ; yet the laws were comparatively mild and merciful, not, except in isolated cases, going beyond pecuniary fines or imprisonment, and every proprietor had the right of hunting on his own estate. But after the Conquest, a stern and merciless code was introduced, (b) Manwood, ed. 1717, p. 205. 56 History of the and the severest penalties were inflicted, with the most relentless and savage cruelty, upon the unhappy law-breaker. The haughty Normans ruled with a high hand, and the Anglo- Saxon and Danish population groaned under the iron despotism of the conquerors. The king became the sole proprietor of the game throughout the country, and no person might hunt even on his own property. The life of a human subject was accounted of less value than that of a buck or a doe, for the punishment of death was awarded upon those who were known to kill either. If found taking a boar, the unfortunate culprit paid the forfeit with his eyes, which were pulled out of his head ; the lopping of a limb was a common punishment for illegally hunting the roe or fox ; and a fine equivalent almost to ruin and the loss of entire worldly possessions was inflicted for taking a hare or other inferior game. It is impossible to read with any degree of calmness of the atrocities which were perpetrated under shelter of the Forest Laws during the rei,e;n of Wilham Rufus, and with the direct cognisance of that brutal king. Confiscation, castration, and hanging, were the familiar punishments of the time ; and such modes of punish- ment, varying in decree according to the humane or tyrannical disposition of succeeding princes, continued in operation during a period of nearly two hundred years. In the reign of Henry III., and to the credit of that prince and his successor, Edward I., who really inaugurated the milder policy, the inhuman laws of the earlier kings were abolished ; and it was ordained, " That no man from henceforth shall lose either life or limb for killing; our Deer ; but if any man be taken therewith, and convicted for taking of our.Venison, he shall make grievous fine, if he hath anything whereof to make fine ; and if he have nothing, he shall be imprisoned a year and a day, and after that, if he can find sufficient sureties, he shall be delivered ; and if not, he shall adjure the Realm." {c) Hard enough, in all conscience ! (c) Manwood, ed. 1717, p. 404. Forest of Rossendale. 57 In the Carta Foresta of Henry III. the following curious pro- vision appears : — " Whatsoever Archbishop, Bishop, Earl, or Baron coming to us at our commandment, passeth by our Forest, it shall be lawful for him to take and kill one or two of our Deer by the view of the Forester if he be present ; or else he shall cause one to blow an horn for him, that he seem not to steal our Deer ; and likewise they shall do returning from us." The following further provision of Edward I. is characteristic of the times : — " If any Deer be found dead or wounded, there shall be an Inquisition made by four of the next Villages to the Forest, which shall be written in the Eoll ; the Finder shall be put by six pledges, and the flesh shall be sent to a Spittal House, [Hospital,] if, by the testimony of the Verderors and the County, there be any nigh : but if there be no such house near, the flesh shall be given to the poor and lame, the head and skin shall be given to the poor of the next Town ; and the Arrow, if there be any found, shall be presented to the Verderor, and inroUed in his Roll." Commenting on the foregoing, Manwood, the great authority on the Forest Laws, writing about the end of the reign of Elizabeth, says, — " All this must be intended of such Deer which are not sweet or fit to be eaten by the better sort of people, for if a principal beast is found newly killed, 'tis not intended by this Statute that it should be given to an Hospital," &c. (d) Spaniels and Greyhounds were forbidden in the Forest, but the Mastiff was admitted, provided the claws and pelote of its forefeet were cut off, to prevent its chasing the Deer. This cutting off the claws was termed "hambling," or " expeditation," and was performed as follows : — The foot of the animal was placed upon a piece of wood eight inches thick, and twelve inches square ; a chisel two inches broad was then set upon the three claws, which were struck off by the skin at one blow. Dr. Whitaker states that in Bowland expeditation was not governed by species, but by the size of the dog — an iron ring being kept as a gauge, through which every foot that would pass escaped the operation. (d) Manwood, ed. 1717, 409. 58 History of the The agisting of goats and sheep within the Forest was not allowed, except by special license ; for they so tainted the pasture where they fed, that the beasts of the Forest would not depasture in those places where they had been. Any person having woods and lands within the boundaries of the Forest was allowed to agist his own land with his own cattle, but not with the cattle of strangers, for the herbage only. But for the pannage, (mast of trees), they were permitted not only to agist their woods with their own hogs and swine, but also with those belonging to a stranger. The reason of the difference was to prevent the cro])- ping of the pastures so bare as to be prejudical to the deer for want of food. The Boundaries of a Forest are of two classes— inclusive and exclusive. Of the former are highways ; and of the latter are churches, churchyards, mills, houses, and trees ; these, though bounding the Forest, are not considered to be within its limits. But if any person kill or hunt any of the king's Deer in an inclu- sive boundary, the offence is the same as if committed within the Forest proper. The law further jjrovides that the Forester may take a man if he be found either at " Dog-draw," " Stable-stand," " Back-bear," or "Bloody-hand." " Dog-draw," is wheue a man, having wounded a deer, is found with a hound or other dog, drawing after him to recover the deer so wounded. " Stable-stand," is where a man is found at his stand, with a crossbow, or longbow, ready to shoot at any deer; or standing close by a tree with greyhounds in his leash ready to let slip. "Back-bear," is where a man has killed a deer in the Forest, and is found carrying him away. "Bloody-hand," is where a man is found in the Forest, with his hands or other part bloody, and under suspicion of having killed a deer. All these offenders are said, in Forest Law, to be " taken iti the matmer." Forest of Rossendale. • 59 The time of the Fawning of the Deer was called the Fence month. It began fifteen days before, and ended fifteen days after midsummer. During this month no person was suffered to wander out of the highway into the Forest. By the ancient Assizes of the Lancaster Forests, it appears that this Law was rigidly enforced — no person being allowed to pass near the place where the animals resorted at this time. No cattle, swine, nor any description of dog whatsoever — whether ex- peditated or not, were allowed to feed or wander in the Forest during this period. If any hogs, goats or sheep were found in the Forest during the Fence-month they were forfeited to the king — so careful was the Law to guard the royal animal from every kind of disquiet. In ancient times the following rhymed Oath was taken by every human inhabitant of the Forest, and being twelve years of age : — " You shall true Liege-man be, Unto the King's Majestie : Unto the beasts of the Forest you shall no hurt do, Nor to anything that doth belong thereunto; The offences of others you shall not conceal, But, to the utmost of your power, you shall them reveal Unto the Officers of the Forest, Or to them who may see them redrest : All these things you shall see done. So help you GOD at his Holy Doom." (c) Many of the laws enumerated above have been repealed ; some, though not abolished, have fallen into disuse ; while others are in operation to this day. The Purlieus are lands, afforested by some of the earlier kings, in the vicinity of the ancient Forests ; but which, in the time of Richard I., were disforested by a Commission appointed to make perambulations, and to restore the ancient and true boundaries. The lands in question, though severed from the Forests by these perambulations, did not recover their former position, but were made subject to distinct and particular laws. (e) Manwood, ed. 171 7, p. 78. 6o • History of the Parks were extensive enclosures of pasture land, thinly planted with trees, maintained for the purpose of fattening the larger ani- mals for the table of the king and the nobles ; for better view of the beasts of venery ; and occasionally for the enjoyment of the pleasures of the hunt, with fewer of the risks and dangers which necessarily attended its exercise in the depth of the Forest. In past times Musbury [the hill of moss] was the Park or Laund of the Forest of Rossendale, and custody of the herbage thereon was granted to James de Radcliffe, by John of Gaunt, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Richard II. (1395.) A lease was also granted of the same Park to Richard Radcliffe, of Rad- cliffe, for twenty years, at the rent of ^8 6s. 8d., in the ninth of Edward IV. (1470,) and, at the e.xpiration of the term, was re- newed to him for the Hke period at the old rent. (/) Speaking of the same Park, Baines remarks : — " Of the townships in the Parish of Bury, Musbury, at its north-western extremity, is in the Hundred of Blackburn. The hill of Tor, in this township, is remarkable for its oval form and extensive views over the neighbouring wild and romantic region. From the act of resumption of the Crown possessions, passed in the first of Henry VII. (1485,) it appears that the patent office, then existing, of park-keeper of Musbury, was held by Laurens Maderer, and that his rights and privileges were secured by that Act." ( »♦♦ < CHAPTER I. What are thy rents? What are thy comings in?"— King Henry V. IT is from the Reign of Henry VH. that we must date the be- ginning of the real progress of Rossendale ; which, in no small degree, is due to the king's foresight, in the measures which he enacted as lord of the Hundred. The following instrument, promulgated by this most subtle of rulers in taking advantage of whatever seemed to promise an aug- mentation of his revenues, will be read with interest by all who care to trace the progress of this district from its primitive con- dition as a forest, harbouring " nothing else but deer and other savage and wild beasts," to its present eminence in manufacturing industry and skill. "Commission for Grauntinge of the Forrests. " In anno vicessimo secundo Henrici Septimi. " Henry, by the grace of God, Kinge of Englande and of France, and Lorde of Irelande, to our trustie and well-beloved the Stewarde that nowe is, and that hereafter shall be, of our possessions of Blakburneshyere, within our countie palatyne of Lancaster, greeting. —For so much as heretofore we, by our Ires of commission, under the seale of our dutchie of Lancaster, have deputed and appointed Sir John Boothe and others, to vewe and survey all our groundes, castles, and lordshyps, within our said countie palatyne, and there- 68 History of the upon to improve the same, and every parcel of them, for our most singuler profitt and advantage, whereupon we understand that our said commissioners have endeavoured themselves, surveying and approving the same accordinge to our saide commission and pleasure, and have made graunte and promisse of lease of cer- taine of our landes and tenements within our saide county, to the tenor and eftect of a schedule, to these our Ires annexed, to cer- taine persons, to have and to hould to them and their heires for terme of lyfe or lyves, or for term of yeares, after the custome of the manor, by copie of court roll, for execution and accomplishment whereof we have authorised, and by these presente authorize and gave you full authoritie and power, by these our Ires, callinge unto you the saide Sir John Boothe, and by his advyse, to sett and lett all suche of our saide landes and tenements as bee or lye within your saide office, to the said personns, for suche rents yearlie as bee contained in the said schedule, to have and to houlde to them and to their heires or otherwise, for term of liefe or yeares, at the libertie or choise of our said tenantes, and for the full accomplish- ment of the said promise and graunte, taking sufficient security of the said persons for the sure paimente of the same rente, as yee shall see best and most convenient. And also that upon the death or exchaunge of everie tenant, that yee make newe lease or leases to such personne or personnes after the deathe or exchaunge of any such tenant or tenants of the same, as tlie same land shall happen to be granted by you, takinge of everie suche tenant as shall happen to exchange or decease, one whole yeare's rent of the said tenant ; and that yee shall take for a fine accordinge as other our tenentes there, beinge copiehoulders tyme out of mynd, gave, and used to paie in such cases, over and above their ancient and oulde yearlie rent of the same, provyded and alwaie forseene, that yee, by color of your said leases, doe not demyse our said rent, fynes, and gersomes, nor other duties, due and demandeable for us in that parte. And these our Ires shal bee unto you at all tymes sufficient warrant and discharge in this be- halfe : whiche our Ires wee will that yee doe enter into your court Forest of Rossendale. 69 roUes, there to remaine of recorde for the more suretie of everie of our said tenants, for their saide leases, to bee had and made accord- inghe. — Given at our cittie of London, under the seale of our saide duchie, the igth daie of Maie, in the 17th yeare of our reigne." There were in the reign of Edward II. eleven Vaccaries — Cow Pastures or Booths, as they are now designated, in the Forest of Rossendale, the herbage of which was (1311) valued at ten shil- lings each, per annum, or five pounds ten shillings for the whole ; but the number of these was afterwards increased to nineteen (still later to twenty, including Yate and Pickup Bank), and in the Decree of 22 Henry VII. (1507,) which was confirmed 2 James I. (1604,) their names and estimated value are given as follows : — Gamulside, . . . . . . . . Wl. Dunnockshawe, .. .. .. 11/. Ills, IVd. Love Clough, . . . . . . . . V/. Goodshavve VI. Vis. Vlld. Crawshaweboothe, .. ,. .. IX/. .. .. Constablelee, . . . . . . . . VI. Rawtonstall ' .. III/. XlVs. Id. Dedqueneclough X/. XIls. Vlld. Wolfenden Boothe Wl. XV lis. lid. Tunstead VI. XI Is. benches Wl. Vis. Vllld. Cowhope VI. Xllls. IVd. New-Hall Heye VII/. XIIIs. IVd. Oakenheade Woode IX/. Vllls. Illd. Musbury XIIl/. Is. Vllld. Hoddleden IX/. XIXs. Xld. Bacope XI/. XVIs. Vllld. Wolfenden XI 11/. Vs. Id. Henheads, XIIIs. .. Brandwood Higher and Lower end, though not given in tiie above enumeration, the Land there being freehold, is still part and parcel of the Forest. In Dedquene Cloghe [Deadwenclough] is coritained the hamlet or village of Newchurch, which gives name to the Chapelry. A lease of this booth was granted to James de Greenhalgh, which 70 History of ike was attested at Lancaster by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, regent in the minority of Henry VI. {a) Referring to Wolfenden, [the den of Wolves,] Baines re- marks that the Prior of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, in 20 Edward I. claimed privileges for this place by charter from Henry I. (b) With respect to Bacup Booth, it is recorded that in 5 Henry V. the king granted to John Booth, of Barton, Esq., "his vaccary of Bacope, within his Forest of Rossyndale." To the same person the king granted a certain pasture called New Hall Hey, for the term of ten years, so that the said John Booth and his assignees shall neither kill nor destroy any wild beast within the forest aforesaid. (<■) Henheads, which is situated at the north-western extremity of Rossendale, and is e.xtra parochial, has an area of 317 acres, o roods, 24 poles, and consisted in those days of waste or common lands, being held in common by the copyhold tenants of Dun- nockshawe, Loveclough, Goodshaw, Crawshaw, Constablee, Raw- tenstall, Deadwenclough and Wolfenden Booths, who paid a total rent of 13s. od per annum for the use of the same, coutributed proportionately to the value of their respective holdings. The following particulars relating to the vaccaries of Rossendale, and the rent of lands therein, are from the Compotus of Blackburn- shire, by Thomas, Lord Stanley, Master Forester, and Chief Steward, A. Edward IV., 4to, in the office of the Duchy of Lan- caster, cited in Whitaker's Whalley, Addenda, 523 :— " Jacobo Radeliff de Radcliff, pro Parco de Musbury, VIII/. Xs. od. Rich. Barton, pro Newhall Hey, VIII/. os. od. Joh. Hargreaves, &c. pro Henhades et Frerehull, .. o/. Ills. IVd. Eodem, pro vaccaria de Cowhour, (Qu. De Cowhope,) VU. os. od. Eodem, pro vaccarria de Rowtanstall, . , . . . . X/. os. od. Et vaccaiia de Constaballeeh, 1 Y X/. OS. od. Et pro. I claus. vocato Okenheved Wode, J {a) Baines's Hist. Lane. vol. iii. p. 274. (A) Baines's Hist. Lane. vol. iii. p. 278. (f) Townley MSS. g. 17, cited by Baines. v/. OS. od. VI/. OS. od. III/. Xlls.od. III/. OS. od. I/. XVIs.VIIId. 0/. XVIs. Vllld.'' Forest of Rossendale. 71 Ric. Barton, pro. vaccar. de Dede when clogh, .. VU. os. od. Diet. Will. Leyland, pro vac. de Wolfenden bothe, . . VI/. os. od. Eodem, pro vac. de Gannelsheved, .. .. .. 11/. Is. Vllld. Eodem, pro. vac. de Bacop bothe et Horeleyheved, ,, VIII/. os. od. Eod. pro vaccario de Tunstead cum le Settyngez de Soclogh III/. XVs. Vllld." And in the Compotus of the 12th Edward IV., (1473), cited in Hist. Whalley, Addenda 256, are the following : — '' De W. Leyland, pro vaccaria Le Antley, .. ,. VI/. os. od. Eodem, pro Newlaund, in Accrington, et pro vaccaria de Baxtonden, . . Eodem, pro Crawshaw both, Eod., pro vaccar. de Godeshagh, Eod., pro vacc. de Luffeclogh, . . Eod., pro vacc. de Primrose Sike, Rob. Bothe, mil., pro Rowcliffe Wode, . . Under the head of " Churches belonging to the late Monastery of Whalley," the following item occurs : — The tyeth of Rossindall with the tyeth belonging to same. . ..£10 16 o In an account of all the Manors, Lands, Tenements, &c., with the profits of the same, belonging to the Monastery of Whalley, but at this time in the Hands of King Henry VIII., by reason of the Attainder or Forfeiture of John Paslow, Abbot, who was attainted of and was executed for High Treason, are contained some interesting particulars relating to property within this district. The Account of J.\mes Gartysyde, Collector of Rent, for One Whole Year, ending at the Feast of St Michael THE Archangel in the 29TH (a.d. 1538) of the Reign of THE Lord now King Henry VII. " TONGE END (NE.^R WHITWORTH.) " RENTS OF TEN.\NTS K1 WILL. "One House, with Garden, 8 acres of Pasture, and 7 acres of £ s. d. Arable Land, in the tenure of Lawrence Smyth. . .. .. o 15 o One House, with Garden, 8 acres of Pasture, and 7 acres of Arable Land, in the tenure of Nicholas Smyth. . .. .. o 15 o Carryforward .. .. ..;£i 72 History of the I s. d. Brought forward . . .. .. i lo o One House, with Garden, 2 acres of Arable Land, 2 arr s ot jMeadow, and 6 acres of Pasture, in the tenure of Richard Hill o lo o One House or Tenement, with Garden, 2 acres of Arable Land, 2 acres of Meadow, and 6 acres ot Pasture, in the Tenure of James Hill .. oio o One House, with Garden, 2 acres of Arable Land, 2 acres of Meadow Land, and 6 acres of Pasture, in the tenure of the Widow of the late Nicholas Hill o lo o Total " ROCI.YFF. "RENTS OF TENANTS AT WILL. £ S. d. " Robert Haworth, for one House, with Garden, 6 acres of Arable Land, 5 acres of Meadow Land, and 2o acres of Pasture, with Common for Cattle within the Common of Ugshott and Trough .. .. .. .. .. .. o 8 ii The said Robert, for another House, with Garden, 6 arres of Ar:ible Land, $ acres of Meadow, and 20 acres of Pasture, with Common in the Common Pasture to the same belonging, o 8 1 1 Elizabeth, late Widow of John Ashworth, for One House with Garden, 6 acres of Arable Land, 5 acres of Meadow, and 20 acres of Pasture, .. .. .. .. .. .. ..0811 Hugh Wolstenholme, for one House, with Garden, i acre of Arable Land, 2 acres of Pasture, and i acre and a half of Meadow, ..090 Robert Hele, for one House, with Garden, i acre of Ar ible Land, 2 acres of Pasture, and i acre and a half of Meaduw, . . . . o 8 1 1 And Edmund Ashworth, for one House, with Gardens, 6 acres of Arable Land, 5 acres of Meadow, and 20 acres of Pasture, . . o 811 Total, ;e2 13 7 " BRANDWODD, " RENTS OF TENANTS AT WILL. £ s, d. " James Assheworth, for one House, with Garden, 5 acres of Land, 6 acres of Pasture, 4 acres of Meadow, with certain Waste Land there, . , . . . . . . . . . . . . ..116 Hugh Assheworth, for one House, with Garden, 3 acres of Meadow, with Pasturage within the Common of Brandwodd, . . . , 0186 Carry forward . . . . .-£2 Forest of Rossendale. 73 Brought forward . . William Assheworth, for one House, with Garden, 5 acres of Arable Land, 9 acres of Pasture, and 7 acres of Meadow, John Assheworth, for one House, with Garden, 5 acres of Arable Land, 9 acres of Pasture, and 7 acres of Meadow, with Pastur- age for his Cattle on the Common Pasture of Brandwodd, Henry Assheworth, for one House, with Garden, 4 acres and a half of Arable Land, 4 acres of Pasture, and 10 acres of Meadow, And Edmund Assheworth, tor one House, 2 acres of Arable Land, 3 acres of Pasture, and 3 acres of Meadow, £ s. d. 200 I o o I 6 8 o 13 4 600 Farm or Rent of a Corn Mill there, in the Tenure of Robert Assheworth, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..100 Total, '•£7 o o " The whole of the above are charged in the Account of the Receiver- General of the Lord the King, there as in his said Account of this year more fully set forth and appeareth." * CHAPTER II. " The claims of long descent." — Trn'N'vson. "ITTE have already (a) briefly traced the possession of the ' ' manorial rights to the property in Rossendale within the Hundred of Blackburn, from the time of the Norman Conquest, down through the intervening centuries to their present ducal owner. A similar duty devolves upon us in regard to the Free- hold rights of the lands in Brandwood, in the Township of Spot- land, and embraced within Salford Hundred. In furtherance of this intention, we have recounted how that about the year 1200, during the reign of King John, Roger de Lacy, one of the Lords of the Honor of Ciitheroe, granted to the monastery of Stanlaw in Cheshire, that portion of Rossendale called Brandwood ; and that in the second year of the reign of Edward III. (1328), the grant in question was ratified and confirmed in favour of the Abbot and Monks of Whalley, the legitimate successors of the original grantees, the monastery hav- ing been established at the latter place on its removal from Stanlaw in Cheshire, on account of the inundation of the sea. We have also seen that the Abbot of Whalley, in the seventeenth year of Edward III. (1343), successfully contested the claim on the part of Richard de Ratcliffe, Master Forester, of a right to demand and take puture of the Foresters. This large and important tract of land (Brandwood) was formerly embraced within the Manor of Rochdale, but, as will immediately appear by a decision of the Court, became separated from it owing to the circumstance of the grant before mentioned. (a) In Book II. Chnp. 1. Forest of Rossendale. 75 The land continued in the possession of the Church dominant, until, by the attainder and execution of John Paslew, abbot, and the subsequent dissolution of the monasteries, the possession passed into the hands of King Henry VIII. This king made a grant of the lands to Thomas Holt, of Gristlehurst, Esquire, (afterwards, when in Scotland, knighted by Edward, Earl of Hertford), in capite by knight's service, by the fourth part of a knight's fee. (b) The Grant included all the messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, &:c., lying in and being Whitworth, Tonge End, Roclyff, and Brandwood, within the -parish of Rochdale. The boundaries of the parish of Rochdale in Rossendale are described in an inquisition taken in the year 1 6 lo as follows: — " Asqf nding the river Calder to Beaten Clough Foot ; and from thence to Beaten Clough Head ; and from thence to Shearneyford ; and from thence to a hedge or fence, sometimes on one side of the water, sometimes on the other, to Greave Clough ; and from thence to Baycop ; and from Baycop to Rock- liffe Lumme ; and from thence following the river to Brandwood ; and from thence to Carrgate ; and from Carrgate to Cowap Brook, ascending the same brook to its head ; and from thence to the height of the moss ; and from thence to Archinbutt." From Thomas Holt, who died March 8, 156 1, the property passed to Francis, Thomas, Francis, Theophilus, and Thomas Posthumous Holt, respectively, the latter of whom died, according to a MS. Memorandum which Dr. W'hitaker the historian saw, " 25th March 1669, after sown sett, a hower, as they report it." iji) " The division by knight's fee is a familiar feature of the feudal system. The knight's fee in England was fixed at the annual value of twenty pounds. Every estate supposed to be of this value, and entered as such in the rolls of the Exchequer, was bound to contribute the service of a soldier, or to pay an escuage to the amount assessed upon knight's fee." — Hall.\m's Middle Ages, vol. i. p. 171, et seq. The incidents of tenure by knight's service consisted variously, in addition to military service, of homage, aids to ransom the person of the superior Lord, to marry his eldest daughter, knight his eldest son, relief, &c. — See WlLLl.^.Ms' Real Property, p. III. 76 History 0/ the Thomas Posthumous disposed of the lands to different persons. Rockliffe passed into the hands of Thomas Baskerville Chapman, 20th February. 17th Charles II., for the sum of £500. Tong Estate was purchased by James Hoyle, of Tong, yeoman, 2d March, 20th Charles II., for £137 los. od. The messuage, tenement, and farmhold, called Stubbylee, and Slack House or Further Hey, and several closes of land in the manor of Spotland, became the property of Edmund Barker, yeoman. May 24th, 21st Charles II. Part of Greave Clough estate was purchased 3d November following by James Grindrod ; the remaining portion, with several closes of land called the Upper Parrock, by Richard Lord of Greave Clough, on the 7 th May of the next year. The manor and estate of Rochdale were held in possession for more than two centuries by the Byron family, several members whereof distinguished themselves in the profession of arms, and in more peaceful, but not less honourable, avocations. None of these is better known to fame than Lord Byron, the distinguished poet, who was the last of the family possessing the manor and estate in question. These, in order to get rid of a prolonged and vexatious litigation, he sold in 1823, the year before his lamented death, to James Dearden, Esq., whose heir, James Griffith Dearden, is now lord of the manor, (c) ((■) The following interesting letter of the poet, addressed tu Mr. Dearden, in regard to the lands and litigation referred to, is copied from the Raines MSS. in the Chetham Library, Manchester : — Genoa, 9 September, 1822, Sir, — Vou and 1 have now been eighteen years at law with various success — I succeeded in two decisions and you in one. The appeal is now before the House of Lords. Of the original occasion of this suit I have no great knowledge, since 1 inherited it and was a child when it began, and for aught 1 know may arrive at second childhood before it terminates. But I write to you to enquire whether an accommodation might not at least be attempted, and I have not consulted with my lawyers, because they of course would advise the contrary, as your own very probably will ; but I dispatch my letter through the medium of the Honourable Douglas Kinnaird, my personal friend as well as trustee, a man of honour and of business, who will Forest of Rossendale. 77 At the Assizes held at Lancaster in March 1833, an action was brought against the late James Maden, Esq., of Greens House, Bacup, by the lord of the manor of Rochdale, in respect to the manorial rights of a certain portion of the Freehold lands above particularised; and which were claimed by Mr. Dearden, the plaintiff, as being part and parcel of his said manor. At the time when the suit was tried, the following persons were directly interested therein, having come into possession of the Estates either by purchase or bequest : — Miss Ann Roberts, owner of Ancient House, Rockliffe ; Mr. John Hoyle and wife, of Rockliffe Hey-head, and Hoyle Hey- head; Mr. James Whitaker, of Rockliffe estate; Mrs. Mary Veevers, of Higher Tong ; Mrs. Lord, of Hoyle Hey ; Mrs. Susannah Ormerod, of Stubbylee ; Mr. James Maden, of Greave Clough ; Mr. John Law, of Greave and High Houses. either meet yourself or any friend to discuss the subject. I have no parti- cular propositions to make, but am willing to adjust the business on what may be deemed an equitable basis, either by arbitration or a mutual agree- ment. My motives for this are simply that I think it would spare anxiety to both sides, and I am neither instigated by avidity nor necessity. My expenses for the suit are paid up to its present period, so that if I lose it I should be but where 1 was, whereas if you lose, the loss will be con- siderable, since the litigated property has been and still is in your present occupation. I should be willing to part also with the undisputed part of Rochdale manor, because I wish to invest the produce of that as well as other monies abroad, since I do not reside in England, and have thought of permanently settling either in Italy or elsewhere. Perhaps, therefore, a mode might be found of combining the two, viz., the adjustment of our lawsuit and the sale of the remainder of the manor, which might not be for your disadvantage. I repeat (as a little enquiry will inform you) that I am not actuated either by avidity or necessity, but by the natural wish to terminate a long lawsuit with its uncertainties. My debts have long been liquidated by the sale of Newstead, and the purchase money settled and invested ; and early in the winter of 1822 I acquired a considerable accession of income by the demise of the mother of Lady B. It you accept this proposal for a conference either in person or by proxy with the Honourable Mr. Kinnaird or Mr. Crabtree (agent of Sir Francis 78 History of the A brief summary of the trial is given by Baines in his History of Lancasliire, ( »♦ » < CHAPTER I. " Worthy men all, and of good standing." " 'Tis opportune to look back upon old times, and contemplate our forefathers."— Sir Thomas Browne. " The ReevS was a slendre colerick man ; His beard was shav'd as nigh as ever he can ; His hair was by his ear^s round yshorn ; His top was docked like a priest beforn. Full long^ were his legg& and full lean, Ylike a staff, there was no calf yseen. Well could he keep a garner and a bin. There was no auditor could on him win. There n'as bailiff, ne herd, ne other hine That he ne knew his sleight, and his covine ; They were a-dread of him, as of the death. He had his wonning fair upon a heath, With green^ trees yshadowed was his place." — Chaucer. \ S time pursues its onward course, and the manners and cus- •*-^ toms of society undergo change, new officers are called into existence to suit the altered conditions of men and property ; while dignitaries of ancient note, who were once considered to be, as no doubt they really were, indispensable for the due administration of the affairs of the times, gradually withdraw from our sight, to exist only by name in the archives of the past. Not only do offices, once important, become in the lapse of time altogether 88 History of the obsolete, but the duties of some of those which still continue to exist, change, or are greatly modified by the fleeting manners of each succeeding age. These remarks are specially applicable to the office of the Grave, Greave, or Reeve ; (a) an important func- tionary here in days of yore, and wielding a considerable share of authority within his jurisdiction. The office is one of great antiquity, dating its origin far back into Sa.xon times. Before the introduction of the Magistracy into the district; when Guardians of the poor, as we now understand the term, had no existence therein ; and when Local Boards and Town Councils were unknown, Rossendale was governed by one of these officers, who bore the tide of " Greavfe of the Forest." The duties of the Greave were of the most onerous and respon- sible kind ; but they also descended to and embraced matters the most trivial and unimportant. Nothing seems to have been too weighty for him to undertake, nothing too insignificant to claim his attention. He was the Taxing Officer and " Bang-Beggar " of the district. At one time we find him closely engaged in tracking the footsteps of some notorious criminal, or in collecting evidence for his prosecution ; at another he is relieving the necessities of a poor half-starved tramp on his way to Yorkshire, or it might be to Liverpool, in the opposite direction. Now he is taking measures to ascertain the number, and prepare a return accordingly, of all the able-bodied men within the Forest, capable of serving " the King His Majesty in his most just and holy wars ; " and again he is giving instructions for the repair of the Stocks at Crawshawbooth or Bacup, or of the Guide Post at Four-Lane-Ends. One day he is superintending the erection of a "Dungeon" at one of the (a) "Praposiius VilliB is sometimes used for the head or cliief officer of the king in a town, manor, or village, or a Reeve." — Note by John Harland, F.S.A., in " Manchester Court Leet Records,'' p. 67. Jacob in his Law Die. ed. 1743, spells it " Reve," and thus defines it ; " More especially met with in the West of England, signifies the bailiff of a manor, and hence comes the word shire-reve, or sheriff." Forest of Rossendale. 89 villages ; on another he is ordering a staff or truncheon for the village Constable. The Precepts of the High Constable were all addressed to the Greave, who levied the rates, and was responsible for the propor- tionate share required to be contributed by the Forest of Rossen- dale for the repair of Lancaster Castle, the Preston House of Correction, the Bridges of the Hundred, the relief of the prisoners in the Marshalsea, maintaining the Watch, and other County expenses. The fulfilment of the office of Greave, which was by no means a sinecure, seems not to have been optional. The person nominated was bound to serve either personally or by deputy. But though members of the best families of the district were nominally the Greaves of the Forest, they seldom performed the drudgery of the office. The plan. of hiring a deputy, and sometimes two, was generally resorted to ; and it frequently happened that one person discharged the duties for several consecutive years, being hired by different Greaves in succession. The Greave was nominated by the principal landowners in the locality, his appointment taking place at the Halmot Court, or Court Baron, of the lord of the Manor or Honor, held on Michaelmas Day in each year, according to the 29th clnuse of " The Customs of the Copyhold of the Honor of Clitheroe," which is as follows ; — ■ " That the homage at every Michaelmas Court ought to present and find a Greve for the said Forest or Manor, who is not to enter into his office until the Michaelmas Court next after, and that a deputy Greve ought to be elected by the Major vote of the tenants in Open Court for the execution of that Office, and sworn accord- ingly." The accounts of the Greave, which varied in amount from ^20 to ;^6oo in different years, were presented to a Vestry Meeting held annually in the Parochial Chapel, Newchurch, when they were audited, passed, and signed or certified by a number of the inhabitants present, the Incumbent's signature being usually the first appended thereto. go History of the Dr. Whitaker observes {b) that the vaccaries or large upland pasture farms within the Lancashire Forests were under the super- intendence of two Master Foresters, one for Blackburnshire, and the other for Bowland ; and the former had under him an inferior keeper in each, of which that of Rossendale inhabited the chamber of the Forest, and had the direction of other still inferior officers, termed graves or reeves of the Forest. This description would seem to imply a less onerous and important position than is assumed for the Greave ; but he was really the xVcting Officer " in charge ;" the Constables and Bailiffs being responsible to him ; and in earlier times when the facilities for intercourse were fewer and more costly, the existence of higher authorities, to the rural mind, was more mythical than real. Hence, when the Greave chanced to be of a tyrannical disposition — " They were a-dread of him as of the death." Haines, in his history of the County, states that Rossendale is governed by a Constable called "The Greave of the Forest," who is nominated by the principal landowners ; and that the expenses of this Officer are borne by four principal householders in each Booth in rotation, a practice which has prevailed from 1557. {c) The Historian is surely at fault here. To have saddled any four principal householders with the expenses of the Greave, would certainly have been a summary and unjust proceeding. The fact is, that, on receiving a Precept or Order from the High Constable for the payment of a certain amount, the Greave im- mediately laid a rate, or " Greave lay," {d) as it was called, over the district, being generally careful that the amount to be collected exceeded the sum of the Precept. When a deficiency occurred (A) Hist. Whalley, third edition, p. 206. (f) Hist. Lancashire, vol iii. p. 276. (rf) " The derivation of the word 'lay' or 'ley' seems doubtful. In the expression ' to lay a lay ' may be found one origin, and the French word ley, law, suggests another, a rate made by law." — Note by John Harland, F.S.A., in " Manchester Court Leet Records," p. 124. Forest of Rossendale. 91 in any one year, as was sometimes the case, this was disbursed from the receipts of the Greave next ensuing. If it is meant that the salary or remuneration of the Greave was contributed by four of the principal householders, that may have been the case, though we know of nothing to justify such a conclusion. It is probable that the Greaves being usually persons of property in the district, served their term of office free of charge, and that only the hired or deputy Officers were paid, and those by the nominal Greave for the time being. Of late years this Officer's duties have been much circumscribed, being limited to a periodical attendance at the Halmot Court, and the summoning of Juries for the transaction of business appertain- ing thereto. This Court for the Old-hold and New-hold of the Manor of Accrington, of which Rossendale now forms part, is held at the Court House in Haslingden twice every year, in the months of April and October, and its authority extends over all property within the Manor, held under what is technically called "copy of Court roll." The Reeve who is introduced by Chaucer as one of the Pilgrims in the " Canterbury Tales," has many points in common wilh-the Greave or Reeve of Rossendale Forest; though they differ in some essential particulars ; the Reeve of Chaucer being a permanent Officer, and in this respect resembling the Steward of the Manor of the present day. Among a number of old documents, which, by the kindness of a friend, were placed in my hands, I have discovered a list of persons who held the Office of Greave of the Forest of Rossen- dale from .\.D. 1559, the 2d year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, down to A.D. 1726. Being desirous to complete the list, I made application to Dixon Robinson, Esq., of Clitheroe Castle, Steward of the Honor, who, in response to my request, in the kindest manner, continued the names to 181 1, since which time there are no appointments of Greaves appearing on the Court Rolls. From another and equally 92 History of the trustworthy source, I am enabled to add a few more names, bringing down the list of Officers to the year 1 8 1 8. This list is not to be viewed as a mere dry catalogue of names to which little or no interest is attached. It is in truth an enumera- tion of the oldest families of the district for a period of over three hundred years, and as such is of great historical value. However disinclined we may be to render undue homage to the accidental and adventitious circuiflstances of long descent, we are all ready to allow that it is at least desirable, and in a sense hon- ourable, to be able to trace our ancestors back through the cen- turies which have elapsed, to recount their virtues, and their heroic deeds, and to unravel the intricacies of the times in which their lot was cast. What is true of the individual, is also true in respect to the locality. Few among us but are proud to connect the occurences of the particular district in which we feel an interest, with the more important historical events and personages of our common country. No city, or town, or district can be said to possess a history until the events which have occurred therein are recorded, and the actors in its various scenes identified and described. Just as that man is supposed to be without ancestors who is unable to trace his descent through a series of generations. The most enchanting landscape which the painter can portray upon his canvas lacks one of its greatest charms until it is made to embrace within its ample area an image bearing the human form. To sujjply this is, as it were, to infuse a living soul into the other- wise inanimate clay. This is precisely the part which the present list of Greaves fulfils in respect to Rossendale. They are the link which, more than any other, connects the district with past events. Without this link we know, of course, that Rossendale had an existence in the long past ; that its hills were as high, and its air as bracing as at the present day. But there is a feeling of vagueness in the mind when we try to summon up bygone circumstances, Forest of Rosscndale. 93 that is not dispelled until we can associate therewith the presence of our own species. In the person of its Greaves, we may be said to have the pedi- gree of the Forest of Rossendale. And how much of real interest we feel in being able to point to those of them who were contem- poraneous with the Virgin Queen, and the galaxy of gifted minds which adorned her court, and shed an undying radiance around the years of her reign ; with Burleigh, her judicious adviser ; and with the accomplished Essex, her unfortunate favourite. Contem- porary, too, with Lord Bacon, " The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind." and with the chivalrous Sidney, " the very diamond of her Majes- ty's Court." Administrators of the affairs of the Forest when Sir Francis Drake was " singeing the Spanish monarch's beard ;" and when Raleigh, patriot, statesman, and philosopher, was pining in his lone dungeon in the Tower. When Spenser, the sweetest of poets, was singing of the heavenly Una and her milk-white lamb ;( 6 And again in 1805 is the following payment for Surrender for Dungeon at Crawshawbooth, . . . . . . 0166 1792-3- To a Wallet for Town's Weights, . . . . . . . . . . 017 To an Iron Yard, .. .. .. .. .. .. .. o o lo To Standard Wine Measures, . . . . . . . . . . 126 Paid for Weigh balk 066 1796. Relieving Mary Wilson and a child from Portsmouth to Edinburgh with a pass, .. .. .. .. £0 1 o The War with France, which commenced in 1793, kept the hands of our Government fully employed ; and responses to the calls for men and money constantly occur in these records of the Greave from the time when Buonaparte entered upon his career of conquest in 1796, down to the year when it terminated so disastrously on the plains of Waterloo. • The taxation of the period pressed heavily on the population. The returns from the assessments for this and subsequent years vary in amount from Three to Si.\ Hundred Pounds. In these heavy exjjenses are sums paid on account of the Militia and the Supplementary Militia ; for the summoning of (yeomanry) Cavalry to be sworn in, warrants for the apprehension and prosecution of Deserters, iScc. In the year 1798 is a long account of " Extra Expenses " of Supplementary Militia, and Balloting for the same ; and again of " Additional Expenses " in numbering the Inhabitants of Rossendale ; for inquiring into, and rendering an account of their Qualifications in the event of any Foreign invasion. The numbering of the Cattle within the Forest was also part of the Greave's duty on this occasion, and all this was done agreeably to certain Schedules issued by order of the Lieutenancy. Forest of Rossendale. 133 From the enumeration which was then made, it was found that the number of able-bodied men capable of actual service, residing within the Forest of Rossendale, amounted to 2000 ; a respectable number out of a population of barely 10,000 young and old. The following are some of the entries above referred to : — 1797. Expenses to VVhalley in attending on Magistrates on supple- mentary Militia, .. .. .. .. .. .. £0 ■T, o To Summoning Cavalry to be sworn in, .. .. .. .. 0120 1798. Expenses of Peter Warburton to Rochdale, to prove him a Disarter, .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 076 The Peace of Amiens brought with it a brief interval of tranquillity, which was again rudely disturbed by the renewal of hostilities with France in 1S03, caused by the insulting menaces and restless ambition of Napoleon I., who began to make immense preparations for the invasion of Great Britain. The whole Country was at once in arms to resist the invader ; the utmost enthusiasm prevailed, and a Yeomanry and Volunteer Corps 400,000 strong, rose as one man, to defend their hearths and homes. About 30,000 of that number were raised in Lancashire, and to these Rossendale contributed its full share. The Greave of the Forest records in numerous entries, extending over a lengthened period, that meetings and consultations for the " Defence of the Nation" were held at " Bacop, Kewchurch, and Edgeside." No half-hearted patriotism was displayed. An enumeration was made of the number of males between the ages of 17 and 55, within the district. Men were enrolled for the " Army of Reser\'e," and Volunteers poured in from every valley and hill side. A List of the Resident Ministers was made, and a return of the Copyholders and Freeholders, with the number of Cotton and Woollen Mills, and of Cattle within the district was prepared. Altogether, 1 803 was a year of agitation and preparation, which has scarcely found its parallel in later times. 1 34 History of the These are a few selected from many similar entries at this period : — 1S03. Expense to Burnley to receive Instructions for the Defence of the Nation, 2 days, . . . . . . . . . . . . ^060 Numbering Persons and Cattle, &c., and others willing to serve Volunteer seven days, . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 1804. Exps. Bill ot Recruiting for Additional Force for his Majesty in the Forest, .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 18 8 Extra exps. for Drumber and Fifer, . . . . . . . . 140 And in 1805-6 is an item — To R. Lord for Ribbons ommitted last year . . i^o 7 8 The ribbons being doubtless part of the furnishing of the recruiting sergeants. Other suggestive records of this kind appear — 1806-7. 4 Passengers lame that was wounded with Nelson, . . . . ^046 Mary Whitley, a Sailor's wife, and three children, going to Gloucester, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 016 2 lame Soldiers and their wives and 3 children, going to Edinburgh, 1S07-S. Seven disabled Sailors to Ireland, .. • .. 1812. Postage of a Letter about a Diserter 1812-13. Making a List of Regular Militia for Coup Lenches, &c., where they were serving at present, and if they are married, and where their wives and Families reside, if any, and delivering the same at Burnley, .. .. o 15 o Returning to civil affairs, the following items are worthy of selection : — 1800-1. Relief to a Poor Person at Hareholme gate, being starved, . . ;to o 6 Paid G. Welsh for Commissrs' Clerk's returns of Hair Powder and Armorial Bearings, .. .. .. ., .. 026 Summoning Little Taylor at Delph, 030 3 3 II Forest of Rossendale. 135 1801-2. To Expenses with Abm. Cropper, James Haworth, and John Haworth, to Holmes Chappel, .. .. .. .. ^086 Many entries similar to the last occur. Previous to the appointment of Magistrates in Rossendale, prisoners were conveyed to Holmes Chapel to be tried before the Justice of the Peace there. 1803. 20 Trunsheons from Burnley for Constables, .. .. .. ;f2 16 6 Paid Jas. Nuttall for 22 Trunsheons for Constables at New- church, &c., .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 360 1804. To 2 pair of Steel Ruffles, .. .. .. .. .. .. 066 [A Polite name for Handcuffs.] 1804. Paid in the Vestry of Newchurch, for obtaining fines of the Inhabitants of Rossendale in respect of Sunday Rules, .. 200 To a Constable Staff for Bacop, .. .. .. .. ., 076 Salaries for the Sextons Ringing eight o'clock at Newchurch, Bacop, and Goodshaw Chapel, for one year, los. each .. i 10 o Parish Clerk in giving Public Notices in the Church, .. .. 026 In bygone days, when printing was more a luxury than a necessity_|of life, and only to be resorted to on grand occasions, our simple-minded forefathers were in the habit of making public from the Clerk's desk in the Church, after service, all those secular transactions in which the general community were expected to feel an interest. If a sale by auction was arranged to take place during the coming week, the fact was duly made known. If any acts of trespass or wilful damage had been committed, the particulars were set forth, and a reward offered for such information as would lead to the conviction of the offenders. It is even whispered that Bull-baitings formed a common subject of announce- ment ; but for the truth of this, not having trustworthy evidence, we are not prepared to vouch. In some places the Clerk, instead of giving his Notices within the walls of the sacred edifice, came out into the Churchyard, and, from a convenient 136 History of the o elevation on a tombstone, read out his Intimations to the dispersing congregation. Many of these notices, as might naturally be sup- posed, partook largely of the ludicrous, and would give a rather questionable finish to the solemn services of the day. 1810. Numbering Lunaticks, writing list, and paper, .. .. .. ;£o 10 6 1813-14- Inquest on Henry Hoyle, (wild Harry), who died in Musbury, o 12 o Repairing Pinfold at Clough-fold, 3 19 The " Pinfold" was a large circular enclosure in which strayed sheep and oxen were put, and kept, until claimed by their owner. The following list is from an old MS. vol. in the possession of the late George Hargreaves, Esq., J. P., Newchurch : — A LIST OF THE FINDERS FOR CLOUGHFOl.D, PIN- FOLD, WHICH ARE SEVEN IN NUMBER, AND SUCCEED EACH OTHER IN COURSE, AS FOLLOWS :— Jno. Welsh, elk. (f) for Church Land 1747. Oliver Ormerod, for Mr. Hargreave's Land, .. .. 1748. Jno. Piccop, for Mrs. Lonsdale's Land, .. .. .. 1749- Richd. Ormerod, for Mr. Peter Ormerod's Lower Land, 1750. Jamns Nuttall, for Jno. Lord, late Heaton's Land, .. 1751 Richd. Eastwood, for Mr. Miles Lonsdale's Land, .. 1752 Jno. Ormerod, for Mr. Peter Ormerod's higher Land, 1753. 1817. One Pair of Leg Shackles and Chains, .. .. .. .. £0 \2 ^ 1819. Bought a New Rule for Measuring Militia Men with 010 This must conclude my extracts from the entries in the Account Book of the " Greave of Rossendale Forest." By way of pendant to the above, I add a few items taken from the Workhouse accounts for the year 1734-5. ((■) Clerk was formerly the common designation of a clergyman. Mr. Welsh was the Incumbent of Newchurch. c X D n Forest of Rossendale. 137 1734. May 25. — Ed. Whitaker, Senr., Eal (Ale) for Sick Persons, . . ^002 May 25.— Jam. Robert for Grout, .. .. .. .. 001 Jan. 8.— One Pot of Eal for Hennery Lord Bein not well, ., 001 Augt. 10. — Too Quartes of Ele at Rushberrin, ., .. 006 Augt. 17. — One Bread-fleake for Poor's house, .. .. 022 October 1 1. — For one Lofe for Henry Lord not well, . . .. 001 I73S- Feby. 15. — Stroung Walters for Lettes Hargreaves and Shugar, . . . . . . . . . . . . , . o o 2i March 29. — For one Peyar of Hand Cards for George Warburton, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 013 CHAPTER III. " Yet spare I not to ply the potte Of jolly goode ale and olde."- Bishop Still — Gammnr Gurton's Needle. " A nose he had that gan show, What liquor he loved I trow ; For he had before long seven yeare, Beene of the towne the ale-conner." — The Coblcr of Ciinterburie. " He was a man, take him for all in all, 1 shall not look upon his like again." Sh.^kespe.ire — Hamlet. TN addition to the Greave of the Forest, other officers are -'- annually appointed at the October sitting of the Halmot Court, — such as a Butcher, a Market-Looker, a Fence-Keeper, a Bellman, and an Ale-Taster. The office of Ale-taster, or Ale-Conner, as is well known, is a very ancient one, extending as far back as Saxon times. Doubtless, it had its origin with that shrewd, frugal, calculating, paunch- loving people. There is nothing of the Celtic or devil-may-care element in its character. The Celt, to this day, is too spiritualistic, too precipitate, too mercurial, to cater largely for the stomach ; the Saxon is of the earth, earthy. It was the business of those who filled the post to insure that the ale and beer (a) brewed and sold or offered for sale within their (a) Andrew Boorde, in his " Dyetary," says : " Ale is made of malte and water Bere is made of malte, of hoppes and water." This distinction would scarcely hold good at the present day. Forest of Rossendale. 1 39 district was good and wholesome and of the proper strength. Clearly the office was considered one of much importance in early times. The responsibility was great, and the confidence reposed in the judgment and honesty of the officer equally so. He appears to have depended chiefly, if not solely, on his fine critical taste for enabling him to decide on the quality of the beverage. Before the authorities, his evidence as against the offender was unquestioned. In former days the Ale-Taster was also the Officer for the Assize of Bread, and the Oath taken by him on Assuming his duties was as follows : — " You shall swear that you shall well and truly serve the King's Majesty and the lord of this leet in the office of ale-taster, or assisor of this liberty, for this year to come; you shall duly and truly see from time to time that the bread brought to be sold be truly weighed, and that the same do contain such weight, according to the prices of wheat, as by the statute in that case is provided ; likewise, you shall have diligent care, during the time of your being in office, to all brewers and tiplers within your office, that they and every one of them do make good and wholesome ale and beer for man's body, and that the same be not sold before it be assayed by you, and then to be sold according to the prices limited and ap- pointed by the King's justices of the peace ; and all faults committed or done by the bakers, brewers, or tiplers, or by any of them, you shall make known, and present the same at this court, whereby due punishment may be inflicted upon them for their offences accordingly, and in every other thing you shall well and truly behave yourself in the said office for this year to come. So help you God." The duties of the Rossendale officer are limited to the testing of the Ale and Beer, and we shall cease to wonder that this vigilant functionary should occasionally overstep the bounds of sobriety, and stumble on the other side — battering his nose on the unfeeling pavement — when we remember that there are within his jurisdiction more than 150 houses licensed for the sale of those drinks. In the early days the punishment for brewing and publicly exhibiting bad ale was either a fine or a two hours' seat upon the cucking or cuck stool before the culprit's own door ; the drink, if 140 History of the pronounced by .1 discriminating judge to be unirinkable, being handed over to the poor folk. The duties appertaining to the office (obsolete in most places) were, until within recent years, regularly fulfilled in Rossendale by an officer who did credit to the appointment. I refer to the late Richard Taylor, of Bacup, the Rossendale Ale-taster, who may with propriety be described as " The Last of the Ale-Tasters." As such, he deserves a word of commemoration. " Spindle Dick " he was usually called. The writer knew him personally, and had many a confab with him. Since the first edition of this work was published poor Dick has gone to render his account to a higher Court than that of the Lord of the Honor! He was a fellow of infinite humour, not wanting in sound judgment, but with that kind of twist in his nature that never would allow him for two minutes at a spell to treat any subject in a serious mood. His proper calling was that of a spindle maker, hence his sobriquet of " Spindle Dick ;" a rare workman at his trade when he chose, and in his sober hours. In his hands there was nothing incongruous or far-fetcbed in the office of Ale-taster. Its duties, incrusted with the antiquity of centuries, came as naturally to him as though he had been living in the time of the Heptarchy, and was " to the manner born." The incongruity was when he forsook, as he occasionally did, his . ale-tasting labours, and applied himself assiduously to his business of spindle-making. Poor Dick Taylor ! I always felt grateful to his personality, and to the humour which girt him round. He was a link that bound us to the past ; a kind of embodied poetical idea in keep- ing with the ancient Forest and its traditions. I have more than half a suspicion that he must have been lying dormant for cen- turies in the muniment-room of Clitheroe Castle, and, like Rip Van Winkle, awoke at length to resume his interrupted duties. I never conversed with him without being carried in imagination back to bygone times, and on such occasions it was with a half- resentful feeling of annoyance that the proximity of a later — shall Forest of Rossendale. 141 we be justified in saying a higher ? — civilisation, in the guise of a smoky factory chimney, dispelled the illusion. After all, it is only in a district like Rossendale that such an interesting relic of the olden time could have survived. To me, when I first knew them, the old people of Rossendale always seemed to differ in many respects from the people of other districts. This was not due to any single cause — there was a variety of circumstances which contributed to the result ; but the chief cause, in my opinion, is to be found in the natural character and formation of the district. By reason of its hills and the wide-reaching moor- lands that environ it on every side, it was in earlier days, before the advent of the railway, removed to a large extent from contact with the outer world and the changing fashions and tendencies of wider social conditions. The older representatives of whom I speak are fast dying out, and the younger generation has lost, or is losing, the distinguishing characteristics of the race. At one time in his career Dick kept a beer-house, the sign over the door being a representation of the globe, with the head and shoulders of a man protruding through it, and underneath it the legend, " Help me through this world !" By way of counteracting any bad moral effects that arose from his vending of beer on week- days, he taught a Bible class in a room over the beer-shop on Sundays. He christened one of his sons " Gentleman," Gentleman Taylor, being determined, as he said, to have one gentleman in the family, whatever else. When in discharge of the functions of his curious calling of Ale-taster, Dick carried in his coat pocket a pewter gill measure of his own fashioning, of peculiar old-world shape, with a turned ebony wood handle in the form of a cross that projected straight from the middle of the side. This symbol of his office was secured by a leathern thong about half a yard in length, one end being round the handle, the other through a button-hole in his coat. After a day's official work he might occasionally be seen, with unsteady gait, wending his way up the lane to his domicile on the hillside, with the gill measure dangling below his knee. 142 History of the Not unfrequently he had to appear before the Bench for being drunk and incapable, and though he was sometimes mulcted in five shillings and costs, as often as not some smart sally of wit won the admiration and sympathy of the " Great Unpaid," who let him down as softly as their sense of duty would permit. Dick, on those occasions, would declare that it was his legs only, and not his head that was drunk, which I am inclined to believe was true. He would also assert that he was easily upset when only partially filled, but, when, hke a barrel, full to the bung, and end up, he was steady as a rock. As a matter of fact, however, he was not a heavy drinker, whatever his detractors may say to the contrary. His centre of gravity (being raised from his stomach to his head) was displaced by a very limited supply of the beverage. Regularly as the month of October came round, Dick put in an appearance at the Halmot Court of the Lord of the Manor or Honor held at Haslingden, was reinstalled in his office with due formality, and dined with the other officials of the court when the formal business was concluded. The following is a copy of a memorial presented by him in October, 1864, to the Court Leet. It contains some touches of dry humour highly characteristic of the man : — " To the Foreman and Jury of the Halmot Court at Haslingden. The respectful Memorial of your energetic Ale-Taster for Rossendale, Richard Taylor. " Gentlemen, — From a natural bashfulness, and being unac- customed to public speaking, which my friends tell me is a very fortunate circumstance, I am induced to lay my claims before your honourable court in writing, hoping you will give them your most favourable consideration. " The appointment which I hold is a very ancient one, dating, as you are aware, from the time of good King Alfred, when the jury at Court Leet appointed their head-boroughs, tithing man, bursholder, and Ale-taster ; which appointments were again regulated in the time of Edward HL, and through neglect this Forest of Rossendale. 143 important office to a beer-imbibing population ought not to be suffered to fall into disrepute or oblivion. "In Rossendale there are countless numbers of practical followers of the school to which that illustrious Dutchman, Mynheer Van Dunck, belonged, and while they imbibe less brandy, they make up for it in beer. To some Rossendale men, indeed, beer is meat, drink, washing, and lodging ; and do away with the office of Ale-taster, an inferior quality of the beverage may be sold, and the consequent waste of tissue among the working classes would be something awful to contemplate. Your honourable court, then, cannot but perceive the vast importance of my office. " W'ith the spread of intelligence in Rossendale there has been a proportionate increase of licensed public-houses and beerhouses, which has created a corresponding amount of respon- sibility in my duties. At the time when Rossendale was in reality a forest, and a squirrel could jump from one tree to another firom Sharneyford to Rawtenstall without touching the ground, the office of Ale-taster was no doubt a sinecure, but it is so no longer. For three years I have upheld the dignity of your honourable court as Ale-taster without emolument, stipend, fee, or perquisite of any kind. I have even been dragged before a subordinate court and fined five shillings and costs whilst fulfilling the duties of my office. My great services should receive some slight acknowledgment at your hands, and thus would be secured the upright discharge of those duties you expect me to fulfil ; and my imperial gill measure, which I carry along with me as my baton of office, should bear the seal of your honourable court. " Praying for your kind consideration, I beg to submit this my third annual report : " In my district are fifty-five licensed public-houses and sixty- five beerhouses. The quality of the beer retailed at these houses is generally good, and calculated to prevent the deterioration of tissue, and I do not detect any signs of adulteration. The only complaint I have to make is of the quality of the ales sold at New- church during the week in which Kirk Fair is held ; they are not 144 History of the then quite up to the mark in point of strength and flavour ; but this is an exception, and it is the only speciality that I feel bound to comment upon, save that which immediately concerns your obedient servant, Richard Taylor, Ale-taster for that part of Her Majesty's dominions known as Rossendale." On a later occasion Mr. Taylor sent in his resignation to the court as follows :— " To the Foreman and Jury of the Halmot Court at Haslingden, — Gentlemen, I respectfully, but firmly, tender my resignation as Ale-taster of the Forest, an office whicli I have held for seven years without any salary or fee of any description. During that period I have done my duty both to his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch {h) and to the inhabitants generally. From feelings of humanity I refrain from suggesting anyone as my successor, for unless he possesses an iron constitution, if he does his duty to the appointment, he will either be a dead man before the next court day or he will have to retire with a shattered constitution." The Court, however, declined to entertain Mr. Taylor's petition, and reappointed him to the office he had so long filled with so much credit to himself — though with very questionable benefit — and to the advantage of the many thirsty souls within his jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the remark at the opening of the petition, Dick, as a matter of fact, was not altogether unused to public speaking. At town's meetings he frequently held forth, and his rising was always welcomed as the signal for some sensible as well as humorous and sarcastic remarks. The reference to " Kirk Fair," and to the quality of the ales sold there on those occasions, will be appreciated. I do not know what the Fair may be now, but within my recollection the streets of the village, for three successive days, were thronged with a surging mass of people on pleasure bent. As many of these came long (!)) His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, as has already been explained (see Book Second, Chapter i.) is Lord of the Honor of Clitheroe, of which the Forest of Rossendale constitutes a part. Forest of Rossendale. 145 distances in the heat of summer, with their parched throats and high spirits, they were naturally less critical of the quality of their drink than at ordinary times, and the publicans, with what amount of truth, beyond the declaration of the official Ale-taster, I am not prepared to vouch, were suspected of taking advantage of the circumstances to thin down their ales. The post of Ale-taster, though still nominally maintained, is in reality obsolete, and could not be revived, even in out-of-the-way places, without committing an anachronism. Even in Dick Taylor's day the office was looked upon as- belonging to the past — a relic of a bygone age, in which a different social system to the present prevailed. It belonged to the days of stocks and pillories, of ducking and cucking stools and scolds' bridles, of sluggard wakeners and dog whippers. Tempora mutanliir. It needed a genial humorist to assume the duties of the office in this latter half of the nineteenth century, and a vulgar imitator would find no favour. In a wide and populous district the duties, when conscientiously performed, were more than mortal stomach could bear unharmed, even though the paunch were like that of Falstaff, which Dick's was not, and leaving out of account the temptations which beset such an official. Dick took to ale-tasting as a jest, though he performed his duties with an imperturbabje gravity which enhanced the fun of the situation. Keen as was his taste for ale, he had a keener relish for the humour of the position. Alas ! it was joking perilously near to the edge of a precipice. The last of the Ale-tasters died, a martyr to duty, on the loth day of October, 1876. Sic itur ad astra. BOOK FIFTH > »♦» < CHAPTER I. " How may we now the truth unfold — How learn, delighted and amazed, What never tongue or numbers told — What hands unknown that fabric raised ?" " A smiling village decks the plain, Where once the tangled forest frown'd ; And Hodge impels his lab'ring wain O'er grounds where wolves a shelter found." TN the immediate neighbourhood of Brandwood, though situated -*- ill the township of Lenches, is the hamlet of Rough Lee, in a picturesque and pleasant nook on the hillside, sheltered from the easterly winds by the friendly shoulders of a considerable elevation, and looking far away down the Irwell valley — along which, and over the grassy slopes on either side, it commands a varied and extensive view. In the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, when the waste of Brandwood was the property of the Abbots of Stanlaw and Whalley, the scenery embraced in a view of the landscape from Rough Lee, was widely different from that which its present prospect com- prehends. Where now the Railway winds through the vale, the shriek- ing whistle of its " iron horse " awaking the echoes on every side — then, the glossy coat of the antlered deer, as in the heyday of its pride it flashed across the glade to thicker covert, or gambolled on Forest of Rossendale. i47 the declivities, was the chief moving attraction that arrested the eye. Now, where the gaunt chimney belches forth its dense black coils of smoke, the Forester's fire, as it consumed the " windfall " of the previous winter, sent up into the clear air of spring its gauzy wreaths of thin blue vapour. And, in the past, instead of a landscape dotted with upland farms, and a valley threaded with long rows of substantial dwelhngs, their vicinity alive with the hum of youthful voices busy at play, or the cheerful ringing laughter of the factory lasses relieved from their daily toil, a few solitary homesteads were all that gave signs of human habitation. In this quiet and pleasant spot within the Forest of Rossendale, overlooking the valley, it is said, was erected a house or chapel for the purposes of religious worship. By whom founded, however, and by whom used, no records, so far as we can learn, exist to determine. Tradition, that strange noneniiy— that veritable "wandering Jew" born of the distant past, which haunts us ever with garrulous tongue replete with curious lore and dim undefined utterances that we can never fairly grasp— Tradition would have it that the erection was a kind of lesser convent as well as chapel, and that it could boast a remote antiquity. That most indefatigable of antiquarie and historians. Dr. Whitaker, has nothing to tell us of the chapel at Rough Lee ; and Baines, the historian of the county, is equally silent thereanent. Nothing, so far as I am aware, is in print concerning the erection. There is a singularity in all this. That a Chapel did e.\ist at this place we know, though the date of its foundation can only be conjectured. That it was erected in Roman Catholic times, before the Reformation, there is good reason to believe. A lady, to whom more than once I have been indebted for information of this kind, has furnished me with an original memorandum or paper— of which the following is a copy— which she states came into possession of her family more than eighty years ago. It gives an account of the old chapel, and may be relied upon as being authentic : :S 148 History of the "The building, 20 yds. long, or thereabouts ; 7 yds. wide within. 2 Doors opposite each other in the Middle of the Building. The Windows as below. [Here is givena rude sketch of an arched and nuiUioned window.] The Roof supported by Crooks. 2 large stone Troughs ; at each door one. A large stone Pulpit was demolished when the Building was converted to its present use, in the ruins of which some Beads were found. At present it is occupied in 2 Cottages, the Property of Mr. Jopham, of Chester. It is situate .at Lench, in the Parish of Bury and Forest of Rossendale, distant from the nearest part of Brandwood about |- of a mile." Fragments of stones, bearing inscriptions, have been dug out of the soil in its vicinity. The place originally may have been used as a Hermitage or dwelling — an offshoot of the parent Abbey of Whalley, where the Monk or Monks in charge of the property of the church in this neighbourhood took up their abode ; and afterwards, as the poimlation of the district began to increase, it probably was adapted to the performance of Divine worship. There is reason, if not corroborative evidence, in support of this ; for it will scarcely be doubted that the ecclesiastics of those times would be fully alive to the necessity of providing the means of religious edification to the peo[)le in their charge, who were far removed from the great centres of the imposing ceremonials of the Church. We have already seen that the Abbot of \Mialley, in the time of Henry HI, constructed and built a manor-house in the " waste of Brendewode," and that the Manor was held in free, pure, and perpetual alms freed from all charge, e.xcepting only prayers and orisons for the souls of the founders and feoffors, and their ancestors and heirs. True, the site of the Chapel at Rough Lee was without the limits of their landed possessions in this district ; but this fact does not militate against the present conjec- ture. The " waste of Brendewode " was a bleak and uninviting tract of country, having none of the characteristics of those neighbourhoods usually chosen for the erection of religious structures in past days ; and the Monks, with that unerring instinct ■r. > Forest of Rosscndale. 149 which led than to pitch their tents in favoured localities with regard to scenery, shelter, and general convenience, would not fail to note the superior position of the site in question to any other within their own dreary domain in Rossendale. Thus much for Rough Lee, one of those spots of locd interest of which just sufficient* is known to arouse, but not enough to satisfy, the enquirer's curiosity — too little to give it a fixed habita- tion in the history of the district, or determine its influence on the current of events. It is like one of those spirits said to haunt old homesteads : content with its own knowledge of the past, it resists all prying attempts to wring from it a recital of its story. A quaint old place that the imagination finds no difficulty in peopling with forms of a bygone time. Such a home of the imagination it must probably remain. The Old Hall on the New Hall Hey estate, whose ivy-matted walls still stand rugged and strong, is another ancient building regarding the erection of which we are without documentary evidence. The architecture is early Tudor Gothic. The wing of the Hall on the northerly side appears to have been used as a chapel in past times — a religious offshoot, it is said, of Whalley. On the removal of the oak settles and wainscoating in the early part of th? present century, a baptismal fount was found, and this relic is still in existence and in possession of Mr. G. W. Law-Schofield, the present owner. CHAPTER 11. " The church of the village Gleaming stood in the morning's sheen ; Loud rang the bells, the crowd was assembled, Far from valleys and hills, to list to the holy preaching." — Longfellow. " I always enter this sacred place With a thoughtful, solemn, and reverent pace." — Ibid. " These were the pranks she played among th' abodes Of mortal men." — Shelley. rr^HE Original Church (or Chapel of ease, as it was called) at ■*- Newchurch, was erected in the year 1511, being the 3d year of the reign of Henry VHI., and it is this circumstance that gave rise to the name of tRe village. It was not made parochial, however, till the 4th of Edward VI., 1550, down to which year the Castle and Church of Clitheroe was the Parish Church of the people of Rossendale. At that time it was in the diocese of Chester, and the following note respecting it is contained in Bishop Gastrell's N^otitia Cestriensis. (a) " Newchurch in Rossendale. The Forest of Rossendale was in ye times of H.[enryl 7 and H.[enry] 8 Disforrested, and ye Land was improved, soe yt in 40 years time from 20 persons ye people were encreased to 1,000, who built a Chap, elj for themselves and maintained a Minister. V.[idel] Deed [/«] New RegJjster.'^ " This Chap.[el,] wch is sd to belong to ye Parish of Clitheroe, from wch it was 12 m.[ilesj (i) distant, was made Parochial by K.[ingj Edw [ard] 6, and called (a) Chetham Society's Publications, vol. IIL, p. 340, et. seq. (b) Actually 14 statute miles distant, as the crow flies. Forest of Rossendale. 151 by ye name of ye Chap/el] of our Saviour, wth a parcell of ground enclosed wth a hedge, called ye Chap.[el] Yard, to have all Offices performed in it as in any Par.[ish] Church; [The] People to maintain that Curate who is to be named by the B.[ishop] of [the] Diocese. VJidel Order of -the' Dulchy Court, New RegSJster.'] "Certif [ied] 23I. los. ood., viz., 20I. Rent Charge upon Copyhold Lands, part of wch being now Mortgaged is dubious; surp.'lice] fees 3I. los. "8 Wardens. "8 m.Liles'' from Whalley (c) ; 2 m.ries] from [the] next Ch.[apel.]" The following note is added by Canon Raines :— " Dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Value in 1834, £2:ii. Registers begin in 1654. " On the I ith of July, 1515, the Curate of ' Rossyngdale ' paid XXd. to the Archdeacon of Chester for his admission to the Curacy, {d) 292." The first structure was of meagre dimensions and humble in character, suited to the wants and worldly estate of a scanty and not wealthy people. The following is a copy of a decree of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster of the fourth year of King Edward VI., decreeing the Chapel in Rossendale to have all such rights and privileges as Parish Churches then had, and containing interesting reference to the disforesting of the Forest. " Whereas it appears by a Bill of Supplication of the Inhabitants of Rossendale, that the Forrest of Rossendale 44 years ago or thereabouts, being replenished with a few and small number of People, or in manner none at that time did Inhabit other then the forresters and such other as were appointed to and for the oversight of the Deer ; and that the late excellent Princes and Kings of worthy and famous memory, King Henry the 7th and King Henry the 8th, by the advice of their most Honble. Counsels, most graciously considered, that it the Deer were taken out of and from the said forrest, that then the same was like to come and be brought and applyed to some good purpose, as the Commonwealth might be increased thereby ; and therefore the said Kings gave in commandmt., and caused not only that the said Deer should be killed and destroyed, but also, that the ground within the said forrest should be letten out to such of the Inhabitants as wod take the (e) As the crow flies, the distance is 11 statute miles. (d) Lane. MSS. Vol. IX. 152 History of the same, and had made thereof to the intent the same forrest might, for the great ■ increase of God's glory and the Commonwealth of this Realme, be Inhabited ; and by force thereof and to that intent, the said Forrest was disforrested and granted, demised and let forth, in divers sorts, some part for term of years, and part to hold by copie of Court Roll, after which Leases and grants as is aforesd. had and made, the said Inhabitants and takers thereof have Edified and Builded houses and Tents within the said Forrest, and have inhabited the same ; so that where before that time was nothing else but Deer and other savage and wild beasts, there is since then, by the industry and labour of the Inhabits , grown to be a very good and fertile ground; and the same at this day is become very populous, and well inhabited, and replenished with a great number of people.— And for as much as the Castle and Church of Clitheroe, being their Parish Church, is distant 12 miles (e) from the said Forrest, and the way leading between the said Parish Church and the said forrest is very foule, painful!, and Hillous, and the country in the winter season is so extreamly and vehemently cold, that the Children and young Infants in that time of the year, being borne to the Church to be Christened, £re in great peril of their lives and almost starved with cold; the aged and impotent persons, and women great with child, are not able to travail so far to hear the Word of God, and to learn and be instructed therein, to do their duties to God and to their King ; and the dead corpses there like to Lye and remain unburied, at such time as any that doth die and depart this world, for ■ lack of carriage, untill such time as great annoyance do grow to the King's subjects there, by reason that the said Parish Church is so far distant from the said forrest and the ways so foule.— And whereas also, before this time, the premises considered, the Inhabitants of the said forrest, about the space of 38 years past or thereabouts, at their own proper costs and charges, made a Chapel of ease in the said Forrest of Rossendale. The charges of every of them in the said Chapel hath been from time to time to an honest minister, who hath with all diligence ministered to the said inhabitants there, in the said Chapel, God's most holy Word. Also the said Chapel and the said minister hath been sustained and maintained by and with the good devotions and charitable rewards of the well-disposed Inhabitants of the said forrest. And every of the said Inhabitants have given several sums of money, some more, some less — some money, some Chattell, and some of 'em such other gifts and rewards as hath been meet, requisite, and needfull, to and for the intent and purpose of maintenance of the said Chapel and Minister as the commodity and profit of those things given as are before remembered, have sufficed to the sustaining of the said Chapel, and finding of the minister there. ■(e) The actu.al distance, as the crow flies, is 14 statute miles. Forest of Rosseitdale. 153 The said inhabitants have of their good Devotions and Charity's borne their own costs and charges, whereby there hath grown no kind of discommodity, charge, or hurt, either to the King's Majesty, or to the Parson or Curate of their Parish Church before mentioned ; but the same Chapel hath been therewith mentained, and kept of their own several charges, costs, and expences, to the better serving of God and the King, and for the Augmenta- tion and increase, as well of great number of people, as of the Commonweale of this Realm, in so much as Ijy reason thereof the lands within the said forrest, which served before that time but only for the increase of wild beasts, now not only well and substantially manured and occupied, to the increase of tillage, corn, and cattle, but also to the great increase of people and Christian souls ; for which there was at the time of the disforresting of the forrest, not above the number of 20 persons in the said forrest, there be in the said forrest at this present day, the number of 1000 young and old people ; of the which people, as of their bound and humble duties, hath required the King his highness, from time to time, hath been as well served in his Gracious most regal affairs of his wars, as in any one place within all his highness' dominions ; and for divers other great causes and considerations, the King his highness, and his Council of the Dutchy of Lancaster moving. — It is ordered and decreed by the Chancellor and Council of the Dutchy, that the Inhabitants of the said forrest, and the Inhabitants of the Lenches, Cowpe, Brandwood, Rockcliffe, Greaveclough, and Tongue, adjoining and intermingled to and with the said Forrest, for the more ease and quietness, and in avoiding their peril in Travell aforesd., and that God may be the better served, shall from henceforth have, use, and enjoy the said Chapel above specified within the said forrest, together with one parcel! of ground, inclosed and invironed with a hedge, called the Chappell yard, for ever. And that the said Chapel shall from henceforth be and remain for ever as a Church within the Forrest of Rossendale ; so that the people dwelling and inhabiting within the said Forrest and other the places above mentioned, shall and may at all times hereafter assemble together in the said Chapel to hear divine service, and every thing and things which now be, or hereafter shall be, set forth by the King's highness, his heirs, and successors, for the service of God, and his highness, and receive the most Holy and Blessed Communion and supper of our Lord; and there also to receive Christendome, Matrimony, Burial, and all other Sacraments and Ordinances of Holiness, and all other thing and things as now be, or hereafter shall be commanded by our said Sovereign Lord the King his Majestic, his heirs, or successors, to be done, frequented, and used in the said Chapel, as within other Parish Churches within the said County of Lancaster.— And that it shall be lawfull to and for the Inhabitants aforesaid for the time being from hence forth, from time to 154 History of the time for ever, to find one able and honest Priest or Minister, tosay, set forth, and minister God's most holy Word, and all the King's Majesty's ordinances and Injunctions; and there to minister all Sacramts. and Sacramentalls within the said Chapel, which now be or hereafter shall be appropriated, allowed, and set forth by the King's highness, his heirs or successors. And that it shall be lawfuU to the said Minister or Priest for the time being, which shall be so found by the Inhabitants of the said forrest and other places aforesd., to say and minister God's Holy Wgrd, divine service, and all other the King's Majesty's ordinances, which now be or hereafter shall be set forth by the King's highness, his heirs, or successors; and to minister Sacraments and Sacramentalls within the said Chapel and Chapel yard in such manner and form as is and shall be done and used in Parish Churches within the said County of Lancaster. And that all such Infants as shall be hereafter born and brought forth within the said forrest and other places before rehearsed shall and may be Christened within the said Chapel by the Minister or Priest there, for the time being. And that all such as shall happen hereafter to dye and depart this world within the said forrest and other places aforementioned, shall and may be buried within the said Chapel or Chapel yard, at the will and election of the said Inhabitants of the said forrest and other places above rehearsed.- And that it shall be lawful! to and for the Inhabitants of the said forrest and other places above mentioned, to employ and bestow such Stock of goods, Chattels, and money, together with the profits of the increase and revenues of the same chattells, goods, and money as heretofore hath been given and willed to go and be imployed to or for the finding of the said Priest or Minister for the time being, to say and minister Divine service within the Chapel aforesd. for ever, upon the said Priest or Minister which shall be there found and kept for the time being. And that it shall be lawfull to and for the said Inhabitants and every of them, to give goods, Chattells, and money, to go and be bestowed and employed towards and for the finding and maintaining of the said Priest or Minister for the time being, to be found to say and minister divine service within the said Chapel for ever ; saving that the parson of the parish of Rochdale and his successors for the time being shall have all such profits and duties as they or any of them of right have had or used to have in times past within the said forrest and other places aforesd. in like manner and form as if this Decree or Order had never been had or made.— And it is further Ordered and Decreed by the said Chancellor and Counsel of the said Court of the Dutchy, that it shall be lawfull to and for the Ordinary of the Diocese there for the time being, from time to time, when and so often as any Avoydance shall be by any manner of means of a Minister, able, meet, and convenient to serve the said Town, and to be minister in the said Chapel, to appoint, name, and send one discreet, able, meet, and Forest of Rossendale. 155 convenient Minister to serve the said Town, and to minister in the said Chapel ; and that the said Minister so appointed and sent thither by the said Ordinary for the time being, shall by the said Inhabitants for the time being be received, taken, and used as Minister there;, and the ministration there shall have and enjoy so long as he shall be of good behaviour, conversation, and usage in the ministration and serving of the said Town." The following tradition exists concerning the original Church of 3rd Henry VIII. It would appear that the intention of the founders was to build it on or near to the site of the old Workhouse at' Mitchellfield-nook, and that the materials for the structure were deposited at that place — when one morning it was discovered that the whole had been transported overnight by some unseen power to the hill-side on which the Church stands. Not to be diverted from their purpose, the inhabitants again con- veyed the materials to the place which they had originally fixed upon, and appointed a watch to frustrate any further attempts at removal. But one night as " Dogberry " slumbered at his post — an enchanted sleep, probably — the unseen hands had again been busy, with similar results. A third time the materials were deposited on the chosen site, and, on this occasion, three of the inhabitants appointed to keep watch and ward. As these sat toasting their noses at a wood fire they had kindled, an old lady, with kindly countenance, coming past, saluted them with a pleasant " good e'en," at the same time offering them each a share of some refreshment -which she carried in her hand. This they had no sooner partaken of, than a profound drowsiness overtook them, ending in a deep and protracted sleep — from which in the morning they were aroused by the shouts of the bewildered rustics, who came only to find that the pranks had a third time been repeated. So, yielding to the decision of a power which was not to be out-manoeuvred, the builders erected the Church on its present site. {/) (/) A somewhat similar legend exists in connection with the old churches at Rochdale and Burnley. See Roby's Traditions of Lancashire, and also Harland and Wilkinson's Lancashire Folk Lore, p. 89. 156 History of the In the year 1560, the 3d of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the original building having become inadequate to the accommodation of a rapidly-increasing population, was taken down and replaced by a more substantial erection. This latter served for a period of one hundred and ninety-three years, viz., till the year 1753, when an addition was made to the structure by Mr. John Ormerod of Tunstead, and Mr. John Hargreaves of Newchurch, under a Faculty granted for that purpose by the Bishop of Chester. The following extract from the memorial to the Bishop for the requisite authority, supplies the particulars for this enlargement : — "To THE Right Rev. Edmund, bv divine permission, Lord Bishop ok Chester. "The Humble Petition of John Ormerod of Tunstead and John H.^rgreaves of Newchurch in Rossendale in the County of Lan- caster, and Diocess of Chester, Gentn. "Sheweth, that whereas through the great increase of the Inhabitants of the ■Chapelry aforesaid, the Chapel of Newchurch is much too small to con- tain the number of Inhabitants resorting thither for Divine Worship, and several of them want convenient Seats for themselves and families in the said New Church ; and therefore your Petitioners humbly pray authority may be granted to them, at their own costs, to take down the East End of the said New Church, and enlarge the same Eastwards in length seven yards, and to build a Gallery within the same with seats therein, and a convenient Staircase leading into the said Gallery from the Chapel yard, and also for removing the Communion Table from the place where it now stands, and placing the same at the East End of the intended new Erection, with like authority to erect Seats in consideration of removing the Communion Table, that is to say, to lengthen and add to the pews now standing on each side of the Communion Table. And for disposing of such additional Seats, and also of the Seats in the new Erection, to such Persons as want the same at reasonable Rates propor- tioned to the Goodness or Conveniency of the Seats, and the charge to be expended in this Behalf. "(Signed) John Ormerod. John H.vrgreaves. "Dated 1st January, 1753. o ^ I o p CJ pi X n: u > ">■ --* 5 K z :s ^ Pi; X p u pi; P s K u u ►—1 I In ■5 < t— 1 r^ O CJ X 3< u P X z u H , ^ C/2 ? > r- C5 ^_^ H- < ^ e^ w p ^; u t— « u z ^-' I-* '— < o < z ^^ a << t-' o Forest of Rossendale. 157 " We, the undersigned, are consenting that the Petitioners have such Faculty granted them, and we certify that the same will be of great use and Benefit. "(Signed) John Welsh, minister. Richard Eastwood, Law. Ormerod, Jno. Ashworth, Jno. Ashworth, ^ Chapel Wardens.' Jno. Lord, Daniel Eastwood, James Ashworth, Henry Hoyle, A Faculty was granted for the enlargement of the Chapel in compliance with this petition, with authority for the said John Ormerod and John Hargreaves to sell and dispose of the additional pews for the purpose, in part, of repaying the costs and expenses incurred by them ; and many pews were so disposed of to various of the Inhabitants. The building becoming dilapidated, it was in the year 1824-5 taken down, rebuilt, and again enlarged. This is commemorated on a Tablet within the building as follows : — " This Church was enlarged and rebuilt, 182$, when 453 additional sittings were provided, and 227 rendered free by means of a grant from the Society for enlarging and Rebuilding Churches and Chapels." On its consecration in 1826, the Church was dedicated to St. Nicholas. Its architecture is substantial in character, with but little elaboration. Its position is an elevated and pleasant one ; and with the village in its rear, and the green slope of the hill of Seat- naze in the background, it constitutes, when viewed from the opposite side of the valley, an attractive and charming picture. In the tower is a peal of Six Bells. Some years ago the Ringers of Newchurch were favourably known for their precision and skill in ringing the different changes, and frequent contests were held with the Ringers of other towns ; but of recent years these competitive meetings have not taken place. 158 History of the About Ihe date of the erection of the origuial building, a beneficent widow lady, by name Lettice Jackson, vested in feoffees for the use of the New Church of our Saviour in Rossendale, certain lands in different parts of the district. " An. [no] 3 H.[enry] 8, Lettice Jackson, Widow, Surrendered Land for yc Use of this Chap. [el] now worth (an. [no] 171S,) 40I. p.[er] an. [num.] Only 20 of wch is now enjoyed by ye Curate, the Case being still depending in [the] Dutchy Chamber. V.[ide] Commission of Char.[itable'\ Uses, an. [no] 1665. New Reg.[istei:} "An. [no] 1724, [The] Chanc[ellor] of ye Dutchy, wth Ld Ch.[ief] J. [ustice] King and Mr Reeves, Assistants, unanimously Decreed ye Lands in Question (being by Estimation 150 Statute acres) to ye Church, wth mean profits and costs." (g) "These," remarks Dr. Whitaker, "the commissioners of chantries, either from their inconsiderable value at that time, or for some other reason which we are not acquainted with, forbore to seize upon, (an instance of forbearance never practised by them in any other case), and decreed that Lawrence Ashworth should hold and occupy the place of parson of the said Church. " These lands, though some part of them appears to have been lost by the neglect, or something worse than neglect, of the feoffees, were valued in the latter end of the last century but one, at ^50 per annum ; and form the endowment of the Chapel, the most valuable curacy in the patronage of the vicar of Whalley." (//) I am favoured with a communication from Mr. Phillips, the late Rector, which satisfactorily accounts for the non-seizure of the New Church lands by the Chantry Commissioners. Mr. Phillips states that, — "The lands in question were surrendered to King Henry VIII., the then lord of the manor, by Lettice Jackson, the owner, to be delivered again to certain Trustees for the use of herself and Richard Whit worth — whom she afterwards married — and the (g) Bishop Gastrell's Nolitia Cestriensis, Chetham's Society's Pub., vol. xxi. p. 341. (h) Hist. Whalley, 3d Ed., p. 224. Forest of Rossendale. 159 longer liver of the two ; and after their decease to the use of the Incumbent of New Church for ever. " This Richard Whitworth was still living when the Chantry Commission was issued : so that the lands, being at that time a lay fief, were not subject to the operation of the Chantry Act. " The original surrender mentions lands at Fryer Hill ; but as no such lands are now attached to the Incumbency, it is probable that these are what Dr. Whitaker alludes to as having been lost by the neglect, or something worse than neglect, of the feoffees." Canon Raines puts the matter in a somewhat different light. He says : — " Dr. Whitaker expresses some surprise that the Commissioners of Chantries did not seize upon these lands ; but he appears to have forgotten that Newchurch was not a Chantry, but a Chapel of Ease to the Castle Church of Clitheroe, and therefore the Chantry Commissioners had no power to divert the pious gift of Lettice Jackson. " In the year 1664 Thomas Sanders, Clerk, Minister of Rossendale, was complainant, and Christopher Nuttall and Lydia his wife, defendants, in a Plea before the Commissioners for Charitable Uses. The defendants, in their answer, deny that Lettice Jackson had power to give the lands in question to the said charitable use ; and stated that being a suit pending in the Duchy Court between James Kershaw, Clerk, Curate of Newchurch, plaintiff, and John Nuttall, (father of the said Lydia, wife of the said Christopher.) defendant, the same came to a hearing on the 4th of May, 5th James, (1607,) and the Chancellor decreed that the lands should be surrendered to the said John Nuttall and his heirs, for ever, charged with twenty marks a year to the said Kershaw, so long as he should be Minister there ; and afterwards, that ;^2o a year should be paid to every succeeding Minister who should say and read Divine Service there. This decision was reversed in the year 1724. In the year 1650 this Newchurch is described as a Parochial Chapelry, embracing three hundred families, and being twelve miles from the Parish Church. i6o History of the Mr Robert Dewhurst, an able Minister, ' hath no allowance at all from the State but what the Inhabitants bestowe upon him on their own accord.' They humbly desire that their Chapelry may be made a Parish, and a competent maintenance allowed for a Minister. (/) Here is no mention of the lands, which were doubtless withheld from the Church at this time by the Trustees, and not restored until the year 1724, which is the 'worse than neglect' alluded to by Dr. Whitaker, (y) who observes that the lands were valued at the latter end of last century but one, (the seventeenth,) at the ;^50 per annum ; whilst Mr Baines, omitting the words ' but one,' gives that as their value in the eighteenth century." This clears up an obscure point in the history of the New Church. It is satisfactory to know that it was not owing to their being of a comparatively valueless character, that the lands were left intact. The whole proceedings in respect to the Chantry possessions were so arbitrary and unjustifiable, that we are pleased to be disabused of the notion that in any one instance the King and the Commissioners were disposed to act with generosity. It is quite evident that exceptional causes alone prevented the possessions of " the New Church of Rossendale " from being swallowed up like others of a similar nature. The following is a list of the Incumbents of the New Church, from its foundation in 151 1 (k). The first incumbent mentioned is — George Gregory. Lawrence Ashworth, 1548. James Kershaw, occurs 1607. William Horrocks, 1622 ; died, 1641. Armistead. Brown. (i) Pari. Inq. Lamb. MSS. (i) Hist. Whalley, p. 224. (jt) An attempt has been made, on altogether insufficient grounds, to show that between Robert Dewhurst, mentioned 1650, and Thomas Sanders, who was installed in 1662, another incumbent, bearing the name of Kippax, held Forest of Rosseitdale. i6i -Moor. -Davis. Robert Dewhurst. mentioned 1650. Thomas Sanders, Dec. 16, 1662. Thomas Leigh, B.A., Nov. 1695. John Welsh, July 2g, 1726. John Shorrock, M.A., Feb. 1767. Nicholas Rigby Baldwin, M.A., 1802. Philip Abbot, 1825; resigned, 1833; died 1S52. Edward Burrow, 1833. John Bartholomew Phillips, M.A., 1850; resigned 1891. Herbert Bury, .M.A., 1891 (the present Rector). The late Rector, the Rev. J. B. Phillips, M.A., to who.se politeness I am indebted for the foregoing list, observes that there does not appear to have been any fixed Incumbent from 1641, till Dewhurst was confirmed in his position by a Lambeth Inquisition, held in the year 1650; but that Armistead, Brown, Moor, and Davis, appear to have officiated between Horrocks's death in 1641, and Dewhurst's appointment. By the Inquisition referred to, it is found " that the Chapel of Newchurch in Rossendale is parochial, the chapelry consisting of Dedwen Clough, Tunsted, Wolfenden Booth, and part of AVolfenden and Bakcop, which contain, in all, 300 families, desiring to be made a parish : thatjthe minister received no allowance but what was paid by the inhabitants." This list differs in some respects from that given by Dr. Whitaker in his History. With reference to this latter, Mr. Phillips remarks that he has a copy of the Document from whiph the Doctor seems to have derived his authority, but that evidence in his possession proves this to be incorrect : amongst other proof, a monogram which he found inserted in a wall of the old the appointment at Newchurch. Further, that this said Mr. Kippax resigned the living on the passing of the Act of Uniformity in the latter year, and that he either formed, or had a hand in forming, the Nonconformist Church in Rossendale. I have diligently searched the Registers at Newchurch for the year 1662, and for many years both before and after, and can find no record whatever of the name, Kippax. 1 62 History of the Parsonage at Cloughfold, put there by Horrocks in 1629. Dr. Whitaker places the latter after Lawrence Ashworth, and before James Kershaw, who held the benefice in 1607. But, says Mr. Phillips, the Doctor always repudiated any responsibility for the accuracy of things of this nature, which were forwarded to him by others. The Benefice was raised from the status of a parochial chapelry to that of a Rectory in 1867, by Order in Council In one of the Chethem Society's publications (/) is contained a copy of the last Will and Testament of the first-mentioned Incum- bent, or priest, George Gregory. It is exceedingly quaint, casting light on the economy and habits of the early dwellers in the Forest. "THE WILL OF SIR (m) GEORGE GREGORY, PRIEST. " In the name of God, Amen, sth April 1=48. I Sir George Gregore, of Rossandayle within the com. of Lancaster, priest, sycke in boddye, &c. . . . . To be buryd in the parish church yorde of Haslyngden. My dettes taykyne uppe and payde, and my bodye extyneguseshed honestly wayket, broghfurth and buryd. I bewethe to Sr. Henry Romsbotham, priest, to pray devowtly for the salvatyon of my saylle, and all xpiane Ux) saylles 3s. 4d. To John Pycoppe, the sone of John Pycoppe, one horse foolle. Also to John Pycoppe his selphe, and Ellonr. his wyffe, one mattresse and too of my best covrlettes. To Sr. Thomas Holden, priest, and Rychard Gregorye my brother, all my pt. of those yves (o) wvch standyne att the Wolfenden Bothe with Edmun Horsworth. To John Nuttow all my pt. of those yves wych standyne with him, and 7s. 6d. of money wych is in his hande. To the wyffe of Robt. Durden one holde black coverlett. To John Gregorye my brother, one holde payre of blacke hoosse and one holde jackett. To George Durden one leythor doblet. To the sayd Sr. Thoms Holden one holde blacke clooke. To Agnes Harppe, vf my dettes be recovryde, 3s. 4d. To 4re schyldrn (j)) of the afore sayd John Pycoppe, echon I2d. To the sedenayse (7) chappell in Rossendayle, that the decaes yr of may be better uphuldyne and ray saylle (/) Lancashire and Cheshire Wills and Inventories from the Ecclesiastical Court, Chester, vol. li. p. igg. (m) The title "Sir" was formerly given to clergymen who had tr\ken a University degree, and it is still retained in the L?niversity rolls. Ill) Christian. (o) Beehives. {p) Children. (g) Seat Naze. .^ Forest of Rossendale. i6 prayde fore yr for evr 3s. 4d. ffynyally, what so evr remaynyth of my gudds. &c. I bewethe it to the sayd Sr. Thomas Holden, priest, John Nuttow yema, and Rychard Gregorye my brother to take the paynes to be my executors. In wyttenes whereof to these presents I have subscribed my name the day and yere above rehersed. Thes wyttenes Sr. Thorns Holden, curet, Rycd Harppe, Olvyr Holt, Edmnd Pycoppe, and John Pycoppe. "Sr. GEORGE GREGORYE + " Hec sunt debita quce ego debeo. The schappell of Rossendayle 13s. 4d. Edmnd Pycoppe 13s. 4d. Hec sunt debita quce iniiti debentr. John alias Jenkyne Lord 30s. Perys Hey 5s. Sr. Rycrd Mychell, priest, 3s. 4d. Ells Holt 2s. Henr Hey i8d. Relcta John Butterworth I2d. The chapell ryves of Rossondayle 3re watrs wayges. that is to say Wyllyham Hasworth 8s. 3d. John Nuttow gd. Ale.xandr Haworth, 8s. 3d. John Tattrsall 8s. jA. ob. Rye Wytteworth 7s. lod. ob. Xpof Brygche 7s. lod. ob. "The Invetorye of the gud of Sr. George Gregorye, priest, prsed with Alexander Haworth, John Tattrsall, Thurston Bertwyssell, and John Pycoppe. In primis, one foole los. 7 yardes of carssay gs. 4d. • 3 covrlettes 3s. fid. One mattresse 2s. One holde gawne 2s. 8d. One holde clooke 2s. One leyther dublet 2od. 2 holde jackettes 3s. 4d. 2 holde cappes l6d. One holde sacke fid. 2 yves 6s. 8d. One holde saddell fid." We learn from this singular Will, tliat Bees were kept in Boothfold, Rossendale, during the i6th century. But though the district is still favourable to the production of the finest quality of honey — for this, when gathered from a heathy country, is esteemed for its peculiarly rich and delicate flavour — it would scarcely yield the commodity in such abundance as to repay the cultivator. This, and the growing of grain, which a century ago was common in Rossendale, notwithstanding the uncongenial soil and climate, are a department of economy which, in this district, has succumbed before the more profitable pursuits of the Woollen and Cotton Manufacture and the attendant occupations to which these of necessity have given rise. Where agriculture is here still pursued as a source of profit, it is altogether confined to the produce of the dairy, which will always command a ready market in a populous and thriving neighbourhood. In Vol. XII. of The Record Society a list is given of " Contributions from the Clergy of the Diocese of Chester, 1622, 164 History of the ^ towards the recovery of the Palatinate, "C) The list is copied from the private MS. ledger of John Bridgman, D.D., Bishop of Chester. Under the heading, " In Blackburn Deanery," the following entry occurs : — li. s. d. Lect. de Rossendall Mr. Kershaw -2100 The whole of the Deanery contributed the sum of ;^22 is. od., and the contribution of Mr. Kershaw, who was at that time Incum- bent of Newchurch, and in the last year of his incumbency, is the largest in the list ; a circumstance that goes to prove the relative importance of the Parish of Newchurch in those days. In the same volume is contained " The Assessment of the Clergy of Lancashire for the Ship Money, 1635, "(.v) and under the heading, " Blackburn Hundred, the Taxinge of the Ministry towards the Shipp of Warr," is the entry as follows ; — Rossendale iiijs [4/-J. The Rev. \ViUiam Horrocks was Incumbent of Newchurch at that time. (r) This has reference to the struggle to regain for Frederic, son-inlaw of James I., the State on the Upper Rhine called the Palatinate. The daughter of James I had married Frederic, the Prince of the Palatinate, in 1613. This Prince, who was a Protestant, had been chosen King by the people of Bohemia instead of their former King, Ferdinand, who was a Catholic. The latter, however, raised an army and dethroned Frederic, driving him not only out of Bohemia, but also out of the Palatinate. This war is called "The Thirty Years War," as it lasted from 1618 to 1648, and it was in prosecution of the attempt to win back the province for Frederic that the special taxes above referred to were raised. (s) The " Ship Money," as the tax for the building and equipping ships of war was called, as is well known, was one of those impositions made by Charles I. upon the people at his pleasure, without the sanction of Parliament, and the payment of which was resisted by John Hampden, as an illegal tax, but which was eventually declared legal by place-hunting and servile judges, to their eternal dishonour. Forest of Rossendale. 165 Of Thomas Sanders, Incumbent of Newchurch, who died in 1695, the following account appears in the parochial register: " Tho. Sanders presbyter, Christi Dni nostri servus humihmus, honestis moribus prsditus ecclesice Anglicanas pastbr vigilantissimus, " artium bonarum studiossimus, in h;ic gente rustica Rossendali^, per spatium i2> annorum plus minus commoratus est. Qui per varios casus longo tempore jactatus deinde in patriam suam nativam Com. Cest. discessit. Et ipsa hora in qua domum suam ingressus est, pacificse inter familiares expiravit. Sepultus apud Mag. Budworth, 9° die Nov. 1695." At the time of the appointment of Mr Shorrock, a contest, extending over a period of three years, for the right of the patronage of this valuable living, took place between Dr Keene, the Bishop of Chester ; the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and Mr. Johnson, who was Vicar of Whalley at the time, and claimed the right of presentation. The Decree of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in the 4th of Edward VI., certainly confers upon the Ordinary the right to nominate a minister ; but as the original of this decree could not be found, after diligent search, the Diocesan gave way to the paramount claims of the Vicar. Extracts from the correspondence which ensued are given by Dr. Whitaker from the Letters left by Mr Johnson at his decease. I have taken the liberty to incorporate them in these pages. The letters, apart from their Local Historical value, are models of their kind, and will be acceptable to many readers. " TO THE BISHOP OF CHESTER. Oct. 20/I1, JJ62. "Mv Lord, — I was this morning surprised with an account of Mr S. being refused a license to the Curacy of Rossendale upon my nomination ; for what reason I cannot conceive, since I apprehend there can be no doubt of my right. It is very extraordinary that there should be no claims of this kind before my time, and so many since. I cannot recollect that anything has been done since I became ^'icar to prejudice the rights and privileges of the Rectory of ^Vhalley, but much in support of them ; 1 66 History of (lie so that, if ever the right of nomination to Rossendale Chapel belonged to the Vicars of Whalley, it still remains so ; and whoever the person is that pretends to a right of nomination may with equal justice dispute hi's Grace of Canterbury's right of presentation of the Vicarage of Whalley, and is as well entitled to the one as the other. " Not to trouble your Lordship any longer on the subject, I should be glad your Lordship would do me the honour to inquire into, the reasons why my Clerk has been rejected, and why my antagonist is concealed from me, seeing I cannot well proceed before I know my adversary, and am desirous of putting an end to this dispute with all expedition, as it is a populous chapelry, and the parishioners may suffer inconvenience for want of a minister, tS:c., W. Johnson." " Sir, — I have received your letter, expressing your surprise that your nomination to Rossendale Chapel is not accepted, because there can be no doubt of your right. In your mind there is none ; but in others' there is, or you would not have met with obstruction. Vou say the jberson who litigates this point with you might as well litigate the Archbishop's right to the presentation of the Vicarage of Whalley ; but that is not likely to be ; for it is the Archbishop himself, who, on having beeii applied to by various persons for the Curacy, has looked into his papers, and thinks he has a right and means to prosecute it ; and why they, who refused Mr S. his license, should have concealed it, I cannot tell, for it was not intended to be a secret by any one. " I must acquaint you further, that since the Archbishop has entered his caveat, I have reason to think that I have some right to the Chapel ; and if the arguments should prove as solid as they appear specious, I shall prosecute my right against his Grace and you too. " Notwithstanding what I have said, unless I am well satisfied in my own mind that my claim is well grounded, I will not create you vexation and expense ; and I am sure I can venture to affirm the same of my friend the Archbishop, &c., E. Chester." Forest of Rossendale. 167 " TO HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP (SECKER) OF CANTERBURY. " May it please your Grace, — I am concerned to hear, by a letter from my good Lord of Chester, that your Grace is the person who has entered a caveat against my nomination to Rossendale Chapel — an adversary I did not expect ; and moreover, should I get clear of your Grace, his Lordship is so generous as to declare that I am in some danger from him. It would have pleased me better to have had less powerful opponents ; but since it happens so, neither your Grace nor his Lordship will, I hope, be offended at my doing my utmost in defence of what I think my right. And if your Grace would honour me with your reasons for opposing me, it would add to the favours received by " W. Johnson." "L.\MBETH. Nov. nth, 1762. "Sir, — My reason for desiring that the Bishop of Chester would not immediately license any person to serve the Cure of Rossen- dale, was, that applications were made to me as Patron of it, the Impropriator being thought to be such of common right, and the nomination to the Chapels being expressly reserved to the Arch- bishop, in the lease of the Rectory, " I have not hitherto been able to inform myself sufficiently concerning the strength of this argument : but I am very willing to hear anything which you have to allege on the other side, and hope a contest by law may thus be prevented ; but if it cannot, your endeavours to defend your claim will give no offence to, &c., T. Canterbury." "May it please your Grace, — It appears that the Vicar of Whalley for the time being has always nominated to the Chapels within the Rectory of Whalley ; nor have any of your Grace's pre- decessors, of whom I have seen several (and most of the Chapels have been vacant in my time) ever made any claim. "The nomination to the Chapels being expressly reserved to the Archbishop in the lease of the Rectory, can only be intended as a bar to the Lessee, who, without such an exception, might possibly i6S Histoiy of the he entitled to the patronage hoth of the Vicarage and Chapels : but by such a reservation, the Archbishop's right is secured, which right by his Grace's presentation devolved upon the Vicar, he being instituted and inducted to all and singular the rights, privileges, &c., thereunto belonging. This I apprehend to be the situation of all livings impropriate. I know no instance of an Incumbent not nominating to the Cha]jels under him, except where his right has been legally alienated. " I would not presume to make the least encroachment on your Grace's right ; and it gives me great uneasiness that there should be any doubt, at this day, to whom the nomination belongs, &c., \V. Johnson." " TO THE BISHOP OF CHESTER. " My Lord, — As, probably there may never again be a Vicar of Whalley in circumstances to assert his rights, I would willingly fix them on such a footing as to put them out of the power of dispute. " If your Lordship's pretensions have no other foundation than the Decree supposed to be passed in the Duchy Court, I am per- suaded that the rights and privileges of the Rectory of Whalley are in no danger, as that Decree contains nothing that can affect them ; and for this plain reason, because neither Patron nor Incumbent are parties ; and therefore nothing foisted into the Decree, by artifice or iniquity, can operate so as to vest a right in your Lord- ship against the Vicar. W. Johnson." The correspondence between the disputants ended with the following Letter from Dr. Keene, the Bishop of the Diocese :— " Rev. Sir, — The contest between you and me, concerning the .patronage of the Church in Rossendale, took its rise accidentally from some papers being found while my officers were searching into the claim of the Archbishop. " When the different foundations of my right were drawn together they did appear to me, and others whom I consulted, to be of validity enough to form a pretension to the nomination of that Chapel, and I then acquainted you with such my intention. Forest of Rossendale. 169 " After I despaired of finding the original Decree, I stated my case, and laid my materials before Mr. Wilbraham with a resolu- tion either of proceeding at Law, or desisting from my claims, as his opinion should direct me ; and as it is his opinion that the materials I produced would not support a trial at Bar, I did immediately determine to give up my pretensions. " I should at that time have written to you and declared my readiness to license your Clerk, if I had not thought it incumbent upon me to enquire whether the Archbishop had still any objec- tions to your nomination. " His Grace did not with his usual exactness answer my letter. On my return to town last week I waited upon him, and he then apologised for not writing, from his having been making some further researches into this affair, and desired I would give him a little more time. "On these facts, which I affirm to be true, I think I can vindi- cate myself from the d»arge of unnecessary delay. " Whatever others may think or say on this subject, I please myself with reflecting that I neither wantonly formed my preten- sions nor prosecuted them peevishly. " I can easily conceive that a clamour may have been made, not only among the Laity,, but some of the Clergy too, against a Bishop endeavouring, as it may be called, to deprive one of his Clergy of his right ; bjit as I have suffered in different parts of my life, from my conduct having been misrepresented or mis-appre- hended, I have long learnt to be content with the approbation of my own mind — not indifferent, yet not over-solicitous, about the precarious judgment of other men. Ed. Chester." On candidly reviewing the whole of this singular dispute, it is impossible to divest one's-self of the impression that that eminently- learned and pious Prelate, Archbishop Seeker, displayed through- out the proceedings a degree of illiberality, heightened by vexatious and unnecessary delay, amounting to culpable negligence, such as would have been unbecoming in whomsoever evinced ; but in an exalted Dignitary of the Established Church, was peculiarly 170 History of the rejirehensible. The grounds for any claim on his part were trivial and untenable, or at least such as might easily have been resolved. And the only plea to be urged in his justification is, that his time was too much occupied in the other temporal and spiritual duties of his high office, to admit of liis devoting more of it to the settlement of the right of presentation to the New Church of Rossendale, and of at once, on his raising the question, setting himself to the investigation of the measure of his right of claim to the patronage ; which, seeing that it could not be supported, should have been conceded with all jjromptitude, so terminating the dispute in a dignified and graceful manner. Tlicre is more to be said in justification of the plea of the Diocesan. His claim was founded on the Decree of the Chancellor of the Duchy of the 4th Edward VI., which, whether rightly or wrongly, distinctly states "that it shall be lawful to and for the Ordinary of the Diocese there for the time being to appoint, name, and send one discreet, able, meet, and convenient Minister to ser\'e the said Town, and to minister in the said Chapel." The Original of this Decree, however, was not forthcoming, although it had been dihgently searched for at Chester and elsewhere, and consequently the privilege which it seems to confer could not be enforced, even had the argument of the Vicar in his last letter been untenable. With much to justify his proceeding, Dr. Keene acted an honourable part m promptly relinquishing a claim which he could not legally maintain. Of Mr Johnson the Vicar it is impossible to speak in too high terms of praise. _ His strength of character stands out in bold relief throughout the correspondence. A more timid and less able man would have shrunk from encountering two such antagonists, and probably have forfeited -his rights to secure his peace of mind. But the worthy Vicar was of a belligerent temperament, and possessed a sturdy independence of soul, and he entered into the contest with a zeal and ability, tempered with rare prudence, which did him infinite credit. If reports, which to this day are current at Newchurch, are to be credited, Mr. Shorrock, his ministerial office notwithstanding, was Forest of Rossendale. 171 one of those individuals, whose consciences, being somewhat elastic, are disinclined to interpret, in their strictest sense, the clauses of the fourth commandment : and are willing to favour the notion which obtains with a large number even at the present day, that the serious business of the Sabbath terminates with the service, and need only be resumed when the hour of prayer returns. It was his wont on favourable occasions — so runs the story — on pass- ing the portals of the church at the close of the service, to dip his hand into the capacious pocket of his great coat, and draw from thence a football, and giving it a vigorous kick, would send it spinning into the air, across the churchyard, and over the wall into the adjoining field — when the youth of the village, emulating the example of their pastor, would hasten away in pursuit with all the impetuosity of youthful vigour. (/) (t) On the publication of the first edition of this work, a correspondent wrote censuring me for relating this incident. Whether true or not, I am, of course, unable, personally, to vouch ; but certainly 1 learnt the tradition from more than one source. In any case I did not tell the story in disparagement of the reverend gentleman, but the contrary. The manners of the times, though not less genuine, were not as straight-laced as those of subsequent days. Possibly the basis of the story may be found in some such custom as is narrated in a delightful book— dear to readers of scholarly tastes : " A singular usage, long perpetuated itself at Auxere. On Easter Day the canons, in the very centre of the great church, played solemnly at ball. Vespers being sung, instead of conducting the bishop to his palace, they proceeded in order into the nave, the people standing in two long rows to watch. Girding up their skirts a little way, the whole body of clerics awaited their turn in silence, while the captain of the singing boys cast the ball into the air, as high as he might, along the vaulted roof of the central aisle to be caught by any boy who could, and tossed again with hand or foot till it passed on to the portly chanters, the chaplains, the canons themselves, who finally played out the game with all the decorum of an ecclesiastical ceremony. It was just then, just as the canons took the ball to themselves so gravely, that Denys— Denys I'Auxerrois, as he was afterwards called -appeared for the first time. Leaping in among the timid children he made the thing really a game. The boys played like boys, the men almost like madmen, and all with a delightful glee which became contagious, first in the clerical body, and then among the spectators. The aged Dean of the Chapter, Protonotary of his 172 History of the After all, the Incumbent was only fulfilling the mandate of James I., promulgated in his notorious " Book of Sports,"('0 which, by the way, is said to date its inspiration from the King's famous visit to Hoghton Tower, in the neighbourhood of Blackburn ; on which occasion a petition was presented to His Majesty by certain of his loyal subjects, complaining of the measures of the Puritans in discouraging and suppressing the lawful recreations of the people, and praying his Majesty to interfere in their behalf. In connection with St. Nicholas's Church is a National School, which abuts on the churchyard, and was erected in 1829-30, at a cost of ;^8oo ; of which sum ^500 was contributed by Robert Haworth, Esq., of Warth. Holiness, held up his purple skirt a little higher, and stepping from the ranks with an amazing levity, as if suddenly relieved of his burden of eighty years, tossed the ball with his foot to the venerable capitular Homilist, equal to the occasion. And then, unable to stand inactive any longer, the laity carried on the game among themselves, with shouts of not too boisterous amusement ; the sport continuing until the flight of the ball could no longer be traced along the dusky aisles.'' — W.\lter P.\ter (Imaginary Portraits. Deiiys L'Aiixcrreis.) (11) The " Book of Sports," published by command of James I., in the year 1618, amongst other things, proclaimed — "That for his good people's lawful recreation, his pleasure was, that after the end of Divine Service, they be not disturbed, letted, or discouraged, from any lawful recreation, such as dancing, either men or women ; Archery for men, leaping, vaulting, or any such harmless recreation ; nor from having of May games, Whitsonales, and Morice- dances, and the setting-up of May-poles and other sports therewith used ; so as the time be had in due and convenient time, without impediment or neglect of divine service. And that women should have leave to carry rushes to the church for the decorating of it according to the old custom." It is proper to add, that " He did bar from this benefit and liberty all such known recusants, either men or women, as did abstain from coming to church, or divine service, they being unworthy of any lawful recreation, after the said Service, that would not first come to the church and serve God." The latter clause is a recognition of the doctrine of Works with a vengeance ! Forest of Rossendale. 173 A stone tablet, erected over the entrance to the school in 1844 bears the following inscription ; — " This Tablet is erected by the Trustees of the National School to commemorate the munificent GIFT OF FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS for the Building thereof, by Robert Haworth, late of Warth, who died on the ilth day of Dec, 1S23." Mr. Haworth died in 1823, and by the terms of his \\'ill he bequeathed the sum named to the treasurer of the Church Sunday School, in Newchurch, Rossendale, and the like sum to the treasurer of the Sunday School belonging to the society of the AVesleyan Methodists there, to assist in building schoolrooms for these religious bodies respectively. Mr Baines in his History of the County, has confounded the National with the Grammar School, at Newchurch ; the two being quite distinct. The latter is situated a little below the village, and bears a just reputation for the ability of its Preceptors. " Here is a School endowed by John Kershaw, after his wife's death, (who died an. [no] 1709,) wth Lands worth lol. los. p.[er] an [num.] For ye 2 first years after her death, the Rents were applied by ye Feoffees to ye building of a school-house, wch was finished an. [no] 171 1 ; since which they have been given to ye Master, who is nominated by ye Feoffees. " [The] Writings are in ye hands of ye Steward of ye Honour of Clithero. " Land given to [the] School, [which] contains 30 Statute Acres. Left also by John Kershaw, Sol." [v) The School was rebuilt in the years 1829-30. A further gift of a plot of land from the close adjoining has recently been made to the Trustees of the Grammar School, for a playground, by John Law, Esq. of Eltofts, near Leeds, (u?) This school was endowed in lyor, by John Kershaw, of Boothfold, with two small estates at Heald in Eacup Booth. This fact is commemorated on his tombstone at Newchurch, as follows : — («) Notitia Cestriensis, p. 342. (w) ibid, Note by Canon Raines, p. 343. 1 74 History of the " In Memory of JOHN KERSHAW, of Wolfenden Booth Fold, the beneficent donor of the estates situated in Heald, in Bacup Booth, for the benefit of New Church Scliool. He was buried the ist of February, 1701, at the age of 85 years. " ANNE KERSHAW, his wife, was buried 4th January, 1709 : — " They lived long beloved, And dy'd bewailed, And two estates Upon one school entail'd." It is unfortunate that these estates are not more advantageously located for increase in yearly value and consequent usefulness. Endowments of this character, when judiciously administered, are often the instrument of conferring untold blessings on the neighbourhood possessing them ; and, taken in the aggregate, they form one of the distinguishing glories of a civilised and free country. To no nobler purpose can wealth be devoted than that of providing the appliances of education for the rising generation in present and future times. The first school under the Trust was situated at Boothfold, having been built in 1701, This continued in use till 1787, when it was converted into cottages (still in existence, as re-built), on the erection, in the latter year, of the school at the top of Bridleway; which was re-built in 1830. The last-named was demolished in 1889 (a temporary iron structure being used in the interval), and the new school buildings, on the same site, were completed and opened in 1890, at a cost oi ^£^2200. This result is largely due to the active exertions of the late headmaster, the Rev. R. W. Hay, M.A. (now of Garsdon Rectory, near Malmesbury). The new structure, of which Mr. Thomas Bell, of Burnley, was the architect, is a vast improvement on its predecessors. The style of the elevation is simple but effective ; there is a handsome bell turret in the farther gable, and the mullioned and transomed windows give a collegiate character to the building. A new scheme was formulated by the Charity Commis- sioners in 1890, under which the management of the school is extended and its usefulness and popularity increased. Under this Forest of Rossendale. i 75 scheme the Foundation is administered by a governing body consisting of twelve members. Six of these are representative, two each being chosen by the Town Councils of Bacup and Rawtenstall, and one each by the Newchurch School Board and the Council of the Victoria University. The other six are Co-optative, and consist of gentlemen resident in the district. Mr. T. E. Jackson, M.A., is the present Head Master, his appointment dating from July, 1S92. In addition to the foundation of the Grammar School and the contribution towards the building of St. Nicholas Sunday School, two other Newchurch bequests may be recorded in this place. " Ormerod's Charity " consisted of a gift about the middle of last century of ;^3oo advanced towards the building of a workhouse for the use of the poor in the township of Newchurch-in-Rossendale. In respect of this sum of ^^300, the yearly sum' of ;^i3 los. od., or at the rate of 4J4 per cent, interest, the Charity Commissioners (1830) found was paid as a charge upon the workhouse out of the poor rates, and was distributed by quarterly payments of ;^3 7s. 6d., principally in sums of 2s. or 2s. 6d., amongst poor persons of the chapelry, not receiving relief The other is the charity of the late Mrs. P"rances Strong, of Height Side, Newchurch, who by her Will of December 4th, 1856, directed her trustees to invest the sum of p^iooo out of her purely personal estate, and to pay the interest thereof in money, clothing, or otherwise, at their discretion, amongst deserving poor people resident within Deadwenclough, in Rossendale, for ever. Such distribution to take place yearly, on the thirteenth day of October, being her birthday. The first trustees were the late George Hargreaves, of Newchurch, and John Whitaker, late of Broad- clough, Bacup. From the date of the erection of the New Church in 15 n, to the 32nd year of the reign of King Henry VIII. (1540), the population of Rossendale had gone on steadily increasing. At the latter date they amounted, probably, to between 600 and 700 souls. These were widely scattered over the district, and it soon became manifest that one small chapel was insufficient for their T 76 History of the accommodation. Measures were accordingly taken by certain of the inhabitants to supply the want, and the result was the erection, on Morrell Height, of Goodshaw Chapel in the year 1542. '•Goodshaw, Certif.ped] that there is no endowment. The Inh,'ib.[itantfi] allow some inconsiderable contrib.[utions,] which are ill paid. "Divine Service [is performed] and [aj Sermon [preached] once a fortnight by [the] Curate of Altham. " Goodshaw, a Ch.ippell within Haslingden. I preach there sometimes, but have nothing for my pains. Curate of HasUngden' s Accf., an. [10] 1704, V. [ide] Pap. Reg. " Served by [the] Curate of Haslingden, nn. [no] 1724. [" There is] one Cottage belong.[ing] to [the] Chappell, let for tos. p [er] an.[num] Certif.[ied] an. [no] 1725. "8 m.[iles] from Whalley ; 2 m.[iles] from [the'' next Chap.[el]. " Neither School nor Charities.' (;•) "Dedicated to St Mary and All Saints. Value in 18.14, ;f>2i. Registers begin in 1732. " Goodshaw is situated in Higher Booth, and, although in the Chapelry of Haslingden, is dependent upon Whalley, and not Haslingden as stated by Baines In the year 1650 Goodshaw was returned as not Parochial, though having seventy families, and being eleven miles from the Parish Church.- It had then neither Minister nor maintenance " save one Messuage and a backside worth lOs. per ann." The inhabitants desire to have a Parish, and a competent allowance for a resident Minister. Pari. Inq. Lamb. MSS. vol. ii. It has now a district assigned to it comprising Morrell Height, where it is situated, Crawshaw Booth, Gambleside, Goodshaw, and Love Clough. There is a Parsonage house, a resident Incumbent with a Curate, and Schools in active operation, — all forming a pleasing contrast to the gloomy picture drawn by Bishop Gastrell and the Curate of Haslingden in the text, and to the still more touching and miserable picture of the Republican and Puritan era." (s) The following is of much interest to all connected with the district : — ()■) Noiifia Cestriensis. p. 331. (s) ibid, note by Canon Raines, p. 331. Forest of Rossendale. i 7 7 "A COPY OF AN OLD DEED, ENTERED INTO FOR BUILDING A CHAPEL AT GOODSHAW IN THE FOREST OF ROSSENDALE, IN THE 32ND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF KING HENRY THE 8th. "This Indenture, made the i6th day of December, in the 32nd year of the Reign of our most Dread Sovereign Lord, Henry the 8th, by the Grace of God King of England and of France, defender of the faith, lord of Ireland, and in earth immediately under God, Supreme head of the Church of England, Betwixt George Ormerod, of Crawshawbooth ; James Haworth, of the same ; John Ormerod, of Gambleside, son and heir apparent to the said George Ormerod; and George Ormerod, of Gambleside, another of the sons of the said George Ormerod, of Crawshawbooth, in the County of Lancaster, Yeomen, on the one part : and Thurstan Birtwistle, of the Goodshaw ; Henry Hargreaves, of the same ; Oliver Holt, of the Loveclough ; and John Birtwistle, of the same, in the said County, Yeomen, on the other part, Witnesseth, that it is condecended, covenanted, and agreed betwixt the said parties, that they shall found, Edifie, and Build one Chapel in the Honour of God, our Blessed Lady, and all saints, in a certain place within the forrest of Rossendale named Morrell Height, for the Easement of the said parties and of their neighbours the Inhabitants of Crawshawbooth, Gambleside, Goodshaw, and Loveclough, and all other the King's Leige people which shall be disposed to hear Mass and other Divine Service in the said Chapel, in form and manner hereafter ensuing. That is to wit — First, it is agreed and appointed betwixt the said parties, for and concerning the propor- tion of the said Chapel, that the same shall be and contain in itself in length 16 cloth yards, and in wideness 7 cloth yards, and the walls of the said Chapel shall be and contain in height 3 cloth yards ; and that there shall be in the said Chapel two doors of Hewn Stones and three windows of Hewn Stones ; and the same Chapel to be Timbered accordingly, and to be made, thacked, and finished afore the first of Mari Mawdlin next to come after the day 178 History of the of the date hereof. And further it is Covenanted betwixt the said parties, in form and manner following, that is to wit — The said George Ormerod, father, James Haworth, John Ormerod and George Ormerod, the sons, covenanteth, granteth, and agreeth, by these present Indentures, to and with the said Thurstan Birtwistle, Henry Hargreaves, Oliver Holt, and John Birtwisde, that they, the said George Ormerod, the father, and the said Co-fellows, with and towards the help and supportation as they shall happen to get of their neighbours the Inhabitants of Crawshawbooth, Gamble- side, Nutshaw, and Dunnockshaw, and of Wolfenden, Richard Ormerod, of Wolfenden Booth, and Miles Nutton, of Rossendale, shall make, stand to, and bear the Moiety of all manner of costs and charges concerning the foundation and Building of the said Chapel ; and in like manner the said Thurstan Birtwistle, Henry Hargreaves, Oliver Holt, and John Birtwistle covenanteth, granteth, and agreeth by these present Indentures, to and with the said George Ormerod, the father, and his said Co-fellows, that the said Thurstan Birtwistle and his said Co-fellows, with the help and supportation of other their neighbours. Inhabitants of the Goodshaw and Loveclough beforesaid, shall make, stand to, and bear the other Moiety of all manner of costs and charges concerning the founda- tion and Building of the said Chapel. And also it is agreed betwixt the said parties that they shall be indifferently .... with all manner of Gifts and Labours which at any time or times hereafter shall be given or Bequeathed towards the foundation or Building of the said Chapel by any manner of person or persons above named, nor mentioned in this Indenture, if any such be. And further it is covenanted, as well of the part of the said George Ormerod, the father, and his Co-fellows, as of the part of the said Thurstan Birtwisde and his Co-fellows, that if fortune any dissention or variance to be moved Betwixt the said parties at any time or times hereafter for and concerning the foundation or building of the said Chapel, or any manner of costs and labours concerning the same, then the said parties to be reformed, ordered, and redressed by Richd. Townley, of Worsthorne, Esqr., so oft as any such Forest of Rossendale. i 79 dissention shall so happen betwixt them, and for the performance of the covenants, grants, and articles covenanted, granted, and declared in these Indentures, the said parties stand bounden party to party by their several obligations in the sum of Twenty pounds , sterling, which obligations bear date the day of the date of these Indentures. In witness whereof the said parties to these Indentures Interchangeably have set their seals upon the day and year above written." "(26 Augt. 1656. — A true copy of the Original Indenture remaining in the hands of John Howorth, of Crawshawbooth) (saving what is wanting above and could not be read.) '' Examined by me, " ANDR. HOLDEN." The dimensions of the Chapel as given in the above Deed are curious ; the width being somewhat out of proportion to the length and height. The walls, which were only nine feet high, must have been unpleasantly low, though the building inside was probably open to the thatched roof. In the year 181 7-18 the Chapel was rebuilt and enlarged, but the modern erection is almost as void of architectural pretensions as its humble forerunner. There is room for regret here, as no site in the Forest of Rossendale is better adapted for displaying the architectural beauties of a Building. In the year 1584, or 42 years after the erection of the Chapel at Goodshaw, certain of the inhabitants of Rawtenstall, Newhallhey, Gambleside, Loveclough, Crawshawbooth, Constablee, Oakenhead Wood, and Dunnockshaw prayed to be separated from Newchurch and to be allowed to betake themselves to the Church at Hasling- den, or, for their ease, to the Chapel at Goodshaw, for the hearing of Divine Service, and the prayer was granted, as appears by the following : — AN ORDER FOR SEPARATEING PART OF Ye FORREST OF ROSSENDALE FROM NEWCHURCH, & BETAKING THEMSELVES TO HASLINGDEN— 27TH YEAR OF Ye REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZth. " At a Commission holden at Manchester in the Collegiate Church there i8o History of the upon Thursday, vizt. ye 29th de of ye month of Janry. in ye 27th of ye most Illustrious Queen Elizth. ( Wills Ep vizt. \ Robtus N (. Edns Hopwood " The Act before ye Queen's Commissioners above mentioned ye day, month, year & place aforesd are as followeth, vizt. " Between Gyles Hoyle & others, Churchwardens in ye Forrest of Rossendale of ye Newchurch of our Saviour, of ye one part, and others Inhabitants within ye sd Forrest of ye other part. Whereas ye Churchwardens by way of Information unto this Court have shewed and declared that all and every the Inhabitants within the sd Forrest of Rossendale by virtue of a grant or Charter from ye late most excellent Prince of famous memory King Edwd. ye 6th, are bound to repair & come unto ye sd Newchurch in Rossendale afores there to hear Divine Service and Sermons and Administration of ye Sacraments and other ye Ceremonies of ye Church which they ought to have & to be contributors alltogether for & towards ye reparation of ye sd Church when & so often as need shall require. And that ye premes notwithstanding certain of ye Inhabitants within ye sd Forrest have of long time & yet do utterly refuse so to do, As namely Edwd Rawstorne Esq. for & in the name of John Bridge of Rawtenstall, John Piccop of ye same, Crofer Bridge of ye same, Thomas Piccop of ye same, Isabel Piccop widow of ye same, Thomas Tattersall of ye same, John Rawstorne of ye same, Hugh Hey of ye same, tenants of ye said Edwd Rawstorne. James Heap of Rawtenstall aforesaid & Henry Heap of ye same. Crofer Nuttall of Newhallhey gentn, Agnes Nuttall of ye same. Widow, George Ormerod of Gambleside with ye rest of ye Inhabitants, George Dearden of Loveclough with ye rest of ye Inhabitants there, Dennis Haworth & James Haworth of Crawshawbooth with ye rest of the Inhabitants there, George Haworth of Constableigh with ye rest of ye Inhabitants there, Richd Hey of Oakenhead with ye rest of ye Inhabitants there, with all & every ye Inhabitants of Dunnockshaw. And therefore have prayed that in consideration of ye premes ye sd parties last above mentioned & every of them may by ye Authority of this Court be compelled to repair unto ye said Church & farther to do in all things as ye rest of ye Inhabitants within ye said Forrest and as by ye sd Charter or grant they are & stand bounden to do. And whereas also ye sd Edwd Rawstorne Esquire & others ye parties above named appearing before this Court have alledged for themselves. First, that they are not neither ought to be bounden unto ye sd Charter or Grant as well for yt ye same was procured of ye King's highness upon sinister Information without their privity consent or knowledge & of their predecessors. As also yt it doth bind them to many great inconveniences which they think was never Forest of Rossendale. i8i intended agst them. Secondly, that they are far distant of & from ye sd Newchurch of Rossendale & therefore ye sd parties & their predecessors both before ye sd Charter or Grant was given & ever since have usually repaired to ye Church of Haslingden and Chapel of Goodshaw within the sd Forrest both ye which be very near unto them. Further ye said parties have alleged yt if they should come & repair unto ye sd Newchurch in Rossendale they could not have room & place fit or convenient for them to kneel or sit in at ye time of Divine Service. And last of all that ye sd Churchwardens of ye sd Newchurch in Rossendale had of late imposed upon them such exces- sive Taxation of charges as in no wise they should be able to bear without their great impoverishment & hindrance. And therefore ye said parties have likewise prayed that they might be dismissed the Court & permitted to repair to ye sd Church of Haslingden and Chapel of Goodshaw as heretofore they & their predecessors have done, renouncing & utterly disclaiming from all their right, interest & benefit which they either had or might have in & to ye sd Newchurch of Rossendale by virtue of the sd Charter or Grant for them their heirs and successors for ever hereafter. Which done ye court after better & dehberate consideration of ye premes & ye Allegations on both sides had & made, & especially for yt ye Inhabitants of ye Booths above named have of long time been as of duty belonging to no Church, but at their own liberty, whereupon many disorders both have & may easily arise. And as well for ye avoiding thereof & for some other Causes by them alledged & here above-mentioned & other good considerations ye Court thereunto moving. Hath ordered & decreed ye day & place above named. That ye sd parties shall from time to time & at all times hereafter repair and go unto ye Church of Haslingden there to hear Divine Service & Sermons & have administration of Sacraments and other Ceremonies of ye Church in all degrees as other ye Parishioners belonging to ye sd Church of Haslingden if ye sd Parishioners of Haslingden will permit em so to do, doing all duties to ye sd Churche as ye rest of ye Inhabitants within the sd Parish do. Saving yt they or any of them may for their more ease repair unto ye sd Chapel of Goodshaw for hearing of Divine Service only for so long & till such time as further Order be taken either by ye sd Court or other sufficient for & concerning ye premes & that neither ye sd Inhabitants above named or any of them their heirs or successors Inhabitants within ye sd places above mentioned shall at any time hereafter Claim use or have any ease or benefit of in or by ye sd Newchurch of Rossendale, neither have any access or repair unto ye same for hearing of Divine Service or for ye Administration of Sacraments or other Ceremonies of ye Church without ye lycense and free consent of ye Churchwardens of ye same. Moreover it is Ordered & Decreed that Thomas Bridge and Charles Whitakerof Rockcliffe their heirs & successors 1 82 History of the tenants to Mr. Edwd Rawstorne in Rockliffewood aforesaid shall for ever hereafter be as Parishioners & belong unto ye sd Newchurch of Rossendale & yt ye sd Thomas Bridge and Charles Whitaker shall either of them pay or cause to be paid to ye Churchwardens of ye Newchurch of Rossendale for & towards ye reparation of ye same four years rent, ye one half thereof at ye feast of St Michael the Archangel next & ye other half at ye feast of St Michael ye Archangel next ensuing. In consideration whereof ye sd Churchwardens of ye sd Newchurch of Rossendale shall presently appoint & assign unto ye sd Thomas Bridge and Charles Whitaker such fit convenient room & places to sit in at ye time of Divine Service within ye sd Church, as shall be decent & meet for their calling. Provided always yt ye Order for ye Assignment of forms & stalls within ye sd Newchurch of Rossendale to certain Inhabitants there heretofore by authority from this Court set down by Mr. Richd Midgley, Clerk, Vicar of Rochdale & Lawrence Nuttall Gentln & exhibited into this Court under their hands in writing, shall be and remain in force & take its full effect, this present order or anything therein contained to ye contrary notwithstanding. Provided alsoe that this present order & decree shall in nowise touch or be prejudicial! to Impeach hurt hinder or contrary to ye true Intent and meaning of ye sd Charter or Grant or anything matter or clause therein specified intended set down or declared.'' In the early years of its existence, the Church, as already stated, was served by the Curate of Haslingden, there being no settled minister in charge. The Rev. Mr. Uttley, was appointed to the Curacy about 1730, and ministered there for over forty years. Prior to the erection of St. John's Church, Bacup (A.D., 1788,) Mr. Uttley officiated both at his own place of worship and every alternate Sunday at Bacup, preaching and baptizing in the old schoolroom which stood on the site of the present Mechanics' Institution. It is not very clear who succeeded to the Curacy, but there is still in existence an interesting document (t) which throws light upon the subject. This is to the following effect : — " Know all men by these [presents] that I, Richard Ortt, of Bury, in the County of Lancaster, schoolmaster, am held and firmly bound to John Holt, James Hargreaves, Richard Saunder- son and Joshua Townsend, of Goodshaw, yeoman, in the sum of it) In the possession of \V. S. Weeks, Esq., solicitor, Clitheroe. Forest of Rossendale. 183 two hundred pounds of lawful money of Great Britain, to be paid to them or their certain Attorneys, Executors, Administrators or Assigns, for which Payment well and truly to be made I bind myself, my Heirs, Executors and Administrators firmly by these Presents, sealed with my seal and dated the Eleventh day of September in the twenty-first year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King Defender of the Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty One. " Whereas the Inhabitants of Goodshaw Chapelry intend to raise the salary of the said chapel from its present salary of twenty- six pounds and fifteen shillings per annum, to forty pounds exclusive of the Fees accruing from the Performance of Parochial Duty, in order to induce a Clergyman to reside amongst them and teach a school there upon such a plan and on such conditions as shall hereafter be agreed upon. Now the Conditions of the above written Obligation is such that if the above-bounden Richard Ortt shall be nominated and ordained to the Curacy of Goodshaw aforesaid, and the said curacy shall be augmented to forty pounds per year by the inhabitants thereof exclusive of the Fees above- mentioned within twelve months from the date hereof. And if at or before the expiration of the said twelve months the said Richard Ortt shall become a resident Clergyman and Schoolmaster there, or shall decline, give up and resign the said Curacy at the expiration of the said twelve months or at any time after he becomes resident, or happen to die within or after that time, then this Obligation shall be void otherwise it shall be and remain in full force and virtue in the law." Whether Mr. Ortt became the Minister, however, and, if so, how long he remained at Goodshaw, is uncertain. The Benefice is a Perpetual Curacy in the gift of the Trustees of William Hulme, called the " Hulmeian Trustees." The Vicar of Whalley was formerly the patron. 184 History of the The following are the names of the Incumbents or Vicars since the year 18 14, as they appear in the Baptismal Register: — Rev. George Haworth, 1814; died November 5, 1836. Rev. E. B. Allen, 1836 ; removed to Bacup, June, 1839. Rev. Henry Howorth, 1839 ; removed to Rawtenstall 1847. Rev. James Bell, 1848 ; died March 4, 1854. Rev. John Howard, 1854 ; died September 28, 1887. Rev. Abraham Spencer, M.A., 1887 : removed to Hashngden, 1892. Rev. Alfred Bedson, M..\., 1892 ; the present Vicar. Down to about 1850, Goodshaw was a Chapelry under the Chapelry of Haslingden. A new Church, dedicated to St. John, has been erected at Sunny- side, Crawshawbooth, and in connection with the church at Goodshaw. In addition to giving the site. Lord Crawshaw has contributed ^^3,000 towards the structure, and ^1000 to the en- dowment. The building is a handsome one in the late decorated style, consisting of nave of five bays, north and south aisles, chancel and transcepts. On the north side of the chancel is the tower, 23 feet square at the base and 122 feet in height to the top of the pinacles. The Church has accommodation for 604 worshippers. In the returns made to Parhament in 1786, it is stated that Sam- uel Mills gave to the poor of Goodshaw money producing ^-X) ^ y^^""' The only information which the Charity Commissioners in 1830 were able to obtain relating to this charitable gift was from James Hargreaves, Esq., who stated that his uncle, the Rev. John Hargreaves, to whom he was executor, with his brother Colonel Hargreaves, told him that there was in his hand ;^2o, left for the poor of the Chapelry in Goodshaw, but that it was not known by whom it was given. Since the death of his uncle, he had considered himself answerable for this sum ; and he stated that he had given away in charity to poor persons of Higher Booth, in which the Chapel of Goodshaw is situated, upwards of 20s. yearly. CHAPTER III. " God's lowly temple ! place of many prayers ! The sight of thee brings gladness to my heart; And while beneath thy humble roof I stand, I seem to grasp an old familiar hand, And hear a voice that bids my spirit start." — Robert Nicoll.— " The Village Church." A N interval of 246 years elapsed between the foundation of All ■^-^ Saint's Church, Goodshaw, (a.d. 1542) and that of St. John's, Bacup, which was the next Episcopal Chapel built within the Forest of Rossendale. Previous to the erection of the latter, the Inhabitants of Bacup who were so disposed, attended St. Nicholas's Church, at the Village of Newchurch, and a footpath, still in existence, which crosses the hills from Heald, passing Doals and Hayslacks, through the Broadclough estates, by Tewitt Hall, Winder Gate, and Acre Hill, through Edgeside and Bridleway, yet bears the name of " Th' Kirk Gate," as being the path usually travelled by pedestrians going to the New Church. .Another " old gate " led from Sharney- ford, past Heap Farm and Th' Owd \\"hoam, down by Flowers and Laneside, Greensnook, Lane-Head Lane, through the river opposite the old school in Bacup-fold, along Newgate, up Bankside Lane, right on past Th' Hile and thence by way of Boothfold to the Church. The distance being considerable, and much inconvenience resulting from conveying the dead so far over irregular and exposed tracks ; and, ' moreover, the population continuing greatly to increase, the principal inhabitants of Bacup and 1 86 History of the its vicinity, took the necessary steps for erecting a Chapel of Ease within the Town. The sanction of the authorities was obtained on the stipulation that a proportion of the dues accruing to such chapel should be paid to the Incumbents of Newchurch. It is estimated that during the time this arrangement continued in effect, a sum of upwards of jQi^oo was handed over to Newchurch, as its proportion of the fees. On the i6th of August, in the year 1788, St. John's, Bacup, was consecrated by Dr. Cleaver. Bishop of Chester. The land on which the Church is built was given by John \\'hitaker, Esq., of Broadclough. The old School which formerly stood on the site of the Mechanics' Institution, though originally belonging to the Baptist denomination, was latterly used as an Episcopal place of worship prior to the erection of St. John's, and, as before-mentioned, the Rev. Mr. Uttley, the Clergyman residing at Goodshaw, ofificiated therein every alternate Sunday. The National School was built by subscription, in the year 1829. Mrs. Heyworth, of Willow Cottage, who died in her 93d year, gave ;^6o towards that object, and a few other of the principal residents in the town and district, ;^5o each. The Trustees, who were originally the Patrons of the Church, guaranteed ;;^8o per annum to the Minister in addition to his proportionate share of the dues. The income derived from the sittings, at the beginning of the century, amounted to about ;^i2o per annum, and the balance of £,/^o remaining after paying the salary of the Incumbent, was spent in defraying the other expenses of the church. A charity sermon was preached once every second or third year, and a collection made in support of the School, which was originally held in the old building referred to above. The Rev. Joseph Ogden was the first Incumbent. He came from Sowerby in Yorkshire, to which place he eventually returned after spending several years of usefulness 'at Bacup. The reason of his leaving Sowerby and returning thither again, is stated by his Forest of Rossendale. 187 friend the Rev. James Hargreaves, Author of the " Life of John Hirst," in.an interesting autobiography which he has left behind him in MS. It appears that " complaints were lodged with the vicar of Halifax, who had the gift of Sowerby, that Mr. Ogden was too Methodistical, on which grounds he had orders to quit. A very large proportion of the inhabitants were greatly grieved, and obtained from Mr. Ogden a promise that whenever they could succeed in making way for his return, he would come amongst them again. The vicar died, another succeeded, and the applica- tion was made. The new vicar having another living, namely Ripponden, vacant, appointed Mr. Webster of Sowerby to that, and made way for Mr. Ogden's return, who, considering the inviolability of his promise, left all the dear connexions he had formed at Bacup. He spent the remainder of his life at Sowerby." The following estimate of his character and abilities is given by the same writer : — " Mr. Ogden came to Bacup when under thirty years of age. He was a man of slender talents as a preacher. His voice was rather feminine, and his delivery uninviting ; and when in great earnest and vehement, which was very frequently, his voice rather approached towards a scream. He was very timid, and often on the Lord's-day morning, or at noon, would conceive that the subject he had prepared was improper, and he would then take another text, and throw himself upon the mercy of the moment. It cannot, therefore, be any matter of wonder if his sermons were often crude and incoherent ; but his piety, his devotion, and his evident desire to do good, more than compensated for these defects." After Mr. Ogden's removal an interval of about 18 months occurred, during which period there was no settled minister, the service being conducted by strangers. The Rev. William Porter, who was from Cumberland, and became the resident Clergyman in 1796, officiated several times as a supply, and the congregation at that time having the power of 1 88 History of the selection, chose him as their minister. His salary amounted to a fixed sum of ^80 per annum, raised from the seat rents, and he had the proportionate share of the fees in addition. The Burial fees were, — Seven years of age and upwards, 4s. lod. each. IS. 8d. out of this was paid to Newchurch, the Incumbent of St. John's received is. 6d., his Clerk 2d., and the Sexton is. 6d. Under seven years of age 3s. each, is. to Newchurch, lod. to St. John's Incumbent, 2d. to Clerk, is. to Sexton. The Baptismal fee was lod. each. 5d. to Newchurch, 4d. to the Incumbent of St. John's, and id. to the Clerk. No marriages were solemnized here until the year 1837. Previous to that time Newchurch had the monopoly in this respect, so far as Bacup was concerned. The Parsonage was built by the congregation about 1805, during the Incumbency of Mr. Porter, and in order to augment his income the congregation also subscribed and purchased the farm called INIeadowhead near Gambleside, worth, at that time ;^4o per annum, which they presented to him. An endowment of ;^2o per annum was also obtained from Queen Anne's Bounty. About the same period, James Lord of Greave, at his death, made provision for the payment of ^2 annually to the Incumbent of St. John's on condition that he should preach a sermon in the church on St. Andrew's day (Nov. 30) in each year. The year before his death, which took place on May 4th, 1839, Mr. Porter obtained the services of a curate, the Rev. Robt. K. Cooke, to whom he paid one half of his stipend. Mr. Porter was a laborious, earnest, and popular preacher, having a richly stored and ready memory. Not fond of formality and show, he yet exhibited certain peculiarities of character which attracted observation. " The entire tenour of his holy conversation marked him as a man of God ; while his arduous, persevering, long-continued, but unwearied work of faith, and labour of love, in connexion with his patience of hope, showed that he was a painful, that is, a pains-taking minister of Jesus Christ. While his appearance and character were those of a Patriarch, his work and Forest of Rossendale. 189 labour were those of an Apostle." {a) Mr. Porter, who was nearly 80 years of age at his death, was 42 years Incumbent of St. John's. The Church, during his ministry, was crowded to excess with attentive hearers. The esteem in which he was held by his townsmen of all denominations was sincere and universal. After Mr. Porter's death, the living was sold to the Hulmeian Trustees, (jb) in whose hands the gift of the benefice rests. The Rev. E. B. Allen was the 3rd Incumbent ; he came in June 1839, and left in March or April 1849. His successor, the Rev. Benjamin Tweddle, came in 1850 and died April ist, 1858, at Lytham, whither he had gone for his health, being succeeded by the Rev. J. F. Brindle, M.A., who left in 1877. The Rev. Arthur Phillips, M. A., the present Vicar, was appointed in the latter year. After Mr. Porter's death, and down to that of Mr. Tweddle, the church was assisted by eleven curates in succession, whose salaries were paid by the Church Pastoral Aid Society. (n) Sermon on the occasion of the death of the Rev. William Porter, of Bacup, preached by the Rev. James Knight, A.M., of Sheffield. (i) The following account of the origin of the Hulme's foundation, is from the " History and Directory of Mid-Lancashire." " William Hulme, Esq., of Kearsley, in Lancashire, by his will, dated the 24th of October, 1691, devised his lands and tenements in Heaton-Norris, Denton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Reddish, Manchester, and Harwood, in this county, to certain trustees and their heirs for ever, in order that the yearly rents might be distributed in equal proportion? to four of the poorest Bachelors of Arts in Brazenose College, Oxford, who should resolve to reside there for the four succeeding years after such degree had been taken, the nomination to be approved of by the Warden of the Collegiate Church, Manchester, the Rectors of the parish churches of Prestwich and Bury for the time being, and for ever. In the loth year of the reign of George lU., an Act of Parliament was passed enabling the trustees to grant building leases of the estates, and to increase the number of exhibitioners ; and in the 35th year of the same reign, an Amended Act was passed, empowering the said trustees to make such allowance to each exhibitioner, as they should think reasonable, provided it did not exceed ;^ioo. " In the 54th year of the same king's reign, another Act was passed, by which the trustees were enabled to provide exhibitions, and found a divinity 'ecture, and to pay to the lecturer the sum of ^150 a-year; and such was 190 History of the In the year 1837, Bacup was made a Consolidated Chapelry, with the provision that on the death of the then Incumbent of Newchurch, the Rev. Edward Burrow, the fees payable thereto should cease. Upwards of 7000 interments had taken place in the Churchyard of St. John's, to the date of its being closed in 1863. About twenty-five years ago, during the Incumbency of the Rev. J. F. Brindle, the building having become dilapidated and unsafe, an attempt was made to obtain subscriptions for the erection of a new Church on a site a short distance away from the existing one. The effort, however, resulted in failure, and although the founda- tions of the proposed new structure were actually laid, they had ultimately to be abandoned. More recently in 187 1, the roof of the building fell in. The Rev. A. Phillips having become Vicar in 1877, a subscription was set on foot, and this proving successful the old walls were taken down and the present handsome Church, at a cost of ;^i 5,000, erected on or about the original site, was the increase in the value of the estates that they (the trustees) were enabled to allow the sum of £220 a-year to each exhibitioner, provided he resided in the college from the beginning to the end of Michaelmas term, unless specially permitted to leave ; and they were also empowered to purchase houses, lands, &c., to the amount of ;^5ooo. It was further enacted that the trustees should be one body politic and corporate, by the title of ' The Trustees of the estate devised by William Hulme, Esq.,' and might use a common seal, on which should be engraved the coat of Arms borne by the said William Hulme, and round which should be inscribed the words, ' SigiUum Hulmianum.' " In 1826 the accumulated funds which had arisen from the surplus rents and profits, seem to have amounted to £42,203 os. 4d., and the annual dividend produced the sum of ;£3,828. The trustees were subsequently authorised to apply part of the accumulation to the purchase of Advowsons of Livings, and to present thereto the exhibitioners on the foundation ; the sum paid for the purchase of any one advowson or right of patronage not to . exceed ;f70oo; and they are also allowed to expend to the amount of ;£70o in the erection of a suitable parsonage for the incumbent. An exhibitioner, to be eligible, must have taken his degree of Bachelor of Arts in the University of Oxford, and have entered into holy orders." Forest of Rossendale. 191 completed in 1883, and consecrated on June 21st of that year. It will be proper here to bring together a few particulars of the other Churches in the district. St. Mary's Church, Rawtenstall, was consecrated in 1S38, having been built by public subscription at a cost of ;^2,300. The late Henry Hoyle, of Newhallhey, gave ^1,000 towards the endow- ment, and presented the Rev. William Whitworth, M.A., to the living. For a period of forty years, but little was done here by way of Church extension ; but on the advent of the present Vicar, the Rev. J. Norris, M.A., a new order of things was instituted. The Church has been enlarged and many internal improvements carried out. The tower has been removed to the south-west, completed, supplied with a peal of eight bells and large clock with four illuminated dials. The total cost of this was ;^6,943. New schools have been provided, the large one capable of accommodating 1,100 day scholars, serving as a concert room and public hall ; it can seat 2,000 people. Underneath this are an institute, parish-room, reading-room, and kitchens. There are also covered and open playgrounds. The premises cover 4,000 square yards, 2000 of which were given by G. W. Law-Schofield, Esq. They were opened in 1884, and the cost was ;^6,2i2. In 1886 a vicarage was erected at a cost of ;^2,i40, exclusive of the gift of 2,406 square yards of land by the late H. H. Hardman. A new infant school was built at the cost of 'pf 874 at Constablee, and a site for an intended new Church there, St. Paul's, has also been procured. There are over 350 communicants, 1,200 Sunday School, and 900 day scholars. All this progress of recent years is the result of indefatigable work, the moving spirit being the Vicar. The follow- ing is a list of the Incumbents or Vicars since the foundation : — Rev. Wilham Whitworth M.A., 1838, left 1847. Rev. Henry Howorth, M.A., 1847, left 1869. Rev. William Whitworth, M.A., (second time) 1869, left 1878. Rev. J. Norris. M.A., 1878, the present Vicar. T92 History of the The Trustees of the Church are James Maden Holt, G. W. Law-Schofield, Edmund Lord, Richard Hoyle Hardman, and George Hardman, Esquires. Tunstead Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built through the efforts of the late Robert Munn and late George Ormerod, and was opened by License in the month of November, 1840. Consecrated September 29, 1841. The Trustees of the living are the Bishop of Manchester, the Chancellor of the Diocese, James Maden Holt, Esq., and the Heir of the late Frank Ormerod, Esq. The following have been the Incumbents or Vicars since its foundation : Eev. Francis Kirkpatrick, M.A., Trinity College, Dublin, 1841, left in 1846. Rev. WiUiam Singleton, M.A., 1846, left in 1851. . Rev. John G. Haworth, 185 1, left 1889. Rev. John Falconer, present Vicar, 1889. In 1858 a District was assigned to this Church. There are large modern schools connected with the Church, in which an endeavour is made to keep abreast of the educational requirements of the day ; there is cooking for the girls and manual instruction for the boys. The Vicar has also succeeded, largely through the generosity of J. W. Lloyd, Esq., and J. H. Maden, Esq., M.P., in establishing a cottage accident hospital in the village. Lumb was constituted an Ecclesiastical district, and its boundaries defined, by an Order in Council dated 24th February, 1846. The corner-stone of the church was laid on the 29th of September, 1847, by John Hargreaves, Esq., of Blackburn, who gave the site for the church and burial ground. A plate bearing the following inscription was placed in the stone : " Gloria in Excelsis. The corner-stone of this Church dedicated to the worship of the triune God, by the name of St. Michael's Church, Lumb, was laid on the 29th day of September, a.d., 1847, by John Forest of Rossendale. 193 Hargreaves, Esq., of Newchurch and Blackburn. Ralph Kinder, Incumbent ; Joseph Clarke, Architect." The Church was consecrated by Dr. James Prince Lee, first Bishop of Manchester, on Saturday, December 9th, 1848, and pursuant to Act of Parliament, 6 and 7 Vict. Cap. 37. Lumb then became a new parish for all Ecclesiastical purposes. The structure of the Church is Early Norman in style, with central tower, and has sitting accommodation for about 400. The bell was cast at the Irish Bell Foundry, Dublin, by John Murphy, and weighs, with clapper, 4 cwt. i qr. 19 lbs. It is cast to the note E natural, giving the option of two key notes, viz. : G or A, if at any time a peal should be required. Under Act 31 and 32, Vict. C. 117, the parish of Lumb became a (titular) vicarage, 31st July, 1868. The benefice is in the patronage of the Crown and Bishop, alternately, the first Incumbent being appointed by the Crown. The Incumbents or Vicars since the erection of the Church are as follows : — Rev. Ralph Kinder, 1846, left 1873. Rev. James Wilkie Baron, M.A., 1873, left 1877. Rev. Robt. Alexander McKee, M.A., 1877, left 1882. Rev. Francis Hall Lockett, M.A., 1882, (present Vicar.) The National School in connection with the Church was erected in 1870, and opened 21st January, 1871, by Dr. James Eraser, second Bishop of Manchester. The vicarage house was built in 1877. The Parish of Christ Church, Bacup, which contains about 1,000 acres, was formed out of the parish of St. John's, and occupies part of the ancient parishes of Whalley and Rochdale. The Church was erected at a cost of about ;^3,ooo, left by the late James Heyworth, of Rosehill, Bacup, and was consecrated 14th August, 1854, by Dr. Lee, Lord Bishop of Manchester. It is in the Early English style of architecture, and possesses chancel, with choir stalls, nave, north and south aisles, porch, and a square 194 History of the massive tower at the south-west angle, which contains six bells. Commodious schools, with class-rooms and teacher's house, for day and Sunday school purposes, were erected in i860. There is also a good vicarage house. The living is in the gift of five Trustees. The Rev. John McCubbin was appointed first Incumbent, and held the benefice until his death, 26th November, 1888. The Rev. John Smith Doxey, present Vicar, was nominated by the Trustees, 1 5th December, 1888. St. James's Church, Waterfoot, was opened by Licence, on October 23, 1863, and consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Manchester, on Thursday, November 23, 1865. The building was erected by public subscription at a cost of nearly ;^5ooo, the principal contributors towards the erection being the late James Crabtree, of Newchurch, George Hargreaves, J. P., and Lieutenant- Colonel Munn, J. P. The Patronage is vested in the Trustees. There are 603 sittings, of which 324 are free. The following is a list of the Vicars since the foundation : — Rev. Robert Smith, M.A. 1865, left 1873 ; Rev. Alexander James Harrison, B.D. 1873, left 1885, Rev. Charles Wesson, M.A. 1886, the present Vicar. St. Saviour's Church, Bacup, was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Manchester, on Monday, January 23rd, 1865. The building, which is an elegant Gothic with spire at the east end, was erected at the sole cost of James Maden Holt, Esq., M.A., of Stubbylee, who is the Patron. The Rev. W. Whitworth, M.A. was the first Vicar, and on his resignation in 1869, was succeeded by the Rev. Wm. Johnson, M.A., the present Vicar. The Church contains a Baptistery for the immersion of adults. This is sunk in the middle of the chancel, and covered by ornamental grating on a level with the floor. For several years prior to the erection of the Church, divine service was conducted in the upper room of the School ; which, with the Parsonage, in the immediate vicinity, were built by the some munificent patron. Forest of Rossendale. 195 The Church at Edgeside, dedicated to St. Anne, was built in 1S85-6, the greater part of the cost being defrayed by Captain Charles Patrick, who also gave the land and a site for the Vicarage, in memory of his wife, Mary Anne, the younger daughter of Mr. John Ashworth, of Cloughfold, (a native of Rossendale and a descendant of the old family of the Ormerods of Whitewell Bottom and Edgeside), a lady deservedly esteemed for her chari- table disposition to the poor, and many amiable qualities. The Church contains 350 sittings, all free. The cost was nearly ^^4,000. Generous contributors were Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Turner, Mrs. M. A. Royds, Mr. H. H. Bolton, Col. Hargreaves, and Mr. John Bolton, the Lord Montague and Exors. of the Duke of Buccleugh, the Manchester Diocesan Church Building Society, and others. It was consecrated the ist August, 1886, by Bishop Frazer, who gave ^20 to the Endowment Fund, which consisted of a donation of ;^ 1,3 00 by Captain Patrick, and a like sum by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The Schools had been opened in 1873, and licensed for divine service also by Bishop Frazer. The land for the site was given by Captain and Mrs. Patrick, who largely contributed to the Building Fund. The patrons are the Bishop and Rector of Newchurch, ex-officio, and three others, the Bishop and the other Trustees having the presentation alternately. The first and present Vicar is the Rev. J. Cross-Jones. The Church of St. John the Divine, at Cloughfold, in the style of the 14th century — the early Transitional period — consists of chancel, nave, transepts, with clerestory, and was built by public subscription at a cost of ^^5,500, of which ;^2,ooo were given by Mrs. Alice Anne Rushton, of Bowden, ;^5oo by Messrs. Jas. H. Ashworth and Co., ;^25o by Messrs. Brooks and Brooks, ^100 by Mr. H. H. Bolton, and ;^ioo by the late Mr. Jas. Rushton. The Diocesan Church Building Society contributed ;^325. Architects Messrs. Paley and Austin, Lancaster. It was 196 History of the consecrated on June 13th, 1890. Cloughfold is a Peel Parish carved out of the Parishes of Newchurch, Rawtenstall, and Waterfoot, gazetted March 26th, 1887. Mrs. Rushton, who also contributed largely to the endowment, held the patronage for life. She died on April 25th, 1893, when the patronage passed to the Bishop of Manchester. The first and present Vicar, the Rev. E. Holliday, was appointed in May, 1886. The church is free and open, expenses met by weekly offertory. Average congregation, 200; communicants, 120; with an average attendance of 400 at the Sunday School, and of 1 75 at the Day School. CHAPTER IV. " Within the chapel, kneel the worshippers ; The censer swings, shedding its grateful incense Down the aisles, and from the groined roof The pendent lamp illumes the altar-piece." rilHE original Church at Newchurch was Roman Catholic, and -*- the cost of its erection was, it is probable, contributed to by the Monks of Whalley for the benefit of their forest servants and parishioners chiefly residing about Boothfold. It was served by a secular priest, SirGeorge Gregory, the first incumbent (a). The first Church of Goodshaw, in its inception, was also Roman Catholic. At the time of the Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII., the Churches were stripped of their altars, and became Churches of the reformed doctrine. The scanty congregations either conformed to the new, or sought other places of residence, where they could, though stealthily, follow the rites of the old religion. From the time of the Reformation in England until the end of the last centur}', no Catholic was known to reside within the Valley ; when a family of the name of Booth came to Hareholme and reintroduced the Catholic religion. The Booths were from Dolphinholme, near Lancaster, where the old faith had never been suppressed. The only place of worship they could attend was the domestic chapel of Townley, near Burnley, belonging to the Townley family, which had suffered for its adhesion to the old faith. One of the daughters of Mr. Booth married Mr. Ashworth, owner of the Laund estate, which has devolved in course of time (a) Ante, page 162. 198 History of the on the descendants of their daughters, Alice and Sarah, who had married two brothers, Rockliff, of Liverpool. At the beginning of this century periodical visits were paid to Rossendale by the priest who acted as chaplain to the Townleys, and looked after the few remaining Catholics in the neighbourhood; and Mass was said, and sometimes even sung, in an up-stairs room at Hareholme, for the benefit of the Booth family and one or two other families who had followed them. About 182S, after a prolonged strike at Sunnyside Works, several Catholic families came to Rossendale from Manchester. Finding that there was no Church for them nearer than Townley, seven or eight miles distant, and neither wishing to give up their faith, nor desiring to undertake such a journey every Sunday, they laid their case before Mr. John Brooks, who offered them the use of a room in his works at Crawshawbooth, if the priest from Townley could be brought to give his services. From this time, 1828, till 1836, visits more or less regular were paid to the Valley either from Townley, or occasionally from Bury, where the Rev. Mr. Peacock had built the present St. Maries. The first resident priest was the Rev. James Carr, sent by Dr. Penswick, Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire district. .He had a small chapel at Sunnyside behind the present Irwell-terrace. The first regular entry in the Baptismal register is dated 26th Sept., 1836, though the names of several children baptised by the Rev. Mr. Peacock before 1830, are entered, having been copied from loose scraps. A good percentage of the names of parents and god- parents are of unmistakeable Irish origin, even at that time. The great famine in 1847-8 sent over to Rossendale several hundred families, who readily found work in the fast-spreading cotton industry. In May, 1839, the Rev. Henry Sharpies succeeded to the office, but stayed only one year. After him came the Rev. ^Villiam Fayer, whose last entry in the Baptism book is dated Nov. 14th, 1842. The Rev. James Rylands, who began his incumbency about Christmas of 1842, finding his congregation increasing rapidly, obtained land from Mrs. Ashworth for the erection of a church in a Forest of Rossendale, 199 more central position, and began the building of the present church at Constablee, Rawtenstall, in the beginning of 1844, but he did not stay to see the completion of his undertaking, and left Oct. 20th of the same year, when the walls of the building were finished up to the window heads. A young and zealous priest, the Rev. Thos. Rimmer, was sent to finish the building, which he succeeded in doing towards the end of 1845. On the 24th September, 1845, the new church was opened by the Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire district. Pontifical Mass was sung by the Right Rev. Dr. Sharpies, Assistant Vicar, the sermon being preached by Dr. Roskell, who afterwards became Bishop of Nottingham. The cost of its erection was ;^i,5oo. The church was dedicated to St. James-the-Less, and in its quaint early English form became one of the recognised features of rapidly-growing Rawtenstall. Mr. Rimmer did not live long to minister in the church he finished, but having caught fever at the bedside of one of his flock at Haslingden, he died of the contagion on the 8th January, 1848, and was buried inside the sanctuary of the church, a memorial brass being erected to his memory over the vestry door. The Rev. James F. Anderton, who succeeded in January, was replaced in October of the same year by the Rev. Thomas Unsworth, who was the Incumbent until October, 1851. He was followed by the Rev. Henry Swale (now at Broughton, near Skipton), who only stayed three years. In October, 1854, a young priest, who had been curate in St. Wilfred's, Manchester, the Rev. Joseph Scott, took charge of the scattered mission, then including Bacup, Stacksteads, Haslingden, and Ramsbottom. During his twenty-one years' incumbency, he enclosed the graveyard by a stone wall, built a school, and the present rectory. Owing to failing health he retired from active work in October, 1875. He was succeeded by the Rev. Denis Byrne, who had served previously for many years in St. Patrick's, Bolton, and after a stay of about three years retired from the mission and shortly after died at Genoa in Italy. The Rev. Michael McCormick succeeded, but retired in March, i88i, after a stay of a little over two years. 200 History of the The Rev. John C. Mussely, the present Incumbent, who had been at Raddiffe for several years, was sent by the Bishop to continue the work. During his Incumbency the church has been repaired and extended in 1881 ; the Infant school built in 1883, and a Club Room in 1886. A School Chapel at Newchurch (originally built for the Methodist Association) has been purchased, dedicated to St. Peter, and has lately been attached to the new mission at Stacksteads. The present congregation at Rawtenstall consists of about 1,200 persons; the number of children in the day school is 280, with about 200 Sunday scholars. The CathoUc mission at Bacup was opened in 1852, in a room in Market Street, by the Rev. Henry Mulvaney. This room sen-ed the purposes of Church and School till 1857, when the nave of the present Church at Bankside, dedicated to St. Mary, was opened, and at a cost of ^^2, 000. On the retirement of Father Mulvaney in 1880, he was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Steele, who held the charge till his death on February 29th, 1884. One result of Mr. Steele's labours was the purchase of the site, and the preliminary arrangements for the building of the Huttock End School. The Rev. John Lane, the present rector, took charge on March 23rd, 1884. Since that time the chancel, side chapel, sacristy and gallery have been added to St. Mary's Church, at a cost of ^IIOO. St. Mary's School was built in 187 1-2, and St. Joseph's School, Huttock End, Stacksteads, in 1884-5, having cost respectively _;^i2oo and £,100. On the ist November, 1892, the district around St. Joseph's School, with part of Newchurch from the mission of St. James-the-Less, Rawtenstall, was erected into a separate mission, and the Rev. George Sparks took charge. The congregation of St. Mary's number about 1000. There are 200 children in the Day, and 150 in the Sunday School. CHAPTER V. " The deeds we do, the words we say, Into still air they seem to fleet. We count them ever past, But they shall last. • In the dread judgment they And we shall meet !" Lyra Innocentiam. rpHE History of the Baptist denomination in Rossendale has -*- been ably written by the late Rev. James Hargreaves, in his "Life of John Hirst," and in the appendix thereto. In the present brief outline it is my intention simply to state a few general parti- culars of the rise and present status of this important body in Rossendale, and to notice a few of their more celebrated preachers. At the end of the seventeenth century, Bacup was a small and unimportant place, scant of inhabitants, and with but a few straggling houses. In these respects it was of less account than either Newchurch or Goodshaw, both of which possessed their Episcopal Chapels. Prior to the establishment of the Baptist denomination in Rossendale, it would appear, from all that can be gleaned, that no place of worship of any kind existed in Bacup. The few inhabitants that composed the hamlet crossed the bills and worshipped at Newchurch, as occasion served. In the list of " Licenses to Preach " in Blackburn parish and district, preserved in a State Paper in the Record OlSce, and bearing date Dom. Chas. II., r672, a memorandum to the following effect, occurs : — " The barn of John Pickop, in Dedwinclough [in Newchurch-in-Rossendale], to be an Indep. [Independent] meeting 202 History of the place." {a) The name of " Independent " was formerly applied to Anabaptists and vice versa, and it would thus appear that as early as the year 1672. the Baptists had a place of meeting in Dedwin- clough. As Cloughfold is situated therein, it is not unreasonable to infer that at this date the denomination, either at that place or in its neighbourhood, had a veritable existence. However that may be, there is no record of any settled Nonconformist minister or preacher here at that early date. About the end of the century two cousins, Yorkshiremen, by name William Mitchel and David Crossley, found their way into Rossendale Forest. These men were itinerating Baptist Preachers, holding strict Calvinistic views, and deeply imbued with that spirit of energy and self-devotedness which characterises the leaders in all great movements. With admirable foresight they began their labours at Bacup and Cloughfold (the latter more populous than the former in those days,) two places void of the immediate presence of any religious teacher of their persuasion, the lack of which they determined, as far as in them lay, to supply in their own persons. We gather from the scanty memorials which exist of these men, that they were sincere and devout Christians — not to be daunted by difficulties — on whom opposition and reproach acted but as a stimulus to redoubled exertion. Where comparative barrenness before existed, they, by earnest and persevering labour, and the blessing of Providence, were the instruments of producing a rich and abundant harvest, (a) Extracted by the late J. E. Bailey (Editor of the "Palatine Note Book") from No. 185, Record Office, St. Papers Dom. Chas. II., 1672, and quoted by Mr. Abram in his " History of Blackburn." These licenses were issued by the Government consequent on the " Declaration of Indulgence" published by Charles II. on March 15th, 1672, by which he relaxed the severities entailed on Nonconformists by the " Act for suppressing Conventicles, 1664," and the " Five Mile Act, 1665," and declared his "will and pleasure to be, that the execution of all and all manner of penal laws in matters ecclesiastical, against whatsoever sort of Nonconfor- mists, or recusants, be immediately suspended." Forest of Rossendale. 203 whose seed distributed in places widely apart, took root, grew, and flourished, and year by year, to this day, has mightily increased. Mitchel, who was the elder by a few years, was probably the more earnest of the two disciples. His preaching seems to have been peculiarly obnoxious to those in authority, for on two occasions — the first time at Goodshaw Chapel — he was taken prisoner under the Conventicle Act. In his hfetime he published several sermons, and in 1707, the year after his death, a work which he had left behind him in MS., entitled " Jachin and Boaz; or. The Faith and Order of God's House," was also published, being edited by his kinsman, David Crossley, who wrote a preface to the work, giving a sketch of the life of its author. In this it is stated that " in reading, meditation, and prayer he was unwearied. In going to hear the Word of God, though many miles, in dark nights, and over dismal mountains, I and others who were his constant companions, must say he was no less indefatigable. In his preaching he set forth the free grace of the Gospel with that peculiar fervour, simplicity, and application which presently brought crowds of people from divers parts to hear him. Many at first designed only to gratify their curiosity, _yet they soon found their hearts and consciences so effectually touched, that they could not but confess a dispensation of the Gospel was committed to him. Some came like Ishmael to scoff, and not a few like Michal despised him in their hearts. But those who had patience to hear him, usually met with such Scripture evidence in his doctrine, and with such plain marks of the genuine simplicity of his pretensions, that they were often heard to say, ' The Lord is with him of a truth.'" He was the first settled minister at Cloughfold, and died in 1706, aged 44 years. Of Crossley it is recorded that in his early life he was a friend of John Bunyan the Immortal Dreamer; and in his advanced age he cultivated the acquaintance of George \Vhitefield. He was the first pastor of the Baptist Church at Bacup. "It is said on good authority that he was by occupation in his youth a stone mason, and assisted at the erection of a building at Walsden, at no great 204 History of the distance from Todmorden, labouring all the day, and preaching somewhere in the neighbourhood at night." {b) Mr. Crossley was reputed to be one of the most popular preachers of his day. In the pulpit his delivery was as eloquent as his appearance was com- manding. He was said to be "the largest man in the county where he resided ; for twenty years together he weighed, upon an average, twenty stone." {c) For a number of years he occupied a small farm named " Tatop," a little above Crawshawbooth — the farm still bears the name. He died at the latter part of the year 1744, in the 75th year of his age, and was buried in the grave- yard of the Episcopal Chapel at Goodshaw. He was the author of the following works : — i. "Samson, a Type of Christ :" a sermon, a commendatory preface to which was written by the Rev. George Whitefield. 2. " Adam, where art thou ? or, The Serious Parley ;" a poem. 3. " The Old Man's Legacy to his Daughters." This work was edited by Mr. Crossley, only ; but he added something of his own, on the advice of his friends, " That the Orphan Legacy might not venture abroad a second time without Company." (An edition had been published by him forty years before.) 4. " The Triumph of Sovereign Grace ; or, A Brand plucked from out of the Fire ; being the substance of a funeral discourse preached at Bacup, May 23rd, 1742, at the request, and on the occasion of the death of Lawrence Britliffe, late of Cliviger, near Burnley, who was executed at Lancaster, at the Lent Assizes, 1742." (^d) It is said that a congregation of above four thousand people assembled in the open air to listen to this discourse. In its published form it occupies 127 pages 1 2 mo. The Baptist Church in Rossendale, at its formation, consisted of the united worshippers of Bacup and Cloughfold, and continued (6) Appendix to the " Life of John Hirst,' p. 321. (c) Ibid, p. 326. (rf) Lawrence Britliffe, executed at Lancaster in 1742, for having caused (unintentionally, it is believed) the death of .1 person at Holmes Chapel Wakes. The two had quarrelled, and Britliffe struck his opponent with a curdle or churnstaff, killing him on the spot. Forest of Rossendale. 205 so to exist until the year 17 10, when they became two distinct Societies. The old School or Meeting-House in Bacup, which I have had occasion repeatedly to mention, was the first building in Rossendale erected for the use of the Baptists. It was built expressly for Messrs. Mitchel and Crossley, and failing these, for all Dissenting Ministers of the Protestant Religion. These facts appear in the Trust Deed of the Building, dated April 16, 1692, from which the following extracts, minutely describing the uses to which it was to be applied, are made. *■ The original Feoffees in trust were John Lord, Broadclough ; Lawrence Lord, Greensnook ; John Hoyle, Bacopboothe, and John Holden, Priest-boothe. The Building was to be used — " I. For the purpose of a School-house. " 2. For the use of David Crossley and William Mitchel, both from Yorkshire, preachers of the Word of God, and of the doctrine of Christ, to pray, preach, and worship in, as often as they shall have occasion, and in their absence for all other such like ministers, now called or styled Protestant Dissenters. If two or more such ministers shall want the place for this purpose at the same time, the feoffees shall have the power to dispose of the place during the time the Dissenters shall be prohibited pubhc worship, and when liberty is granted again, the said David Crossley and William Mitchel shall have the use of the meeting-house in preference to others." From the Deed of Admission, bearing date April 20th, 1694, a copy of which is now before me, we find that the plot or parcel of land was thirty yards in length, and sixteen yards in breadth, or thereabouts ; that it belonged to John Whitaker, of Broadclough, from whom it was purchased for the sum of Thirty Pounds {e) by the Trustees or Feoffees before mentioned ; that at the date of the Surrender it was in the Tenure or occupation of Joseph Ashworth, that it was of the Manor of Accrington Newhold, and that it was subject to the yearly rent to the Lady of the Manor of One Penny. (e) Mr. Hargreaves, in his " Lite of Hirst," states ^% whicfi 1 take to be an error. 2o6 History of the Crossley at his decease was succeeded in the ministry at Bacup by Henry Lord, an able preacher, but, as his subse- quent derehction proved, scarcely suited to the sacred office. Dissensions began to arise amongst the members and congregation, many of them preferring the ministry of Joseph Piccop, a mem- ber of the same body, and a preacher of great promise. These dissensions continued, and the result was, the formation of a second Baptist Society in the town, the "New Meeting-House" being ultimately erected for their use. This was begun and completed in the latter half of the year 1746. Mr. Hargreaves in his life of Hirst gives some extracts from the Building accounts which are exceedingly interesting as affording a glimpse of the state of the labour market at that period. Compared with present times, the difference will be found to be sufficiently striking. I have taken the liberty to quote these extracts at length. Mr s To Richard Lord, Dr. 1746. £ s. d. July 22. — To I day's work at ground work o on ,, 23. —To \ a day i horse and self leading stone o o loj ,, 26. — To I day i do. do o i g ,, 30. — To I day self filling stone o on ,, 3'- — To I day self and 2 horses leading corners, o 2 7 Aug. 16. — To I day self and Jemmy and 2 horses o 3 i Sept. 1 1 . — To I day self, 2 horses, and cart o 211 Mr To David Hardman, Dr. To Robert Hardman, 6 days To Matthew do 47 „ To David do 73 ,, £, ^. A. 126 come to 6 16 6 Abatement since the days grew short o 2 8 Due 6 13 10 Other expenses were proportionable, as for instance : — 1746. £ s. d. Aug. 16. — Paid to W. Roberts for three dinners and drink, o 010 ,, 30. — Paid to do. for 5 dinners, o i 3 Sept. 5. - Paid to do. for meat and drink at the Rearing 010 o Forest of Rossendale. 207 The original chapel in Lane Head Lane becoming too small, was taken down and rebuilt in the year 1778 ; and in 1783, owing to the congregation continuing to increase, a gallery was erected. In 181 1 the Building was again pulled down, and a new Chapel capable of seating 900 people erected the year following. This latter has in its turn undergone material alterations, being almost entirely rebuilt, and converted into a spacious and beautiful School, which was opened Dec. 30, 1865. An entirely new- Chapel was completed, and opened by the Rev. Hugh Stowell Brown, in September, 1870. The structure is handsome and commodious in all respects, and provides sitting accommodation for 1,000 people. Of the Cloughfold section of the early "Baptist Church in Rossendale," the following particulars are given in the writings there preserved. "On the 20th of March, 1703, was surrendered, by William Heap into the hands of Richard Holden, Simeon Lord, and John Hartley, the sum of £i,o, for ever thereafter to be laid out, employed, disposed of, and improved, to the best advantage, and one fourth part of the profits arising from the purchase to be given to Mr. William Mitchel of Bradford, Yorkshire, Clerk, during his life ; and the three remaining parts thereof, and the said fourth part, after the decease of the said William Mitchel, unto the use and towards the maintenance of such person and persons as for the time being, and from time to time, for ever thereafter should be the ministers, pastors and teachers of the society or congregation of dissenting Protestants, at Cloughfold and Bacup, within the Forest of Rossendale." From the above it appears that Bacup, before the division of the original Society into two bodies, was a joint participator with Cloughfold in Mr. Heap's bequest or gift of the profits to be derived from the investment of the ^40. But the following further provision occurs: — " Provided always, and it is hereby agreed and declared that as often as there shall be at the same time two or more such Protestant Dissenting Ministers of the said Societies or Congregations at Bacopp and Cloughfold aforesaid, 2o8 History of the they the said Trustees and their Executors may apply and dispose of the Interest and Increase of the forty pounds to such of the said Ministers as the Trustees or the major part of them shall think fit, a fourth part for the use of the said William Mitchel only excepted.*' On the nth February, 1705, "Robert Lichford, formerly of Blakely, in the County of Lancaster, gentleman, surrendered into the hands of the Lord and Lady of the Manor of Accrington, all that edifice or building standing within Cloughfold in the said Manor, heretofore purchased by him from one James Townend, to the use and behoof of Richard Holden, Richard Ashworth of Tunstead, Simeon Lord and John Hartley, who shall at all times for ever thereafter stand and be seised of the said edifice, for the use and benefit of -all such Protestant Dissenters called Anabaptists, or Independents, within the Forest of Rossendale, and the places adjacent, as shall there from time to time assemble for religious worship, when the same shall be made fit and commodious for a chapel or meeting-house." The same liberal donor by his last Will and Testament, dated January 28th, 17 10, gave and bequeathed unto the said Trustees for ever, the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds upon trust, that they should lay out and dispose of, or invest at interest or in an annuity, or otherwise to best advantage, the said sum, at their discretion, and from time to time employ and dispose of all the rents and profit^, or increase thereof, (save and except the yearly sum of forty shillings to be given to the poor as directed,) for the use and benefit of such person or persons, as from time to time should be the minister, pastor, or teacher of the said congregation, provided they should not at any time thereafter neglect or forbear to assemble themselves at the said chapel for the exercise of religious worship by the space of six weeks in any one year. No mention is here made of Bacup, the bequest being to Cloughfold alone. By this time the two sections of the original Baptist Church in Rossendale had become distinct and separate Societies. Forest of Rossendale. 209 During times of alteration or rebuilding, the congregation at Cloughfold has on more than one occasion assembled for divine service in the unfinished erection, in order to secure the bequest, and fulfil the provision of the will, that they should never be at one time, six weeks without preaching at the said chapel. The two endowments referred to above, have accumulated, the ;^40 to ;^S5, and the ^"150 to £,20'^, being ^260 in the whole ; a very small augmentation, when the length of time, and the increase of the value of property in the district, are taken into account. A great want of foresight on the part of the earlier Trustees was displayed in the disposition of the two bequests. Had the original sum, instead of being put out at simple interest, been invested in the purchase of land, the increase in the realisable capital would probably now have been tenfold. But even this small accumulation is accidental, and is to be accounted for in this way, that during a certain number of years in the course of its existence, the church was without a minister, and consequently, the interest instead of being paid away was added to the capital. About the year 1750, a small chapel was built at Lumb for the use of the Baptists residing in that neighbourhood. The circum- stances which led to its erection are worth recalling. The inhabi- tants of the Lumb and Dean valleys have long been favourably known for their musical skill ; and to cultivate their love of the art, it has been their custom for generations to hold meetings for practice in each others' houses. Sacred music was 'CasSx forte, as it continues to be to this day, and it would seem to have exercised a hallowing influence upon their minds. Of these singers, John Nuttall and several others became members of the Baptist church at Bacup, then under the ministry of Joseph Piccop, and by their example and exhortations, and the reading aloud of religious authors at the musical gatherings, many were led to follow in their footsteps. Though the meeting-house at Lumb was built in 1750, three years elapsed before a church was formed. In May 1753, ' the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was first administered to the 2IO History of the assembled members, John Nuttall having been chosen as their minister. After having been in existence at Lumb for some time, the congregation, for reasons not explicitly known, but probably to extend their influence and usefulness, moved in the year 1760 to the more populous neighbourhood of Goodshaw, where they had •prepared a chapel, The meeting-house at Lumb was denuded of its furniture, and the pulpit and seats were carried on the backs of the congregation over the intervening hills to the newly erected domicile. Here Mr. Nuttall settled and continued to minister until his death on March 30th, 1792, aged 76, having successfully laboured among the people for the space of forty-five years. The other Baptist Chapels in the district are of much more recent origin than those of Bacup, Cloughfold, and Goodshaw, and in the table given below the respective dates of their founda- tion are stated. From the early Baptist Churches in Rossendale have sprung a numerous progeny of kindred societies. The Baptist Churches at Rawden, near Leeds ; Heatton, near Bradford ; Gildersome and Hartwith, in Nidderdale; Rodhillend, near Todmorden ; Stoneslack, near Heptonstall ; Salendine Nook, and Cowling Hill, all confess their Rossendale parentage. The following Table (/) gives some particulars of the present position of this denomination in Rossendale. The names of the Churches are placed in the order of the date of their foundation. (f) Compiled chiefly from returns given n the Baptist Hand Book for 1893. Forest of Rossendale. 21 I o O 3 S s^ ui • • . -C •sjaqoB9jd 'i- •-I Cl M *-i VO O HHQO CO jTiao-j •SJE10l)DS ^ ioior>»ci c^o^"-" o ou-j o O d o »o O lO o CO OSlOlOO -TfTf^OOCO c^co 0\ C^ C« Cl O O tJ- w lO -r C-: Tj- u-1 « w lo H^ CO - N Tj- « •SjaqoEaj_ *?2, CI locorv- (M li^-^ v:\o r^ »0 « C) lo t>,y:> C\ looqDS -S CO OS « n-^c^NH l-tWO - cococi coco ^ •gfigl UI *=s. CO lO o c^oo lO t^Cl -rf- C) « IN r}- M ^ \0 ^ 2^ CO l>.(MOO Td-t^-^CO tn -Tf dn NH o coco sjaquiaj^ N w "- -I « CN « CO .9^ o oooocooo o o o o o o o •S}B3S o o OOOU-jOOOClO l>.CO CO X Cl lO lO o> O lOiO O li^ o o coo VO Cl CO ID CO •uouBpunoj C] O Li !7 CO- -ccvo i-r^iN. u-j« Cl CJ Tj-rfTt-t- C) CO ^Tj- t^ « N JO ajEQ - o ^ « t^X coco coco OO CO « CO CO ^ CO X CO 0) « „ !E S- Q. - r? -2 3 CL 1 Q MZei .-^ S'o -« c 3 CQ zz •ilPii Mrt o n £ S ^ -0 ~S o O o « G [Ij Amongst the Baptist Churches in Rossendale have appeared several men who were remarkable for their abihty as ministers of the Gospel. To Mitchel and Crossley reference has already been 2 1 2 History of the made. Joseph Piccop, who may be considered as the legitimate successor of Crossley at Bacup— the church under Henry Lord having eventually become extinct— was a man cast in no ordinary mould. Born and nurtured in the humblest possible circumstances, for even in his manhood he was at first only a day-labourer, lacking the rudiments of education, and far removed from the knowledge and wisdom which Colleges are supposed to impart, he yet rose to distinction as a public teacher ; and on frequent occasions in the metropolis (for he often visited London) his eloquent and earnest discourses were hstened to and admired by those best capable of judging of their worth. Mr. Hargreaves relates an anecdote of the man, which serves to exhibit one phase of his character. " Mr. Piccop," says the author of the life of John Hirst, " being engaged for the first time to preach at a certain chapel in the city, arrived at the vestry and sat down as an unknown stranger. It should be remarked that Mr. Piccop did not make a very genteel appearance. The hour appointed for the service approached, and several people came into the vestry. After waiting some time in expectation of the Preacher's arrival, they began to express their fears of a disappoint- ment. Mr. Piccop suffered their patience to be pretty well tried, and then, after inquiring if the hour was come, arose and ascended the pulpit, to the no small astonishment and disgust of the people. Their behaviour in the commencement of the services, betrayed their uneasiness and disapprobation. After prayer they appeared a little more reconciled to the preacher. Before Mr. Piccop read his text, which on that occasion was Amos iii. 12, it is reported that he spoke to the following effect : ' That there is nothing very inviting in my outward appearance is evident to all ; and whether there is anything within that will be more engaging, is not for me to say ; but of that you will be better able to judge for yourselves presently — however, such as I have, I give. I will set before you "Two legs, and a piece of an ear,'" and then he proceeded marvellously to expound and apply his singular text. A certain gentleman who had been very agreeably disappointed, Forest of Rossendale. 2 I thanking Mr. Piccop for the discourse, hinted that he had exceeded the usual time, observing that he should have noticed his watch. Mr. Piccop, in his rustic simplicity, informed him that he never had a watch in his life, upon which the gentleman drew his from his pocket and presented it to him, declaring he should not be without one any longer. Such was his popularity in London, that a congregation would have assembled to hear him at five o'clock in the morning." He was born at Loveclough, near Crawshaw- booth, and died there in September 1772, the immediate cause of his death being cancer in the breast. His remains lie buried within Ebenezer Chapel-yard, Bacup. John Hirst, the successor of Piccop, and who ministered at Bacup during a period of forty-two years, was also in many respects a remarkable man. He was born at Rochdale in 1736, and was the youngest of seven children. The circumstances of his early years were not promising — nay, they were altogether unpropitious ; yet, by his native strength of mind and diligent and determined spirit, he became a preacher of great originality and power, and left his mark upon the times. He died June 15th, 1815, in the 79th year of his age, and was buried by the side of Piccop, his worthy predecessor. His aged widow, who was ten years his senior, survived him only fifteen days. CHAPTER VI. " Ye Doctors of Divinity Of decent reasons full, This man is rich where ye are bare, And bright where ye are dull. With his strange creed, And logic loose arrayed. He is a worker hath sown seed Where ye ne'er raised a spade." AS the names of Mitchel and Crossley are intimately inter- woven with the rise and progress of the Baptist denomi- nation in Rossendale, so much so, that it is impossible to speak of the latter without referring to the former ; so in Hke manner the names of William Darney and John Maden, are inseparably connected with the introduction of Methodism into the district. I propose to furnish a short sketch of the life of the first Rossendale Methodist, and incidentally to mark the rise in this neighbourhood of the important sect to which he belonged. Mr. Maden was born near Bacup on the 4th day of December, 1724. In his younger years Methodism was just beginning to make headway throughout the country, but it was quite unknown in the Forest of Rossendale, and it was chiefly owing to his instrumentality that it was introduced into this district. One of the " New Sort of Preachers," as they were then termed, (for the name " Methodist " had not yet been applied to them,) was announced to preach in a barn at Gauksholme, near Todmorden, and Mr. Maden was induced by an acquaintance to go and hear him. The preaching of Mr. William Darney, for that was the minister's name, produced a deep and lasting impression on the Forest of Rossendale. 215 mind of Mr. Maden, and he shortly afterwards united himself to a small band of persons (ten in number) at Todmorden, zealous followers of their great leader, John Wesley. The new convert was earnest and enthusiastic in the faith he had espoused, and accordingly we find him, in fair weather and in foul, on week-days as well as on the Sabbath, at his place in the meeting-house, though the latter was five or six miles distant from his home. Mr. Maden soon became desirous that a society should be formed in Rossendale, and with this object in view he invited Mr. Darney over, who, in response to the invitation, came, and in the year 1744 preached for the first time in this part of the country at Heap Barn, situated in the fields, a little to the north-west of Sharneyford, on the Todmorden Road. He afterwards preached at Miller Barn, in Wolfenden Booth, where a society was formed, the first of the kind in Rossendale, of which Mr. Maden was constituted the leader. The office of leader was no easy or enviable one in those days of single-handed effort, but Mr. Maden was possessed of an earnest indomitable spirit, not easily to be subdued or turned aside, and the work he undertook to accomplish greatly prospered in his hands. Kindred societies were soon afterwards formed by his efforts, aided by others who had espoused the tenets of the new sect, and for many years they were known by the name of '• William Darney Societies," in honour of their founder in Rossendale. Mr. Maden now married, and his wife held views similar to his own, but she lived only three years after their union. At this time he took a farm in the neighbourhood, and opened his house for divine service, having made a pulpit for the use of the preachers. It is highly probable that Messrs. Darney, Maskew, Colbeck, and others, celebrated in the early days of Methodism, officiated in this pulpit. The congregation increasing, another house was taken, which in turn very soon proved too small to contain those that came to worship. The use of the Baptist meeting-house, or "the old school," as it was called, was then obtained for a short time, and 2 1 6 History of the here the society continued its labours. To accommodate the increasing congregation, though the number of members continued small, and consisted mostly of poor people, " Mr. Maden con- ceived the design of building a chapel." The dilificulties which had to be overcome in the carrying out of this project were very great, for, in addition to the poverty of the societies, popular prejudice was opposed to them, and threw many obstacles in their way. On this subject the remarks of the Rev. Samuel Taylor, (a) at one time a minister in this circuit, are worth quoting, and we give them entire. "The difficulties attending the enterprise appeared almost insurmountable ; but he (Mr. Maden) and two others, going to hear Mr. Bennet preach, the building of a chapel became the subject of a conversation on their return. J. Maden and J. Earnshaw engaged to give a sum of money sufficient to purchase a piece of ground ; while N. Slater, in the simplicity of his heart, promised sixpence^ which he then produced, saying, ' It is all I have at present, but I will give more when I get it.' These, with the aid of the poor society, were the first subscriptions towards building the chapel at Bacup. Having some knowledge of architecture, brother Maden also promised one hundred days' work ; and sometimes while the mason (^) was employed in dressing the stones, he went into the country to collect, money for the carrying on of the work. Soon after the foundation was laid the whole weight of the undertaking devolved upon him ; which after many obstructions, was completed free from any pecuniary burden ; when it was opened by the venerable founder of Methodism. On this memor- able and jpyous occasion, the subject of this memoir poured forth his devout heart in the elevated language of the royal Psalmist, - How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! my soul longeth, yea, (a) We are mainly indebted for -the particulars contained in the present chapter to an account of the Life of John Maden, by the Rev Samuel Taylor, which appeared in the Methodist Magazine for July 1811. (4) Mark the expression, " the mason." There appears to have been only one mason employed. Forest of Rossendale. 217 even fainteth for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the Hving God.' Having been a principal instrument in building a house for the Lord, our brother gratefully enjoyed the privilege of hearing the doctrines of Salvation explained, enforced, and defended ; and of worshipping the Lord Jehovah in spirit and in truth. The building which was raised as a Chapel, as above described, still stands in Lane Head Lane ; but it has undergone alterations since the days of its erection. Not very long ago it was occupied as a school. A portion of it is now converted into cottages, and in the other portion were recently heard the sound of the saw and the plane, where once the voice of John Wesley resounded. With reference to his visit to Bacup on this occasion, the following entry occurs in Mr. Wesley's Journal : — "Tuesday, July 14th, 1761. About noon I preached at Bacup, a village in Rossendale. The new preaching house is large, but not large enough to contain the congregation." (c) Like all great movements which have set their seal upon men, the early history of Methodism presents a picture of anxious and unceasing struggling against the prejudices and ignorance of man- (f) The following extracts, from the Rev. John Wesley's Journal, have reference to other visits which he paid to Rossendale, besides the one mentioned above : — "Thursday, May 7, 1747. We left the mountains (around Todmorden) and came down to the fruitful valley of Rossendale. Here I preached to a large congregation of wild men ; but it pleased God to hold them in chains. So that even svhen I had done, none offered any rudeness, but all went quietly away." "Wednesday, August 30th, 1766. I rode (from Padlham) to Rossendale, which, notwithstanding its name, is little else than a chain of mountains. The rain in the evening obliged me to preach in the new house, near a village called New Church. As many as could crowded in, and many more stood at the door. But many were constrained to go away." "Thursday, 31. I preached at Bacup, and then rode on to Heptonstall.'' "Tuesday, April 13, 1779. I preached at nine to a crowded audience in the new house at Bacup." 2i8 History of the kind. Poverty also, as in the present instance, would sometimes stand up with huge shoulders, in the forward front, narrowing still more the narrow path ; but the devoted few throughout the coun- try toiled on, a heroic band of faithful workers, till the highest peak in the hill of Difficulty was surmounted, and the wide expanse of table-land was seen to stretch broad on the right hand, and on the left, and away in the fore distance till the horizon was its only boundary. Here they rested, so much nearer heaven than when they set out on their enterprise, and verily they had their reward. Poor Slater's humble contribution is apt to provoke a smile ; but was he not the counterpart of that poor widow, of whom the Great Master, when He saw her cast her mite into the treasury, said — " Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury ; for all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living " ? Mr. Maden entered into business, but was unsuccessful at first, and this caused him much trouble and anxiety of mind. He after- wards recovered himself, however, for it is said that he was possessed of four farms when he died, (d) Mr. Maden married a second time. The following account of his death is given by the Rev. Samuel Taylor : — "A little before he finished his earthly career, he said to a friend who called to see him : ' I and my partner in life have reason to bless God for all His mercies. She has proved a helpmate indeed. We have taken sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in company.' He exhorted his children to live in peace with one another, and having, like the venerable Patriarch, ' made an end of commanding them, he gathered up his feet, and yielded up the ghost.' " (rf) He seems to have been of an ingenious turn, for he was the first that applied wheels to the old Booking Shuttles to make them run smoothly. Before this improvement two persons were required, one on each side of the loom, to propel the heavy shuttle backward and forward : with the wheels affixed one person can perform the work with ease. Forest of Rossendale. 219 He was interred at Bacup. His grave is near to the front entrance to Mount Pleasant Chapel. The following is the inscription on the tombstone : — " Beneath this stone are deposited the earthly remains of John Maden, who having been an ornamental and useful member of the Methodist Society nearly 65 years, left this world in joyful hope of a better, April 21, 1809, in the 85th year of his age." William Darney, who was a Scotchman, was a preacher of much originality and power ; a man in many respects calculated to be the pioneer of a great movement. Of an ardent temperament, and courageous to a degree, he courted opposition that he might brave and defy it. In the prosecution of his arduous and self-denying labours, he suffered persecution and imprisonment. "His wild notes, at first like a discordant tone, were preparatory to the richest harmony. There was a rich vein of evangelical truth in his preaching, looking occasionally to the Calvinistic side of the question, and often delivered with the quaintness of some of the old Puritan Preachers, which pleased and profited many. Perhaps, too, his popularity was not diminished by his frequently, at the close of his sermon, giving out an extemporary hymn, adapted to the subject upon which he had been discoursing." («) The rapid progress of the Methodist denomination throughout the country generally, and within the Forest of Rossendale in particular, affords a striking example of what may be accomplished by united and voluntary effort. The affairs of the body are conducted with an amount of shrewdness and energy which com- mand our admiration and respect. Amongst their members are to be found many who have been highly successful in business ; and these have contributed to the advancement of the society with a conspicuous and praiseworthy liberality. The number of Methodist Chapels of all kinds within the Forest is twenty-two. Of these, ten belong to the old ^Vesleyans, seven to the United Methodists, and five to the Primitives ; 2,500 being about the aggregate number of members. (c) Everett's Wesleyan Methodism in Manchester, and its vicinity, p. 32. 220 History of the The Friends, or Quakers, established themselves in Rossendale about, or shortly after, the middle of the seventeenth century. Their first place of meeting was in a small walled, but roofless enclosure at Chapel Hill (hence the name), a considerable eminence bounding the valley to the north-east of Rawtenstall. This enclo- sure was also used as their burying-place, as appears by the following inscription above the entrance : " Friends' Burial Ground, 1663. The walls rebuilt 1847." At one time a stone ledge ran round the walls, inside, and this afforded sitting accommodation to the worshippers. Later, until the erection in 17 16 of their present Meeting-house at Crawshawbooth, they were accustomed to assemble in one of the rooms of a farm-house near to the same place. The first interment in the burial ground at Chapel Hill took place in 1663, and the last in 1849. The first interment at Crawshawbooth in 1728. In the earlier years of their existence, the Friends suffered persecution for conscience sake. The Crawshawbooth register records cases of imprisonment in Lancaster Castle on account of tithes, and in other matters bears witness to the intolerance e.xercised towards the members of this small community in Rossendale. Representatives of the Quaker families of Gurney, Field, and Fox, occasionally attended the Meeting-house at Crawshawbooth about the beginning of the century ; and the celebrated Elizabeth Fry held public meetings there in 1818 and 1828. Their numbers in Rossendale, never very considerable, have gradually diminished to about twelve at the present time. The Unitarians have places of worship at Rawtenstall and Newchurch respectively. The original chapel at Rawtenstall, erected in 1760, is now, and for many years past has been, used as a joiner's shop or warehouse. Many interments took place within it ; amongst others, that of the minister, John Ingham, of Crawshawbooth, who officiated in it for fifty-one years, down to the time of his decease in 1833. A tablet to his memory is in the New Chapel. The old school in the Fold, at Rawtenstall, was originally intended to have been built as an upper room over this chapel, but it was subsequently erected on a separate plot of Rp. T'^"^^, o o X CO. < '■J CO p O CO C Forest of Rossendale. 221 copyhold ground near, given by George Pickup, and conveyed by him to John Pickup and others in trust on the 31st of August, 18 15. This school was partly built by subscription ; and, according to the surrender, was intended for the purpose of a master from time to time to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, and to instruct and educate the present and future generations of children residing in the township of Lower Booths and elsewhere, pursuant to certain rules set forth in a book of statutes bearing equal date with the surrender. And also for a free school on Sundays, for a master or masters to teach children to- read the Bible and other useful and necessary learning in the English language. A list of the subscribers, in the possession of the late Henry King, of Oakley, gives £^1^ 3s. as the sum collected towards the erection of the building. The Trust Deed of the Chapel bears date May 17th, 1760, the building being put in trust " for the use of Protestant Dissenters distinguished by the name of Independents, so long as there was a minister to preach in it, and a congregation to meet in it, that could and should subscribe unto a Book of Articles, entitled, ' An answer to every one that asketh a reason of the hope that is in us.' " The first minister was Richard Whittaker, who preached here about twenty years, and he was succeeded by John Ingham, above mentioned. When the minister and congregation became Unitarian, about 1821, they obtained a yearly grant from the Trustees of Lady Hewley's Fund. The new chapel at Rawtenstall was erected in 1853 ; that at Newchurch about 1816. The Independents have one chapel in Rossendale, viz., at Bacup. They began meeting in 1848, and in 1852 they occupied a room in Union Street, Mr. Waite being the first minister. The present chapel, in South Street, was built in 1853. There are altogether over seventy places of worship in Rossendale. All of these (except the Friends) have one or more Sunday Schools, and many of them Day Schools attached, though the latter are being gradually taken over by the School Boards. BOOK SIXTH - > ♦♦♦ < CHAPTER I. "All men are interested in their ancestors. All men love to look back into the days that are past." T. Love Peacock,— rAe Four Ages of Poetry. rpHE question has been asked : From whence did the bulk of -*- the original inhabitants of Rossendale spring ? I have devoted some attention to the subject, and am led to the conclu- sion that it was from Pendle and the district around it, including Clitheroe and some distance northward, and also in a southerly direction winding down towards Blackburn on the west, to Burnley on the east, that the original inhabitants of Rossendale, at the time of the disforesting or " Granting of the Forests," three hundred and eighty-six years ago, and during subsequent years, actually came. My chief reasons for arriving at this conclusion are these : If we recognize the circumstances of the two districts, there will be found striking coincidences to incline the people one to the other ; and if we examine the distinctive names of many of the places and objects in and about Pendle, Clitheroe, and the adjacent country, and com- pare them with names of places and objects in Rossendale, we shall find not only a similarity or family hkeness, but in some instances a positive identity, thus : Both Pendle and Rossendale are of the same hilly character ; both were part of the Ancient " Forest of Blackburnshire " in early days, and they have always been under the same lord of the honor. Forest of Rosse7idale. 223 These three broad facts constitute the general circumstances associating the two places. Then, as regards the names of places and objects : The main stream running through Pendle was called " Pendle water," just as the Irwell was formerly called " Rossendale water." For example : In the Palatine Note Book, Vol. III., p. 210, it is stated (being an extract from an ancient writing) that " Richard de Radcliffe, of Ordsall, Manchester, [son of John de Radcliffe, Chevalier of Ordsall] Escheator of Lancashire, was drowned in Rossendale Water in the year 1380." " Rossendale Water," i.e., the water coming down from or having its rise in Rossendale. Further, there is Newchurch in Pendle, and the river Whitewell in Bowland ; we have Newchurch also and the river Whitewell in Rossendale. In Pendle, there is Walverden [Wolverden], in Rossendale we have Wolfenden. In Pendle, Rough Lee Booth, we have Rough Lee in Rossendale. There is a Goldshaw Booth in Pendle, and a Goodshaw Booth in Rossen- dale. Old Laund Booth, Pendle, and a Laund in Rossendale. In Rattonclough, there is a near resemblance to Rawtenstall. In Pendle and the surrounding district, there are also Dean, Pike Law, Hey Houses, Lane Head, Lane Side, Sykes, Crawshaw Hill, Blackwood, Bull Hole, Hollins, New Hall, Healdwood, Carr Hall, Green Nook, Trough Laith, Water Barn, Rake Head, all of which names have their close counterpart in Rossendale. I,ooking at this remarkable list, it must be granted that the similarity, and in many cases the identity which exists between the names in the two districts, is not a matter of mere accident, but that the origin of the names, or rather their application, must have arisen in the mutual intercourse that existed between the inhabi- tants of the one district and the other. The identity, which is indeed too strikingly obvious to be ignored, cannot be explained in any other way. It is quite admissible to assume that some of the names may have been carried northward from Rossendale, for, without doubt, Rossendale could lend as well as borrow— there would, in short, be an interchange of names, less or more, though it is highly probable 2 24 History of the that the bulk of them came south, from the mother-district of CHtheroe. That there was this intercourse in those early days there can be no question — an intercourse amounting to association and inter- marriage, and commerce (using the word in its original sense) between the two, by reason of identity of circumstances, interests and natural affinity. The district from Burnley and Blackburn to Clitheroe, Pendle, and beyond, was more accessible to and from Rossendale than any other of the adjacent districts. There are no fewer than three direct roads at the present time leading from Rossendale to Burnley, and thence branching off to Blackburn to the left, namely : — Through Crawshawbooth ; through Newchurch, Lumb and Water ; and by way of Broadclough, Bacup. And although these roads, as they exist at present, are of comparatively recent construction, yet, there can be no manner of doubt, that there have been, from days immemorial, footpaths or tracks in the same direction. All the lime for building purposes was brought from Clitheroe by way of these tracks on the backs of horses, or " lime gals " as they were called, until within comparatively recent times. Again, it is well known, that before the erection in 151 1 (3d Henry VIII.) of the Chapel of Ease (as it was originally called), at Newchurch, the Castle and Church of Clitheroe was the Parish Church of Rossendale. And although the distance was great, about fifteen miles as the crow flies, and the way in those days leading between Rossendale and the said Parish Church was " very foul, painful and hillous " (quoting the description given in the decree of the Duchy Chancellor 4th Edward VI.), the inhabitants of Rossendale, or such of them as were not too infirm to under- take the journey, regularly attended the mother church at Clitheroe. Rossendale marriages were solemnized there, infants from the Forest were taken there to be christened, and the dead were carried hence to Clitheroe to be buried. Associations of this kind are the most binding in human nature. There was thus a constant Forest of Rossendale. 225 and familiar and family intercourse between the scattered inhabitants of the Forest of Rossendale and those of the district where their Parish Church was situated, and frequent meetings, visitings, and junkettings would be the result. The Forest servants of the lord of the honor naturally came from Clitheroe, and the herdsmen in charge of the cattle belong- ing to VVhalley Abbey in the grazing lands in Rossendale that were at that time the property of the Abbot and monks, were sent here from the same district. The original chapel at Newchurch was undoubtedly erected largely by contributions from Whalley Abbey, to meet the spiritual wants of the then Catholic inhabitants. Further, nearly all the present characteristic Rossendale surnames, notably the Howarths, Haworths, Holts, Rostrons, Whittakers (spelt with both single and double t), are to be found in the neighbourhood in question, and they are particularly abundant in the Blackburn direction. The characteristics of the native inhabitants of both places or districts are also very similar to this day, the chief of these being a stolid exterior appearance, relieved and brightened by a rough and ready, but not unkindly humour, expressed with a persistent adherence to dialectical speech, even in cases where a certain culture might be expected to eradicate the tendency. It will be understood that I am dealing only with the undoubted Rossendalian. It is only by going back to, and making a study of, the original stock in both districts, that the characteristics mentioned are to be observed. The remarks do not apply to all the inhabitants of Rossendale, or even the bulk of them, at the present day. _ The continual influx and reflux of population, and even the nature and vicissitudes of trade and occupation produce changes of character and temperament, and modify the peculiarities of race even in those instances where it is purest. The inhabitants of the Forest of Rossendale are proverbial for their shrewd, enterprising character. Possessing largely the faculty of acquiring and accumulating money, they combine therewith the 226 History of the gift of a wise economy in spending it. With praiseworthy industry they have surrounded their firesides with 'those material comforts which are denied by Nature to the barren and unfruitful soil of their district. And yet to charge Nature with withholding her bountiful hand were ungenerous : the abundant supply of coal, the almost inexhaustible mines of excellent stone which crop out on every slope, and the numberless streams that travel down the hill- sides to the bosom of the ample valley below ; all these, Nature has bestowed on Rossendale with lavish prodigality, and all have contributed to raise her to her present importance as a manufactur- ing district. There is little of what is called "ancient blood" in the locality. A few of the oldest families can trace their ancestors back through two or three centuries, but the chief men of wealth and position in Rossendale have risen from the ranks, and with little ostentation and display they yet surround themselves with the substantial com- forts and even the elegancies of life. One key to the secret of the success and growing importance of Rossendale is to be found in the circumstance that the spirit of absenteeism has never prevailed to any extent amongst those who have amassed fortunes in the district. They live, as a rule, in the locality, and many of them take an active interest in its progress. The numerous tasteful residences which adorn the hill-sides, and whose cultivated grounds, neatly laid out and planted, relieve the landscape, are evidence of a healthy state of feeling, and of a pre- vailing desire that the prosperity of the district shall be as permanent as it has been rapid. In order to show the measure of this prosperity and the rate of its increase within the present century, I have compiled the subjoined table of the annual value of the rateable property in the several townships comprised within the Forest of Rossendale in the several years named. The area of each Township or Booth is also given : — Forest of Rossendale. 227 w <: Q w CO C/5 o (^ o H W o ^ c>5 ^ -V. •. N Tj- t^ r^ in ONOO « - « 10 iO vo -^ CO n ^10 t^ ocoo CO in u « Tf « ^ VI C) a\ < \o i* M ^ tt Tf r^ M ^ X X X -. tH *^ C\ ^3 t-^ PI CO CO r^ ^ 10 ^ CO - vo ^ r^o ■o r^ CO TT ei m C\ U CO cu CO « H- ^ HH 10 CI Cl 10 0\ a C) CJ c\ CO - ^ Tj- -hX 'I- -t ? l/=S-= oc koDX " C) - X OC 4 Tf T 00 vo ? t^ CJ 10 Q. OJ CO " ^ -^i-io C-, w o\ c " « 0) o\ CO PJ P) 4J t^ . Tf X « ei oc VO 30 ■rl- r^ ^ »v-:X - -^ TT - o\ t^ ■^ t^ CO CJ CI 10 VO CO « r:l- CI UD Tl-Cl PI o\ - CI C* o\ CO 5J yD X yD ox §? CO "lOO ^ ^ ^s ^ C^X PI H- H^ PI -^ l^-i CO ■^ 10 PJ o\ « lo -^ 0\ "- *o ^ " M - l>. w CO VO t^ r^ r^ !>. J^ t- *- ' VO ^-S'O X CJ o\ c vo t^ M u in S c 00 10 r^ m ox Q, aj r^.-^ CO r^ 11 X CO c "^o vo (b -t CO - « C\X PI M -^ VO in \.v s c 10 S3X O P) CO C lO c^o 0\ 00 X >o 0\ c, S 10 X Pt ly-l M x>. CO C N CO t-N CJ vo - - C\ ^ 5^ VO in ncr's 41-8 per cent. ^ S5 H- pq 'd-y:; PI Tj- ^ Cj\ covo in pi »o 10 CO CO Ti- OS '^ ■<5- - \o « ■^ « VO C3\ PI in ti> 0\ -± 10 '^ ^ eq 01 X - P) Jfl m ^ p) ^ -^ pj vf- a^ -+ CO r^'* 10 CI |?^i.§ 00 PI X in \o Pi 0. Tt PI t-. ■-« '^ T- 10 ^ 0\ r^ C\ X « ^ "^S- <§=£g> lO t^ 00 '^ p^ CO PI g ,«„- !>. - CO CO >; -3 ; • 1 1 •s "rt 3 '> c £3 C t- 0) ■a Tt ^ 1/1 c c >< 3 *6 in 13 ^ u :^*o "rt H c a 4J 1- "o s 4) _W1 H 2 g-i ■g's ^2 Q den Pick eTo tT 2 £ -S 8 j=- 0- 8 g s ^ s ^ Wolfen ate and art of th 5 '« c rt |§g.??|S| £ uaxx jSz >-c: 2 28 Histoty of the The annual rental as represented by the County Rate Valuation of 1892, shows an increase of 152,195 per cent, on the "advanced rents," amounting in the aggregate to ^^131 3s. 8d., confirmed by King James I. On the valuation of 1815, the increase to the present time (or within a period of seventy-seven years) is 560 per cent. The increase in the amount and value of property in any district is in a great measure dependent on the growth of the population therein. This fact receives striking confirmation in the population statistics of the Forest of Rossendale. At the time of the building of the New Church in .a.d. 15 i i, the population probably did not exceed 200 souls ; about nine years before, they numbered only 20. In 1551, or 40 years afterwards, they had grown to 1000, young and old. While one hundred years later, during the Commonwealth, they had increased to about 3000 or 3500 souls. The next table which has been carefully compiled from the different census returns from 1801 to 1S91, is as interesting as the one given above, and may be accepted as an exact statement of the population of Rossendale : — Forest of Rossendale. 229 c^ s w ■S h-l k < S Q -^ 'A S w f^ C/) 5j CO Si C) C^ fe-o Ph § ^ «0 H (X) K w E^ p^ ■«*4 tin ^ I89I Popu- lation. 00 C0\0 ON ^ ^OD N CI CO CD 't ^^ ty-) 10 £° 1881 Popu- lation. lo M c^ ONyD "-* .S^ *o ^ Hi CNfconoNii vo--^ CO »o "t- ^ >0^ ■<+ C-ji^S^ M c--* w ■^ jn Tt o.g CO 10 »o w \o ^ vo 10 b b 1861 Popu- lation. ^-l^vwh-lli^[^ COM vo OJ lO^O 1-" CO >0 0\ M i-i t^ ^ t>. »-■ "S CO>-"C1"-"VOOn -^m Cl 10 1^ s.§ 1851 Popu- lation. tj-\o r^co CO 1^)00 t^ ^ lU moo VD N !>. N M _w 7?* S3? i-i MOOC^CM CTiCl 10 a CO CO M »C! M -^ M s 1841 Popu- lation. vo •- vo e^ ^vo 00 00 CO ■* 3 "-^O-hC^CO ONO 10 CO ^cn 1-1 S = i? ^-^ vo dco—ci >-oi C3N h do CO -^j ^Cl HH C\M CO 04 O-OJ I82I Popu- lation. rfy^vo 01 cooo t^ ON "-• "O Mr>.^t>.MiN io»o Q\ 01 oi'-iot^ toco 1/) - CO M CO M c» 2^ o.g -ii \0 CO 1000 CO C3n 00 CO !>, 4> , CO "O CTi'O C^CO CO CO tN t-N i-.iO-'lO ONOl vo 1^ W -M 0) « KO -« w 10 i-i 801 tion. 'O-^'Nt^'^co -oin fN -^ r^u-jw covo -^^ ^ « t^ "O "-VOOS-* 00 10 ;? M ly^ I-I >-i «CUj5 - . •-0 1 ■ • c 1 • • re !-• N > T3 C "rt ;CQ cU X ■4-t aj d. §-1 rt . 3 . c > >» .u ■^•a f2 I :2; y • c • < 721 sss 5i7'S 402 1238-5 957 48s 436 921 520 419 939 Increase in Births over Deaths in the two years. .299-5 Births per cent, of the Population 2 842 Births per 1000 of the Population 28-42 Deaths per cent, of the Population 2-155 Deaths per 1,000 of the Population 21-55 (c) To give the returns for the whole of Rossendale would be a work of difficulty, as a special search would have to be made to extract the informa- tion relating to portions of the district comprised in several adjacent townships. Forest of Rossendale. 235 The average death rate for the whole of England in 1891, was 2o'2 per 1,000, and in Lancashire alone, 23-8 per 1,000. The average birth rate was respectively t,vj, and 33'3 per 1,000. BOOK SEVENTH > ♦♦♦ < CHAPTER I. " We live in deeds, not years j in thoughts, not breaths ; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." Bailey, Festus. "Delightful task ! to rear the tender thought. And teach the young idea how to shoot. — Thomso.n. rr^HE memory of our local worthies ought not to be suffered to -*- pass unrecorded away. We have already briefly spoken of the labours and estimable qualities of some of those whose names Rossendale may well be proud to hold in remembrance — of Mitchel, Crossley, Porter, Maden, Piccop, Hirst, and others ; and to these we would add a humble but not unworthy name, that of John Lord, who for a long series of years during last century was the principal schoolmaster at Bacup, and taught in the " old school." Mr. Lord was a man of sterling character, of a genial, kind-hearted temperament, ready-witted and merry, and by precept and example exerted a powerful influence on the rising generation of the district in his day. One who knew him well, and who always had a grateful recollection of the benefits he received while a pupil under his care, states that " he had that tact as a teacher that is so essential to make the pupils love and fear him. He Forest of Rossendale. 237 could be familiar and yet austere, gentle, and yet when needful a terror to evil-doers." {a) He had an easy facility at putting humorous rhymes together, and several pieces of local interest composed by Mr. Lord can be repeated by some of the older inhabitants. To his varied accom- plishments he added that of music, and it was a pleasure in which he frequently indulged, to sit on a raised platform at the head of his school, and discourse the music of his violoncello, while his young pupils stood round and sung or chanted the arithmetical and other tables he had woven into rhyme for their profit and pleasure. In one piece he gives a whimsical enumeration of all the notable days in the year. Beginning with Christmas, he carries us down through Candlemas to Shrovetide, seven weeks before Easter, the time when " Pancakes are in their prime ;" and when " Fig-pies come thick and fast," we are duly reminded that Mid-Lent with its dainty Simnels is near at hand. This poetical summary ends with the Twenty-fifth of October, the date of Bacup Fair, which, alas ! in these degenerate times, has almost passed out of memory. In another effusion he gives a version of the Calendar, and ends up as follows : — Thirty days are in November, Winter now conies on apace ; Thirty-one days in December, Christmas looks us in the face. Now spiced bread and Christmas bo.\es, Cheese and cakes and tarts and ale — All for modest lads and lasses, Living in sweet Rossendale. The Rev. John Butterworlh, minister of the Baptist Church at Coventry for a period of about fifty-two years, was born at the village of Goodshaw Chapel on the 13th December 1727. In his earlier years he joined himself to the Methodist body ; but his (a) James Hargreaves, author of Hirst's Life, in his MS. Autobiography. 238 History of the views undergoing a change, he leaned to Calvinism, and became an eminent Baptist preacher. He was the author of a Concordance to the Holy Scriptures, which is held in high estimation. After his death, which occurred on the 24th April, 1803, in the seventy- sixth year of his age, this work was edited by Dr. Adam Clarke, and republished under his superintendence. His son, Joseph Butterworth, married a sister-in-law of the latter-named distinguished divine, and for a lengthened period represented the boroughs of Coventry and Dover in Parliament. His father, Henry Butterworth, blacksmith at Goodshaw, was a deacon of the Baptist Church at Cloughfold, and intimately associated with Messrs. Crossley and Mitchel in their evangelical labours. Besides his more celebrated son, John, above mentioned, Henry Butterworth had four other sons — viz., Lawrence, Henry, James, and Thomas. The three former also became Baptist ministers, being settled at Evesham, Bridgenorth, and Broomsgrove, respectively ; and the latter an occasional preacher ; each of the brothers displaying abilities of no ordinary kind. James Hargreaves, the author of the " Life of the Rev. John Hirst," and other works, was a man sufficiently remarkable to claim a brief notice. We learn from his unpublished Autobio- graphy that he was the third of five children, and was born on Sunday, November 13th, 1768, at a small farmhouse called Deanhead, two miles from Bacup on the Burnley Road. After his mother's death, which took place when he was only two years and a half old, his father married a second time, and James was sent to live with his uncle George, his father's brother, who had no family. At seven years of age he was put to work to assist at weaving woollen. In 1781 his uncle took a pubHc-house, and finding that James would be useful to him in keeping his accounts, if he had a little education, he sent him to school daily for a few months. This, and some instruction he received in attending an evening class for a short time, was the extent of the schooling he received. His improvement in after life was due to his own assiduous perseverance. From his thirteenth to his eighteenth Forest of Rossendale. 239 year, he lived with his uncle at the public-house, but he had always a strong aversion to the business, and this in a measure proved a safeguard which prevented him from falling into the temptations by which he was continually surrounded. A circumstance occurred during his residence at this house, which exercised a considerable influence on the events of his after life. Two persons — one a Calvinist, the other an Arminian — engaged in a dispute on the doctrines of the Scriptures. The subject of our sketch became so interested in the controversy that he determined from that time to read and study the Bible, that he might also become a disputant. ." But, says Mr. Hargreaves, " I record it to my shame, that I had no higher motive in searching the divine oracles. Pilate's question, 'What is truth?' never once at that period occurred to my mind." He read and studied to such purpose, that he was able to take both sides of almost every contested doctrinal question, and few were able to overcome him in debate. In his riper years he seriously embraced the views of the Calvinists. In 1 79 1 he married. Shorriy after this the Rev. Mr. Ogden, the clergyman of St. John's, Bacup, which church Mr. Hargreaves attended, began to urge him strenuously to preach; and this, after two or three abortive efforts, he began to do in the outlying districts around Bacup. Mr. Hargreaves in his notes gives an account of his first essay at preaching, which is interesting. He had complied with the earnest wish of Mr. Ogden to preach a sermon on a week night in a cottage ifhere services were frequently held. " I thought," says Mr. Hargreaves, " as the time approached that I could adopt a plan whereby I might avoid preaching, and excuse myself from guilt. I would go too late to the meeting, it would then be begun, and I should escape. My wife went at the time. I followed in about a quarter of an hour. On my way in the dark, and hardly knowing what I was doing, I ran my head into the flank of a horse at the door of a public-house, which I thought for the moment was a sign for me to return home. When I reached the place of meeting, I found to my chagrin that John Whitaker, Esq., of Broadclough, 240 History of the was reading the scriptures to improve the time till I arrived. A temporary pulpit was made, and I was offered a book, but I said, ' Tell Mr. Ogden I cannot preach ! ' His reply was, ' Give him a bible.' I gave out a hymn — after the prayer, two friends, as I hesitated to mount the pulpit, assisted me up. I read my text, and then closed my eyes till I had got about half-way through my dis- course, when, just opening them, and finding Mr. Whitaker's eyes fixen upon me, I was obliged instantly to close them again, or all my thoughts had fled. Having finished, I stepped down, opened the door, and left them to conclude the meeting as they pleased. It was a dark night in the month of November, so that I was not, as I feared, a gazing-stock on my return home. Next morning before daybreak, I took a walk through the village, feeling that I could not bear to be seen again in the daytime. Shortly afterwards Mr. Ogden and several of the society urged me to preach again, but I did not attempt it till about Christmas in 1792. In the beginning of April, 1793, Mr. Ogden was from home on the Lord's Day, and the Church was closed. I was requested to preach in a large factory newly erected, and the top room unfurnished. More than a thousand people were present. A portion of the floor gave way, but no fatal accident occurred. From this time I had my places fixed once a fortnight, and preached at Huttock End, Weir, Stack, Bankbottom, &c. ; and Mr. Ogden would of his own accord give me two shillings for every sermon preached under his direc- tion, though his income was scanty." In 1794 Mr. Hargreaves left the church, and joined the Baptist society at Bacup, under the Rev. John Hirst. In 1795 he received a call to Bolton, which he accepted, and was ordained minister on June 29, 1796. Two years later he removed to Ogden, and in addition to his ministerial office, commenced a boarding-school, which he conducted for a long series of years with eminent success : studying unremittingly to qualify himself for the duties. With the exception of an interval oftwelve months spent at Hull (in 1808-9), Mr. Hargreaves laboured at Ogden for a space of 24 years, having during that time declined many more lucrative situations. In 1822 Forest of Rossendale. 241 he accepted a call to Wild Street Chapel, London, where he remained till the year 1827, when he finally settled at VValtham Abbey Cross, in Essex. In 18 1 6 the "Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace" was formed. In 1818 Mr. Hargreaves became a member ; and on removing to London, in 1822, he joined the Committee. When Thomas Bell, Esq., declined to act as secretary to the Society, Mr. Hargreaves was induced to accept the office. This post he held till his death. He was enthusiastic in the cause of Peace, and during the long period of his secretaryship lectured and preached — explaining, defending, and enforcing the principles of the Society. Mr. Hargreaves was Author of the following works, which he published : — " The Great Physician and his Method of Cure recommended in a Letter to a Friend," 1797. "An Address to the Heads of Families," 1811. " A Catechism for Schools," which went through several editions. "The Life of the Rev. John Hirst, of Bacup," 1816. "The Inseparable Connexion between Justification by Faith, and Holiness of Heart and Life," 1820. " An Essay disproving Eternal and Unconditional Reprobation," 1821. " A Reply to Peter Edwards, on Infant Baptism," 1821. This was written at the request of Mr. William Jones, author of " The Waldenses." The Essay on Reprobation enlarged, 1825. "Essays and Letters on Important Theological Subjects," published at 12s. 1833. In addition to the above, Mr. Hargreaves pubHshed a number of addresses, sermons, and circular letters ; and contributed largely to the Baptist periodical literature of the day. At his death he left several works in manuscript. He died at Waltham Abbey Cross, September i6th, 1845, ^ged seventy seven years. Lawrence Hey worth was born in 1786, at Greensnook, Bacup, and was the youngest of four sons of Peter Heyworth and his wife Elizabeth, who was daughter of Lawrence Ormerod of the same 242 History of the place. His father and grandfathers, paternal and maternal, were the principal woollen manufacturers at Bacup. He received the first rudiments of learning at the old school, on whose site is now erected the Bacup Mechanics' Institution, of which latter he was President from its establishment in 1839, until his death. At the age of thirteen he lost his father, a man highly respected, whose good sense and extensively-cultivated understanding enabled him to impress on the youthful mind of his youngest son the general outlines of, and love for the study of natural philosophy, geography, geology, astronomy, history ; such politics as have in view equal privileges and the greatest good for the greatest number ; the science of political economy, and commerce, which seeks not gain by others' losses, like gambling, but aims at self-enrichment by making others rich. So prepared, Lawrence became a pupil of the eminent Dr. John Fawcett, of Ewood Hall, near Halifax, and finished his education at the Grammar School of Hipperholme, conducted by the Rev. T. Hudson, also near Halifax, which he left in 1802, being then sixteen years of age, and went to assist his brothers, who had succeeded their father in the woollen business. Bacup and its vicinage had then a population of not more than fourteen or fifteen hundred ; and the trade of the few manufacturers of the district was entirely with the Rochdale, Yorkshire and London houses. But, as the goods made by the firm of Peter Heyworth and Sons were for the Portuguese and Spanish markets, Lawrence, who was of an enterprising disposition, soon began to advise his brothers that they should themselves trade direct with Lisbon and Oporto, and so combine the profits of manufacturers and merchants ; he also urged them to send him as their agent to those places. The brothers saw no objection to the plan, but very much doubted the probability of one so young, with (save a little Latin) no knowledge of any language but English, and scarcely any commercial ex- perience, being able to push a trade as an entire stranger amongst foreigners. His mother, however, thought differently, " The idea Forest of Rossendale. 243 was his own, he should be allowed the chance of working it out, and she had no doubt of his success," and used the words, " I have confidence in Lawrence." In the October, therefore, of 1805, being just nineteen years of age, Lawrence Heyworth set forth from Greensnook, Bacup, to Lisbon. His route for foreign parts lay through Birmingham and Bristol. The latter part of this portion of the journey was at night, and inside the coach was but one fellow-passenger. He and Heyworth sat at opposite corners, each with the window open all night. In the morning, the ground being covered with hoarfrost, both felt excessively cold, and each explained that he had kept his window open in the belief that his fellow-passenger wished it. The mutual politeness made them acquainted, and the acquaintance afterwards ripened into a friendship which led the way to Mr. Heyworth's commercial success. His companion was a young German of the name of Grunin, a traveller for a commercial house in Hamburgh, and himself on his way to Portugal ; but he had first to visit London, and Mr. Heyworth parted from him with not even the hope of ever meeting him again. At Falmouth, however, there was a strong east wind blowing; the only packet outward-bound was about to take out the Russian ambassador and suite, and would on no condition, not even as a steerage passenger, (to which he would willingly have submitted in the prosecution of his object,) take Heyworth. There was nothing for it, therefore, but to wait the chances of wind and weather for the 'next packet. During the delay, which was three weeks, and in course of which came news of Trafalgar and Lord Nelson's death, down came the German to Falmouth, accidentally put up at the same lodging with Mr. Heyworth, and they were fellow passengers to Lisbon. During the voyage, which occupied nine days, the latter worked hard at Portuguese, his knowledge of Latin was of assistance to him, and within a month he could speak with sufficient fluency for all commercial purposes. Thus his first difficulty was overcome ; but at Lisbon he met with little success, and therefore resolved to make trial of Oporto. Removed thither, he again found himself 244 History oj the in the same lodging with Grunin, who introduced him to the leading merchants of the place, from whom he speedily received not only more orders for goods of their own make than his brothers could execute, but also such large orders for other articles, that he at once proposed to undertake a general commission business, to which his brothers agreed. This, as well as their own direct business, rapidly increased in extent, and became largely profitable. Nor was this the sum of his good fortune. Lodging also in the same house with him was a young Frenchman, who took so much interest in his progress as to introduce him to the French Consul, who in his turn made him acquainted with several of the chief Spanish houses, with whom he was enabled to do extensive business. The Consul was afterwards still more truly a friend to Mr. Heyworth, for, on the approach of the French army in 1807, he gave him such confidential information of their progress, day by day, as enabled him to remain three weeks after all the other English residents had left ; and having collected and remitted every farthing of debt due to him, (which otherwise would have been confiscated by Napoleon — a matter not accomplished by any other British commercial house at the place), to leave by an American vessel the very day before the French entered. The success of the two years in Portugal had convinced his elder brothers that Lawrence had a gift for foreign commerce, and, after some persuasion, they agreed that he and his next brother, James, should establish a commission house at Rio-de-Janerio. A circular was accordingly issued stating their intention, and so high stood the name of the old firm of Heyworth Brothers & Co. that they at once received large consignments from the manufacturers of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Lawrence sailed from Liverpool in the Paris, in the March of 1808, without convoy, and James in the May of 1808 from Hull, with convoy, as supercargo, with a full freight, in the Lascelles. So successful were the brothers in this new field, that in the following year they found it necessary to establish a Liverpool shipping and commission agency ; and at the recommendation of Lawrence, his brother Ormerod resigned the Forest of Rossendale. 245 management of the manufactory to the eldest brother, and estab- lished at Liverpool the firm of Ormerod Heyworth & Co. From Rio the firm soon extended itself, establishing branches at Bahia, Pernambuco, Buenos Ayres, Lima, Monte Video, Valparaiso, and Hamburgh. The plan adopted by the Hey- worths was to raise to the position of Junior partners such of their young men as showed distinguished ability, and to give them the management of branches ; the several branches worked well together. With the exception of a short visit to England, Lawrence Hey- worth remained for seven years in South America. In 181 2 he sailed again on his return to Rio-de-Janeiro, in the new ship Wellwood, which was wrecked on the third day after setting sail from Liverpool on a sand-bank off Wexford on the Irish coast ; and if Mr. Heyworth (as the Captain's energies were paralysed) had not taken in charge the management, and given directions to the sailors about getting the boat afloat at the critical moment when the vessel was breaking up, the passengers and crew would have all perished. Escaping from the broken masts and )4ards of the sinking ship in the open boat, with a terrible sea running, which every moment threatened to swamp them, they safely landed on the coast of Ireland ; Mr Heyworth without any clothing except his shirt. In 1815 Sir James Chamberlain went out to Rio as Consul- General, with a patent from George IV., allowing him to levy a tax of half per cent, upon all English goods imported to Rio, which would have brought him some six or seven thousand pounds a-year. This imposition Mr. Heyworth at once resisted, urging its injustice towards British Merchants, and the impossibility of their being legally compelled to pay it. The resistance brought him some persecution from the Consul, but he was successful in preventing the impost ; and the whole matter is remembered in Rio with scarcely less regard than Hampden's resistance of ship money is in this country. In 1816 Mr. 246 History of the Heyworth returned to England. Our restrictive Tariff upon sugar, coffee, and other produce of South America, made it necessary for his firm to have an establishment at Hamburgh ; and he accordingly formed in 181 7 an agency under the name of Jackson, Heyworth, and Co. In 18 17 Mr. Heyworth visited their commercial agents at Trieste and Leghorn, extending their transactions with those ports, and saving at the former place a valuable cargo from a failing house. In 18 19 he again visited Hamburgh, sold a large stock of coffee which the partner was holding over, and realised by that single transaction a profit of no less than ;^2o,ooo ; delayed sale of which would, by a sudden fall in the market, which shortly took place, have resulted in a loss almost to that amount. On his return in the same year, Mr. Heyworth purchased the estate of Yew Tree, near Liverpool ; and in 1820 married Elizabeth, his second cousin, daughter of Mr. Aked. From this time he took no very active part in commercial affairs. He was one of the first to perceive the practicability and importance of railways ; and was one of their earliest promoters, inducing his brothers to join him in withdrawing his capital from commerce, and investing it in the Ironways. This he did, not only on the ground of profit, but of national advantage. In 1836 the firm disposed of their several establishments at home and abroad to junior partners, who still continue to prosper in the several branches of business founded by the subject of this memoir. Mr. Heyworth first took an active part in politics upon the agitation of the repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts. He was the second chairman of the Liverpool Free Trades Association; was appointed in 1839 one of the three deputies to the first great conference at Manchester, when the deputies were charged to go only for a fixed duty, to which, however, he refused to consent, and produced a powerful impression upon the meeting, which afterwards influenced the entire agitation, by his assertion of the moral importance of Free Trade, and the right of the people to untaxed bread. From that time he was one of the most zealous members of the League,— was the first to offer a subscription of Forest of Rossendale. 247 ;^iooo, on the condition of fifty others giving a like amount ; and was on all occasions by far the largest subscriber in Liverpool. He was also from the first a zealous supporter of the Temper- ance cause, opening his house to its advocates from all parts of the world ; and himself incurring no small amount of labour in its advocacy. In 1845 he refused a seat for Stafford, because it vi^as to be gained only by bribing, and keeping open house for the electors, so encouraging corruption and drunkenness. Being a director of the Midland Railway, and a popularly known political reformer, led to his receiving an invitation to contest Derby, on the unseating on petition, after the general election in 1847, of Messrs. Strutt and Gower, and in August 1848 was returned for that Borough, with Mr. M. T. Bass. Notwithstanding the unprincipled contest, on the part of his two opponents, at his two elections for Derby, he persisted in maintain- ing inviolable his resolve made at Stafford, not to owe to bribery his seat in his country's honourable House of Commons ; in which resolve he was nobly sustained by his constituents. Besides having an abhorrence of bribery, Mr. Heyworth denounced the payment of charges at elections of what are called legitimate expenses. He held these demands to be a most vicious usage, pregnant with political prostitution. He deemed it an outrage on the first principles of political economy, that an honest servant, be his engagements private or public, should be obliged, or even allowed to invest money in obtaining the onerous duty of serving in Parhament ; and that there is but a step from this legalised obligation to an act of bribery and political dereliction. Mr. Heyworth spoke but seldom in the House. His chief speech was in support of one of Mr. Cobden's motions for Financial reform, wherein he urged the importance of direct over indirect taxation, and was heard with full attention. He was in favour of Universal Suffrage, and Vote by Ballot ; and opposed to Church rates. His age exempted him from serving on Committees, but he expressed his willingness to do so ; and was in other respects a diligent Member of Parliament. 248 History of the After sitting through two Parliaments, extending over a period of about nine years, as one of the representatives for the Borough of Derby, Mr. Heyworth experienced, at the age of threescore years and ten, something of the coming infirmities of advancing years, and especially that of a defective hearing. He, therefore, in 1857, relinquished his seat in the House of Commons ; but in his retirement he never ceased to take an active part in promoting the movements agitated for Political, Social, Commercial, and Moral Reform. Mr. Heyworth was the author of a multitude of pamphlets, and published letters on the above and kindred subjects ; and his views are enunciated at length in his work entitled, " The Origin, Mission, and Destiny of Man." He died on the 19th April, 1872, at the ripe age of 86 years. John Crabtree, M.D., was born at Meanwood, Newchurch, September 19th, 1804. When a youth he was sent to a school at Gawsworth, taught by his uncle, the Rev. Crabtree; and afterwards to Dronfield Academy in Derbyshire, kept by Mr. Butterman, where he remained for the space of four years and a half. In 1822, at the age of eighteen, he was apprenticed to Mr. Wolfenden, surgeon, of Congleton, and served for a period of five years. By the assistance of his elder brother, James Crabtree, who, as a merchant in South America, (being a junior partner with the Hey- worths,) had amassed a considerable fortune, he was enabled to go through a course of studies at the Colleges of Edinburgh and Dubhn respectively ; at the former of which, in the year 1829, he took the degree of M.D. On the 12th of June in the same year he obtained his Surgeon's diploma at the Royal College of Surgeons, London, and on the 18th of June his Apothecary's diploma at the Apothecaries' Hall. Unassuming in manners, he was yet gifted •with abilities which would have graced the highest offices of his profession. An accident which befell him in his youth brought on a chest affection, which clung to him during the remainder of his life, and probably influenced him in deciding to settle in the locality of his birth. He began practice at Fearns, near New- church, in 1829, when twenty-five years of age, and continued to Forest of Rossendale. 249 pursue his professional duties in the district with eminent success till within a few years of his death. His delicate health towards the close of life prevented him from devoting much time to his profession. Under a seeming abruptness of manner, more assumed than real, he possessed a kind heart. He was a gentleman in the true sense of the word. His charity was large and unostentatious ; and, during his latter years, he kept open surgery for the poor of the district. He died at his residence, Springfield, Newchurch, June 6th, 1867, in the si.xty-third year of his age. Robert Munn, the subject of the present sketch, was a man who at one time exercised greater influence than any other in the Rossendale valley, and whose name was widely known and esteemed in commercial circles throughout Lancashire and else- where. He was born at Holt Mill, Waterfoot, on February 22nd, 1800, and was of Scottish descent, his ancestors having sought refuge in England during the civil wars, in which they had in some way been involved. The family originally settled at Manchester, and it is known that the grandfather of the deceased kept a considerable farm and grazed his cattle on land which is now occupied by a portion of Deansgate and some of the other streets diverging thence towards Salford. It is certain that during last century the Munns of Manchester were fairly well to do in the world, and associated with many of the best families there and in the surrounding neighbourhood. It was probably through the friendship existing between them and the Lord family, of Broadclough, that led to the father of the deceased eventually settling in Rossendale, where he engaged in business and amassed a small competency. In the year 1824, Mr. Munn entered into partnership with his younger brother John in the cotton trade at Old Clough Mill, Irwell Springs, near Bacup. Previous to that time the cotton manufacture in the Forest of Rossendale, as elsewhere, was in quite an embryo state ; but the improved machinery then coming into use began to lend it importance, and money was being made 250 History of the by those who embarked in it. The trade had gained a footing in the Rossendale district at the beginning of the century, but at that early time the spinning machinery was rude, and the old handloom \vas in vogue. The firm of Robert and John Munn was one of the first in Rossendale to avail themselves of the improved machinery, which eventually, in 1826, fell a sacrifice to the blind fury of the " powerloom breakers " who invaded the Rossendale valley from Chatterton to the source of the river Irwell. Nine years later, in 1833, the firm built Stacksteads Mill, at that time by far the largest cotton factory in the district. In 1S38 they purchased Irwell Mill, Bacup, which had been erected in 1825, and in the year 1844 they built Edgeside Holme Mill, at Newchurch. These were each important enterprises in their day, and their proprietors ranked amongst the foremost cotton' spinners and manufacturers of the time. Prior to the last mentioned date, the brothers had established the now well-known firm of John Munn and Co., of Fountain-street, Manchester, the younger brother having removed to the latter place to superintend the business there. Robert remained in Rossendale, residing at Heath Hill, which house he had erected, and to which he was through life fondly attached, and continued for many years to be the life and soul of the mills belonging to the firm within the valley. Mr. Munn was a thorough man of business : his knowledge of the cotton manufacture in its minutest details was of the most intimate kind, and he took pride in excelling in the quality of the productions of his looms. He was strictly temperate and metho- dical in his habits throughout a long and active life, and vigilant and untiring in his business and in whatever else he undertook. It was due to men of his stamp that " Cotton " grew to be a power in the land, and eventually came to be spoken of as "King." Though somewhat exacting as a master, and scarcely distin- guished for liberality in the remuneration of his most trusted and valued servants, he yet gained their confidence and esteem by the appreciative manner in which, with his own intimate knowledge of business, he was prompt to recognise a similar knowledge in Forest of Rossendale. 251 others. Whilst sufficiently dogmatic in his ideas regarding machinery and methods of manufacture, he was tolerant of views that differed from his own, and was always ready and even eager to enter into discussion with his managers on such subjects. Mr. Munn also possessed the valuable quality of being able to dis- criminate and judge of the character of men, and, though singularly undemonstrative in his friendships, he was tenacious of the material welfare of those for whom he cared, and seldom omitted an opportunity of promoting by his word and personal influence the interests of those of whose character and abilities he had formed a favourable opinion. In this way, if he was chary at helping them with his purse, he did what is better — he enabled them to help themselves. In the pursuits and habits of Mr. Munn there was nothing approaching to luxury, though his considerable wealth might well have justified a more liberal expenditure. His establishments both in Rossendale and in Scotland, whither he annually resorted for a few weeks to enjoy the relaxation of a little shooting on the moors, were plain and unostentatious. Personally he was noted, especially in his younger years, for his neat dapper appearance, and, loyal to his business as a cotton manufacturer, he wore a check cotton neckerchief to the last. He was an expert rider, and twenty-five years ago was to be seen almost daily on horseback in the valley riding to and from the different mills belonging to the firm. Mr. Munn qualified as a magistrate of the Hundred of Black- burn in the year 1847, and on the death of Mr. James Whitaker, of Broadclough, he became chairman of the Rossendale bench of justices, a position he held for twenty-two years till his death. As in his business, so on the bench, he was characterised for the clearheadedness of his judgment, and his decisions were generally tempered with as much of mercy as was compatible with justice. He was a guardian in the Haslingden Union, and chairman of the Board for the space of eighteen years. He took part in most of the different educational and other movements in the district, and 252 History of the furthered them with his influence, if not to any great extent with his purse. We have remarked above that Mr. Munn at one time in his career exercised greater influence in Rossendale than any other man. We might safely have said, than any other dozen men put together. But it was not so during the last twenty years of his life. During that period his name, though still in the first rank of Lancashire capitalists and cotton spinners, had gradually ceased to be "a name to conjure by." This result was unquestionably due to the change that some time after the repeal of the Corn Laws took place in his poHtical opinions. In the prime of his life there was no more ardent Liberal than the deceased, associated as he was with Cobden, Bright, Henry Ashworth, of Bolton, and the other leading spirits of the great Anti-Corn Law League. In those days he was a prominent figure in what was unquestionably the ablest coalition of men of business and of natural genius that ever before in the history of this or any other country associated together for a beneficent political purpose. The leaders of the League, both individually and collectively, were men who towered above their fellows, and Rossendale was proud of its representative. In clear-headedness, in business tact, and in wealth, Mr. Munn was equal to most of his associates of those days ; he came behind some of them only in his power of expression, for he never was a public speaker, though he essayed to appear once or twice in that capacity. But in private conversation, and in the committee room, his vigorous words, the enthusiasm that would at times glow in his eyes and hurry his speech to his lips, were all well suited to stimulate the spirits of his compeers. It is well known also that he was a large contributor to the funds of the League. When afterwards he fell away from the political faith of his younger years, there was silent grieving in Rossendale, for it was well known to his best friends that in no true sense could he ever sympathise with the doctrines of his new allies, whilst it was seen that his influence as a man and a politician would suffer declension. The result proved the truth of these anticipations, for he eventually Forest of Rossendale. 253 became a mere nonentity in politics. Mr. Munn undoubtedly felt his altered position acutely at times, for, to salve over his political conscience, he was often in the habit of asserting, and even laboured to prove to his intimate friends, that it was not his opinions that had undergone a change, but those of the able men with whom he had been wont to associate. Mr. Munn was a bitter and persistent opponent of the Ten Hours Factory Bill, and he never was reconciled to the loss, as he declared it to be, of the " two golden hours " of the working day. In his religious views he was unobtrusive and widely tolerant, and, although he attended the Established Church, in matters of faith he inclined to the opinions of Emanuel Swedenborg. Mr. Munn married Miss Howorth, sister of Mr. John Howorth, of Bacup, and had a family of two sons and five daughters. His wife died in 1873. The melancholy death of his eldest son, James, a gentleman of considerable promise, and possessed of a genial and kindly temperament, who was drowned by the upsetting of a yacht at Lytham, affected him more severely than to a superficial observer might appear, and helped to cloud his latter years. At the time of his death, on Saturday, the 19th April, 1879, he was in his 8oth year. John Aitken was born at Kidderminster in the year 1820, but came early to Rossendale, where he spent the greater part of his life. For many years, he, with his brothers, and latterly on his own account, carried on the business of cotton spinning and manu- facturing at Bacup. He was appointed a County Justice in 1862, and became an active and useful member of the bench. Mr Aitken took a prominent part in the Volunteer movement at its inception, and was eventually gazetted as Captain of the Rossendale Corps. In politics he was an ardent Liberal, and for many years was a leader of the Party in Bacup and the district. He succeeded Mr. Lawrence Heyworth as President of the Bacup Mechanics' Institution, and in that capacity delivered many interesting and thoughtful addresses. His literary and scientific attainments were 2 54 History of ' the of no mean order. As a local geologist he took a foremost position, being F.G.S., and twice elected the President of the Manchester Geological Society. He was an authority on the Geology of this district, as his contribution to the present work bears witness, and his papers on his favourite subject in the different geological magazines are numerous and valuable. Mr. Aitken died at Urmston on the 29th July, 1884, in his 64th year. • Henry Cunlifife was born at High Field, Rossendale, on the 13th October, 1825. He was the author of " A Glossary of Rochdale- with-Rossendale Words and Phrases" (published after his death), and other works, amongst which is a Novel entitled " Forest and Factory : A Tale of Northern England," the scene of which is placed chiefly in Rossendale. In his preface to the first named work he has the following interesting remarks on the Rossendale and adjacent dialects : "This Glossary, although dealing with the forms current within a very small area, contains all the best words used by a greatly extended population, and upwards of fifteen hundred which do not occur in any Glossary hitherto published. My endeavour has been to give orthographical consistency, or, in other words, literary form, to the dialect — or rather dialects, for there are two — prevailing within the parish of Rochdale. . . . It appears that Rooley Moor and the ridge westward, which cross the parish and constitute the division between the two dialects, have at some early period been the barriers obstructing communi- cation between two distinct peoples dwelling on their opposite sides and in the adjacent valleys. On the northern or Rossendale side, from Bacup to Edenfield, the ' Rossendale twang,' as the local dialect is called, prevails in its full strength ; while nowhere in the valley of the Roche — on the southern side — is \hs. patois which gives immortality to the writings of Tim Bobbin more racy than it is in the doughs and hamlets on the slopes of Rooley Moor. The mountainous belt which separates the two districts is some three miles broad, but, narrow as it is, I have resided on both sides — in each instance for a period of twenty-five years — and neces- Forest of Rossendale. 255 sarily mixed much with the common people, without perceiving the least tendency towards a fusion of the two tongues, or any nearer approach to uniformity than as education does away with the local forms of both. This, I think, indicates that Rossendale was originally peopled by an incursion from the north, which, as the student of the Glossary will perceive, introduced the many northern sounds which still exist in the vernacular. On-the other hand, the valley of the Roche, up to the summit of Rooley Moor and the foot of Blackstone Edge, would appear to have been conquered by an invasion from the west." Mr. Cunliffe was born and reared in the humblest circum- stances, and earned his living from early childhood. Notwith- standing that he was self-taught, he attained to a high degree of culture, and became a fluent and versatile journalist ; pursuing his Hterary labours, and at the same time attending to his business as a cotton mill manager. Had he been at full liberty to follow the bent of his mind, he might have taken high rank in literature. Whilst of a modest and retiring disposition, Mr. Cunliffe was a strong politician, holding advanced Liberal views, and during many years was a contributor and leader writer to various provincial newspapers. He died at Rochdale on the 21st April, 1886, in his 6ist year. William Hoyle, eminent as a Political Economist and Statisti- cian, was bom in the Rossendale Valley in 1831 : he was the fourth child of his parents, who were members of the Methodist body. The family removed to Brooksbottom when he was in his fourth year, and returned to Crawshawbooth twelve years later. His parents being poor working people, he had but scant opportunity for education. After attending a dame's school, he became a half-timer in a mill at the age of eight, and when sixteen, he worked as a cotton weaver, having charge of two power looms in the factory. His thirst for knowledge and self-culture led him to rise betimes from bed in the early morning, and he usually devoted two or three hours to reading and study before going to his work 256 History of the at 6 o'clock. He also attended an evening school. Thus, by unwearying assiduity, he acquired proficiency in arithmetic and mathematics, and skill in grammar and composition. By wide reading and observant habits he also attained to an intimate knowledge of the world and human character. ' At the age of fifteen, he became from principle a total abstainer, and, soon afterwards, a vegetarian ; and later in life he was well known as an earnest and persistent advocate of the policy of the United Kingdom Alliance. Frugal in his habits, he saved money, and became an employer of labour. In 1851 he entered into partnership with his father as a cotton manufacturer at Crawshawbooth. In 1859 he married, and shortly afterwards removed to Tottington, where the firm built a large mill. Mr. Hoyle aspired to Parliamentary honours in 1880 by contesting the seat for the representation of Dewsbury, but was defeated. " The keen interest he took in the Alliance agitation led him to formulate the scheme for raising a guarantee fund of ^^100,000. This project was explained to the annual meeting in 1871, and was received with enthusiasm. His speech at the meeting of 1876 showed the intensity of his feelings on the subject, and no one who listened to his earnest voice could doubt the depth and sincerity of his declaration : " {p) " I would much rather leave my children penniless in a country without liquor shops, than leave them a great fortune as things are. I have made up my mind to leave no fortune to my children, if I have also to leave the liquor traffic in the country. A good share of my income shall therefore go towards this great move- ment. If the agitation lasts twenty years longer, my subscription will amount altogether, at this rate, to ;^io,ooo ; but if in ten or twelve years we can remove the liquor traffic, the prospects of the country will be so bright, that we need have no apprehension (i) Obituary Notice in the Manchester Guardian, March ist, 1886. Forest of Rossendale. 257 about not leaving fortunes to our children. We shall leave them a far handsomer legacy in their sober and industrious surroundings." Mr. Hoyle was a prolific writer in the newspapers on Temperance and Economical subjects, and, in addition, published the following works, which were widely circulated, and exerted no little influence in the country : "Food, its Nature and Adaptability," 1864. " An Inquiry into the long-continued Depression in the Cotton Trade," 1869. " Our National Resources and how they are Wasted," 187 1. " The National Drink Bill." This volume consists of annual letters contributed by Mr. Hoyle to the Times and other newpapers. "Crime in England and Wales in the Nineteenth Century," 1876. In 1884 his health began to fail, owing, doubtless, to the strain put upon it by the exacting labours to which he subjected himself ; but to the last he applied himself to literary work in advocacy of the principles for which he had fought so strenuously and so long. His death took place at Southport in April, 18S6. "As a speaker, Mr. Hoyle was remarkable, not for the art of the orator, but for the force and lucidity with which he marshalled facts and statistics in support of his arguments. His language, whilst devoid of common-place rhetoric, abounded in the higher qualities of directness and earnestness. There have been few men more generous and more disinterested, and his death is lamented by all who value these qualities in our public life." (c) (c) Ibid. CHAPTER II. " For the harmony And sweet accord was so good music, That the voice to angels' most was like." — Chaucer, " The Flower and the Leaf." " Compared with these, Italian trills are tame." — Burns. "An' thee, too, owd musicianer. Aw wish lung life to thee — A mon 'at plays a fiddle weel Should never awse to dee !" — Waugh. TN a memorandum book or diary kept by Sir Ralph Assheton, -*- a hospitable Lancashire Baronet of the seventeenth century, and under date the year 1676, occurs the following entry : — Xtmas. [Christmas], given the Rossendale players 10/ — ." The Musicians of Rossendale Forest are not of yesterday's growth — they are a venerable race, and can count their congeners back through the centuries. Our truest of Lancashire Poets, Edwin Waugh, had them vividly before his mind's eye when he penned his droll story of " The Barrel Organ," over which may often be seen " Laughter holding both his sides." But though they may be taken at a disadvantage with the formal and new-fangled " squalling boxes " which are regulated by clockwork, and troll forth their music by the yard, as a carding-engine measures out its sliver, — place before them the glorious choruses of Handel and Haydn, and the melting melodies of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, Forest of Rossendale. 259 and the creations of these masters in the empire of Harmony find ready interpreters and strongly-appreciative minds. Neither of late years has the renown of the " Rossendale Players " diminished. This is the more gratifying, when it is remembered— as an old admirer of theirs remarked— that "they are nearly a' working lads." In no part of England has the musical art been more cultivated, or even at the present day is music more appreciated, than in the two northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The interpretation of musical thought and expression, it is true, is now left more to the professional singer and performer, and people crowd to the concert hall to listen to the strains as rendered by the cultured exponent of musical language. In former days the practice of music was more of a subjective pursuit. The people themselves were to a greater extent than now the exponents of the art in which they delighted. Like the woven fabrics of the time, much of their music was home-made, and nearly all their power of interpreting the compositions of the great masters was of home growth and nurture ; and if in those the superficial gloss of the later day was wanting, there was generally more of verve and earnestness in the singer, and of substance in the music, with a blessed freedom from adulteration. The inhabitants of the Dean Valley have long been celebrated for their excellence as musicians, both vocal and instrumental; and it is from this fact that their appellation of " Deighn Layrocks" has arisen, (a) From records nearly two centuries old, we learn (a) The following truthful picture is from the pen of Edwin Waugh :— "Up in the forest of Rossendale, between Derplay Moor and the wild hill called Swinshaw, there is a little lone valley, a green cup in the mountains, called ' Dean.' The inhabitants of this valley are so notable for their love of music, that they are known all through the vales of Rossendale as ' Th' Deighn Layrocks,' or ' The Larks of Dean.' In the twilight of a glorious Sunday evening, in the height of summer, I was roaming over the heathery waste of Swinshaw towards Dean, in company with a musical friend of mine, who lived in the neighbouring clough, when we saw a little crowd of people 26o History of the that they were in the habit of meeting in each other's houses by turns, and practising together the compositions, sacred and secular, which our Country can boast in such rich abundance. Many pieces of their own composing bear the impress of abiUty far beyond mediocrity, and deserve to be more generally known. Some of these have, indeed, already gone abroad in the world, and are sung in places widely apart ; being admired by those who are unable to recognise either their origin or authorship. I have in my possession a collection, in manuscript, of no fewer than fifty sacred pieces, consisting of Psalm tunes and Chants, composed by residents in the Dean Valley, and in other parts of Rossendale, several of whom are still living. Large as this number coming down a moorland slope far away in front of us. As they drew nearer, we found that many of them had musical instruments ; and when we met, my friend recognised them as working people living in the district, and mostly well known to him. He inquired where they had been, and they told him that they had 'bin to a bit ov a sing deawn i'th' Deighn.' ' Well,' said he, ' can't we have a tune here ?' ' Sure, yo con, wi' o' th' plezzur i' th' world,' replied he who acted as spokesman ; and a low buzz of delighted consent ran through the rest of the company. They then ranged themselves in a circle around their conductor, and they played and sang several fine pieces of psalmody upon the heather-scented mountain top. As those solemn strains floated over the wild landscape, startling the moorfowl untimely in his nest, I could not help thinking of the hunted Covenanters of Scotland. The altogether of that scene upon the mountains, ' between the gloaming and the mirk,' made an impression upon me which I shall not easily forget. Long after we parted from them we could hear their voices, softening in sound as the distance grew, chanting on their way down the echoing glen, and the effect was wonderfully fine. This little incident on the top of Swinshaw is representative of many things which often occur in the country parts of Lancashire, showing how widespread the love of music is among the working-classes there. Even in great manufacturing towns it is very common, when passing cotton-mills at work, to hear some fine psalm tune streaming in chorus from female voices, and mingling with the spoom of thousands of spindles. The ' Larks of Dean,' like the rest of the Lancashire operatives, must have suffered in this melan- choly time ; but I hope that the humble musicians of our country will never have occasion to hang their harps upon the willows." — Home Life of the Lan- cashire Factory Folk during the Cation Famine, c 23. Forest of Rossendale. 261 is, I have reason to believe that it is but a fractional part of what might be collected in the locality. Some of the names given to the pieces are characteristic of the dry humour of the authors — a quality which is largely possessed by many of the old inhabitants of the Forest. Among the list we find " Happy Simeon," " Little Amen," "Booking Warp," " Strong Samson," " Old Methuselah," and " Spanking Rodger." {b) Numerous are the stories that are told of the modes in which the enthusiasm of the " Layrocks " is or was displayed in their pursuit of the musical art. In hand-loom days, when every man's house was his workshop, it was usual for the " Deighners " to repair to each other's houses alternately, after the Sunday's service at the chapel, and continue their practice of music far into the small hours of the Monday morning ; and, on rising, after a brief repose, the Monday was spent in a similar manner. Very often the (A) One piece, of a secular character - the words and music of which are by the same hand — always affords amusement. It is sung by four voices, and consists of a like number of verses, one being taken by each singer at one and the same time. It professes to describe and ridicule the abortive efforts of a local musical genius, who is endeavouring to initiate into the mysteries of the divine art a class of unimpressionable pupils, and is usually given with all the tumultuous energy of which the Singers are capable. The words, as follows, without pretensions to any special merit, are interesting as a Local curiosity : — "OLD SIMON: "A CATCH FOR FOUR VOICES. " Simon, I have heard thy singers, Squeaking, squalling. Shouting, bawling, Ranting, roaring — what a din ! Enough to make one's blood run thin I "I compare thy snaffling choir To tumult at a house on fire ; To hunters in full chase, Or riots in a market-place ; Or howling dogs, or angry cats. Or scolding wives, or brawling brats. 262 History of the Tuesday also was devoted to the like purpose. But sound, how- ever sweet, is but sorry food for empty stomachs, and, consequently, during the remaining days of the week, the loom had to be plied with unremitting vigour to supply the ever-recurring wants of the household. It is related of two of the " Layrocks " — Father and Son — that they had long been busy trying to master a difficult piece of music, one with the violin, the other with the violoncello, but were still unable to execute certain of the more intricate movements to their satisfaction. They had put their instruments aside for the night, and had retired to rest. After his " first sleep," the younger enthusiast, in ruminating over the performance of the evening, thought that if he might only rise and attempt the piece theti, he should be able to manage it. Creeping from under the bed- clothes, he awoke his father, who also arose ; and soon the two in their shirts might have been seen, through the unscreened window, flourishing their bows at an hour when ordinary mortals are laid unconscious in the arms of Somnus. The lonely traveller, had there been one at that untimely hour, would, surely, like Tam o' Shanter, as he passed " By Alloway's auld haunted kirk," have " Fie upon their dismal din! When I did hear it, I do declare it, My hair it stood upright, I trembled with affright, With fear my knees did smite 1 Such snaffling, snarling, Stamping, staring, Sure I thought the fools would fight. " Sol, sol, sol, Fa, fa, fa. Well done, lads ! Stamp, stamp, stamp ! Mind your time ! Fa, sol, sol. Well done, old Syh !" Forest of Rossendale. 26 J felt his hair rising on end at the sight of the two ghostly individuals scraping music at the dead of night, and in such unwonted attire. The impression produced upon my mind by a visit paid some years ago, in the month of June, to the oldest chapel at Lumb, on the occasion of the anniversary services there, will not easily be effaced from my memory. It was quite a " field day " among the " Deighn Layrocks," and they mustered in strength, as though bent on maintaining the reputation they had acquired for their musical displays. The Singers' Gallery was thronged to excess. In the fore-front was a dazzling row of buxom girls, with ruddy faces and sparkling eyes, the picture of that rosy health which the fresh and bracing air of the hill-side imparts ; and all were decked out in bonnets newly trimmed with artificial flowers and ribbons of the brightest hue, in every variety of colour and arrangement. Neither in their other apparel was there any lack of neatness, many of the girls displaying superior taste, and dressing in a manner approaching to elegance. For weeks before the anniversary Sundays of the various places of worship throughout Rossendale, those who " ply the needle and thread " have a busy time of it ; for it is the custom of the single lasses to appear at church or chapel on those occasions in the finery which has to serve the purpose of dazzling the eyes, and captivating the hearts, of the rural swains during the intervening twelve months. But this is a digression. Behind the girls were the males of every age, from the youthful tyro to the hoary and spectacled patriarchs of the valley ; and in the rear, with scarcely room to exert their powers, were the Instrumentalists, amongst whom the Fiddlers, large and small, predominated. The mellow flute and the clarionet had their representatives ; and dotted here and there might be seen a brass instrument, reflecting the bright sunshine that gleamed through the windows of the humble edifice, {c) (c) It may indicate a want of taste on my part, but I confess to having experienced a pang of regret on learning that the old-fashioned instruments at Lumb Chapel had been supplanted by the more fashionable, but also more formal, Organ — " Old times are changed, old manners gone ! " 264 History of the I entered just as the Musicians were completing the tuning of their instruments, and found the chapel crowded in every part. Soon the minister ascended the pulpit, and opened the service by giving out the noble Hymn of Dr. Watts : — " Come let us join our cheerful songs With angels round the throne ; Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, But all their joys are one." The tune selected by the Leader of the choir was " Nativity," and with a precision which long practice had rendered easy, and which Charles Halle would have admired had he been there to listen, the whole body of singers and instrumentalists struck briskly off into the fine old lilting measure ; the deep bass of the violoncellos and manly voices, alternating with the treble and alto of the lesser instruments, and the sweet, clear, silver tones of the females, in the frequent repetition of the lines. With reverent voice the minister then perused the Sacred Volume ; his lucid comments enforcing the truths of Holy Writ, and with marvellous power bringing home the Bible narrative to the experiences of our common humanity. Not less impressive and effectual was his earnest prayer, spoken in that homely, vigorous Saxon, which, needing no interpreter, is all-powerful to touch the heart. The hymn which followed the prayer was one familiar to many of my readers : — "God of the seas, thy thund'ring voice Makes all the raging waves rejoice ; And one soft word — 'tis Thy command — Can sink them silent in the sand." And this being sung to "Glad Tidings," the effect which would be produced by the noble lines of the poet, and the weird, exultant music, upon the unsophisticated mind, may be more easily imagined than described. " Compared with this, how poor Religion's pride In all the pomp of method and of art, When men display to congregations wide Devotion's every grace, except the heart !" Forest of Rossendale. 265 But the great treat of the afternoon was when, the sermon being concluded, the " Hallelujah Chorus " was given by the choir. The fervent, enthusiastic countenances of the men, many of whom were awkward and even clownish in their dress and appearance, contrasting finely with the less serious, but not less earnest and expressive faces of the female portion of the rural choir, as the grand Anthem, " within no walls confined," rose heavenward to the great Eternal, who is the subject and burden of its strain. Neither was the singing limited to the choir — the majority of the congregation were famiUar with the song, and loud hallelujahs filled the house of God. What an unspeakable legacy those glorious musical productions are to mankind, for all time ; and how consoling to reflect that, however humble our station in life, and however coarse our fare and homely our attire, we can enter into their spirit, and enjoy and appreciate their beauties equally with the rich and noble of the land. CHAPTER III. " Some call me witch, And being ignorant of myself, they go About to teach me how to be one : urging That my bad tongue — by their bad usage made so, Forespeaks their cattle, doth bewitch their corn, Themselves, their servants, and their babes at nurse. This they enforce upon me ; and in part Make me to credit it 'Tis all one To be a witch as to be counted one." — The Witch of Edmonton. T N the present chapter I have jotted down a few fragmentary -'- items of information, traditionary, and authenticated. Rossendale has on occasions been favoured with the visits of several remarkable men. The Rev. John Wesley, as we have already seen, (a) visited this district four times at least, and from the hill-sides preached to the assembled population. On the occasion of his visit on July 14th, 1761, he opened the first Methodist Chapel in the Forest. The renowned Whitefield also, in the course of his peregrina- tions, passed through Rossendale more than once. In a letter addressed to Lady Huntingdon, and dated Leeds, October 30, 1749, he says, — " I have preached to many thousands at Rosindale, Aywood, and Halifax." {l>) Tradition says that on one occasion he preached from the old " Riding Steps " which formerly stood near to the " George and (a) See anti; p. 217. {b) Whitefield's Letters, Vol. ii. p. 288. Forest of Rossendale. 267 Dragon," Bacup, to a vast congregation, which the fame of his eloquence had attracted from far and near. In the year 1750 he also preached in the district, and a letter {c) to a friend, breathing the earnest and devoted spirit of the man, was indited from Rossendale at this time. Mr. Christopher Hopper, famous as a preacher in the early days of Methodism, ofificiated, on one occasion, in the original Methodist Chapel in Lane-Head-Lane, Bacup ; and in his diary, under date January 23, 1780, he records, — "I met with a perfect hurricane at Bacup. I was shut up with mountains of snow with a poor old woman till the 27th, with little fire and small provisions. The same day I set out with James Dawson and John Earnshaw over the hills to Colne." The eccentric William Gadsby occasionally visited Rossendale. Once, when preaching at Goodshaw, a company of the Dean " Layrocks " had crossed over the hill to assist the local choir, and fiddling and trumpeting were the order of the day. At the con- clusion of the proceedings, Mr. Gadsby, who was always an advo- cate of extreme simplicity in the services, in his usual blunt manner expressed his disapproval of the musical performances, remarking that the presence of so many instruments of music savoured more of the playhouse than the house of God ; and expressed a hope that if ever he came amongst them again, the fiddles and trom- bones might be dispensed with. Turning from preaching to politics, it may be noted that Fergus O'Connor, the celebrated leader of the Chartists, paid a visit to Bacup when in the heyday of his popularity. Rossendale, how- ever, never contributed many supporters to the cause of Chartism, though there were a few who enthusiastically embraced the views, and laboured to propagate the opinions, of this political section. It would appear that Fergus -was not very well received when he came to Bacup, for the only room which could be procured for him in which to deliver an address was the old kiln, used for (c) No. 842 in his published correspondence. 268 Histojy of the smelting malt, (i) situated in Rochdale Road, and now occupied as a cartwright's shop. Here he broached his " Land Scheme," and inaugurated a Branch Society, with what results we all know, (e) ' In the diary of the late Dr. Raffles, of Liverpool, published in his life by his son, (1S64, p. 123,) the following entry occurs : — "July 22nd, 1814. Rode with Mr. Mather to Todmorden in the centre of the beautiful vale of that name. On our way, called on Mr. Maden, near Bacup, where I saw and conversed with Mary Harrison, aged 104. She had been in the family ever since she was twelve years old, and is in full possession of every faculty except that of hearing." Mary Harrison, whose remains are interred in the graveyard of Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Bacup, lived to the remarkable age of 108 years. The date of her death is 21st December, 1818. She was born at Chatham, in Cliviger Dean. I have been at some pains to find the register of her birth, but have not succeeded. The register at Holmes Chapel, near to her place of birth, extends no farther back than the year 1742. Her age, however, is well authenticated. She entered the family of the late James Maden, Esq., of Greens, Bacup, in her thirteenth year — lived in it some time — left— and returned again, remaining in it until the day of her death. She nursed three generations of the family in succession : (rf) Hence Smeli, the present name of the locality. (?) With much to condemn and more to deplore, there was also a good deal to admire in the character of O'Connor. The " Land Scheme " was his fatal mistake ; its failure was inevitable ; the tendency of the small allotment system could only be to reduce our operatives to the unenviable condition of Irish peasant farmers. With all his faults, however, O'Connor was a friend of the working man, and laboured to the best of his judgment to promote his welfare, and improve his condition. He could not be considered a statesman in any sense of the term ; though there are statesmen who have committed graver mistakes than those which can be laid to his charge. For Fergus O'Connor's heart, if not for his head, there are those who entertain, and with ample reason, the profoundest respect, and this, notwithstanding years of obloquy and indiscriminating abuse. Forest of Rossendale. 269 the youngest child after she was 102 years old, and was able to employ herself in light work till a short time before her last illness. Her complaint was natural decay ; and she retained most of her faculties and memory to the last. Sharneyford Mill is the highest in England, being about 1250 feet above the level of the sea. The Rossendale man's answer, which Tim Bobbin so much admired, had reference to the water- shed of which Sharneyford forms part : — " I am always well pleased when I think at the Rossendale man's answer, who, being asked where he wunned, said, ' I wiin at tK Riggin 0' tK Woard — at th' Jiiggin 0' th' Woard — for ih' Wetiir 0' tli tone Yeeosing faws into tK Veeost, on th' tother into tli West Seeo.' " if) The site of what we now term Bacup has undergone quite a transformation within the memory of " the oldest inhabitant." The cluster of houses which at one time composed the village of Bacup, used to be called " Giddy Meadow " by the old people of last century. The reason of the name I have not been able to ascertain. Not very long ago the land all down on each side of Greave Water was quite a swamp that swung under the feet. The whole of what is now called Tong, in Bacup; used to have quite a park-like appearance, being thickly studded with trees, on which the crows annually built their nests, as they do at Broadclough at the present day. The slope betwixt Tong Lane and Todmorden Road was a series of gardens in a high state of cultivation. So also was the site of the " Club Houses" and St. James' Street. The early Baptists used to immerse in the river Irwell, at Lumb Head. A story is related of an irreverent wag who placed a (/J This occurs in a letter from Collier (Tim Bobbin) to Robert Whitaker, whose brother, Henry, was also a friend and correspondent of the celebrated Lancashire humourist. See Westall's ed. of Tim Bobbin, 1819, p 297. " The two Whitakers were brothers from Rossendale ; one of whom, Henry, was a schoolmaster at Manchester, and the other, Robert, a land surveyor and steward to Colonel Townley." (Canon Raines.) " Collier occasionally assisted the latter, and both were his constant friends." The South Lancashire Dialect, by Thomas Heywood, F.S.A. Chetham Miscellanies, vol. HI p. 47. 270 History of the prickly thorn at the bottom of the pool when old " Abb o'th Yate," was baptized. On complaining of the injuries he had sustained in the process of immersion, Abb was consoled by being assured that it must have been his sins that were pricking him. Bull-baiting was formerly a common sport in Rossendale. The Baiting ground at Bacup was on " Hammerton Green," {£) as it was called— the site of the present Corn Mill yard, and near to a low building known as the " Witching hoile." A stake was fixed in the centre of the ground, to which the Bull was tethered by a rope, when its canine tormentors were let loose upon it, amidst the yelling and cursing of a brutalised mob. At Boothfold, until within recent years, the stake with a ring attached stood near to the " Pack Horse." To show that the practice of Bull-baiting was at one time familiar to the inhabitants, a little circumstance may be mentioned. A very old Rossendale man, recently deceased, one day attended a Camp Meeting held in a field at Sharneyford. An acquaintance afterwards inquired if he had got to the meeting in time. " Yea," was the reply, " I just geet theer as they were teein' t' bull to th' stake," meaning, of course, that the preacher was just about opening the services. But Rossendale was by no means singular in its relish for this degrading practice. In Manchester, in former times, "amongst the heaviest fines, or, as they were called, ' amercements,' on the butchers, were those for selling bull-beef, the bull not having been previously baited to make the flesh tender enough for human food." (Ji) A strange commentary this on the morals and civilisation of our forefathers. Tradition says that the narrow defile or gorge, called the " Thrutch," through which the river Irwell, the turnpike road, and {g) John Hammerton, probably the owner of the Green in question, was one of the Trustees of the " Old School House," Bacup, in 1773. (/i) Introduction to the Manchester Court Leet Records published by the Chetham Society, and edited by John Harland, F.S.A. p. 2. Forest of Rossendale. 271 the railway now run in close juxtaposition, was at one time so con- tracted at its summit, that it might have been cleared at a leap. A bold hunter of the name of Foster, it is said, actually performed the feat, and the place, until recently, was known as " Foster's Leap." At the foot of the hill Coupe Law, is a place named " Th' Arks o' Dearden," where in former times, it is said, horse races were run. A similar race ground is reported to have existed at Pike Law, near to the base of Cribden. At one corner of the field adjoining Stackstead's Mill is a large irregularly-shaped mound, made up of earth, clay, and coarse gravel. The railway train, on its way to and from Bacup, passes over a portion of this mound. The material of which it is composed has probably been washed down out of Hell Clough, which is immediately opposite, and deposited at this place, by some operation of Nature, at a remote period of time. But there is a legend connected with it, the recital of which must not be omitted here. It is said that before the river Irwell had scooped out its present channel through the Thrutch Glen, the whole of the valley extending thence up to Bacup foot, was covered by a vast sheet of water — a great Lake, embanked by the surrounding hills. In the deep gorge, in Brandwood, which bears the name of " Hell Clough," it is further said, his Satanic Majesty had his country seat ; and was accustomed to perform his ablutions in the Lake in question. One day the water, swollen by heavy rains, and lashed into fury by the wind, overflowed its banks at the Thrutch, ploughing out a passage through the rock and shale which had hitherto barred its progress. His Majesty of the cloven foot, who stood upon the edge of the Lake enjoying the storm himself had raised, began to perceive the sudden withdrawal of the water from his feet. Divining the cause, he slipped on a large apron, and hastily filling it with soil and gravel, made with all speed to repair the breach. But, just as he reached the place where the mound above described is situated, his apron strings 272 History of the broke ; and the mass of rubbish which he carried fell to the ground, where it has lain to this hour. It is some such tradition of the close proximity of the Devil to the district which has given rise to the following saying, quoted by Bamford : (/)— " There's a fine leet i' th' welkin, as th' witch o' Brandwood sed when th' Devil wur ridin' o'er Rossenda." The belief in Witchcraft, and in the existence of evil spirits, was at one time very prevalent amongst the lower classes in the district. Remnants of such superstitions still exist. At the present day it is not uncommon to find a horeshoe nailed behind the outer door, or on the lintel over the entrance, intended to scare the witch from the dwelling, or prevent her devilish cantrips from taking effect upon the inmates. The inquisitive eye may also detect over the stalls in the shippons of some of the old farm- houses, the " lucky-stone," pendant by a thread from a nail in the ceiling. This was thought to be an infallible charm to protect the cattle from being " witched," and to prevent the cream from breaking in the churn. The doings of the notorious " Tong Boggart " are familiar to almost every one in Bacup, and few but have heard rehearsed the story of his unearthly bowlings and knockings that kept the neighbourhood in a ferment of terror for weeks together. The " Goodshaw Witch " was a noteworthy personage in her day ; but even against her black art there was an all-sufficient antidote. The superstitious people of the neighbourhood would place a piece of oaten cake underneath their pillow at night on retiring to rest ; and this, if eaten in the morning when they awoke, but before opening the eyes, was a safeguard to shield them during the day from the unholy influences of the withered beldam ; failing to take this precaution, the worst mischiefs were liable to befall them. An unfortunate girl, who had neglected the necessary preservative, was one morning sent by her mother to the old woman to borrow a handful of salt. The reputed witch, not over (/) Life of a Radical, chap. vi. Forest of Rossendale. 273 pleased, turned or twisted her eyes upon the girl, who began to squint from that moment, and was never afterwards able to look straight before her. In Harland and Wilkinson's " Lancashire Folk-Lore," (pp. 208-9,) the following account is given of the killing of a Rossendale Witch or Wizard : — "Some years ago I formed the acquaintance of an elderly gentleman who had retired from business after amassing an ample fortune by the manufacture of cotton. He was possessed of a considerable amount of general information — had studied the world by which he was surrounded — and was a leading member of the Wesleyan connexion. The faith element, however, predomin- ated amongst his religious principles, and hence both he and his family were firm believers in witchcraft. On one occasion, according to my informant, both he and the neighbouring farmers suffered much from loss of cattle, and from the unproductiveness of their sheep. The cream was bynged [soured] in the churn, and would bring forth no butter. Their cows died mad in the shippons, and no farrier could be found who was able to fix upon the diseases which afflicted them. Horses were bewitched out of their stables through the loopholes, after the doors had been safely locked, and were frequently found strayed to a considerable distance, when they ought to have been safe in their stalls. Lucky-stones had lost their virtues ; horse-shoes nailed behind the doors were of little use ; and sickles hung across the beams had no effect in averting the malevolence of the evil-doer. At length suspicion rested upon an old man, a noted astrologer and fortune- teller, who resided near New Church, in Rossendale, and it was determined to put an end both to their ill-fortune and his career, by performing the requisite ceremonials for 'killing a witch.' It was a cold November evening when the process commenced. A thick fog covered the valleys, and the wild winds whistled across the dreary moors. The farmers, however, were not deterred. They met at the house of one of their number, whose cattle were then supposed to be under the influence of the wizard ; and having procured a live cock-chicken, they stuck him full of pins and burnt 274 History of the him alive, whilst repeating some magical incantation. A cake was also made of oatmeal, mixed with the urine of those bewitched, and, after having been marked with the name of the person suspected, was then burnt in a similar manner The wind suddenly rose to a tempest, and threatened the destruction of the house. Dreadful meanings, as of some one in intense agony, were heard without, whilst a sense of horror seized upon all within. At the moment when the storm was at the wildest, the wizard knocked at the door, and in piteous tones desired admit- tance. They had previously been warned by the ' wise man ' whom they had consulted that such would be the case, and had been charged not to yield to their feelings of humanity by allowing him to enter. Had they done so, he would have regained all his influence, for the virtue of the spell would have been dissolved. Again and again did he implore them to "open the door, and pleaded the bitterness of the wintry blast, but no one answered from within. They were deaf to all his entreaties, and at last the wizard wended his way across the moors as best he could. The spell, therefore, was enabled to have its full effect, and within a week the Rossendale wizard was locked in the cold embrace of death." Another formidable Witch is said to have practised her black art in Rossendale fifty or sixty years ago. A person who had suffered from her evil influences applied for advice under the circumstances to a famous Witch doctor and Fortune-teller who resided at Wardle. The doctor gave him a small packet contain- ing some unknown mixture, with instructions to hold it over the fire in a glazed earthenware pot, about the hour of midnight. He cautioned him, however, to beware of allowing it to drop into the fire, as, if he did so, it would assuredly burn the Witch to death. At the time named, having first carefully bolted the door before performing the spell, he took the mixture and held it as directed. Very soon an unearthly groan was heard outside, as if proceeding from some one in great distress. This so terrified the operator that he allowed the dish and its contents to drop from his Forest of Rossendale. 275 hand into the fire, when the whole exploded with a report which shook the adjoining cottages, and awakened the inmates. Next morning it was reported that the reputed Witch was dead, having been found lying underneath the bed in her own house, with her right arm burnt almost to a cinder ! A number of the youths of the village of Crawshawbooth were amusing themselves at football on a Sunday afternoon in the field lying between "Pinner Lodge" and Sunnyside House. A gentlemanly personage, dressed" in black, approached and stood looking at them for some time, apparently interested in the game. The ball at length rolled to his feet, and, unable to resist the temptation, he took it in his hand, and gave it a kick that sent it spinning into the air ; but instead of the ball returning to terra firma, it continued to rise until it vanished from the sight of the gaping rustics. Turning to look at the stranger who had performed such a marvellous feat, they espied what they had not observed before — the cloven foot and barbed tail (just visible from under- neath the coat) of his Satanic Majesty. The effect of this unexpected discovery on the onlookers may be imagined but not described. Had the wall of the field been twelve feet high instead of four, it could not have prevented their exit. As for the cause of their sudden dispersion, he vanished in a blaze of fire, and the smell of the brimstone fumes produced by his disappearance was felt in the village for many weeks afterwards. A correspondent in a local newspaper relates the same story with a slight variation. One of the players thinking he would give the gentle- man the chance of a knock, turned his foot towards him and kicked the ball. The latter availed himself of the opportunity, and gave the ball a tremendous kick, which struck it into a blue blaze ! The same correspondent (under the signature of Oliver Dingle) states that " he has often heard an old Crawshawboothian relate a story of a bewitched cow, the owner of which, seeing that something was wrong with it, but not being able to tell what, called a number of his friends and neighbours together to look at it, the person who related the story being one of these. The cow was turned out into 276 History of the the fold, and a man stood before the shippon door to prevent it going in again ; but it walked up to what the narrator called a loophole in the barn, and slipped through like a cat ! The hole was so small that not one of the lookers-on could have put his head through it, and the barn referred to is the one near Hudson Mill. The narrator said, ' I saw it with my own eyes, and therefore could not be deceived.' " In the prose writings of Edwin Waugh, the Lancashire poet, are to be found many curious and interesting references to Rossendale. For example, in his sketch of " Rochdale to Top of Blackstone Edge," he remarks, " When visiting relations of mine near Buckley, I met with a story relating to one of the Buckleys of old, who was a dread to the country-side ; how he pursued a Rossendale rider who had crossed the moors from the Forest, to recover a stolen horse from the stables of Buckley Hall by night, and how this Buckley of Buckley overtook and shot him at a lonely place called Th' Hillock, between Buckley and Rooley Moor." Waugh refers, with some variations, to the same legend in his sketch on "Dulesgate." In his story of " Dan o' Tootlers," the old fiddler, one of his best productions, Waugh remarks that the " fiddler had been specially invited, quite as much in the character of a guest as of an itinerant musician, to enliven the rustic gathering which thronged the old house at the Nine Oaks Farm at the annual churn supper, as the feast of the hay-harvest is called in South Lancashire. The churn supper at Nine Oaks was famous all over the Forest of Rossendale, no less on account of the guests and the bounty of the cheer, than on account of the presence of a minstrel so well known and so universally welcomed as Dan o' Tootlers was in those days." There are two curious references to Rossendale places and character in the sketch, " Owd Cronies." " Robin at th' Crawshaw Booth has a lad as can creep through a cat hole!' and again, "Here, come; if we're o' gooin' to talk at once, like Rossenda' churchwardens, I'll wait a bit till there's a better chance." In the " Dead Man's Dinner," there is a description of Newchurch with its old church Forest of Rossendale. 277 and surroundings, of which it is a faithful and beautiful picture. From a considerable acquaintance with Edwin Waugh's writings, I have observed that in his prose sketches, wherever his references to Rossendale occur, they are in his choicest pieces. The very mention of the name seems to open up within his mind a fine vein of poetic inspiration which is reflected on the page. For example, in "Dulesgate," and in "The Old Fiddler," to which I have already referred, in his "Letters written during the Cotton Famine," where he speaks of the " Deighn Layrocks," in the " Barrel Organ," and in others. u-:>^^fe^^ BOOK EIGHTH - > ♦♦» < CHAPTER I. " The King he is great on his throne, The Knight at his Lady's knee, The Bishop exults in his lawn. But the Tradesman's the metal for me." " Work apace, apace, apace, apace, Honest Labour bears a lovely f»ce." — Decker. " He strains the warp Along the garden walk, or highway side. Smoothing each thread."— Dyer. - The Fleece. "D OSSENDALE has had two distinct periods in its history which -'-^ we are able to trace. First, its existence as a Forest, harbour- ing " nothing else but deer and other savage and wild beasts ;" and, second, its industrial condition, agricultural and manufacturing. The earher time we have endeavoured to realize and describe from the meagre records of the past which have been preserved ; the second, also, as regards the agricultural or pastoral developments of the district, we have noted. Its growth in manufactures and trade will now engage our attention. The first was a period of scanty population ; the other is marked by a growing number of inhabi- tants. The poetry and romance of the first have gradually given place to the matter-of-fact circumstances which exist to-day, and which have effaced most of the traces of its earlier condition. The Forest of Rossendale. 279 trees and under-growth have disappeared from the face of the country. True, the hills remain as of yore, which is something to rejoice at, and the Irwell and its tributaries still meander down the valleys, though sadly wanting in the pellucid brightness that characterized them in the past. The change is one that has overtaken other places besides Rossendale, and it seems as though it were an inevitable result of the presence of a human population, where the numbers are considerable. Let it- be hoped that the time will come when it will be possible to reconcile the now opposing conditions, or at least to render them less marked and objectionable. The dream is one which is worth cherishing, and it may perhaps be turned into a reality when a sincere and united effort is made for its accomplishment. The immediate result of the fulfilment of the decree of Henry VII., for the disforesting of the Forest of Rossendale, was to cause an influx of population into the district, who were afterwards to introduce those manufacturing and industrial pursuits which have since proved an inexhaustible fountain of enrichment, such as the agricultural improvement of its soil is powerless to supply. Ever since that period Rossendale has been growing in importance, by slow gradations at first, sometimes so as scarcely to be perceived, but afterwards with rapid and surprising strides. The advances which have been made during the present century are remarkable. We are each accustomed to listen to the stories of the Patriarchs of the villages — those who have passed a long life-time in the district — how that things are strangely altered since the time when they knew every face in their different localities, and could salute each inhabitant as a familiar acquaintance. During tlie reign of Henry VII., we have seen that the population of Rossendale numbered only about twenty souls, whose occupation was that of keeping the Deer. After the Forest was apportioned out into vaccaries or booths, and granted to certain of the inhabitants by the king's commission, the population began to increase, and agricultural pursuits constituted their chief daily employment. 28o History of the It is interesting to note our gradual emergence from the ideas and methods of restriction which in times past prevailed, and kept the trade of the country — the most important trade or business, that of agriculture — bound and fettered within confined and narrow limits. I do not now refer to the doctrine of prohibition as applied to the keeping out the produce of other countries from our own, but to the interference which at one time existed with internal freedom of trade. Take, for example, the grinding of corn. The practice was general, in past times, throughout the country, of compelling the grinding of corn to be done at certain favoured mills in the different districts ; and it was even a punishable offence to evade this custom by carrying, or attempting to carry, the corn grown in the district, or that purchased outside the district, to be ground at other than the special mills named. The Corn Mills in Rossendale, anciently called the " Soke Mills," were situated in Wolfenden Booth, Newchurch, and Oakenhead ^Vood Booth, Rawtenstall. They existed here from a comparatively early period. It is probable that they were built in the sixteenth century. They were originally the property of the Sovereign, who was then lord of the manor, and were erected for the convenience of the inhabitants of the Forest ; who, in return for the accommodation thus provided, were compelled to bring to those mills to be ground all their Corn grown in the Forest, and also all Malt, whether grown in the Forest or out of it, used or spent ground, in their respective houses ; for which grinding they were to pay mulcture at the rate of a thirtieth part, except for the grinding of bought Shelling or Groats grown out of the Forest ; — for these they were only to pay half-mulcture or one in sixty. The inhabitants of Musbury, and Yate and Pickup Bank, owing to their distance from the mills, were not bound by the above regulations. This rate of mulcture was fixed by a decree of the Duchy Court, dated May 1638, on consideration of a certificate returned into the Court by Sevile Radcliffe and John Starkie, Esquires, who. Forest of Rossendale. 281 under the direction of the Chancellor of the Duchy, the Right Hon. Edward Lord Newburgh, were appointed to inquire into certain differences which had arisen between Edward Rawstorne, Esq., his Majesty's Copyhold tenant, and some inhabitants of the Forest, respecting the same. This decree was afterwards confirmed by the same Court in the year 1785, on a trial between the owners of the mills and certain of the inhabitants who had evaded the mulcture by having their grain ground elsewhere. I am by no means certain that the decree of 1638 can not be legally enforced, but to attempt it in these days would simply be absurd. Imagine being compelled to have all the yarn produce woven into cloth in the district, or all our cowhides converted into leather and manufactured into shoes in the district. The cases are parallel — it is only the times and the ideas that are changed. No doubt in earlier days, when travelling and conv^ance were difficult, the establishment of the soke mills was a boon to the inhabitants, and therefore there was some show of justification for enforcing the support of the mills so established, and yet it seems strange to us, in these days of free and unrestricted trade, that a person, if he cared to incur the cost of transit of his corn, should not in past times, as well as now, have had the right of grinding it, or of having it ground, wherever he chose. I have in my possession copies both of the original decree of 1638 and the confirmatory decree of 1785. They are interesting documents, but they need not be given at length. I may mention that the millers were under obligation to grind the corn within twenty-fours hours after it was brought to them, otherwise the owner had liberty to take it elsewhere to be ground. The payment for grinding was at the rate of a thirtieth part for corn grown in the Forest, and the sixtieth part for corn grown "forth of" or out of it. Coin was scarce in those days, and therefore payment was made in kind. As late as the year 1859, a placard was extensively posted throughout Rossendale, reciting the old decree of 1638 relating to the 282 History of the soke mills, as confirmed by the decree of the Duchy Court in 1785, and giving notice to all the inhabitants of the Forest, that it was the firm determination of John Brooks, Esq., of Sunnyside, and S. A. Lord, Esq., of Newchurch, the then owners of the mills, to rigorously enforce the ancient custom, and offering a reward of five pounds to any person giving such evidence as would be considered sufficient proof to ground an action, or other legal proceedings against defaulters. The explanation of this is, that in the year named (1859), the late William Sutcliffe, being in treaty for the lease or purchase of the mills from the then owners, questioned whether any actual and assessable value attached to the ancient exclusive rights ; and consequently he declined to take into account any such supposititious value unless its tangibility were proved. It was therefore with the object of affording proof of such alleged value that the placard was issued. It is needless to add that* the result was to corroborate the view entertained by Mr. Sutcliffe as to the want of value in the claim. The corn mill at Bacup was built in 1826, by Hoyle and Atkinson, on a portion of a close of land called " Stansfield Meadow ;" but this firm having failed before commencing to work the mill, it was assigned, in 1827, to Peel (engineer). Bates (millwright), and Holt (builder). A further transfer of the property was made in 1828 to Richard Heyworth and Edmund Whitaker, who in turn sold it to William Thompson, John Hill, and William Sutcliffe, in the year 1831. This latter firm began to work it as a corn mill, under the name of James Thompson and Son. Hill died shortly afterwards, and Thompson, in 1859, sold his share to Sutcliffe, who then became the sole owner. In 1863 the name of the firm was altered to William Sutcliffe and Son. For a consideration of ;^30 per annum, paid to S. A. Lord, the owner of Boothfold mill, the mill at Bacup takes the mulcture of the district down to Stacksteads. Rawtenstall mill was rebuilt in 1S57, by John Brooks, Esq., of Crawshaw Hall; and is also worked by the Messrs. Sutcliffe. Another extensive corn mill, also at Rawtenstall, was built in 1886 by the latter firm. Forest of Rossendale. 283 In the latter years of the reign of Henry VIII. the Woollen Manufacture was introduced into the district, and during a period of about three hundred years this formed the staple trade of Rossendale. The clothing of the inhabitants in earlier times was chiefly of " self " material ; that is, it was of home manufacture — not bought in the finished piece. In lieu of oil, which was difficult and expensive to procure, the wool was greased with butter raised from the farms. The process of carding, spinning, reeling, and weaving were performed by hand. The hand-loom of those early days is as much surpassed in efficiency by the hand-loom of modern times, as the latter is by the power-loom of our factories. The weft, instead of being conveyed across the loom by means of a shuttle, was rolled into a ball, and thrown or " picked " by hand from one side to the other, by two persons alternately. The shuttle was a great improvement on the earher system, but owing to its ponderous and unwieldy size, a person was still required to be stationed at each side of the machine, to propel it through the shed of the warp. The application of wheels to the shuttle (said, as before mentioned, to have been the invention of John Maden of Bacup) greatly added to its efficiency by lessening the friction, and enabled one person sitting in front of the loom to perform with greater ease that which before required the labour of two. As water power came to be applied in turning the machinery (a) the trade rapidly increased, and a regular flow of population into the manufacturing districts was the consequence. As bearing on the trade of Eossendale in past days, the following is interesting : — In the " Travels through England," in (a) To the application of water-power in turning the machinery which had been invented to supplant hand labour, there were at first strong prejudices openly expressed ; as witness the old Rossendale man's prayer in a time of drought, — " The Lord send rain to till the ground, But not to turn the Engines round." The woollen-carding engines are here referred to, these being put in motion by the water-wheel. 284 History of the the years 1750, 1751, and later years, of Dr. Richard Pocoke, successively Bishop of Meath and of Ossory, published by the Camden Society in 1888, vol. i., p. 205, the following entry occurs : " Ascending the hills from Holme, we came to Bacup, a large village, where they have a great manufacture of woollen clothes which they send white to London. They are mostly Presbyterians, and have, as they call them, two chapels, {b) We left the mountains and came to Rochdale, which has its hame from its situation in a narrow vale on the river Roche." There is another mention of the extent of the woollen trade of Rossendale. The following is a copy of an advertisement which appears in a Lancashire newspaper of isth May, 1746: — "This is to give notice that the bay makers in and about Rossendale who have formerly frequented Rochdale Market, intend for the future to expose their goods for sale every Wednesday at Newchurch in Rossendale. N.B. The Forest of Rossendale manufactures and consumes a much larger quantity of the above mentioned com- modities than any other place of its extent in Lancashire." In the latter quarter of the i8th century Arkwright's inventions for spinning cotton gave another stimulus to the woollen trade in Rossendale as elsewhere, the machinery being equally well adapted to the latter manufacture. But it was reserved for the application of steam power to give that vast impulse to the employment of machinery in manufactures, which, in its extent and adaptabihty, has far exceeded the forecasts of the most sanguine. From forty to fifty years ago there were in the town (or village, as it then was) of Bacup alone, eleven mills engaged in carding wool ; and in the other parts of Rossendale, seventeen more mills were at work. These places, as a rule, were of small dimensions, because they were restricted in their use to but two branches of trade— those of devilling and carding. The spinning, reeling, (c) and (i) The two chapels referred to are doubtless the Old School House, and the original Baptist Chapel in Lane Head Lane. (c) In an old newspaper for 1777 I find the following " On Monday last Betty, wife-of Robert Lee, of Burnley, kxiA Ann, ixife of John Harlling, of Forest of Rossendale. 285 weaving were entirely domestic processes, almost every cottage and farmstead having its loom-house, or chamber, containing one, two, or more looms, and very often its spinning-loft. The proximity of the Forest of Rossendale to Rochdale, formerly, if not still, the centre of the flannel and baize trade, naturally favoured the growth of the manufacture in this district. The father of the Hardmans of Rochdale, {£) wool-staplers, celebrated for their enterprise as merchants during last century, was a Rossendale man, and is said to have had Spotland literally covered with sheep for the purposes of his business. Prior to the erection of our large factories, and the congregating of numerous workers under one roof, the capital- ists engaged in the woollen manufacture " put out " the warp and wool to their several hands living in the district. The warp which Bacup, were convicted for reeling false and short yarn, and paid the respective penalties by statute inflicted upon them, with all costs of prosecution." This evidently refers to an Act passed in the previous year, entitled — An Act for the more effectually preventing frauds and abuses committed by persons employed in the manufacture of combing wool, worsted yarn, and goods made from worsted, in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire; which recites that It shall be lawful to and for every inspector or inspectors from time to time, as occasion shall require, to demand entrance at all seasonable hoiys into the dwelling house or dwelling houses, shop or shops, outhouse or outhouses, of any agent or persons hired or employed to put out wool to be spun within the said counties of York, Lancaster and Chester, to inspect the yarn in the custody of any such agent or person hired or employed as aforesaid within the counties of York, Lancashire and Cheshire, where he has any information, or suspects any false or short reeled yarns ; and in case of refusal by any agent or person hired or employed to put out wool to be spun into worsted yarn to permit or suffer such inspection, he, she, or they so refusing shall forfeit and pay such sum of money not exceeding ;^io nor less than ;^5, as such justice or justices before whom he or they shall be convicted shall think proper to be recovered. — Note by Fred Leary. {d) Lawrence, the father of John and James Hardman, was born at Greens, near Acre Mill, Spotl.ind, in the year 1664. At 17 years of age he removed to Rochdale, and shortly became established as a wool-stapler in that town. At his death, which occurred in the year 1715, at Toad Lane, Rochdale, his two sons, John and James, succeeded to the business, and carried it on in 286 History of the was spun ready for the loom, had to undergo the process of sizing before being " gaited up." This was also a domestic process, and an important one, requiring the supervision of an experienced hand. A large cistern or pan containing the size was placed upon the fire, and the material being boiled to the proper consistence, the warp was immersed in it. After remaining for a time, it was taken out again, stripped of the superfluous liquid, and carried into the open air to be dried. Forty or fifty years ago, when the woollen trade was in the ascendant in the district, and before modern skill had displaced with machinery the slower modes of manipulation, the face of the country on a fine day presented a very different appearance to that which it assumes at the present time. Standing upon the slope of one of the hills, the spectator would have seen stretching along the edges of the highways and lanes, and skirting the fields on every side, long wavy wreaths, varying in shade from hodden gray to almost snowy white, motionless in the still air, or answering in undulations to the wind that stole briskly down the valley. These were the warps which the weavers had stretched out to dry after sizing ; the yarn being made to rest on wooden stakes about four partnership. After having been in trade for some time, John, the eldest, removed to Liverpool in order to devote attention to the concerns of the firm there ; while James continued to reside at Rochdale. They were successful in their undertakings, and became wealthy merchants, owning their own trading ships. The following additional particulars of the family are extracted from Greg- son's "Fragments of Lancashire," pt. 2. p. 198. — "John Hardman, of Liverpool, merchant, who married Miss Cockshutt, and was M.P. 1754 for Liverpool; and James Hardman, who married Jane Leigh, of Oughtrington, gave for the estate at AUerton (near Liverpool) ;£^7,700. ;£^400 per acre has subsequently been paid for this land, which was divided between Mr. Clegg and Mr. Roscoe. Before and since Mr. Clegg and Mr. Roscoe's purchases, several suits have been instituted at Lancaster by various claimants. The source of these litigations has been the circumstance of no provision or future settlement having been made of the estate in contemplation of the death of Mr. James Hardman's children, who all died before they came of age. Mr. James Hardman. surviving his brother, died November 22, 17S9; and Mrs. Jane Hardman, February 12, 1795. " Forest of Rossendale. 287 feet in length each, inserted in the crevices of the fence walls in a horizontal position, and supported at the other end by upright stakes — or " stanners," as they were called. Rossendale was much more thickly timbered in those days ; and the houses had scarcely begun to be built in unpicturesque rows, but were seen to stud the valley and the green hillsides either in detached groups, or as single residences. With the numerous busy hands arranging the draper}' described above, it is easy to imagine how much more of pleasing variety the landscape, untainted with factory smoke, would present, when compared with its present bare and somewhat monotonous aspect. The wool intended to be made into weft was weighed and delivered to the workpeople in its natural state. To prepare it for weaving, it was first oiled or greased ; it was then taken to one of the small mills in the district, where it underwent the operations of devilling and carding — the fibres of the material were made to lie parallel with each other, and the wool was also run into slivers or cardings of three to four feet in length. These were now taken home to be spun into weft on the Spinning- Jack. The latter was turned by hand by the spinner, the Jack-rim being at one end of the machine. Turning the wheel with one hand, he regulated the spinning and guided the winding of the weft on to the cops or bobbins with the other. Behind the Jack was the piecer, con- stantly on the move, keeping up a continual supply of the carded wool, now being drawn out and spun into thread ready for the loom, where it was applied in the ordinary way. On the completion of the piece, it was cut from the loom, hooked on pegs rudely fixed to the joists in the ceiling of the house, folded, and carried on the back of the weaver to the warehouse whence the material composing it had originally been obtained. The web was afterwards subjected to the fulling and finishing processes at mills in the district. In this way the cloths called baize, bookings, super-bockings, and mocks, were manufactured. Bacup was at one period famed for producing these goods. At the present time, within the Borough boundary, there is but one solitary Woollen mill. 288 History of the A brief reference to what was once the most important mill in the district may interest some readers, and will not be out of place in the present work. In the year 1798, Hareholme Mill was built by William Dockray and Co., a quaker firm, on land leased to them by Thos. Edmondson, of Mytholmroyd. The first hands employed in the mill were chiefly brought from Lancaster ; and, at the beginning of the century, nearly all the families residing at Hareholme were natives of the county town. The mill was intended • for and was used in the manufacture of Worsted — -the material of the warp of the woollen goods made in the district. It was not only the first of its size in Rossendale, but it was also one of the first important mills for many miles around. The structure was justly considered to possess much architectural beauty, and its position in the bosom of the valley, especially before the turnpike road was formed, gave it quite a picturesque appearance. The chimney is altogether a curiosity in its way, with its broad base continued nearly one-third of its height, from whence it quickly tapers to the summit, the whole strongly resembling a champagne bottle, and was obviously built at a time when experience in the erection of such structures was required to give confidence to the builder in the stability of his work. Its top, whether from accident or design, exactly resembles the broad brimmed hat of a Quaker. The Ram which surmounts the belfry, typical of the woollen manufacture, was executed by an ingenious workman named John Nuttall, and has often been admired for its truthful resemblance to the original, {e) The first tenants were men of enterprising character ; their yarn was much esteemed for its excellent quality, and agents (basketeers, as they were called, through carrying the goods in baskets slung as (e) An architect from a neighbouring town, criticising it freely, and trying to display his superior taste, expressed the opinion that the model of the Ram as designed was all very well done excepting the horns. Whereupon Nuttall naively replied, that whatever the merits of the body of the animal, the horns were just as God had made them. As a matter of fact they were an actual pair of Ram's horns that he had used. Forest of Rossendale. 289 panniers over the backs of donkeys or Shetland gals) came regularly out of Yorkshire to make their purchases at Hareholme. The mill was the first building in Rossendale lighted with gas. This mode of illumination was then so rare, and thought so wonderful, that visitors from all parts, for miles round, came to witness the unusual sight which it presented when lighted up at night. From the time of its erection down to 1851, it continued to be a worsted mill, and during that period passed through several hands. It has now fallen into disuse. In addition to the Woollen Spinning and "Weaving Trade, the Combing of Wool was an industry rather extensively practised in Rossendale during the first quarter of the present century. Many of the inhabitants have a vivid recollection of the time when the festival in honour of Bishop Blaize, the patron saint of the wool- combers, was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony in Rossendale ; (f) on which occasion the handsomest female in the (f) " St. Blasius is generally represented as Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, and as having suffered martyrdom in the persecution of Licinius in 316. The fact of iron combs having been used in tearing the flesh of the martyr appears the sole reason for his having been adopted by the wool-combers as their patron saint. The large flourishing communities engaged in this business in Bradford and other English towns are accustomed to hold a septennial jubilee on the 3rd of February, in honour of Jason of the Golden Fleece and St. Blaize ; and not many years ago this fete was conducted with considerable state and ceremony. First went the masters on horseback, each bearing a white sliver; then the masters' sons on horseback ; then their colours ; after which came the apprentices, on horseback, in their uniforms. Persons representing the king and queen, the royal family, and their guards and attendants followed. Jason, with the golden fleece, and proper attendants, next appeared. Then came Bishop Blaize in full canonicals, followed by shepherds and shepherdesses, wool-combers, dyers, and other appropriate figures, some wearing wool wigs. "Apparently for no better reason than the sound of the prelate's name, it was customary to light fires on this day, or evening, on hill-tops or other conspicuous places. So determinedly anxious were the country people for the celebration by a blaze, that they would sacrifice articles of some importance 290 History of the Forest was chosen to act the part of Queen for the day, attired in her regal robes, with her train of attendants dressed in the most grotesque habiliments, and these of every colour and shade. Those were the merry days of the past which the Poets sometimes sing. VVe have neither time nor relish for such displays now, having grown too precise and matter-of-fact. The greed of gain is so ab- sorbing as to prevent our paying attention to such old-world manifestations of the poetry of every-day life. For the following approximated particulars of the woollen trade of the district at the present time, I am indebted to the kindness of a gentleman engaged in that business, and familiar with the facts. The number of woollen manufacturers is six. These employ 1,200 hands; there are 500 looms at work; the wages paid weekly amount in the aggregate to ;^i,ooo, and the Capital employed is about ;^3So,ooo. The sum of the capital may seem large to those not conversant with the Woollen trade. Two of the most affluent firms in the district, however, export the great bulk of their manufactured goods, and together employ probably about two-thirds of the amount. The staple goods produced are baizes, used as clothing by the troops and natives of the Brazils, and the East and West Coasts of South America, in which places are stationed representa- tives of some of the Rossendale firms. Another branch of this important industry is the Felt and Tapestry Carpet trade. In this there are four manufacturers engaged, employing 400 hands, and paying in wages about ^^"400 per week. The production is 46,000 pieces, or nearly 3,700,000 yards of Carpet per annum, the Capital employed being about _;^i6o,ooo. The Printing of these, and some few woven goods, forms an important item in the industry of the district. Of works engaged to make one. Country women went about during the day in an idle merry humour, making good cheer; and if they found a neighbour spinning, they thought themselves justified in making a conflagration of the distaff." — Chambers' s Book of Days, vol. i. p. 219. Forest of Rossendale. 291 in this trade there are four, employing 360 hands, and paying in weekly wages ;^4oo; whilst the Capital invested is close on ;^20,000. Bringing the different departments of the trade together, we have the following result : — Table showing the Extent of the Woollen Trade IN Rossendale in 1893. Department. Hands employed. Paid in Wages weekly. Capital employed. Spinning and Weaving, Felt and Tapestry, Printing, . Total, 1,200 400 360 £ 1,000 400 400 £ 350,000 160,000 20,000 1,960 1,800 530,000 About nineteen years ago a new industry, which may be mentioned here (as it is closely allied to the woollen and felt), the Slipper trade, was introduced into Rossendale. It is not only new to the district, but it possesses original features in itself, and it ■was not an importation from any other part of the country. It came opportunely. The Cotton trade of Rossendale was suffering, and is still suffering, owing to the competition with India, at one time its best customer, where cotton goods of a similar class to those made in Rossendale are now being largely produced. The Slipper trade is located chiefly at Waterfoot, in the very heart of the Rossendale district, and the story that is told of its origin is interesting. Mr. Samuel McLerie, now the oldest slipper manufacturer in the trade in Rossendale, has been resident here since 1859; and his sister, Mrs. Wylie, who had previously been employed at the Busby Printworks, near Glasgow, came about that time to reside at Waterfoot. It appears that the females employed at the Busby works are accustomed to make a kind 292 History of the of slipper out of the used-up pieces of blanketting from the printing machines for wear during the working hours, and some years after her arrival in Rossendale Mrs. Wyhe obtained a piece of felt from Bridge End Mills, and out of this fashioned a pair of slippers. Their neat and cozy appearance was admired by several persons, amongst the rest by Mr. Henry Rothwell, who was the occupant of the mills, and he induced her to make similar slippers for his wife and himself. Subsequently, about the year 1874, Mr. J. W. Rothwell (nephew of the above), a woollen printer by trade, began to manufacture these felt slippers at his house in Miller Barn Lane. About 1876 he went into partnership with two other printers, Messrs. Clegg and Spencer, and this firm also began the manufacture. Mr. Samuel McLerie hkewise entered into the trade shortly afterwards. The goods gradually found a market both in Rossendale and out- side of it. Shortly after this, viz., about 18S0, the firm of Messrs. Jas. Gregory & Company commenced a similar manufacture at Whitewell Bottom, and although their business was not very successful at first, it eventually became so, mainly owing to the tact and energy of Mr. H. W. Trickett, whom the firm engaged as traveller. In 1883, Mr. Trickett began business on his own account at Carr Lane Mill, and later he purchased the large and com- modious cotton mill at Gaghills, which he transformed into a slipper factory. At first the whole of the slippers were made by hand. Finding in the earlier years of his business at Carr Lane that the Germans had almost sole possession of the English market, and believing that it would be impossible to compete with them by hand, Mr. Trickett began and invented various machines, and adapted others for producing the goods. In this he has been entirely successful. He now is making at his two mills over 40,000 pairs of slippers weekly, sending them out to all parts of the world. There are at the present time ten slipper factories in the district. The number of workpeople, mostly young men and women. Forest of Rossendale. 293 employed is about 1,300, who are earning higher wages than they could earn in the cotton mills. The number of slippers produced by the whole of the Rossendale factories is about 70,000 pairs weekly. These are of all descriptions, felt, carpet, Venetian, and a variety of other kinds, with linoleum, woodpulp, and leather soles ; canvas shoes for the seaside are also largely produced. The amount paid in wages weekly is estimated at ;^ 1,1 00 to _;^i,2oo, and the capital invested in the trade is over ^50,000. Rossendale derives a further benefit from the new Industry in the large amount of money that is spent with other firms in the district — felt manufacturers and others — not less a sum than _;^2,ooo per month being paid over to them for goods supplied. In looking at the whole circumstances of the trade, one cannot but admire the enterprise that has been at its foundation and evolution, and the dictum of Dean Swift naturally recurs to us, that they are greatly deserving of esteem who, metaphorically speaking, make two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before. The trade of Silk Weaving was at one time, near the beginning of the century, followed to some extent in Rossendale ; so also was the manufacture of Ginghams — a fabric having a cotton warp and linen weft — but these never assumed proportions of any magnitude, and at the present day are not found anywhere in the locality. The Cotton Manufacture was destined to take deeper root in the district ; and to this, the staple industry of our time, we shall now direct attention. CHAPTER II. "First with nice eye emerging Naiads cull From leathery pods the vegetable wool ; With wiry teeth revolving cards release The tangled knots, and smooth the ravell'd fleece ; Next moves the iron hand with fingers fine, Combs the wide card, and forms the eternal line ; Slow, with soft lips, the whirling can acquires The tender skeins, and wraps in rising spires ; With quickened pace successive rolle.rs move. And these retain, and those extend the rove ; Then fly the spoles, the rapid axles glow. And slowly circumvolves the labouring wheel below." — Darwin.— T/ic Loves of the Plants, canto II. "Cotton is King!" " To every clime his labours stalk. From pole to pole they hawk the work Made by this English wight." SoNQS OF THE WiLSONS.— T/ig Weaver. rr^O the Cotton Trade, more than to all other causes combined, is -*- undoubtedly due the remarkable increase which has taken place in the population of Rossendale within the present century. To the development of that trade are also to be attributed the accumulation of wealth in many hands, the greatly-augmented value of the rateable property, and the advancement of the inha- bitants in material prosperity and comfort. As has been already shown, (a) the increase in the amount of the population (a) See ante, pp. 229-30. Forest of Rossendale. 295 between 1801 and 1891, a period of ninety years, is 380 per cent; (b) while the annual rental of the Forest for 1891 is 560 per cent, above the valuation of the year 1815. It is probable that the Cotton Manufacture, which first began to assume importance in this country about the middle of the 1 7th century, did not find its way into Rossendale till near the end of the century following. It is not easy to determine with certainty the e.xact date when cotton first began to be worked in the district ; there is, however, good reason for conjecturing that no cotton goods were manufactured in Rossendale prior to the year 1770. Between the latter year and 1780, a kind of muslin or fine cotton lawn was woven in a small " factory " (so called) which stood in Lane-head Lane, Bacup. Fustians also began to be made soon after this time. " Cotton Dealers " residing in the neighbourhood, and others from a distance, put out the warp and weft to the weaver, who brought back the manufactured cloth. In some cases the raw cotton was taken and put through the entire pro- cesses of batting, carding, spinning, and weaving. As with the woollen warp, so with the Fustian, the sizing was performed by the weaver. But instead of drying the sized warp in the open air, it was stretched on a machine called a " Deeting frame," and a bar of iron which had been made red hot moved backwards and forwards over its surface. This rod or bar was named tlie " Deeting iron," and it required a dexterous and steady hand to use it so as to dry the warp quickly without injuring the yarn. The following extract is from a Deed of Partnership under date the year 1795, and is probably one of the earliest existing records of the Cotton manufacture in the district. It exhibits in a very striking manner the meagre dimensions of trade then, as compared with its present vast proportions. (A) The increase in the population of England and Wales during the same ninety years is 270 per cent. 296 History of the "ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT " Indented and made, and fully concluded upon, the eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five. Between Christopher Hargreaves, of Haslingden, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner ; Henry Whitaker, of Bacop, in the Forest of Rossendale, and County aforesaid, Cotton Dealer ; John Lord, of Bacop, aforesaid, Cotton Dealer ; and Edmund Lord, of Bacop, aforesaid. Cotton Dealer. " And first of all the said parties have joined themselves to be Co-partners together in the Art or Trade of Spinning and Roving of Cotton, and all things thereunto belonging ; or such other business in the cotton line as they shall hereafter pursue. And also in buying, selling, vending and retailing of all sorts of wares and goods belonging to the said Trade of Spinning and Roving Cotton ; which said Co-partnership is to continue for the Term of Eight years and Ten months, from the eighth day of July next ensuing. And for the carrying on of the said joint Trade, each of the said Parties doth covenant and agree, that they will each of them bring into the said Joint Trade and Stock in Money and Goods to be used therein, on or before the eighth day of July next, the full sum of Twenty-five Pounds sterling. And it is hereby mutually covenanted and agreed upon by the said Parties, that their trade of Spinning and Roving of Cotton shall be carried on at their Joint Engine or Factory House situate at Lane-side, near Haslingden, or any other place which they, the said parties, shall mutually agree upon for that purpose, &c. (Signed), Christopher Hargreaves, Henry Whitaker, John Lord, Edmund Lord. Sealed, signed, and delivered on parchment, duly stamped in the presence of James Whitaker and John Piccop." From the small sum of the Capital subscribed to the concern by each of the four partners, it may be concluded that their operations were but of very limited extent. A further deed of Partnership, dated 1803, to which the above mentioned Edmund Lord was a party, along with Joshua Lord, of Meadows, near Broadclough, Forest of Rossendale. 297 clothier; and James Maden, of Lane Head, Bacup, Cotton Spinner, shows an advance in the extent of the trade. The sum of the Capital subscribed is larger; and along with the carding, roving, and spinning of the cotton wool, was combined the manu- facturing of the cotton goods. This partnership was to continue in force for the term of six years, and each partner brought one hundred pounds into the concern. The old mill at the corner of Burnley road, Bacup, was the first considerable Cotton Factory erected in the district, and dates back to the end of last century. About the year 1800 James and William Clegg began to spin cotton yarn at " Little Baltic," near Waterfoot, and at the old " Soke Mill " at Mill end, in Wolfenden-Booth fold. It is probable that these were the earliest cotton-spinners in the immediate vicinity of Newchurch. At this early time the cost of a Hand-Loom was five pounds, (the price paid for a Power-Loom at the present day,) and the newly-married couple who could boast the possession of a pair of such looms on the day of their wedding were looked upon as being well provided for. From 1815 to 1830 the trade of cotton-weaving on the hand- loom was at the briskest. In the latter year there were, at the lowest computation, thirty Weaving Shops, apart from the looms in dwelling-houses, in the Forest of Rossendale. The cloth made varied in quality and strength, and, in addition to the ordinary calico, consisted of " Fustians," " Pillows," or " Twills," " Bangups," and " Satteens," the latter having a fine velvety covering. For a lengthened period after its introduction into Rossendale, the 'Cotton Manufacture was in quite an embryo state. The Woollen trade held a position far in advance ; nor could the most sanguine advocates of the claims of Cotton ever have anticipated that during the first half of the present century the old-established Woollen trade of Rossendale would have been so completely outstripped in extent and importance by its younger rival. Amongst those who, at an early date, took a leading position as Cotton-Spinners and Manufacturers in Rossendale, special mention 298 History of the must be made of Robert and John Munn. This enterprising firm entered into the Cotton trade at Old Clough Mill, Irwell Springs, about the year 1824. The regular business habits and vigilant attention exercised by the firm, who, in the erection of Stacksteads Mill had launched boldly out into the business, secured their success; and this had the effect of greatly encouraging and stimulating the growth of the Cotton trade in Rossendale, with which trade their name will always continue to be intimately associated. At Rawtenstall the brothers Whitehead were amongst the earliest, and eventually became the largest. Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers, and it is mainly to their energy and enterprise that this portion of the district has made such rapid and substantial progress in population and wealth. The firm of Hardman Brothers are also of old standing here, both as Woollen and Cotton Manufacturers, and give employment to a large number of opera- tives in both departments. There are a number of Limited Companies having Mills in the immediate vicinity of Rossendale, a large proportion of the capital of which is contributed by persons residing in this district. From the beginning of the century down to the year 1830, about twenty-three of the smallest of the mills at present engaged in the Cotton Manufacture, and the greater portion of the Shoddy Mills, were erected. Most of these were, however, originally intended for, and were used in, the Woollen trade. From 1830 to 1839 eleven Cotton factories were built. From 1840 to ^849 twenty more had sprung into existence. The next decennial period, from 1850 to 1859, witnessed the greatest extension of the trade in Rossendale, forty-five mills being erected in that time. From i860 to 1867 eighteen of the largest Cotton Mills in the district were built. Since the latter year to the present, the number has only been increased by three, whilst some of the older mills have been abandoned, the buildings being unsuitable for the trade under existing conditions. Forest of Rossendale. 299 The raw cotton consumed annually in the Rossendale mills is about 76,000,000 lbs.; the yarn produced, 68,000,000 lbs.; cloth, 210,000,000 yards. The number of spindles at work is 835,000, and of looms, 22,000. The operatives employed are about 20,000, and the wages paid weekly amount to between ;^i 2,000 and ^14,000. The total capital invested is over ^^2,000,000. A surprising result truly, when it is remembered that at a time within the present century, the whole of the cotton consumed in Rossen- dale was brought into the district on the backs of pack-horses. Of trades directly dependent upon the cotton manufacture, we have in Rossendale Cotton Warp Sizers, Reed and Heald manufacturers, and other subsidiary trades, employing 500 hands, paying in wages, weekly, about ^400, with an invested capital of ;£'3S>ooo- A large and important business in Calico Printing and Dyeing is also carried on. The upper part of the district is supplied with water by the Rossendale Water Works Company, and the lower from the works of the Bury Corporation. The district is lighted by the Rossendale Union Gas Company, which includes nearly the whole of Rossendale within its area of supply. The Company was incorporated by special Act of Parliament in 1854. The line of Railway which traverses the Rossendale Valley diverging from the nqain line at Stubbins, near Ramsbottom, and extending to Bacup, where it terminates, is a branch of that vast network of iron which permeates the two chief manufacturing counties of England, and known by the name of " The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway." Previous to the amalgamation of the East Lancashire with the- Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, the line whichthreads the Rossendale valley constituted a Branch of the former. The town of Bury claims the honour of having given birth to the undertaking. A number of capitalists there were desirous to connect their town by railway with Manchester, and, with that object in view, instituted a canvass in the town and surrounding 300 History of the districts. This was so satisfactory in its results as to lead them not only to carry their project into effect, but also to extend their operations so as to include the Rossendale valley to Rawtenstall. The first prospectus of the Company was issued in the year 1843, and is a sufficiently modest document. From this it appears that it was originally contemplated to lay down a single line of rails only, the Capital proposed being ,^^300,000. The undertaking was designated "The Manchester, Bury, and Rossendale Railway," and the first Act of Parliament of the Company received the royal assent on the 4th July, 1844. The line from Manchester to Rawtenstall, a distance of 18 miles, was opened for the conveyance of passengers on the 28th September, 1846, and for goods traffic in May, 1847. A further Act obtained by the Company authorising the continuation of the line from Rawtenstall to Crawshawbooth and Bacup, received the royal assent on July 27th, 1846. The proposed extension to Crawshawbooth has not been carried out. The line from Rawtenstall to Newchurch (two miles) was opened for passenger and goods trafific; on the 27th March, 1848. The subsequent extension to Bacup, the most costly portion of the Branch line, owing to the construction of the tunnels through the heights at "Thrutch," was not completed for several years after- wards, being opened for passenger conveyance on the ist October, 1852, and for goods traffic on February ist, 1853. The Company first took its name of " The East Lancashire Railway Company " on the 3rd August, 1846. The new line from Bacup to Facit was opened in 1881, and was subsequently continued to Rochdale. The introduction of the Railway into Rossendale, by increasing the facilities of transport and intercommunication, gave a marked stimulus to trade and manufactures, which, it may be safely assumed, could otherwise scarcely have reached their present proportions. To one important branch of industry in the district, the Railway may almost be said to have given birth. This is the Stone Trade, respecting which we will now state a few particulars. Stone abounds in the district in considerable variety, and of Forest of Rossendale. 301 excellent quality, being very durable, and of a good colour. Prior to 1848, the trade in this article was of very limited extent, being confined chiefly to the immediate district. Since that year, however, it has been gradually increasing, and at the present time gives employment to a large number of workmen, skilled and otherwise, and absorbs a considerable amount of capital. The stone, which is suitable for all ordinary Building and Engineering purposes, is obtained from the various Quarries in the district, from blocks of many tons' weight each, and of almost unlimited length, width, and depth, down to gray slates of half-an-inch in thickness. Some of the varieties for appearance and durability are not to be surpassed. The export trade is very large, extending to Manchester, Preston, Liverpool, some parts of Yorkshire, Birmingham, London, and other places. Some idea of its magnitude may be gathered from a knowledge of the fact, that ^2,'joo and upwards is paid per month for carriage by Railway to the various places above enumerated. From Liverpool and London, considerable quantities of the Rossendale Stone are also trans-shipped to the East Indies, South American, and other foreign ports, and this export trafiS is rapidly increasing. The rent paid as Delphage for some of the Quarries amounts to many times what would otherwise be considered the value of the Fee-simple of the land, and the latter still remains available, to some extent, for farming and building purposes. Several Mills for the polishing of flags have been erected in the district by which the value of the stone is much enhanced. Large quantities of the Rossendale flags, however, have a natural face almost as smooth as those which have undergone the polishing process, and by many persons are considered better than the latter, inasmuch as they are exceedingly hard, and are often found to possess a beautiful grain. As regards the extent of the Stone Trade of Rossendale, the following statement may be taken as being a close approximation to the facts. Number of persons employed, 1,200. Amount paid in wages weekly, ;^i,2oo. Weight of Stone of all kinds obtained from the several Quarries weekly, 302 History of the 3,000 tons. Capital invested, ;^65,ooo. The Horncliffe delphs, though not within the boundary of Rossendale Forest, are yet in such close proximity as to warrant their being embraced in any estimate of the extent of the stone trade in the district. They are accordingly included in the above statement. Coal abounds in Rossendale almost throughout its entire extent, and has probably been got in quantities more or less for about three hundred years. Old workings, regarding which no records are known to exist, are often met with in the mines at present being worked, (c) Some of these are of considerable extent. In the mine of Messrs. Hargreaves and Co., at Stacksteads, one of such workings was discovered some years ago ; and a poor fellow who attempted to make an exploration, not having taken proper precautions, lost his way and was unable to return. On search being made a few days afterwards, he was found dead. Rude implements of labour, chiefly wooden shovels, are occasionally met with in these deserted excavations. The supply of coal for the different manufactories in the district is chiefly obtained from local mines, vfrhich are numerous, employing many hands and a large capital. It is proper here to refer to the attempts that were made during last century to establish another mining industry in the district. In the year 1754, an advertisement appeared on the walls in Rossendale and the other districts comprised within the Honor of Clitheroe, in the shape of a placard or handbill, giving notice that the lessors of the lead mines, veins or beds of lead, copper, iron or tin in the copyhold lands in the Honor of Clitheroe, proposed to let any mears of ground therein with free liberty to search for the minerals aforementioned to any person or persons for a term to be agreed upon. In response to this announcement a number of gentlemen came forward, formed themselves into a Company, and took the property for a term of twenty-one years. (f) Many traces of old coal-pit workings may also be seen on the Todmorden valley side of Flour Scar. Forest of Rossendale. 303 The lease bears date 26th February, 1754. The firm or company styled themselves " The Company of Mine Adventurers within the Honor of Clitheroe." The rent they undertook to pay for the privilege of mining was " One hundred weight of lead ore, boose and smithum, copper, iron and tin, out of every eleven hundred weight, or one-eleventh part found and gotten within the liberties aforesaid." But it was also stipulated that the rent was to be paid in kind or in money as the same might be required by the lessors. The shares of the company were sixty in number, and each person held ten shares. Meetings of the company were held on the Monday in every month next the full moon, at the Roebuck Inn, at Rochdale, or such other place as might be appointed. Each proprietor had a vote for every share or sixtieth part, and there was no voting by proxy. The chairman was appointed at every meeting. Thomas Percival was the first treasurer, and without salary. George Crompton was appointed first clerk, at a salary of los. 6d. a week. The company commenced operations and prosecuted them vigorously for a time, and the evidences of their work may still be seen along the sides of the hill ridges and in other parts of Rossendale, in the shape of " bloomeries," in which the ore found was smelted. I am not able to give a full statement of the pecuniary results of the enterprise, but I conclude that they were not successful, as the company was dissolved in 1762, eight years after it was formed. From memoranda in my possession I find a sum of ^3,413 was paid in calls on the shares. These were probably ;^ioo each, so that more than one-half the capital was paid. So far as I can ascertain, the value of the lead ore found amounted to only £,i<,^. It would appear, however, that, notwithstanding these unsatisfactory results, faith in the enterprise was still strong, because a new company was organised in 1766, but with what results I am unable to say. -, CHAPTER III. " God helps those that help themselves." — Old Maxim. "And we shall sit at endless feast, Enjoying each the others' good : What vaster dream can hit the mood Of love on earth?'' — Tennyson. — "/« Memoriam." THE sentiments expressed in the mottoes which appear at the head of the present chapter, are pecuharly appropriate in their application to the principles which are embodied in the maxims and work of the co-operative classes in this country. The Co-operative movement is essentially an effort on the part of Labour to work out its own salvation. As such, it deserves, and will eventually command, the sympathy of all thoughtful minds. In the face of the perils with which its path is beset — all the greater because they arise more from within than from without — the wonder is, not that it occasionally fails of its object, but that it should have achieved so much substantial success. Rossendale has borne a conspicuous and honourable part in furthering this great movement ; and this counts for something in its history. About forty-seven years ago, a few earnest working men were accustomed to meet in the room over the old Co-operative Store, Rochdale Road, Bacup, for which they paid a rent of fifteen pence per week. Their primary object in assembling together was to improve themselves in., the rudiments of education— reading, writing, and arithmetic ; and to discuss projects for the ameliora- tion of their condition in life. To these subjects they added, by way of recreation, a litde vocal and instrumental music, which they Forest of Rossendale. 305 practised on occasional evenings. Being men who were indepen- dent enough to think for themselves, they naturally took a strong interest in politics, and in consequence entered warmly into the exciting questions which agitated the minds of the people at that day. But while contributing their quota to the political life of the nation at the period to which I refer, they deemed it prudent at the same time to put forth a local and personal effort to improve their circum- stances. With wise instinct they laid hold of Co-operation. The fact that many of the articles of daily consumption in their families were grossly adulterated was known to each of them ; to provide a remedy for this, more than the prospect of direct pecuniary gain, prompted their first essay in Co-operation. The original society numbered fourteen persons, and each of these laid down sixpence, making seven shillings, the sum total of the first capital with which they ventured into the market. The number seven has always been esteemed lucky. This sum they spent in coffee, at the shop of a wholesale dealer at Todmorden, and shared it equally amongst them. They were pleased with the result of this their first transaction, for not only had they obtained an unadulterated article — they had purchased it at a cheaper rate than they other- wise could from a retail dealer. Here was an eloquent and practical argument in favour of their venture, which the most timid or querulous member amongst them was unable to gainsay. A grand vista was at once opened up to their mind's eye. To the more thoughtful of them the prospect would be almost over- powering, and they probably looked into the future with anxious forebodings. To stimulate them in their exertions they had, how- ever, the noble example of the Rochdale Pioneers before them, the success of whose enterprise, begun in 1844, was already making itself known. They steadily increased in number, and their capital grew in proportion. The range and value of their purchases extended. Tea, coffee, sugar, soap, and other articles of common domestic consumption were now purchased in quarter cwts. at once ; and the corn-mill carts were employed to convey the goods over the hill from Todmorden to Bacup. A neighbour who was 3o6 History of the friendly to the movement lent his scales to weigh out the goods, and the members carried their tea-caddies and cofifee-canisters to the room, to save the trouble of wrapping the articles in paper. Their business continued steadily to grow. Many more were becoming alive to the advantages which the system offered to working men. The more careful and industrious amongst the operative classes flocked to the new Store. Still the business grew, and the upper room was found inconvenient, and quite unsuited to the carrying on of an extensive trade. A meeting of the members was called, and it was decided to take the entire building on a lease for twenty- one years. At first it was under consideration to let off the back part of the shop at fifteen pence per week, but more members continuing to come in, they abandoned their intention in this respect. In the course of a few years the premises were found to be too contracted for their trade, and had to be enlarged by the addition of a frontage to the shop ; and even growing beyond these bounds, the society resolved to build a Store of their own, — the present handsome and commodious building, to which they removed in 1863. Great were the difficulties which the early Co-operators in Rossendale had to encounter in introducing and carrying out their favourite theories. They were unpopular with the multitude. Stereotyped Ignorance shook its head and called them Chartists and infidels, innovators and levellers. Their visionary projects, as they were at first considered to be, were scouted and laughed at ; and many were the prophecies of speedy insolvency and disgrace. Their shop originally was open only in the evenings. This was a necessity, as the shopmen, who were chosen to serve for three months at a time, were employed in other manual labour during the day. They received no remuneration for their time and work at the Store. In the face of the opposition which was displayed, and feeling their inexperience, considerable diffidence was at first manifested by the men in the discharge of their duties ; and it was a common practice amongst them to draw cuts who should remove the shutters from the windows on opening in the evening. Their Forest of Rossendale. 307 awkward manner of wrapping up the articles was also watched, and formed the occasion of amusement to those who tried to load the movement with derision. But perseverance and a conscience void of offence will carry a man through many difficulties, and the Rossendale Co-operators still struggled on, till a success, greater than was anticipated, crowned their enterprise. It is to be expected that mistakes would at first occasionally be made, through ine.xperience, in " buying in." Some of these assumed a ludicrous aspect : one example will suffice. Two of the members were deputed to purchase a number of cheeses. They invested in fourteen. But on arrival they were found to be so hard as to need cutting up with a saw ; and where the instrument had passed through, they shone like a piece of glass or ivory, being nearly as difficult to masticate. These cost sixpence per pound wholesale, and had to be retailed out at fourpence ; turning the penny, certainly, but not increasing the profit. The Share and Loan Capital of the Bacup Co-operative Store amourited in December 1892 to ;^79,88o; the number of members at the same period was 2813. They turned over their stock eight times during the year, and realised a profit of ^16,635, their working expenses being 7-9 per cent, upon the returns. The Society possesses a news and reading-room, plentifully supplied with newspapers and journals; a circulating and reference library, containing in the whole 12,500 volumes; all free to members ; and a spacious assembly-room capable of seating 1200 persons. The business portion of the premises is ample and commodious. The whole buildings and fixtures belonging to the Society cost £,2%,2']i. It is free from debt, never having had any mortgage or encumbrance on it whatsoever. The Society has a Reserve-fund amounting to £,2)^ 1 79. In connexion with the parent establishment are seven branches and a large central shoe and clog department. Such is a brief outline of the rise and progress of the oldest Co-operative store in Rossendale. On the question of Co-operation 3o8 History of the in general, and by way of encouragement to the Co-operators of Rossendale in particular, let me make the remark, that the size and regularity of its dividends are not to be viewed as the measure of what it has achieved, and is capable of achieving ; though we shall not be so squeamish as to deny that this is the mainspring of the successful progress of the Co-operative movement : and it is right that it should be so. The soul with the finest sensibilities is still wedded to the clay of our common humanity, and that same clay must eat if it would continue to live. The fine sensibilities will avail it nothing in this life if it gives not heed to the bread which perisheth. It is sheer sentimentalism to pretend to deplore that the movement is altogether selfish, and that the dividend is the keystone of the whole system. This is about as wise as to make show of despising the poet for being so vulgar as to eat his dinner. Even the wheels of State would drag heavily were it not for the ample contributions of the people. Gold is a wonderful lubricator ! and life at the best would be but a series of jerky movements with- out it. But besides the all-powerful dividend which it secures for its members, Co-operation has given a direction to the thoughts and actions of thousands who had either thought and acted at random, or had not previously thought at all. It has been a grand teacher of political and social economy to thousands more. The cloud by day, the gillar of fire by night, to guide many a poor child of bondage from the Egypt of debt, with all its hard task-masters, to the promised land of independence and self-reliance. Many an unthrifty parent — unthrifty, not so much from inclination or choice as from lack of purpose, has been led by its agency to become a careful and thoughtful provider. But it will accomplish more even than this. Co-operation is a fulcrum on which to rest the lever that will move the State. A quiet argument for the moral and intellectual fitness of the people to exercise their just political rights, which will certainly prevail ; " Nought can make it rue, If Labour to itself prove true." Forest of Rossendale. 309 The following Table of Industrial and Provident Societies in Rossendale is compiled partly from Returns furnished to Govern- ment, and, where these were not supplied, from the managers of the Stores themselves : — 5 ■<>» %i fr4 ■o c< ^ ^ «: ^ "^ .i s^ Q^ ta « « •v., f^ * ^ s § s; t^ k, >. t^ •k^ f»» ^ V ^ ■2ti8lSui->np easodjnj ^s. aiqyjuKqo joj pajlddy ■ftiSr^ai-tnp sasndanj won Tj- ci m [■BnoijtJDnp^ CO O jo; p^iicIfiV •? Jad picj paspiAja: 93&X9AY „• coc^co'^rjconN coco*-" « CO S *? '-T -rt C c^ Cl lO t-^ - 00 rf C0>O CO t^CO 0\ O CO O\U0(NQ0 COM O^OX co»^O^o VO *i c o ii .— — s!=£eSS S3C0 O^ CON o\"^c^ « O Tj-(--,CO ^lOCOC^-^CO COMCOPl •-« U-, ? sSa . CJ Tt- in toVO H-i-.NlN OCOiOCO o, •? ti. = « CO •-" On O 00 ^ t^ CO^O O O o» !>. o £ - 'E a S50^"HC^0 C^« O O^Cl CO^O CO c; a ^^ =^ lO " H- M .^ "^ a o-a < ^"9^ ^ . VOOD 0\0'*-M -iCi^OO t^Tl- w H > g -o c ,; O\00 CO -^ CO lO COVO U-) - 00 00 CO O' s?>oo\o "-c^ c^ S r c=r' S5 N O t^QO O COCl^*OCO'^iO ^lOCO-MCO CMC-ICO-' "- VO w rf X Allowed for De- precia- tion during lSil2. o cq 00 lo ■<* o Ttoo o vo o ej o o« O .-co u^COCflVO «00 "+01 ovo m mjvo w «-< « H^ « C-. o J^^^'o -1-COCI -00 COt^ClX " -^ " '-' IT. < C0\0 -^ CO - O i>^ - t^O CO - t^ ■w? Oi N C) lOX lO O COVO 00 '=t-CC CO ^VOVOUICO'^ »0"t^C^ !>."-< c. I/-. > ca&. « o «i mO (^1 M r}-ioo -^ t>^ own o in o «-< CO Value Saleiib Stool •it end 1892. ^00 t^ coco in\n o\^ ^ o loco « ^ « CO CI « CI CO CO CO ^ CO t^ o c>» OMO o n oo o\io « ON !>. -I-CO 0\ CI lO ^O C» « ^ ■^ SSsS ■^ « w cox lo • - vo ; c» • « CO - E «P;<® .-^•o lO CI O tJ- VO cox VO C^ CO lO ^ loan Capita at end 1S92. 0N"O lo \n CTiX lo^ — vo o 3 S^x ON :« :Ti-r^ot^"-iot^ "O D3 < 3 a) a = lo— r^ioo « c^ci^ovox coo On tS-a« X vo lo lox o cox o CO^ t^vo t^ ItsS S3 ON -« CO O -+ -tt^ CJ '^ in in^ " M ox t^ON"-" 0>" ■i-m'-'X CJ VO CJ "=o^ lO «-< •-• N- « \n 'o(3S X JO pua CO r^x t^o o ■^^-T^o '-''O '^o ^ IB G jsqtnare "-" coo O C\ On O N vo - mx M VO 00 O iO*0 CO'-X O t-^Tf'-'VOCJ C) J -iiij 01 « 0\ > H . OJ • . 4) . • > • 1 . . > . ill' o b : fe S o j: . _ M ^M O ■< 2 cup . . . „ Con wl Terra awshawb ve Cloug mb . . . wtenstal icksteadi instead . 11 "o 03 UOJJ05 WH^^^ Forest of Rossendale. 311 From the foregoing Table, which deserves a careful perusal, we learn that the total members in the different stores in Rossendale amounted in December 1892, to 9264. These figures may be taken to represent a population of from 30,000 to 35,000 as being directly and indirectly connected with the Societies. The Rawtenstall Society, hke the one at Bacup, has a well- furnished Library and Newsroom for the use of, and free to, members. ~*"*^°''^s. isAf""?^ CHAPTER IV. " The flesh will quiver where the pincers tear !" — Young. — " The Revenge." " Hungry ruin had me in the wind." "There's stakes an' watch-bills, just loik poikes, 'Ot Hunt an' aw th' reformink toikes, An' thee an' me, an' Sam o' Moiks, Once took a blanketeerink." — "Songs of the Wilsons." rilHE 23rd and three subsequent days of April, 1826, are marked -*- with a red letter in the annals of Popular Outbreaks. On the 26th of the month an angry crowd of rioters advanced through the Rossendale valley towards Bacup, marshalled by ringleaders bearing in their hands, and over their shoulders, such formidable instruments as pikes, axes, cleavers, and huge fore-hammers. Their followers were a motley crowd of dirty, hungry-looking men and youths, and a sprinkling of bareheaded, unkempt women ; the latter by far the most noisy and demonstrative of the crowd. The men indeed scarcely exchanged a word as they proceeded on their unlawful mission, but a strange mixture of fear, revenge, and defiance was visible upon their countenances. These were the Power-Loom Breakers of April 1826. Property is a sacred and weighty word in Lancashire — nowhere more sacred and weighty than in Rossendale, and its possession counts for a good deal. It is a serious thing to damage or destroy property. Those who purpose undertaking its destruction should sit down and count the cost before beginning. If their Forest of Rossendale. 313 countenances were a true index of their feelings, the Power- Loom Breakers of the 26th of April 1826 had counted the cost of their undertaking. Riots had broken out in different parts of East Lancashire in the same week, not exactly by preconcerted arrangement, though the simultaneous risings might justify such an opinion. The feeling of opposition to the power-driven machinery had become so strong and general throughout the manufacturing districts, that, like a match applied to a train of gunpowder, the first outbreak lighted up a wide-spread conflagration. Detachments of the mob were found at Blackburn, Accrington, Helmshore, Ramsbottom, Summerseat, Chatterton, Rossendale and elsewhere; and each, so far as they were able, pursued their work of destruc- tion. Upwards of 1000 Power-Looms, woollen and cotton, and a quantity of Dressing and other machines were destroyed before the several crowds of rioters were dispersed. The Rossendale valley, from Edenfield to the source of the river Irwell, suffered greatly from the violence of the incensed multitude; from three hundred and fifty to four hundred looms (considered a large number sixty years ago) were broken to pieces in this district alone. At Helmshore the rioters came in collision with the military; and near to the mill of Messrs. Aitken and Lord, Chatterton, the Looms in which had been totally destroyed, the soldiers, who arrived too late to save the property, fired upon the mob, killing five men and one woman. In Rossendale nothing occurred to check their progress. Our present system of Police surveillance throughout the country was then but in its infancy, and had not been introduced into Rossendale. The Constables of the Forest, "Jim Blacksmith," "Bill i'th Loin," "Long Sam," "Long George," and their ungainly compeers, were powerless to prevent the mischief, and with the instinctive sagacity of the " Watch," wisely kept aloof from the scenes of outrage and spoliation. The mob had free course through the entire district, and thoroughly they performed the work they had undertaken to do. " Tackle-ti-mash " (the nickname of one of the leaders of the Rossendale mob) and his 314 History of the brethren in arms, were all-powerful for the time being, and carried the day. After leaving Edenfield, where they demolished one hundred looms, the crowd visited Rawtenstall. Here the mills of the Messrs. Whitehead and Mr. Kay were the objects of their vengeance, and they destroyed about one hundred and twenty more. Gradually augmenting in numbers and strength, the rioters proceeded up the valley. At Holt-holme Mill they left the marks of their presence. After passing the Thrutch, the turnpike road through which was then in course of formation, they halted at the mill of the Messrs. Ormerod, Waterbarn. Here the ringleaders entered, while their followers kept guard outside. An eye-witness states that they first cut out the Warps, and destroyed the Reeds and Healds, and then with a few well-aimed blows they demolished the Looms. Tunstead Mill contained a number of the obnoxious machines, and these next fell a prey to the vengeance of the destroyers. Irwell Mill, Bacup, at that time occupied by Mr. Holden, was the next on the route, and was visited by the mob with similar results. From thence the crowd made their way to the mill of Messrs. R. and J. Munn at Irwell Springs, where, having repeated their work of havoc, they brought the day's proceedings to a termination. It is easier to break down than to set up, to overthrow than to restore, and the labour of many weeks was thus destroyed in a few hours. The women, as has already been hinted, were not unmoved spectators of these lawless proceedings. It is well known that some of them, forgetting the decorum of their sex, took actual part in, and afterwards prided themselves on having materially assisted at the demolition. So enthusiastic in the fray was a certain misguided female, that on the approach of the mob to one of the factories named, she ascended the belfry, and rang out a welcome to the rioters. The strong arm of the law eventually asserted its might, and such of the perpetrators of the outrages as were arrested, suffered fines, imprisonment, or transportation, according to the magnitude of their offences. Others of them contrived to elude the grasp of Forest of Rossendale. 315 the authorities by retiring for a time to obscure hiding-places amongst the hills and surrounding moorlands, where they were supplied with the necessaries of life by friends cognizant of their hiding-places, {a) (a) The following are the names of those belongmg to Rossendale and the immediate vicinity charged with being concerned in the Riots: — From Musbury.— James Shorrock, Mary Hindle, .and Thomas Emmet, found guilty. From Lower Booths.— Thomas Ashworth, found guilty. Against Alice and Peggy Lord there was no bill. From Haslingden.— Alexander Norris, John Orrell, Margaret Yates, Mary Marsden, and Ann Entwistle, found ^/%. Betty Haworth, William Taylor and William Almond, acqidtted. From DeardenClough.— Anthony Harrison, acquitted. From Tottington Higher End.— Aaron Gregson, acqtii/ted. In the encounter between the Military and Rioters at Chatterton, the following persons were either killed on the spot, or died shortly afterwards:— Richard Lund, by trade a blacksmith, but who kept a small shop at Haslingden ; shot through the belly. James Rothwell, a weaver at Haslingden ; through the breast. James Ashworth, a weaver at Haslingden ; through the body. James Lord, a fulling-miller at Newchurch ; through the body and head. James Whatacre, dresser for Messrs. Rostrons' power-looms ; through the body. Mary Simpson, the wife of Simpson, a weaver at Haslingden ; through the left thigh. Three of these left families ; and one of them— Whatacre— was not engaged in the riot, but unfortunately had got amongst the mob. The female, it is supposed, had bled to death for want of assistance. Of the number wounded nothing certain could be ascertained, as they were carried away by their friends. Judgment of death was recorded against the rioters to the number of forty-two, including seven females. The jury, however, having recommended them to mercy, the capital sentence was not carried into effect. The following is from the Liverpool Mercury of September ist, 1826:— Proceedings against the County.— The actions brought against the different Hundreds of the County, to recover compensation for the damages sustained by breaking power looms, during the disturbances in the month of April last, were twenty-three in number, two of which— namely, one by Messrs. Walmesleys of Oswaldtwistle, and one by David Ashworth, of 3i6 History of the The conduct of the rioters was reprehensible, but it would be invidious and unfair to attribute the entire blame of these reckless and unjustifiable measures to the ignorant multitude who were the immediate instruments of such wanton destruction. Newchurch — were not commenced in time for these Assizes, and consequently stand over to the next. Of the remaining twenty-four actions, the great majority were undefended, and verdicts were taken by consent, in the Sheriff's Court, for sums fixed on by a comparison of the valuations made by the claimants with those made under the directions of the magistrates. Three or four actions were, however, defended; but in each a verdict was obtained for the plaintiffs. The following is a summary of the different amounts recovered: — AGAINST THE HUNDRED OF BLACKBURN. IVIessrs. Sykes, Accrington, Mr. Marquis, do. Mr. Jas. Bury, do. Messrs. Eccles, Blackburn, Mr. John Haughton, do. Mr. Jas. Garsden, Darwen, Messrs. Cars, Darwen, Messrs. Turner, Musbury, Messrs. Whitehead, Lower Booths, Mr. Kay. Coupe Lench, Messrs. Ormerod, Newchurch. Messrs. Hargreaves & Co., Newchurch, Messrs. Munn, Newchurch, of Looms. £ s. d 60 1039 17 6 4 44 13 9 94 1889 212 3178 IS 10 a.S 284 II 9 36 4'3 8 2 16 196 13 106 1651 3 8 96 1049 6 I 20 273 16 6 20 363 I II 28 348 9 2 51 860 19 7 768 .^11,593 16 n AGAINST THE HUNDRED OF SALFORD. Messrs. Rostron, Tottington Higher End, Messrs. Aitken and Lord, do. Messrs. Hamer and Sons, Elton, Mr. Hutchinson, Bury, Mr. John Clegg, Crompton, . . Mr. Hugh Beavers, Manchester, no Looms S8 ;£lSoo 46 568 38 253 7 49 244 12 28 418 I 6 1474 219 .£4458 o 6 Forest of Rossendale. 3 1 7 The period under review was a sad one for the working classes. A lengthened season of commercial distrust had succeeded the previous years of prosperous, though speculative, and therefore, in a measure, unsound trade. The general want of confidence had caused a run on the Banks, and in the provinces no fewer than fifty-eight had succumbed to the pressure of the times. Each day brought news of the failure of large mercantile and manufacturing firms of long standing. Low wages, diminished employment, and in many districts entire cessation of labour, were the consequences of the universal want of confidence which prevailed. But this was not all. Our Legislators, unwise in their day and generation, by their restrictive imposts on food and merchandise, contributed more than all the other causes put together to cripple commerce and manufactures, and to bring about the all but universal national distress, most severely felt in the manufacturing districts, and the consequent disaffected condition of the Lan- cashire operatives. With Legislators ignorant, as a body, of the fti-st principles of Political Economy, how could it reasonably be expected that the untutored worker should be alive to the evils which pressed like a hideous nightmare upon the industry of the country ! If men professedly born to hold the reins of Government, and shape the destinies of the state, could be found sixteen years later (in 1842) to condemn the increase of machinery, (/') is it matter for surprise that the operatives of 1S26 should have entertained mistaken views on the self-same question ? AGAINST THE HUNDRED OF LEYLAND. No. of Looms. {, s. d. Mr. Sudell, Chorley, .. .. .. lOO £^,^,2 o o The total sum recovered is ;£i6,534 173. 5d , and the costs of the several actions will amount to about ;^3ooo in addition. In the two actions yet to be tried, the damages are estimated at ;£'253 os. 6d.— the .total cost to the County amounting to nearly ;^2o,ooo. (i) A distinguished member of the Government in 1S42 informed a deputa- tion that waited on him from the manufacturing districts, that the whole of the distress arose from the increase of machinery. 31 8 History of the The excesses which people commit are often in their results found to recoil upon themselves. The largest share of the burdened county rates, out of which the manufacturers were compensated for the losses they had sustained, had necessarily to be contributed by the very class which the rioters hoped to benefit. But let us not be too severe in our judgment : destitution and hunger, when they speak from the tearful eyes of wives and children, are unscrupulous monitors, and strike home too deeply to admit of the exercise of calm reasoning, (c) But it was not the operatives alone in Rossendale who viewed with such dread apprehension the advent of the steam-loom. At this day it will scarcely be credited that the merchants and woollen manufacturers of the Forest of Rossendale should have bitterly opposed the introduction of tlie obnoxious machines into the district ; yet such is the fact. At a numerously attended meeting of the merchants and woollen manufacturers of the Forest of (c) A writer, commenting upon popular outbreaks, makes the following just remarks: — " It was at the period when one of those feverish crises in th*e history of the cotton manufacture threatened a servile war against the introduction of some remarkable improvements in machinery, which appeared likely to displace hand-labour to a great extent. Neither experience nor political insight had yet taught workmen the truth, that England was by these means about to make the peaceful conquest of the commerce of the world, by clothing a large part of its varied peoples in almost everything but articles of luxury. The starving spinner and weaver in the lone cottages and homesteads on the edges of wild moors and ancient forests, or in the straggling villages of the rugged valleys, could not be expected to discern the plenty to be lavishly strewn by the new spinning-jenny, which deprived the family of work at the spinning-wheel, or, at a later time, by the iron steam-loom, which silenced the twelve hours' jingle and rattle of the cottage hand-loom. Any such inventions seemed a devilish trick to rob the poor of bread; to drive them from the comparative liberty of their lives in rural scenes to the close alleys of the towns, and the hot atmosphere of the factory, in which they were under a discipline more exact than that of the soldier, and more regular and engrossing than that of any other form of labour. Starvation for a large part of the people, and a lot worse than slavery for the rest, seemed a fate to resist which a few lives would not be thrown away." — " Scarsdale," vol. i., pp. 28, 29. Forest of Rossendale. 319 Rossendale, and places adjacent, held at the house of Mr. George Ormerod, the Black Dog Inn, Newchurch, on Thursday, the 7th November, 1822, the following Resolutions were adopted : — "Resolved — That it appears to this meeting that the invention of Power-Looms for weaving by the aid of steam or water, is calculated to transfer manual labour from the cottages of the poor, and to leave them destitute of employment, by substituting the use of machinery ; as unnecessary as it is uncalled for. " Resolved— T\i'sX this meeting cannot but deplore the evil conse- quences that must result to a very numerous and industrious population, throughout the manufacturing districts, if some method be not speedily adopted to restrict the use of such machinery. " Resolved — That as well-wishers to society, and to the general prosperity of trade and manufactures, we cannot contemplate the increase of unnecessary machinery (which is calculated to rob the poor of their domestic employment, and thereby endanger the peace of the country) without painful apprehensions ; and whilst we admit the benefits of machinery to a certain degree, we are aware that it may be multiplied to a most ruinous and mischievous extent. "Resolved — That this meeting strongly recommends some legislative enactment for the protection of manual labour ; and is of opinion, that an assessment upon Power-Looms for the relief of the poor, annually made in every parish where they are used, would be the most fair and equitable ; such an assessment to be laid by a majority of lay-payers in vestry assembled, estimated and proportioned according to the extra profit derived from the use of Power-Looms, over that of weaving by manual labour. " Resolved — That, for the purpose of carrying these resolutions into effect, a committee be appointed of all the gentlemen present, five of whom may be competent to act. "Resolved — That these resolutions be published in the Man- chester Chronicle, the British Volunteer, the Leeds Intelligencer, the Blackburn Mail, the London Courier, and the St. Jame^s Chronicle." 320 History of the To such a lame and impotent conclusion did the collected wis- dom of this important local assembly arrive in the year of grace 1822. That the invention of the Power-Loom was calculated to transfer manual labour from the cottages of the poor was a correct judgment of the meeting, as subsequent events have clearly testified ; but that its tendency was to leave them destitute of employment is an opinion which has been just as clearly refuted by the march of events. This very transfer of manual labour which the Capitalists of Rossendale deprecated so strongly, is one of the chief advan- tages which, by the introduction of the Power-driven Machinery, has accrued to the operative classes. Whether viewed from a moral, a social, a sanitary, or a pecuniary point of view, the benefits are so obvious as to preclude the necessity of argument in its favour. Idleness and dissipation during one portion of the week, and incessant toil approaching to slavery during the remaining portion, were the usual and almost inevitable concomitants of the domestic labour system. The views of the Rossendale manufacturers were, by means of the press, widely promulgated throughout the country. While awarding to the ignorant rioters of 1826 their proportion of blame for the lawless proceedings which entailed so much destruction of life and property, let us not forget to ask ourselves how much of their folly was due to the teaching of those who, from their position, might have been expected to discern more clearly the_ signs of the times. Among the remedies suggested, is the old one of Protection, in opposition to Free Trade. The desire to stifle progress and improvement with the burden of taxation is a doctrine, now happily effete, which at one time found favour in the eyes of many of our countrymen. Let us suppose for a moment that the recommenda- tion of the meeting had been carried out, and that the Hand- Loom had been bolstered and " protected " so that it might have continued successfully to compete with its more efficient rival ; have we any guarantee that the foreign manufacturer would have taken the same narrow view of what was best for his interests ? Is Forest of Rossendale. 321 it not more reasonable to believe that the inventive genius of Britain would have sought scope for its development in situations more favourable to its growth ? The cost of production would necessarily have been such as to debar our goods from every foreign market. And what then about robbing the poor of their domestic employment, thereby endangering the peace of the country ? The whole thing is so preposterous that it would be a waste of words to discuss the propositions, were it not that by scru- tinising the errors of our forefathers, we may gather some lessons of wisdom that will prevent our falling into the same quagmire of folly, and lead us rather to pursue that more enlightened and liberal policy which has contributed so largely to the advancement and prosperity of our country. In 1820-1 Power-Looms began to be introduced into the district, and in the following year the meeting referred to was held to pro- test against their use, as being calculated to injure, and eventually to destroy, the system of domestic employment. The writer of a Pamphlet, dated 1823, reviewing an article which had appeared in the Manchester Guardian criticising and ridiculing the views of the manufacturers expressed at the meeting in question, strongly reprobates the conduct of those who, in the pamphleteer's opinion, were unpatriotic enough to countenance the use of the Power- Loom. His remarks, perused by the light of the' present unexampled extension of the cotton trade, and the vast sums of money, in the shape of wages, which it distributes amongst the operatives, are amusing enough. In one place the writer, who styles himself "A Friend to the Poor," remarks : — " It is impossible, humanly speaking, to find any adequate employment proportionate to the hand-loom. Whether machinery can be multiplied to an extent beyond its demand, will be proved if power-looms become general, and the experiment may perhaps be made when it is too late to recall it." And again— " It remains, therefore, to be proved who are the best benefactors to their country — they who, from motives of avarice and self-interest, encourage the use of power-looms, regardless whether the poor be employed or not ; or 32 2 History of the they who from motives of benevolence endeavour to promote their domestic employment, and consequently their moral happiness and comfort. Notwithstanding the many self-interested individuals who advocate the use of power-looms, (and I am well aware that wherever self-interest and undue prejudice prevail, all just reasoning loses its effect,) the time may not be far distant when the subject must be brought to a fair trial. The argument resolves itself into a narrow compass. Power-looms will produce cheaper goods than hand labour ; if so, those who employ them have a decided advantage over those who do not ; therefore, they must either become general, or a tax must be imposed upon them to make the wages equal to that of hand labour. If power-looms be generally introduced, what is the substitute for hand labour, to support the great number of people who will thereby be deprived of employment ? These questions must be answered unequivo- cally, and until they be so practically, the peace of the country may be endangered, and a lawless rabble will make it a pretext for committing" all the mischief in their power." Further on the writer says : — "After all that has been, or can be said upon the subject, speculative individuals will pursue their own interest : but that ought not to be suffered without restrictions, where, as in this case, the daily bread of millions is at stake. It is impossible to view the subject disinterestedly, without the most painful apprehensions, whether as it involves domestic employment, the peace of families, the removal of our manufactures, or the depopulation of the country. All these, and many more calamities that might be mentioned, are connected with it." And by way of climax he adds, — " The employment of the labouring poor ought to be one of the first objects, either in a political or moral point of view — as it regards the prosperity of the country, or the welfare of society. To useful mechanical improvements, having a tendency to promote these ends, no well-wisher to society can have any possible objection ; and those persons who encourage speculative gain that will deprive the poor of their bread, let them answer for it. Those mechanical inventions which are calculated to take from the Forest of Rossendale. 323 labouring classes their employment, should never be permitted amongst such a numerous population as we have, and no invention in machinery, I conceive, has a greater tendency to do so than Power-Looms." Comment is unnecessary. In the minds of many of the operatives the prejudices against the power-loom were as strong as amongst the more short-sighted employers of labour ; and these prejudices, stimulated by a season of bad trade, led to the unjustifiable riots already described. So tenaciously did many of the weavers cling to the old hand-loom, that in order to compete with the more productive rival, the " dandy loom " was introduced. This invention consisted of an adaptation of two looms in such a way as to admit of their being worked simultaneously by one person. The weaver sat betwixt the two, and by an ingenious arrangement gave motion to both. A still further combination was attempted with success by John Hargreaves, a weaver, residing at Trice Barn, Dean, who, by an application of cords, pulleys, and levers, contrived to put four hand-looms in motion, thus weaving four distinct pieces of calico at one and the same time. These the inventor continued to work for several years, and only abandoned their use when his employers ceased to " put out " the warp and weft. The Luddite outbreaks of 1812, and the Plug Riots of 1842, in both of which Eossendale participated and suffered to some extent, are examples of popular delusions similar in their manifestations to the Power-Loom Riots of 1826, though differing from the latter in the objects intended to be accomphshed. The former, whilst aiming at the destruction of machinery, partook more largely of the political element. Both were ill-advised attempts on the part of the distressed operatives to take the law into their own hands, and both were consequent on a lengthened season of dull trade, low wages and dear food. The Luddites were so designated after Ned Ludd, a man reputed as an idiot, who in 1782 had broken two stocking-frames 324 History of the at Nottingham. The name afterwards came to be appHed to breakers of machinery in general. It is to these that allusion is made in the lines — " As the Liberty lads over the sea Bought their freedom, and cheaply, with blood, So we, boys, we Will die fighting or live free. And down with all kings but King Ludd." In every town and village such means as were at the command of the authorities were employed to quell the disturbances. In the Book of the Greave of Rossendale Forest for this year we find entries relating to numbering the rate-payers, and summoning them to attend under the " Watch and Ward Act." Special constables were attested and sworn, and a register of Expenses on account of the Militia also appears. The riots soon assumed the magnitude of an armed insurrection. Bands of hair-brained enthusiasts in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire assembled, and determined to march up to London and remodel the Constitution. They would , " Beard the Lion in his den," and having ejected him by force, like the " Liberty lads over the sea," (d) would commence government on their own account. With this object in view, they armed themselves with pikes, scythe blades stuck on the end of poles, and other rude implements of warfare. With these and a few other necessaries, including each a blanket for protection from the weather when bivouacking on the way, they commenced their mad enterprise. Their campaign, however, soon came to a disastrous termination, and the leaders, to the number of twenty-four, having been seized, were tried, and afterwards executed — eight at Lancaster and sixteen at York. The Plug Riots of August 1842 did not assume the proportions of those previously described. Bands of men entered the mills (rf) The American colonists in the War of Independence. Forest of Rossendale. 325 which were running, and stopped the machinery by knocking out the boiler plugs, thus allowing the water and steam to escape. The object of the rioters was to provoke a general uprising of the operatives, for the purpose of compelling the Government to yield by force what they seemed unwilling to concede to milder measures. It was "an attempt on the part of the Chartists to stop all work until the Legislature should concede the doctrine of universal suffrage in the election of the House of Commons." {e) This was a period of dire and appalling distress, and as usual the cotton manufacturing districts suffered most severely. The correspondent to the Liverpool Mercury, speaking of this neigh- bourhood and places adjacent, writes : " This part of the country is in a deplorable state, for hundreds and thousands have neither work nor meat. They are daily begging in the streets of Haslingden, twenty or thirty together, crying for bread. Meetings are held every Sunday on the neigh- bouring hills, attended by thousands of poor, hungry, haggard people, wishing for any change, even though it should be death. On Sunday last a meeting was held on the hills near Accrington, and tlie persons present, it is said, covered an area of 4420 square yards of ground. They stood very near together in order to hear the speakers, who were stationed in a waggon in the centre of the ground, so that calculating six to the square yard, there must have been 26,000 persons present. The speakers, ten in number, were very violent, advising their hearers never to petition Parliament again, but to be determined to have a redress of grievances immediately. Resolutions to that effect were put to the meeting and carried unanimously. The people say they are determined to have their just rights, or die in the attempt, and say they will neither support delegates nor conventions, for present relief they want, and present relief they will have before another winter makes its appearance. They say they might as well die by the sword as by hunger." (e) " Lancashire and the Cotton Famine," by Dr. Watts, p. 32. o 26 History of the One very gratifying exception to the prevailing distress of the time is mentioned in the following extract from a review of Dr. Taylor's " Notes of a Tour in the Manufacturing Districts of Lancashire in 1S42." {/!) "At the village of Rawtenstall, in the Forest of Rossendale, the tourist on a morning witnessed the Factory System under the fairest auspices, in the large establishment of the Messrs. White- head, where all was harmony and happiness. Here were to be seen comfortable and ample houses, clean and well-furnished ; neat, healthy, and intelligent children ; a school, well attended and on the best foundation ; a handsome chapel ; teetotalism in many cases ; and money in the Savings Bank. He found the villagers healthy, happy, and contented. The operatives one and all declared that their only anxiety was, lest the progress of distress should reach the establishment of Holly-mount, and deprive them of the employment they possessed, and the comforts they produced." Unfortunately* the distress did eventually extend to Rawtenstall, but the latter did not at this period suffer to the extent of other districts in the immediate vicinity. There can be no question that "protection" was again at the root of the wide-spread misery and depression. The Corn Laws bore heavily on the poorer classes. Flour had risen to an enor- mous price ; the produce of foreign countries being held in bond by the ruinous rates imposed upon its importation. Our great champions of Free Trade, Cobden and Bright, and a host of lesser stars in the political firmament — not forgetting Ebenezer Elliott, the Laureate of the people — were in the midst of their repeal agitation. But certain of our Legislators, as usual blind to the real evils that afflicted the nation, endeavoured to mitigate the distress by resorting to every proposed remedial measure but the true one. Emigration and colonisation found favour with many who were called statesmen, but who either were unable to perceive, or were indifferent to the fact that the only effect of these, on an (/) In TaiVi Magazine, September, 1842. Forest of Rossendale. 327 extensive scale, would be to rob the country of the flower of its population of both sexes, leaving behind the aged, the infirm, and the lazy, to be a still greater burden on labour at home. Time, with healing on its wings, gradually brought relief to the sufferers; and a few years later (in 1846) the Corn Laws, which had been the cause of unspeakable evils for a space of thirty years, were swept away. Such is the story of the changes, the vicissitudes, and the progress of the Forest of Rossendale ; and on a review of all the facts, we must be ready to commend the foresight of those who nearly four hundred years ago, entertained the belief, that, " If the Deer were taken out of and from the said Forest, that then the same was likely to come and be brought and applied to some good purpose, so as that the commonwealth might be increased thereby." APPENDIX. MUSTER OF SOLDIERS IN LANCASHIRE— I. MARY. In a curiously written manuscript, quoted in Gregson's Fragments of Lancashire, part i., p. i8, et scq., is given an account of the Muster of Soldiers in the County Palatine of Lancaster in I. Mary, 1553, from which it appears that " Rossendall Forrest " furnished thirty-six men, and " Pendle Forrest," thirty-six. Each being more than double the number of men raised by any town within the Hundred. In the list of the Nomina Liberi Tcnentes in Lancastriae Comitatu, i8th James I., a.d. 1621, the following belonging to the Forest of Rossendale appear : — Ka. Haworth de Musberric. Geof. Taylor de eadem. Law. Taylor de eadem. Joh. Tattersall de Tunstead. Joh. Piliage (? Pilling) de eadem. Joh. Lord de Bacop. Ja. Wliitacre de Broadclough. Geo. Hargreaves de Goodshaw. Joh. Ormerod de Gamloyside. • COPYHOLDERS IN ROSSENDALE DtTEING THE REIGN OP JAMES L The assessment of the mean rates of the Copyholders of the Forest of Rossendale towards the Composition Contribution for their estates by authority from the Commissioners, rated and Forest of Rossendale. 329 assessed by Robert Holden of Holden, Esqre, during the reign of James I. The hst is contained in a MS Vol. of the period, in the possession of Mr. W. Waddington, of Burnley. (See Ante page 84.) DONNOCSSHAW. £ s. d. Richard To-wnley, Esqre. . . 1 18 John Townley, Gentleman.. 1 1 8 Henlieads 10 £2 4 2 Gakbleside. John Birtwisle 1 1 4 Oliver Ormerod 1 6 8 John Urmerod 1 12 £4 LOTE Clocgh. John Holt, and George, his son ', 1 6 3 Richard Hey 6 8 Wm. Birtwisle, and Richard, his son 16 8 George Dearden 1 3 9 Peter Hoy 8 4 Richard Law 5 Henry Ramsbottom, and Peter, his son 6 8 E. Chadwick, in right of his wife 6 8 Henheads 1 9 £5 1 9 GOODSHAW. George Hargreaves 1 19 11 George Birtwisle, and Rich- ard, his son 1 6 8 John Nuttall, of Deadwen- clough 6 8 Alec Haworth 13 4 George Haworth, of Craw- shawbooth 13 4 Richard Hey 6 8 Henheads 1 9 £6 8 4 Ckowshawbooth. £ 8. d. George Haworth 2 3 4 Dennys Hawoi-th 2 1 8 James Haworth 1 10 Hugh Haworth, and John, his son 1 10 Oliver Ormerod 10 Hugh Halstead 5 Francis Nuttall '0 10 Richard Dearden 3 4 John Haworth de Constable 6 8 Henheads 1 11 £9 1 11 CoNSTABLAT. John Haworth 12 6 John Ashworth 18 9 Edmund Ingham 12 6 Edward Rawstorn, of New- hall 12 6 Dennys Haworth 12 6 George Haworth 1 5 Thomas Holt 6 3 Henheads 1 10 £5 1 10 ROWTONSTALE. Edward Rawsthorne, de Newhall 1 7 James Lord , 4 Thomas Cranshawe 4 Richard Ormerod 6 Peter Hey Richard Heape 5 Robert Hey, and John, his son 6 John Nuttall, of Dedwen- clough 4 Henry Nuttall 6 John Piccop 9 Henheads 1 £3 IS 10 History of the Dedwenclovgh. £ Francis Brigg 1 John NutUill, of Newhallhey 1 Alexander Ilaworth 1 Wm. Heaton de Clougli . . 1 Thomas Crowshaw 11 10 James Tattersiill 17 10 John Nuttall de Clough, for Lands chargeable to the Minister of the New- church in Eossendale . . 1 3 6 John Eamshottom 3 4 Adam Bridge 13 Robert Broughton 9 11 Kobert Rowe 5 John Bradley 5 James Birtwistle 11 8 John Dearden, of Wolfenden 2 6 Wm. Heaton de Bule Eye. . 3 4 Henhcads 1 9 8. d. 3 9 6 9 3 5 6 9 Wolfenden Booth. Edward Rawsthorne, of Newhall Edward Rawsthorne, of Lum 1 James Walton James Wolfenden Edward Taylor James Ashworth, junr James Ashworth, sem- John Ormerod John Ashworth Robert Ashworth William Taylor Oliver Ashworth Richard Ormerod John Scholefield John Ashworth Henheads £10 14 4 6 I 11 7 4 8 11 1 9 1 8 3 1 4 6 4 6 8 1 6 1 5 £4 18 7 TuNSTEED. John Tattersall 1 9 John Rilling 13 Henry Cowoppe 7 John Kay 7 John Kershawe 1 8 Anthony Nuttall 13 John Lawe 7 Henry Lawe 7 £5 12 Bacop. John Ashworth, for Lands there Edmund Tattersall, junr. . James Tattersall, junr. . . James Tattersall, senr. . . James Lord alt Boulton . . 1 James Lord alt Chapman . . John Nuttall de Clough . . 1 John Tattersall 1 John Lord Samuel Robcrtshawe .... James Lord de Wear .... Edmund Lord James Whittaker 1 John Haworth Lawrence Lord 1 Edmund Tattersall, eenr. . . 1 Edward Rawsthorne de Newhall, for Rockliffe Wood £ s. d. 10 3 6 8 7 6 14 2 8 13 8 13 6 9 1 8 6 1 2 5 4 2 11 7 6 16 8 £11 IG 8 Cowoppe. Richard Hill 2 Robt. Chadwick 10 George Haworth 7 Ralph Leach 5 Bartholomew Tattersall . . 5 George Ormerod 1 John Ashworth Richard Holden Oliver Holden Ralph Nuttall, and John, his son 10 Edward NuttaU 10 7 Richard Ormerod 12 2 James Piccop, and John, his son 14 2 £5 13 4 Lenches. Edmund Pilling 11 Richard Ormerod 1 1 John Ashworth, and James, his son 16 James Hoult, and John, his son 1 11 Richard Taylor 5 £4 6 Forest of Rossendale. Newhall Hey. £ 3. d. John Nuttall 3 2 11 Thomas Cronshaw 17 1 Charles Eamsbotham .... 1 14 2 Henry Eamsbotham, and Peter, his son 1 14 2 Wm. Heaton de Clough ..034 Richard Ashworth I 8 £7 13 4 Oaxenheadwood. Peter Hey 1 8 11 Edward Ramsbotham, and Adam, his son 1 8 11 Thurston Eamsbotham, and Henry, his son 14 o\ Oliver Eamsbotham 14 5 1 George Haworth i 1 s' Henry Haworth 1 1 8 Francis Nuttall 1.5 11 Ealph Haworth 2 7 Eey nold Haworth 11 Henry Barnes 2 9 Agnes Haworth, widow, for Henry Haworth, her son 4 11 Thomas Lord 4 James Haworth 1 10 Lawrence Bawsthome de Newhall 5 5 Edward Eawsthorne de Xewhall 6 2 Henry Ramsbotham, and Peter, his son 1 John Nuttall de Newhall- hey 3 Edward Eawsthorne de Newhall, for two Milnes, with such soken and all appurtenances. 13 4 £9 8 3 MuSBCKY. Ralph Haworth 3 5 John Holden, and Mar- garet, his wife 16 3 Tho. Kenyon 8 U Oliver Bridge 8 l| George Haworth, and John, his son 1 12 6 Jefierey Taylor, and Ed- ward, his son 1 12 6 Carried forward . . £8 2 6 331 McsBrnY— con;inu«d. £ s. d. Brought forward .... 8 2 6 Lawrence Taylor 1 12 6 Christopher Cronsha we .. 18 11 Thomas Duckworth 9 1 John Duckworth 14 i\ Eichard Entwistle 19 IJ Richard Cronshaw O 5 4 £13 1 HODDIESDEX. Nicholas Grimshawe .... 7 8 Thurstan Slawdsley 12 0^ George Holden, senr 16 OJ George Holden, junr 16 6j GUbert Hey 8 Wm. Yate, senr 11 11^ Gyles Holme Oil 4 Eobt Yate 12 Henry Baron 14 6 John Welch, jure Uxoris [by right of his wife] .011 Gyles Yate 14 6| James Yate 14 lOJ James Knowles alt Haworth 17 8 Elizabeth Sharpe 3 10 George Yate 2 8 Robert Brindle 7 8 Wm. Yate, junior 17 8 £9 19 11 WoLFEXDEy. Edward Rawsthome, of NewhaU lo 1 John Heyward 8 8 Roger PiUing o 7 3 Dennys Hargreaves 11 George Ormerod, senr .... 3 1 Robert Heyward 9 4 Henry NuttaU .....0 2 John Hargreaves 12 8 James Smith alt Lowe .... 4 Erice Clajiion 2 James Clayton 2 Eichard Ashworth 5 10 Eobert Haworth 4 George Lord de Darcey Lever 6 4 James Tattersall 6 4 John Ashworth 6 4 James Lord de Horold- long 2 Carried forward ..£4 6 10 2Z'' History of the WOLPENDEN— CO;i(in!(«,i. ,£ s. (1. Brought forward 4 U 1 Elizab. Asliworth by Robert Heyward for Gardeine .038 Thomas Lawo 5 G Hugh Pilling 6 John NuttaU do Clough ..008 And for Lands in Ded- ■vren Clogh chargeable to the Minister of New- church in Rossendale . . 3 2 Henry Ha worth 2 10 John Dearden 1 6 Richard Hargreaves 2 3 John Hai greaves, jimr 1 11 Ralph Hev 1 4 Richd. Piccop 3 3 George Ormerod, junr 6 2 Henry Haworth, scnr 1 8 Charles Haworth 1 8 Jamea Haworth 3 4 James Haworth, of Crow- shawbooth 4 4 Alexander Haworth, of Clough 2 10 John Holt, and George, his son 12 8 Robert Hey, and John, his son 2 John Tattersall de Tunstead 5 4 Richard Ormerod 4 10 James Whittaker de Bacop .032 John Onnerod de Gamble- side 10 Oliver Ormerod, senr 8 4 Oliver Ormerod de Edge . . 1 10 John Birtwisle 6 8 George Hargreaves, of Goodshawe 6 8 Carried forward .... £ 1 5 WOLPENDEN — continved, £ 8. d. Brought forward 10 6 George Birtwisle, and Richard, his son G 4 John Haworth de Barnes . . 4 4 George Hargreaves de Nahb G 4 John Haworth de Constable 2 John Ashworth G Edmund Ingham 1 Dennys Haworth 3 4 Richard Heape 1 8 John Nuttall, of Newhall Hey 2 10 Samuel Robertshaw 8 Thomas Cronshawe 1 S James Tattersall de Dedwcn- clogh 2 Edward Rawsthornde Lumm 3 2 James Birtwisle 1 6 James Ashworth 3 2 OUver Ashworth 1 7 James Walton 3 2 Abraham Taylor G 4 Francis Bridge 2 11 Adam Bridge 2 Willm. Heaton do Dedwen- clogh 3 3 Willm. Heaton de Bule Eye 1 8 John Kershaw de Tunsteed, and Henrj-, his son .... 6 4 £13 5 1 Total year's Rental .... £1 31 3 8 Total 12 years' rental con- tributed by the Rossen- dale Copyholders ..£1.574 4 LIST OF THE OVERSEERS OF THE POOR, FOR THAT PART OF ROSSENDALE BELONGING TO NEWCHURCH, FROM THE YEAR 1G81 TO 1790.— Copied from an old MS. Book in the possession of Geouoe HAKGKE.iVES, Esq., J.P., Newchurch. 1681. Alexander Haworth of Deadwenclough, and James Taylor, Dean Height. 1682. Adam Bridge, Deadwenclough, and Crofer Nuttal of Sisclough. 1683. Jno. Heywood of Newhouse, and Jno. Law of Bacup. Forest of Rossendale. 333 1684. Hemy Ormerod and James Hargreaves. 1685. Robert Hargreaves and James Law. 1686. Eichd. Heap and Jno. Ashworth. 1687. Henrj- Law, of Tunstead, and Geo. Ashworth of Newchnrch. 1688. Henry Hargreares, Nahb, and Law. Ashworth of Wolfenden. 1689. Jno. Lord of Bacup, and Edmd. Ashworth of Fearnes. 1690. Richd. Ashworth of Wolfenden, and James Haworth of the same. 1691. Saml. Lord of Bacup, and Law. Ashworth of Brockclough. 1692. Eichd. Ormerod of Wolfenden, and Jno. Heyworth of the same. 1693. Law. Lord of Bacup, and Jno. Hoyle of the same. 1694. Geo. Hargreaves of Wolfenden, and Jno. Haworth, Deadwenclough. 1695. Eichd. Hevworth, Harrast HLUa, and Geo. Haworth of Bankhouse. 1696. Edwd. Ashworth of WhiteweU Bottom, and Geo. Hargreaves, Dead- wenclough. 1697. Richd. Heaton of Deadwenclough, and James Taylor of Walls. 1698. Jno. Lord of Broadclough, and Eobt. Heyworth of Water. 1699. Oliver Ormerod, of Wolfenden, and Geo. Ashworth of Newchurch. 1700. James Law of Greenlaw, and John Ashworth of Chapel HUl. 1701. Henry Law of Tunstead, and Geo. Hargreaves, Edgeside. 1702. James Law of Greenlaw, and Abram Taylor of Dean Height. 1703. Eobt. Whitakcr, of Heald, and James Maydin, Broadclough. 1704. Richd. Ormerod, of Tunstead, and Geo. Hargreaves of Nabb. 1705. Law. Lord of Greensnook, and Oliver Ashworth, Fearnes. 1706. Henry Hargreaves, Fold, and Law. Lord, of Newchurch. 1707. Richard Heyworth, Derply, and Henry Shepherd of Bacup. 1708. Law. Ashworth of Brockclough, and Robt. Hej-worth, Deanhead. 1709. James Hey of Boothfold, and James Mitchell of Tunstead. 1710. Abram Law of Holmes, and Jno. Lord of Derplyclough, being hired by James Heap of Bacup. 1711. James Piccop of Heightside, and Jno. Lord of Derplyclough. 1712. Henry Ashworth, Smallahay, and Jno. Hoyle. 1713. Jno. Rishton, Newchurch, and Jno. Lord of Lane Head. 1714. Wm. Heap of Huttock, and Jno. Ashworth of Miller Bam. 1715. Henry Hargreaves of Newchurch, and Jno. Lord, Simis. 1716. Jno. Haworth, Bank Top, and Jno. Heap. 1717. James Ashworth, Lane Head, and Jno. Ashworth, Scout. 1718. James Lord, Boothfold, and David Greenwood, Heald. 1719. Jno. Hoyle, Fall Bam, and Robt. Heyworth, Water. 1720. Henry Law of Tunstead, and Abram Law of Brex. 1721. Edmd. Whitaker of Deals, and Law. Ormerod of Edgeside. 1722. Jno. Mills of Hareholme, and James Heyworth of Deanhead. 1723. Jno. Nuttall of Tunstead, and Saml. Lord of Old Meadows. 334 Histoty of the 172i. Geo. Hargreaves, Newchurch, and Law. Aaliworth, Bankend. 1725. Jno. Taylor, Newchurch, and James Taylor of Walls. 1726. Geo. Haworth, Bankliouse, and Jno. Heyworth, Harrest Hills. 1727. Jno. Kamsbotlom, Tunstoad, .and Juo. Ormorod, Shayclough. 1728. Jno. Pilling, Sisclough, and Jno. Lord of Sodhouse. 1729. Saml. Haworth of Wear, and Law. Ormerod, Edgeside. 1730. Jno. Baron of Lum, and Richd. Lord of Nabb. 1731. Jno. Haworth, Waterside, and Jno. Piccop of Sowclough. 1732. Saml. Haworth of Shayclough, and James Law of Acre Hill. 1733. Jno. Pilling, ^Vheet Head, and Geo. Piccop of Wainyate. 1734. Jno. Lord of Broadclough, and James Taylor, Deanheight. 1735. Jas. Law of Greenlaw, and Henry Ashworth of Miller Bam. 1736. Abram Taylor of Height Top, and Joshua Lord, Broadclough. 1737. Geo. Hargreaves, Chapel Hill, and Robt. Heyworth, Bacup. 1738. Richd. Ashworth of Boothfold, and Jno. Ashworth, Bank Top. 1739. Abram Nuttal of Hey head, and Jno. Lord, Greensnook. 1740. James Pollard, Whams, and Joshua Eomsbottom, Brox. 1741. Jno. Hargreaves for Fcarnos, and Jno. Wliitaker, Broadclough. 1742. Christo. Hargreaves, Muckt Earth, and Geo. Law, Huttock End. 1743. James Ormerod, Edgeside, and Robt. Hargreaves of Hargreaves Fold. 1744. Oliver Ashworth of Height Side, and Geo. Ormerod of Cunliffe Clough. 1745. Jno. Ingham, Fern Hill, and Richd. Lord of Greens. 1746. James Piccop of Boothfield, and Richd. Lord of Lum. 1747. Richd Ashworth of Wolfenden, and Jno. Heap of Huttock. 1748. Edwd. Lord of Bottom, and Oliver PiUing of Tunstead. 1749. Henry Hargreaves, Fanhouse, and Jonathan Ashworth, Tunstead. 1750. Richd. Pollard, Broadclough, and James Lord, Derplyelough. 1751. Jno. Law, Bankses, and James Lord of Lane Head. 1752. Jno. Haworth, Brockclough, and Jno. Law of Briggclough. 1753. Robt. Scholfield, Kewchurch, Tenant to Mj. Cobham, and Adam Scholficld, of Bacup. 1754. Hugh Taylor, Newchurch, and Abraham TattersaU, Top of Huttock. 1755. Hugh Taylor, hired by the To^vn for 12 Guineas. 1756. Mr. Ormorod, Tunstead, and Jno. Heyworth, Deanhead. 1757. Jno Hargreaves, Newchurch, and Jno. Ashworth, Holling. 1758. Robt. Heyworth, Water, and Jno. Lord, Greensnook. 1759. James Lord, Boothfold, and Jno. Lord, Old Meadows. 1760. Jno. Nuttal, Tunstead, and Joshua Hoyle, Rockeliffewood. 1761. Geo. Ashworth, Whams, and Richd. Lord, Old Meadows. 1762. James Taylor, Walls, and Jno. Whitaker, Scar End. 1763. 1704. 1765. 1766. 1767. 1768. 1769. 1770. 1771. 1772. 1773. 1774. 1775. 1776. 1777. 1778. 1779. 1780. 1781. 1782. 1783. 1784. 1785. 1786. 1787. 1788. 1789. 1790. Forest of Rossendale. Jno. Law, Bankses, hired by the Town. Do. do. do. Geo. Haworth, Shawclough, hired by the Town. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Jonathan Ashworth, Tunstead, do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Oliver Ashworth, hired by the Town. Do. do. Joshua Hargreaves, do. Do. do. Do. do. Do. do. Jno. Whitaker, Tunstead, hired by the Town. Do. do. do. Thos. Nuttal, Edgeside, do. Do. do. do. Do. do. ■ do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Jno. Easthorn, Bres, hired by the Town. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. 335 The following are interesting as showing the money value of cattle, and the various articles named, at the date of the in- ventories : — EXCERPTS FROM "AN APPRISALL OF THE GOODS OF EDWd. BUTTERWORTH, OF ROUND HOUSE, APPRAIZED THIS 3 DAY OF NOVEMBER, ANNO DNI. 1716." 1 Black Cow, 1 Bed Cow, 1 Stirk, 1 Provinder Ark, 1 Hay Mowe, £3 3 1 1 10 336 History of the 1 Wliecl barrow and Ladder, £0 2 1 Calf Crib, 10 2 Spinning Whoola, 2 pair Stock cards. 4 6 1 Pair Combs and Stock, I 6 Turfe and Coal, 1 1 Couch Chair and Quishand, 18 1 Arm Chair, 4 6 6 Chairs and 6 QuishandB, 5 1 Flagon, 2 peuter Cans, . 4 10 Peuter Cupps, 2 G 1 Brass Morter and postel. 3 1 Chaveing Dish, . 1 1 Bedstead, 3 6 1 Brown Cadow, . 9 2 Blanketts, 4 30 Harrow teeth, . 3 4 Sides, .... 4 I Bridle and Sadie, 2 4 1 Trucle bed. 4 1 Green Cadow, 9 1 Ccild Chest, 8 13 Picktures, 1 1 12 Table Napkins, . 4 12 Cheeses, G 1 do.. 1 6 TRUE INVENTORIE OF ALL THE GOODS CATTELLS AND CHATTELLS AND SUBSTANCE OF ROBERT HARDMAN OP GREENS, WITHIN SPOTLAND, AND PARISH OF ROTCH- DALE AND COUNTY OF LANCASTER DEGASED, VALUED AND APRISBD THE TWENTITH SIXTH OF SEPTEMBER, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD GOD 1717, BY US, JAMES HOYLE, JAMES MILL, GAORGE LAW, AND HENRY HARDMAN. Imprimis, his ApperreU and money in his purse, Item, foure Cowes, Item, two stots and three twinters. Item, three Calves and three Stirkes, . Item, one Horse Carried forward 5, U 00 00 . 12 00 00 . 12 00 00 6 00 00 4 00 00 . £38 00 00 Forest of Rossendale. 337 Brought forward . £38 00 00 Item, twenty sheepe, . 4 00 00 Item, hay and Corne, . 10 00 00 Item, one Swine, 1 00 00 Item, three Arkes, 1 10 00 Item, three Chists, 1 00 00 Item, foiir Beds and hedding, . 8 00 00 Item, one prass and one Cuhhard, 1 10 00 Item, two tahles and one buffett, 1 00 00 Item, one Couch Cheare and Cheares, 10 00 Item, in brass and peuter, 1 00 00 Item, in odd Husslements, 10 00 Item, £68 00 00 Item, money to draw, . 26 10 00 £94 10 00 Datt to pay, 73 10 00 totel, £21 EXCERPTS FROM " AN APPEISALL AND IN^^NTOET OF ALL THE GOODS, CATTLES, AND CHATTLES OF JOHN LORD OF BROADCLOUGH, DECEASED, APPRISED THE FIVE- TEENTH DAT OF DECEMBER, ANNO DOMINI 1724." Item, Six Oxen, two Stirks, two CaUfs, one Why and a BuU, standing at ye New Bam, Item, Four Cows standing at Home and a Swine, .... Item, Three Mares and Eleven Sheep, Item, Two OvU Tables, Item, Two Oak Chears, Item, Ten Ash Chears, . Item, A Longsettle, A Table with Drawers, Item, A Clock, .... Item, All his Books and Case, . Item, Tongs and Fire Iron, Item, a Chest and Thirty Trenchers, . Item, A Cuboard and Two Glasscases, , £30 00 . 15 00 . 15 10 . 01 10 . 00 08 . 00 09 . 01 05 . 01 05 . 01 00 . 01 01 . 00 15 . 00 13 338 History of the Item, A Close Stool, . . . . £00 05 Item, A Great Ark, Meal and Wheal, . . 10 00 Item, A Haifa headed Bed and Bedding, . 01 05 Item, Cradley, Goo Wane, Little Table, . 00 OG "THE OLD SCHOOL," BACUP. The following Memorandum, relating to the " Old School " at Bacup, which formerly stood on the site of the present Mechanics' Institution, is copied from a volume of printed Sermons in the possession of the late Samuel Howorth, of Tunstead. The memorandum is written on the margin of the fourth and fifth pages of the last sermon in the volume : — "4: Oct". 1747 this day Ould Mr Houlden Burnley parish Came to Baccop chapil Being the fourt gurinney [? journey] So the doars were made by the Schoolmastor by John Lord Broadclough Order & John Heape huttock top Brake in at an Ould Doare that were made with Ould boards and Stoans & so Crept in as he Could & Opened y^ Other doars then Henry Lord Boulton went in & the [? three, or they] of his partey this were in the forenoone & then aftor diner Mr Uttley went into this Chapil or Scoole house and Red & preached the word of God & doctorin of Jesus Christ : Joel : 2 Chap' vers 13. Rent your harts & not your Garments & turn vnto the Lord your God for he is Gracious and mercyfull slow to anger and of Great kindness and Repenteth him of the Evil. " Judith Howorth. " 9 Oct' 1747 Mr Houlden Came again to Baccop & Ordered Vttley 2 days in a month & Richard Ashworth i & Hen^ Lord Boulton I to preach & teach the word of God & the Gospil of Jesus Christ in the Schoole house or Baccop chapil." And apart from the above is the following, written on the margin at the foot of the page : — " the [? they] should have Cufenanted one with another these ffefies & it is But them & thair Heirs. Forest of Rossendale. 339 A LIST OF ROSSENDALE MAGISTRATES, FROM THE FIRST APPOINTMENT IN 1824 TO THE TEAR X892. Name. James Whitaker,' . John Holt,* John Earue-haw,* John Ormtrod, * George Ormerod,* , John Brooks,* . Eobert Mann,* . John Lord,* George HargreaveB,* Thomas Grimshaw,* David Whitehead,* . Geo. Henry Ornerod,* . JohnHowarth,* . Lord CrawBhaw, John Whitaker.t John Dawson,* James Maden Holt, M.A. Bobert Munn, jun., (Lt.-Col,,)t . Eichard Ashworth,* . John Aitken, (Capt ) • Jos. Wood Whitehead* , John B. Whitehead, Edward Hoyle, James Munn,* . Henry Hoyle Hardman, • James Smith Sutolifte,' Edward Ashworth, Henry Maden,* Thomas Aitken,* Thomas Smith* Thomas Whitaker, Bichard Townsend, James Kushton,* Jos. Hardman WorrUI,* Bobert Whitaker Munn,* ThoB. Hoyle Whitehead, William Brooks, George Ashworth Smith, John Warbnrton, Jonathan A. HarrisOD, . John Harfrreaves, , Henry H. Bolton, George fchepherd, . William Mitchell, . James Haworth, Joshua Hoyle, jun., J. H. Hardman (Lt.-Col.), James Edward Holt, Edward Martin Wright, John Henry Maden, M.P. Joshua Crayen Hoyle, . Place of Abode. Broadclough, Bacnp, Stubby Lee, Bacup, Mount Pleasant, Bacnp, Baukside, Bacup, Pern Hill, Bacup, . Crawshaw Hall, Craw- Bhawbooth, . Heath Hill, Stacksteads, Irwell Terrace, Bacup, Newchurch, Pierce Clough, Water, Holly Mount, Eawten- stall. Edee Side, Newchurch, Higher Hempsteads, Ba- cup Craw=haw Hall, Craw- f^hawbooth, . Broadclough, Bacup, Mount Pleasant, Bacup, Stubby Lee, Bacup, Thistle Mount, New- church, . Lea Bank, Eawtenstall, Lane End, Bacup, . Alder Grange, Kawten- stall .... AshdayLea, Eawtenstall, Spring Mount, Bacup, Fern Hill, Bacup, . Horucliffe House, Eaw- tenstall, . Beech House, Bacup, Staghills, Waterfoot, Bockcliffe House, Bacup, Holmes, Bacup, Flaxmoss, Haslingden, Wellbank, Haslingden, Bent Gate, Haslingdeu, Forest Hoase, New- church, . . . . Bochdale Road, Bacup, . Heath Hill, Stacksteads, Holly Mount, Eawten- stall, . , . . Sunnyside, Eawtenstall, Westbourne House, Flax- moss, Haslingden, Greenfield, Haslingden, Eegent Street, Hasling- den, . . . . Greensnook, Bacup, Heightside, Newchurch, Holmes Villa. Bacup, Pern Hill, Stacksteads, Spring Mount, Bacup, . Baukside, Bacup, . Oak Hill, Eawtenstall, . Holmefield House, Eaw- tenstall Spring Mount, Bacup, . Eockliffe House, Bacup, Oak House, Bacup, Date of Qualification. April 29, 1824, April 19, 183S, April 19, 1S38, July 4, 1838, May 23, 1844, June 30, 1847, Oct. 2n, 1847, Oct. 20, 1847, Nov. 3, 1847, April 6,1848, April 9, 1850, June 30, 1852, July 5, 1852, July 4, 1855, Julv 4, 1855, April 6,1857, April 6,1653, May 27, 1858, May 19, 18,i9, May 23, lf63. May 22, 18G2, April 8,1883, April 8, 1867, April 8,1867, April 10, 1867, Jany. 4, 1869, May 24, 18G9, May 24, 1809, Oct. 20, 1869, May 18, 1870, Feby.26, 1872, May 23,1873, June 29,1874, Aug. 1, 1878, Aug. 1, 1878, Aug. 1, 1878, Jany. 2, 1884, Nov. 26,1884. Nov. 26, 1884, Nov. 26, 1884, Oct. 21,1885, Oct. 26, 1885, Dec. 6, 18S9, Dec. 6, 1889, Dec. 6, 1889, Deo. 6, 1889, Feb. 12, 1890, Feb. 12, 1890, Feb. 22,1892, April 11, 189i, April 11, 1892, Hundred. Blackburn Hundred. Salford Hundred. Blackbtirn Hundred. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Salford Hundred. Do. Blackburn Hundred. Salford Hundred. Blackburn Hundred. Do. Salford Hundred. Blackburn Hundred. Do. Do. Salford Hundred. Do. Do. Blackburn Hundred. Do. Do. Do. Do. Salford Hundred. Blackburn Hcmdred. Salfurd Hundred. Blackburn Hundred. Do. Do. Do. Salford Hundred. Blackburn Hundred, Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Do. Salford Hundred. Do. Do. Deceased. t Left the neighbourhood. 34° History of the On the 29th July 1S57 the Bacup Court-House was opened; the first Petty Sessions there being held on that day. Prior to that date, the Bacup Petty Sessions were held at the George and Dragon Inn. The first Petty Sessions at Rawtenstall were held at the Queen's Arms Hotel, on the 4th May, 1857. VERTICAL SECTION OF THE STRATA IN THE FOREST OP ROSSENDALE, BY JOHN AITKEN, F.G.S. The thickuosses here given are not in all cases from actual moasareinent. Wherever not measured, however, they have been carefully estimated, and may be taken as close approximations. It is scarcely necessary to state that no two sections are exactly similar. Succession ■ Ft in ol Strata. '• "^' DRIFT AND SURFACE SOIL. 1 Gray rock separating into flags and sets, but not of good quality; surfaces much ripple marked — Derplay Hill, Sbarneyford, Longshaw, Eaaden Wood, . . . 10 2 Shale very black, near the bottom — Derplay Hill, Easden Wood, Sharneyford, . . . . . GO 3 Rock. Fine grained yellow laminated sandstone, separates into roofing tiles and flags — Heald, Sharneyford, and Easden Wood, . . . . . .50 4 Shale, strong and dark coloured, . . . . 13 5 Rock. Fine yellow tile and flag-rock, similar to No. 3, . 6 6 Shale, top of Dulesgate, abont . . . 30 to 45 7 Fine-grained free yellow rock; produces capital building stone ; rather flaggy towards top, but stronger and more massive in the lower part — dip, 8° to the west, Clough Head, Sharneyford, ..... 8 Shale, top ol Dulesgate Valley, .... 9 Coarse, soft, friable sand rock, showing good examples of false bedding — top of Tooter Hill, and at Culvert coal- pit, Dulesgate, varying much in thickness, say* 10 Shale, sides of Tooter Hill, Dulesgate, *At Culvert it has a thicknesB of abont 60 feet. Frequently absent. 27 .20 30 65 Forest of Rossendale. 341 SnooeaBion _ ol Strata. Ft. In. 11 Hard bluish-gray rock ; on surfaces of the several layers are numerous indentations and trail-like markings — Heaps Moss, Old Meadows, Broad Clough Heights, Dulesgate, &c., . . . . . . 11 12 Black and brown shales — Hoyle Hey Clough, Old Shaw Dean ; remains of fishes in the lower portion overlying the 40 yards of coal, . . . . . 70 13 Coal, 40 yards mine, (half-yard mine,) worked at numerous places in the neighbourhood, .... 14 Fire-clay, much used for brick-making, 15 Eocky bands and shale— Park Mill, Sharneyford, Old Shaw Dean. Frequently absent, .... 16 Brown shale — Hoyle Hey Clough, Greave, Dnlesgate, &c., . 17 Coal— Higher Change, Hoyle Hey, near Bay Horse Inn, Dulesgate, Old Shaw Dean, &c., 1 inch to 18 Fire-clay, ....... 19 Shale — Greave Clough, Old Shaw Dean, Dulesgate, 20 Coal— Higher Foot, Clough east of Shawtorth, Holmes Clough Bacup, Small Shaw Dean. This mine unites with the uudorlyiug Gaunister Mine, about \\ miles east of Bacup, and forms the 5 feet mine, . . .08 21 Fire-clay, . . . . . . .16 22 Seat rock, soft shaly rock — Greave, . . . .16 23 Shale, or soft valueless false-bedded rock, irregularly stratified — Oaken Clough, Greave, Higher Broad Clough. This becomes shale after the union of the two mines referred to above, . . . . . 40 24 Coal — Gannister or Mountain Mine, Oaken Clongh, Dnles- gate, Hogshead, Rowley Moor, &c., from 5 feet to .26 25 Fire-clay, full of stigmaria ficoides, . . . .26 26 Seat rock, or Gannister, fine-grained, light-coloured, siliceous rock, very irregularly bedded, full of vegetable remains and carbonaceous markings. On Eowley Moor, it is a fine crystalline Gannister,* . . . . 12 27 Black shale ; contains fish remains in the lower portion — Greave, Oaken Clough, Old Shaw Dean, . . .90 • This rook does not occur under the Gannister Mine at Oaken Clough. 1 5 3 5 36 2 4 56 542 Histoy 0/ the 8 4 12 14 Succession r,^ ,_ of Strata. *'• "■• 28 Coal — Lower Foot, or Spanish Juice Mine, || Oaken Clongh, Greave, Old Shaw Dean, Bay Horse Inn, Dulesgate, Holmes, &c., ..... 29 Fire-clay — Greave, Rowley Moor, and other places, 30 Light gray shale— Shawforth, Oaken Clongh, 31 Dark shales, ...... 32 Shaley impure coal— Bassy or Salts Mine. Shale, with bands of coal, at Holmes Qaarry Bacup, Walmesley Clongh, Intac, Eowley Moor, . . . .20 33 Brown strong shale — Holmes Quarry, Bacup, Meadow Top, Deansgreave, . . . . . .60 34 Fine-grained brown sand-rock, Woodhead Hill rock,* much false bedded, and yields but an indifferent building stone in this neighbourhood — Holmes and Nut Mill Bacnp, Undershore, near Britannia Mill, Dnlei^gate, ic, 2-i 35 Shale — Undershore, Dulesgate, &c., . . . . 50 36 Coal, Deansgreave, Bacup, Hud Clongh Colliery Facit, Greens Clongh near Portsmouth, . . . 10 37 Underclay, . . . . . . .16 38 Upper rough-rock ; \ coarse rough grit full of rounded water-worn quartz pebbles— Bank House, Sheep House Clongh, behind the Co-operative Store Bacup, along Brandwood Moor, Banks' Mill Dulesgate, Seat Naze, Ac, 15 39 Very black shale, full of vegetable impressions — -Deans- greave, Hndclough Facit, | . . . .10 40 Coal — Feather Edge, or Sand-Rock Mine, Co-operative Store, and Bank House Bacup ; Deansgreave, Shaw- forth and Banks' Mill Dulesgate, . . .14 41 Undei-clay, always found with the coal, . . .30 42 Lower rough-rock, similar to the higher section, but a little stronger and more massive — localities similar to 38, 24 43 Strong brown shale — Hell Clongh, Shawforth flag quarries, Dulesgate, under the Bank House rock, along the north- westerly side of Newchurch Road, Bacup, § . . 30 II This mine is a little thicker at Ending, where it has been worked to a Email eiteut. * Named from being found highly developed at the Woodhead Hill Tunnel, on tlie M., S., and L. Eailway. + On Holcombe Hill, this rocl; attain? a thickness of 66 feet. t This shale does not occur in any of the sections at Bacup. § At this place the shale is considerably in excess of the 30 feet named above. At Rake Head it runs up to about 130 feet, and on the Crawshawbooth side of Cribden it attains a thickness of 310 feet. At Holcombe it is only a few inches. Forest of Rossendale. 343 Snecession of Strata. Ft. In. 44 Good hard smooth bedded flags, known as Haslingden flags— Hell Clough, Shawforth, Fo' Edge, Cragg, &c., . 18 45 Strong brown shale — Bake Head, Crawshawbootb, &c., . 73 46 Flag-rook, similar to 44 — at Bake Head, Hirdle Heights, Crawshawbootb, &c., . . . . . 20 47 Strong brown shale, with layers of rock and rocky bands — Thrutch, top of Conpe Valley, Crawshawbootb, &c., . 150 48 Coal — Horncliffe Wood, Coupe, Dulesgate, Brookebottom, Balladen, and Crawshawbootb, . . . .09 49 Shale— Horncliffe Wood, Dulesgate, . . . . 25 50 Coal — Horncliffe Wood, Crawshawbootb, Holden Wood, Brooksbottom, &c., . . . . .06 51 Coarse sharp grit — railway cutting, New Hall Hey, Brooks- bottom, &c., . . . . . .210 j:ji..cj ¥ .o.xxui'io. Feet. Pendle Hill, . 1831 Top of Leach, . . 1550 Whittle Pike, . . 1534 Higher Hill, . 1500 Trough Edge End, near Hogshead Law, 1175 Thieveley Pike, 1474 Hogshead Law, . 1460 Coupe Law, . 1438 Derplay Hill, . 1429 Tooter Hill, . 1420 Heald Moor, . 1417 Flour Scar Hill, . 1380 Fo' Edge, . 1350 Cribden, . 1317 Nutshaw Hill, . 1260 Holcombe Hill, (b ase of Peel Monument,) 1162 Hyle, . 1150 Musbury Tor, . . 1115 Seat Naze, 990 Eacup, (St. John's Church,) 849 Newchuroh, (Church,) . 794 Haslingden, (Commercial Inn,) 794 344 History of the Feet. Holcombe Church, 775 Edenfield, (Horse and Jockey,) 677 Eawtenstall, (Church,) . 557 Ramsbottom, .... 433 Todmorden, .... 409 Burnley, (Church,) 388 THE ROSSENDALE PARLIAMENTARY DIVISION. Rossendale was created a Parliamentary Division on June 25th, 1855- The Division embraces the whole of the Forest of Rossendale proper (with the exception of certain detached portions) and the Town of Haslingden in addition. The first Parliamentary Election for the Division took place 27th November, 1885, when Lord Hartington (now Duke of Devonshire) was returned as its first representative in the House of Commons. INDEX A. Abb o' th' Yate, baptized, 270. Abbot, Philip, Incumbent of New- church, 161. Accounts of the Greave of the Forest, 108; Bridle for Scolds, lU; Preston House of Correction, 116; Finger or Guide Posts, 117 ; Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, 118 ; Trophy Money, 118 ; The Plague in France, 119 ; Runaway Sailors, 120 ; RebelUonof 1745, 120; Taking of Carlisle, 123 ; Taking of Stirling, 123 ; Stocks at Goodshaw, 127 ; Sab- bath-breaking and Profane Swear- ing, 128 ; The Town Box, 129 ; Stocks at Bacup, 130; Impressing for the Navy, 130 ; Dungeons, 131 ; War with Franco, 132; MUitia, 132 ; Peace of Amiens, 133 ; Meet- ings for the defence of the nation, 133; Prisoners conyeyed to Holmes Chapel, 135 ; Notices in the Church, 135 ; Pinfold at Cloughfold, 136. Accrington, Forest or Chase of, 32, 48, 55, 86 ; Newhold_, 86. Acreage of Townships in Rossendale, 227. Agisting of Goats and Sheep, 58 ; Cattle, 58 ; Hogs and Swine, 58. Agistments, explanation of the term, 46. Agistors, 54. Agricultural capabilities of Rossen- dale, 233. Aitken, John, on the remains of Red Deer and Wild Oxen in Rossendale, 3, 4 ; Sketch of his life, 253 ; on the Vertical Strata of Rossendale, 340. Ale-taster, 138; Oath of, 139; Memorial by Richard Taylor, 142 ; his resignation, 144. AU Saints' Church, Goodshaw, 176, 185. Allen, E. B., Incumbent of Good- shaw, 184 ; of St. John's, Bacup, 189. "Ancient House," Rockliffe, 77. Anne's Church, Saint, Edge Side, 196. Annual Value of Townships in Ros- sendale, 69, 227. Appendix, 328 to 344. Asheton, Ralph, and Auditor Fan- shaw, letter to, disputing Copy- holders' title to land, 81. Ashworth, Lawrence, Incumbent of Newchurch, 160. Assart Land, see Essart. Assheton Papers, extract from, re- lating to copyhold lands in the Honor of Clitheroe, 84. Attachment or Woodmote, one of the Forest Courts, 54. B Back-bear, meaning of the term, 58. BaUaden Brook, 28. Bacup, 7 ; derivation, 7, 8, 40 ; made a consolidated Chapelry in 1839, 190; Stocks at, 130; Dungeons at, 131 ; Borough of, 230 ; Bull-baiting at, 270. Bacup Booth, 69, 70 ; dispute with Cliviger, 23 ; Grant of, 70. Badger or Brock, 5 ; Badger Cote, 5. Bailiffs, 54. Bailey, cited, 6. Baines, cited, 25, 33, 60, 70, 78, 90, 95. Baldwin, M.A., Nicholas Rigby, In- cumbent of Newchurch, 161. Baptist Denomination, 201 ; Bam in Dedwenclough, 201 ; William Mit- chel, first Minister at Cloughfold, 346 History of Rossendale. 203 ; David Crossley, first Pastor at Baoup, 203 ; Old School House, Bacup, 205 ; Dissensions, 206 ; pro- sent position of the, 211. Baxter, cited, 6. Beacon remains on Thiereley Pike, 1, 19 ; Uses of Beacons, 19. Beasts of Forest, Park, Chase and Warren, 54. Bearnshaw Tower, 23. Beaver, the, 5. Bedel or Beadle of the Forest, 54. Beehives in Rossendale, 162. Bell-ringers of Newchurch, 157. Births and Deaths in Rossendale, 234. Blackburn Hundred, Account of, in Domesday Book, 34. Blackhurnshire, Forest of, 32. Blaize, Bishop, festival in honour of, 289. Bloody-hand, meaning of the term, 58. Boar tribe, names having reference to the, 3. Boarsgreave, 3. Book of Sports, 172. Booths in Rossendale, 69. Booth, John, of Barton, receives grant of Bacup Booth, and New- hallhey pasture, 70. Boothfold, bull-baiting at, 270. _ Bos Priinipenitis, horn of, found in the Valley of the Irwell, 4. Boundaries of Rossendale, 5 ; of a Forest, 58. Bovate of Land, meaning of the term, 34. Bowland, expeditation in, 57. Brandwood, origin of the name, 38 ; granted to the Monastery of Stan- law, 38 ; separated from Rochdale Manor, 79 ; Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ib. ; Population, 229. Brandwood Higher and Lower End, 69 ; Freehold rights in, 74. Brandwood Moor, 5, 28. Bridle for Scolds, 114. Brindle, M.A., Rev. J.F., Incumbent of St. John's, Bacup, 189. Brittliffe, Lawrence, 204. Broadclough, 5, 231 ; Dykes, 9. Brockclough, 6. Brunanburh, Battle of, 10. Buccleuch, Duke of. Lord of the Honor of Clitheroe, 36. Buokearth, 4. Bull-baiting in Rossendale, 270. Burrow, Rev. Edward, Incumbent of Newchurch, 161, 190. Butterworth family, 237, 238. Byron family, 76 ; Letter of Lord Byron, 76. C. Camden, cited, 6. Canute, King, promulgates the Const itittiones de Foresta, 63. Can- gate, 75. Carucato of land, meaning of the term, 34. Cat, the wild, 6. Catholics, Roman, 197. Cattle within the Forest, agisting of, 68. Celtic Britons, 2. Cemetery, Bacup, 230. Charity Commissioners, the, 168. Chapel Hill, 220, 231. Chase and Forest, difference between, 64. Chase, Beasts of, 64. Chases, Parks, and Forests, 54. Chief Justice in Eyre of the Forest, 26, 54. Christ Church, Bacup, 193. Churchwardens, old custom of the, 129. " Clerk," formerly the designation of a Clergyman, 136. Climate of Rossendale, 232. Clitheroe, Honor of, 32. Cliviger, 2 ; Moor, 5, 22, 28. Cloughfold, Pinfold, 136; Baptist Church, 201 ; Endowments of, 207. Commission for Granting of the Forests, 67, 80. Coal Mines, 302. Compotus of Blackhurnshire, 70. Constable-lee, 69, 70. Constitutiones de Foresta, 53. Co-operative and Industrial Stores, 304. Copyholders' Contributions for their Estates, time — James I., 328. Copyhold lands in Rossendale, 80 ; foundation of titles to, 85. Corn or Soke Mills, 280. Corry, cited, 32. Cotton Manufacture, 294. Cow Pastures, 69. Cowpe, 69 ; Lench, Newhallhey and HaU Carr, annual value, 227 ; acreage, ib. ; population, 229. Cowpe Brook, 28 ; Cowpe Law, 5, 20, 231 ; Cowpe Valley, 8. Courts, Forest, 64. Crabtree, M.D., John, 248. Crag, 2. Crawshawbooth, 8, 69, 70; Valley, 231. Index. 347 Cridden or Cribden, 2, 4, 5, 16, 20. Crossley, David, 202. CunliSe, Henry, on the derivation of the name Eossendale, 6, 8 ; on the Thrutch, 28 ; Sketch of life of, 25.5. Cutwulph, Liwlphus, Dean of Whal- ley, 63. D. "Dandy" Looms, 323. Damey, Wmiam, 214, 219. Dedwenclough, 7, 69, 70. Deans of Whalley, 52. Dean Valley Brook, 5 ; Dean Musi- cians, 209, 258. Deansgreave, 53. Dearden, th' Arks o', 271. Dearden, James, Lord of the Manor of Rochdale, 76 ; Action against James Maden of Greens, Bacup, 77 ; Letter from Lord Byron to, 76. Deaths and Births in Eossendale, 234. Deer tribe, names having reference to the, 3 ; Forest Laws relating to the, 53. Derplay, 4, 7, 22, 23, 25. Dewhurst, Robert, Incumbent of Newchurch, 161. "Deighn Layrocks," the, 258, 267; Waugh on the, 259. Disforesting of the Fore.st8, 67, 80, 279. Dog-draw, meaning of the term, 68. Drayton, Michael, on the Irwell and Ribble, 29. Duke's Rent, 80. Dungeons in Rossendale, 131. Dunnockshaw, 28, 69, 70 ; Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ih. ; Popula- tion, 229. Dyke or Dykes, Broadclough, 9. E. Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, Bacup, 206, 207, 211. Edge Side Baptist Chapel, 211. Edward II., Booths in Rossendale and their Annual Value in time of, 69. Essart or Assart Land, meaning of the term, 81. Everett, cited, 219. Expeditation or Hambling, how per- formed, 67. r. Faculty tor the enlargement of the New Church, 157. Fawning of the Deer, 59. Fence-month, meaningof the term, 59. Fish, formerly plentiful in Rossendale Streams, 5. Flour Scar, 5. Forest, Beasts of, 54 ; Boundaries of a, 58. Forests, the English, antiquity of, 53. Forests, granting of the, 67, 80. Forest of Blackburnshire, 32. Forest Laws, the, 53. Forests, Parks and Chases, 54. Foresters, 54. " Foster's Leap," 271. Four Lane Ends, 129. Fox, 5. Foxhill, 5. Foxholes, 5. Freehold Land in Eossendale, 69, 74. Gadsby, William, visits Eossendale, 267. Gambleside, 69 ; Baptist Chapel, 211. Gas Company, the Rossendale Union, 299. Gastrell, Bishop, cited, 150, 158, 173, 176. General Baptist Chapel, Bacup, 211. Genesis of the original inhabitants of Eossendale, 222. Ginghams, manufacture of, 293. Glen Top, 28. Goats and Sheep within the Forest, agisting of, 58. Goodshaw, 69, 70; Stocks, 130; Chapel, 176 ; Incumbents of, 184 ; Baptist Chapel, 211. Goodshaw Witch, the, 272. Grammar School, Newchurch, 173. Granting of the Forests, 67, 80, 279. Greave Clongh, 75, 76, 77 ; Water, 28, 269. Greave of the Forest, 88 : Duties of the, 89; List of Greaves, 97; Accounts of the, 108. Greenhalgh, James de, lease of Ded- wenclough granted to, 69. Gregory, George, first Incumbent of Newchurch, 160 ; Will of, 162. Gregson, cited, 109. Greyhounds and Spaniels forbidden in the Forest, 57. 348 History of Rossendale. H. Hag-gate, 23. Haliam, cited, 75. Halmot Court, or Court Baron, 89, 91, 138. Haia Dominiealie, or Old Dyke, 23. Hambling, or Expeditation, how per- formed, 57. Hameldon Hill, 2, 5, 16. Hatnmerton Green, Bull-baiting on, 270. Hardmau Brothers, Rawtenstall, 208. Hardmau family, of Greens, Spotland, 285. Hardsough, 6. Hareholme Mill, the first important mill in the district, 288. Hargreaves, James, on the origin of the name, " Bacnp," 7 ; sketch of his life, 238 ; list of his published works, 241. Harland, John, F.S.A., cited, 26, 88, 90, 270. Harland and Wilkinson, Lancashire Folklore, quoted, 155, 273. Harrison, cited, 24. Harrison, Mary, aged 108 years, 268. Harthill, 4. Hartington, Lord, first Parliamentary representative of Rossendale. Haworth's, Robert, Charity, 172. Heap Barn, W. Darney preaches at, 215. Heap's, William, bequest to the Bos- sendale Baptists, 207. Heuheads, 60, 70; annual value, 227; acreage, ih. ; population, 229. Hell Clough, legend connected with, 271. Henry VIZ., Lord of the Honor of Clitheroe, 49, r)7, 279. Henry VIII., 71, 75. Heyworth, Lawrence, Biographical Sketch of, 241, Hide of Land, meaning of the term, 34. Higher Booths, Annual Value, 227; Acreage, ih. ; Population, 229 ; Births and Deaths, 234. Higher Tong, Bacnp, 77. Hirst, John, 7 ; sketch of his life, 213. Hoddlesden, 69. Hogs and Swine within the Forest, agisting of, 58. Hogshead, near Bacup, 72. HoUin, 7. Holmes Chapel, prisoners from Rob- sendalo formerly conveyed to, 135. Holt, Thomas, of Gristlehurst, grant of laud to, 75. Holy Trinity Church, Tunstead, 192. Honor, meaning of the term, 32 ; of Clitheroe, ih. Hopper, Christopher, visits Rossen- dale, 267. Horelaw Head, 23, 25, 71. Horrocks, William, Incumbent of Newchurch, 160, 164. Hoyle, William, sketch of his life, 255. Hulme's Foundation, 189. Hulme Hall, 63. Hundred of Blackburn, 32 ; Account of, in Domesday Book, 34. Tghtenhill, 86. Incumbents of the Church at New- church, 160, 161. Independent Denonjination in Ros- sendale, 221. Inventories and Appraiscls, old, 335. Irwell, the River, 3, 5, 279 ; Trout in the, 5 ; rise of the, 6, 22 ; Harrison on the, 24 ; origin of the name, 24; Tributaries of, 28 ; Poem on, 30. Irwell Terrace Baptist Chapel, Bacup, 211. J. Jackson, Lettice, vests lands for use of the New Church, 158. Jacob, Law Dictionary, cited, 88. James I. and the Kossendale Copy- holders, 80, 328. James's Church, Saint, Waterfoot, 194. James-the-Less, Saint, Roman Catho- lic Church of, Rawtenstall, 199. John's Church, Saint, Bacup, 186. John's Church, Saint, Sunnyside, 184. John the Divine, Church of Saint, Cloughfold, 195. Johnson, W., Vicar of Whalley, con- test respecting right of Presenta- tion to " Rossendale Chapel," 165. Joseph's School, Saint, Huttock End, 200. Justice Seat, one of the Forest Courts, 54. Index. 349 K. Kay, Eichard, of Bnldingstone, extracts from Diary of, 125. Keeper of the Forest, 54. Keiru don, [Cribden] the Hill of Stags, 4. Kerr, H., on the origin of the name " Irwell," 26. Kershaw, James, Incumbent of New- church, 160, 164. Kershaw, Jolm, of Boothfold, donor of Estates to Newchurch Grammar School, 173. " Kirk Gate, Th'," 185. Knight's Fee, its meaning, 75. Knight's Service, its meaning, 75. Lacy, the house of, 3J ; Koger de Lacy, 38, 74 ; John de Lacy, 38, 40. Lancaster, Honor of, conferred by William the Conqueror upon Roger de Poictou, 33. Lancaster, the Forests of, 55. Lancaster, Thomas, Karl of, 35. Lancaster, Henry, Duke of, 44, 47. Laws, Forest, 53. Lawsuit : Bacup and Gliviger, 23 ; Whalley Abbey and Eichard de Eat- clifEe, 41 ; Maden and Dearden, 77. Leigh, Thomas, Incumbent of Kew- church, 161. Lenches, 69. Lichford's, Kobert, Bequest to the Cloughfold Baptists, 208. Limersgate, 5. Limy Water, 28. Liwlphus Cutwulph, Dean of Whalley, 52. Lord, Henry, Baptist Minister, Bacup, 206. Lord, John, Schoolmaster, sketch of, 236. Lord of the Honor or Manor, 32. Lore Cluugh, 69, 70. Lower Booths, Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ib. ; Population, 229 ; Births and Deaths, 234. Lnddite Eiots, 323. Lumb Church, 192; Lnmb Baptists, 209; Lumb Chapel, 263; Lumb Valley, 28. Lnmb Head, 269. M. Maden, John, the first Eossendale Methodist, 211. Maden, James, suit with James Dearden, respecting manorial rights in Brandwood, 77. Magistrates, list of Eossendale, from 1824 to 1892, 339. Manwood, on the Forest Laws, 53, 81. March, Dr., on the origin of local names, 7. Market, Bacup New, 230. Mary's Church, St., Eoman Catholic, Bacup, 200, Mary's Church, Saint, Eawtenstall, 191. Mastiff, admitted within the Forest when exppditated, 57. Meeting to protest against the intro- duction of Power-looms, 318. Methodist Denomination in BoBsen- dale, the, 214, 219. Michael's Church, Saint, Lnmb, 192. Militia, Posts for Eossendale, 122. Miller Barn, first Methodist Society in Eossendale formed at, 215. Mills', Samuel, Charity, 184. Mitchel, William, first Minister at Cloughfold, 202. Mitcheil-field-nook, 155. M'Laughlan, Eev. T., cited, 27. Morrell Height, 176. Mnnn, Kobert and John, 298; Sketch, life of Eobert Mnnn, 249. Musbury, Eoman road through, 1 ; Laund or Park of the Forest, 1, 47, 60; Musbury Tor, 5, 20; Booth, 69 ; annual value, 227 ; acreage, ib. ; population, 229. Musical taste displayed by the inhabi- tants of Eossendale, 258. Muster of Soldiers in Eossendale and Pendle, I. Mary, 328. N. National School, Newchurch, 172. Newchurch, 8, 150 ; National School, 172 ; Grammar School, 173 ; Bell- ringers, 157. Newchurch, Dedwenclough, Bacup and Wolfenden Booths, annual Talue, 227 ; acreage, ib. ; popula- tion, 229 ; Births and Deaths, 234. New Church, the, 150, 224 ; Decree of Duchy relating to, 151 ; tradi- 350 History of Rossendale. tion concerning;, 155 j list of Incumbents, 160. Newhallhey, 69. Nicholas's Chm-cli, Saint, 157, 172 ; School, 172, 197. Nomina Libert Tencntes in Eossen- dale, 328. 0. Oakenheadwood, 69. Oath, taken by the inhabitants of a Forest, 59 ; Ale-taster's, 139. O'Connor, Fergus, visits Rossendale, 267. Officers of a Forest, 54. Ogdeu, Joseph, Incumbent of St. John's, Bacup, 186. Old Dyke, the, 23. " Old Simon," 261. Old Hall, Newhallhey, the, 149. " Old School," Bacup, the, 205, 215, 270. Ormerod's Charity, 175. Otter, 5. Oxen, -wild, remainsof inEossendale,3. Ox-gang of land, meaning of the term, 34. Overseers at Newchurcb, from 1G81 to 1790, 332. P. Packhorse Eoads, 5. Pamphlet by " A Friend to the Poor," 321. Pannage, meaning of the term, 58. Park, Beast of, 54. Parks, Chases and Forests, 54. Parliamentary Division of BoEsendale, 344. Paslew, John, Abbot of Whalley, 71, 75. Pater, Walter, cited, 171. Pendle, Forest or Chase of, 32, 41, 42, 47, 48, 55. Peter's Church, Saint, Boman Catho- lic, Newchnrch, 200. Phillips, M.A., Eev. J. B., Incumbent of Newchurch, 158, 161. " Philonactos Eosseudaliencis," Poem by, 123. Piccop, Joseph, Baptist Minister, Bacup, 209, 212. Pickup and Tate Bank, 5 ; Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ib. ; Popula- tion, 229. Pickup, George, donor of land for School at Eawtenstall, 221. Pike Law, 22, 23, 271. Pinfold at Cloughfold, 136; List of Pinders, ib. Ping Drawing Eiots, 324. Poicton, Roger de, 33 ; first Lord of the Honor of which Eossendale forms part, ib. Population of Eossendale, 229. Porter, William, Incumbent of St. John's, Bacup, 187. Power- Loom Breaking Eiots of 1826, 312. Purlieus of a Forest, 59. Puture, explanation of the term, 41, 49, 74. Q. Quakers or Friends in Eossendale, 220 ; Burying Place on Chapel Hill, 220 ; Crawshawbooth Chapel, 220. H. Eailway, the Eossendale Branch, 299. Raines, Canon, cited, 151, 173, 176. Eain-fall in Eossendale, 233 j in other places, ib. Bangers of the Forest, 54. BatclifEe, Eichard de, forester, 35 j suit with the Abbot of Whalley, 41, 74. Eateable Property in Eossendale, Annual Valae of, 227. Bawsthorn, Edward, and Eichard Towneley, letter of, respecting Title to Copyhold Lands, 82. Eawtenstall, 3, 5, 7; Booth, 69, 70; Borough of, 230. Reaps Moss, 78. Eed Moss, iron arrow-heads found in the, 19. Eeeve, see Greave. Eegarders, 54. Relics found in the locality, 19. Rhymed Oath, taken by the Forest Inhabitants, 59. " Biggin o' th' World," Sharneyford, the, 269. Eiots, the Power-loom, 312 ; the Lud- dite, 323 ; the Plug Drawing, 324. River Irwell, 3, 5, 6, 22, 24, 28, 30, 279. Rochdale, Manor of, 74, 76 ; Parish of, 75. Index. 351 Eocklifle or Rooly£Ee, 4 ; Roclyffs- wood, 5, 72. Eoebnok, 4. Roman Catholics in RoBsendale, 197. Roman History of Rossendale, 1. Rossendale, derivation of the name, 6 ; References to the name, 65 ; Genesis of the original people of, 222 ; Character of people, 225 ; Population, 229 ; Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ih. ; Rain-fall in, 233; Temperature, 233; Buths and Deaths, 234 ; Parliamentary Division, 344. Rossyndale, Henry, 61 ; William, 62 ; Adam de, 63. Rough Lee, 146. Salford Hundred, Brandwood em- braced within, 74. Sanders, Thomas, Incumbent of New- church, 161, 165. Saviour's Church, Saint, Bacnp, 194. Saxon Ode on the Battle of Brunan- burh, 17. Soarsdale, extract from, 318. Seat Naze, 162, 231. Sharneyford, 5, 28 ; Mill, the highest iu England, 269; " Th' Riggin o' th' World," 269. Sheep and Goats within the Forest, agisting of, 58. Shorrotjk, A.M., John, Incumbent of Newchurch, 161, 165, 170. Silk Weaving, 293. "Simon, Old," 261. " Sir," a title formerly given to Clergymen who had taken a Uni- versity Degree, 162. Slack House or Further Hey, 76. Slipper Trade in Rossendale, the, 291. Smelt, Bacnp, origin of the name, 268. Sowclongh, 3. Spaniels and Greyhounds forbidden in the Forest, 57. " Spindle Dick," the Eosaendale Ale- Taster, 140. Spotland, Township of, 74, 79. ■ Squirrel, the, 5. Stable-Stand, meaning of the term, 58. Stacksteads, 4. Staghills, 4. Stanlaw, Monastery of, 37. Stocks in the different Villages, 117, 127. Stone Trade, the Rossendale, 300. Strong's, Mrs. Frances, Charity, 175. Stubby Lee, 76, 77. Suit between the Abbot of Whalley and Richard de Ratcliffe, 41 ; be- tween James Dearden and James Maden, 77. Sunnyside Baptist Chapel, 211. Surnames of Old Rossendale Families, 96, 225. Swainmote, one of the Forest Courts, 54. Swine and Hogs within the Forest, agisting of, 58. Swinshaw, derivation of the name, 3. Tables : Baptist Denomination, 211 ; Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ib. ; Population, 229 ; Births and Deaths, 234 ; Woollen Trade, 291 ; Indus- trial and Provident Societies, 310 ; Elevations, 343. Taxation in the Eighteenth Century, 109. Taylor, Richard, Ale-Taster for Ros- sendale, 140. Temperature of Rossendale Climate, 233. Thieveley Pike, Beacon remains on, &o., 1, 16, 19, 20. Thrutch, the, 6, 28, 271. Tim Bobbin, cited, 269. Tod Carr, 5. Tong, 76 ; Brook, 28 ; Baptist Chapel, 211 ; Boggart, 272. Tonge End (near Whitworth) Bents time of Henry VIII., 71, 75. Tooter Hill, 5, 20, 28. Tottington, Manor of, 48. Tower Hill, 23. Townley MSS., cited, 60, 70. Towneley, Richard, and Edward Eawsthorn, letter of, respecting Titles to Copyhold Lands, 82. Townsend Fold, 28. Trawden, Forest or Chase of, 32, 47, 48, 55. Trinity Church, Holy, 192. Trough, 72. Trout in Rossendale Streams, 5. Tnnstead, 6, 28, 69 ; Church, 192. Tweedle, Benjamin, Incumbent of St. John's, Bacnp, 189. 352 History of Rossendale. XJ. Ugshott, [Hogshead], 72. Unitarian Denomination in Rossen- dale, 220. V. Valne, Annual, of Rateable Property iu Rossendale, 227 ; value of land in Rossendale in 1415, 49. Venison, explanation of the term, 54. Vert, explanation of the term, 54. Verdarers or Verderers, the Judges of the Forest Courts, St. Vertical Strata in Rossendale, 340. W. Warden or Warder, 54. Warren, Beasts and Fowls of, 54. Wapentake or Copyhold Lands iu Uossendale, 85. Waterbarn Baptist Chapel, 211. Waterfoor, 6, 8 ; St. James's Church, 194 ; Baptist Chapel, 211. Water Works, 299. " Watling Street," Roman road, 5. Waugh, Edwin, references to Rossen- sendale, 259, 276. Weasel, 5. Wel.sh, John, Incumbent of New- church, IGl. Wesley, John, visits to Rossendale, 217, 266. Whalley Abbey, 37, 41, 45, 48, 65, 71, 74, 79, 148. Whitaker, Dr., cited, 4, 6, 9, 24, 26, 57. Whitaker (Historian, of Manchester), cited, 24, 26. Whitefield, George, visits to Rossen. dale, 266. Whitehead, the Brothers, Bawten- stall, 298. Whitewell River, 25, 28. Whitworth, 71. Wild Animals in the Forest, 2, 3, 4, 5. Wilkinson, F.R.A.S., T. T., cited, 10. Will of Sir George Gregory, Priest, 162. Williams on Real Property, cited, 75. " Witching Hoile," Bacnp, 270. Witchcraft in Rossendale, 272. Wizard, a Newchurch, 273. Wolf, names having reference to the, 3. Wolfenden, 3, 69, 70; Wolfenden Booth, 3, 69, 70. Wolfstones, 3. Woodmote or Attachment, one of the Forest Courts, 54. Woodwards or Woodreeves, 54. Woollen Trade in Rossendale, 283 ; present state of the, 291. Woolcombing, 289. Workhouse Accounts, excerpts from, for 1734-5, 137. T. Yate and Pickup Bank, 5 ; Annual Value, 227 ; Acreage, ib ; Popula- tion, 229. Zion Baptist Chapel, Bacap, 211. List of Subscribers. > ♦♦♦ < The following is a list of Subscribers to the present edition of " The History of the Forest of Rossendale," as received up to October 20th, 1893, the date on which the list was closed : — Allen, John, 24, Queensberry Road, Burnley. Anderson, Geo., C.E., 35A, Great George Street, Westminster. Appleby, Arthur, Enfield, near Accrington. AsHWORTH, E., J. P., Staghills, Waterfoot. Ashworth, Mrs., Lea Bank, Cloughfold. AsHWORTH, George, Bridge End House, Waterfoot. Ashworth, Rich.\rd, Ashlands, Newchurch (two copies). Ashworth, John, Holt Mill, Waterfoot. Ashworth, Robert, St. James' Terrace, Waterfoot. Ashworth, Rich.\rd, Constablelee, Rawtenstall. Ashworth, S. O., Gaghills Terrace, Waterfoot. Ashworth, A., Silver Street, Bury. Ashworth, Richard, 127, Rochdale Road, Bacup. Ashworth, G. W., Woodleigh Bank, Waterfoot. Ashworth, Thos., Manager, Millgate & Facit Co., near Rochdale. Ashworth, Willl\m, West View, Cloughfold. Ashworth, John, 2, Marsden Street, Haslingden. Ashworth, Henry, Helmshore. Ashworth, Andrew, 25, Plantation Street, Stacksteads. Ashworth, John, Millfield House, Thorn Hill, Rawtenstall. Ashworth, R., Millend, Newchurch. Ashworth, Miss Emily, Hollin Bank, Newchurch. Ashworth, John Edward, 186, Newchurch Road, Stacksteads. Ashworth, S., 5, Victoria Street, Cloughfold. Ashworth, James, Ash Terrace, Bacup. Ashworth, Moses, 16, Spring Gardens, Dean. Ashworth, Edward, Spring Gardens, Dean. Ashworth, Robert, Shadlock House, Whitewell Bottom. Ashworth, Lawrence, Forest Holme Terrace, Forest Holme. Ashton, R., Librarian, Free Library and Museum, Blackburn. Astley, Councillor James, Newchurch Road, Stacksteads. BuccLEUCH and Queensberry, His Grace the Duke of, Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, &c, Bacup Mechanics' Institution (two copies). Bacup Co-operative Society (seven copies). 354 History of Rossendale. Barlow, R., Lodge View, Ramsbottom. Barlow, Alice, Hall Carr, Rawtenstall. Barlow, Josl\h, Ansdell, Lytham. Barlow, Thomas, The Mount, Edenfield. Barnes, John, Victoria Hall, Queensbury. Barnes, Henry, Senior, Cawl Terrace, Cloughfold. Barnes, Willl^m, 144, Bacup Road, Hareholme. Barnes, Councillor Henry, Thornfield, Waterfoot. Baron, James, 10, Baron Fold, Waterfoot. Baron, William Henry, Dale Bank, Bacup. Balmer, J. E., Cheetham Hill, Manchester. Barton, John, Gas Works, Peterborough. Barrett, James, 51, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Bailey, John W., Hawthorn House, Crawshawbooth. Bax, R., Ethelbert House, Rawtenstall. Bentley, Councillor Arthur F., Bury Times, Bury. Bentley, John, Cambridge Road, Southport (two copies). Birtwell, Councillor George, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. BiRTWELL, William Henry, 25, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Birtwistle, Alderman Alfred, 13, Thorn Bank, Crawshawbooth. BiRTWiSTLE, Councillor George, Cowpe, Waterfoot (two copies). Birtwistle, Robert, Bank Villa, Laneside, Haslingden. Birtwistle, James Henry, Deardengate, Haslingden. BiNNS, J. W., Highfield, Crawshawbooth. Blackley Co-operative Society, Limited. Blaney, Wm. H., Warner Street, Haslingden. Bloomley, M. W., Plantation View, Brooksbottoms. Bolton, H. Hargreaves, J. P., Newchurch. Bolton, R. H., Mill End, Newchurch. Bond, John Thomas, 74, Manchester Road, Nelson. Bond, Luke, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Booth, A., 23, St. James Street, Bacup. Booth, Mrs., Regent Street, Haslingden. Booth, James, Ivy Cottage, Manchester Road, Burnley. Bogle, Robert, Atlas House, Darwen. BoococK, James, Blackthorn House, Bacup. Braddock, James, Radcliffe. Braddock, Joseph, 72, Windsor Road, Oldham. Bramwell, J. H., Bridgeholme, Gargave-in-Craven. Brindle, Geo., J. P., Westwood, Darwen. Brierley, Richard, Ashworth Arms, Cloughfold. Briggs, Walter, 4, Leamington Place, Blackburn. Bridge, G., Oak Bank, Rawtenstall. Brown, John, M.D., Vict., Burwood House, Bacup. Brown, J. W., Queen's Hotel, Rawtenstall. Brown, V., Rochdale Road, Bury. List of Subscribers. 355 Brown, Henry, 165, Rochdale Road, Bacup. Brooks, Joseph R., Gordon Works, Waterfoot. Brooks, S. H., Slade House, Levenshulme, Manchester. Brotherton, George, Tennis Street, Burnley. Buckley, Thomas, Spring Terrace, Lumb. Buckley, Wm. H., Blackthorn Gardens, Bacup. Buckley, Richard, Gordon Street, Rawtenstall. Burnley Co-operative Society. Burrow, Jos., J.P., Agincourt, Bury. Bury Co-operative Society. Bury Athen.bum. Butler, Samuel, 43, Denton Street, Bury. Butterworth, John, Crawshawbooth. Butterworth, Joseph, 2, Market Street, Bacup. Butterworth, Robert, 71, Bury Road, Rawtenstall. Byrom, James, J. P., Woolfold, Bury. Calvert, John, Forest Mill, Water. Cartwright, Joshua, C.E., Albion Place, Bur>'. Cartwright, Frank, Albion Place, Bury. Carus, Alexander, J. P., Hoddlesden, Darwen. Carr, T. S., II, Victoria Street, Haslingden. Cawl Terrace Co-operative Society. Chadderton, J., 22, Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Chadderton, J. W., 4, Princess Street, Haslingden. Chalk, William, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Chew, John, 4, Rock Street, Haslingden. Chrystal, RoBERTScoTT,Davenham Villa, Urmston (two copies). Clarke, James, Hillside House, Rawtenstall. Clegg, James, Aldine Press, Rochdale (two copies). Clegg, Councillor Robert, Dale Street, Bacup. Clegg, Thomas, Springside, Rawtenstall. Clegg, James, Milnrow Road, Rochdale. Clegg, Councillor Maden, Primrose Bank, Stacksteads. Coates, George, Carr Mount, Rawtenstall. CocKCROFT, John, 302, Newchurch Road, Stacksteads. Cocker, James, J. P. (Mayor of Darwen), Woodlands View, Darwen. CocKRiLL, Mark, Rossendale House, Bacup. CocKROFT, G. S., Post OlBce, Waterfoot. Colbert, Thomas, Hannah Street, Bacup. Collinge, Alderman T., Haslingden. Collinge, John, 29, Park Street, Haslingden. Collinge, Jesse, Greenbooth, Rochdale. Co"MPSTON, Councillor S., 1 1, Underwood Terrace, Crawshawbooth. Cooper, Arthur J., Dale Street, Bacup. CosTEKER, Chas., Town Clerk, Darwen. Coupe, Thomas, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. 356 History of Rossendale. Crabtree, J., Ewood Court, Mytholmroyd. Crabtree, John, 4, Hamer Terrace, Brooksbottoms. Crankshaw, James, 30, Bridleway Bottom, Newchurch. Crawshawbooth Co-operative Society (two copies). Cronshaw, William, Clough Bridge, near Burnley. Crook, T. M., Stanley Grange, Hoghton. Crook, William, 29, Abingdon Street, Blackpool. Cropper, Abraham, Plantation House, Water. Cropper, James, 12, Spring Gardens, Dean. Cropper, John, Goodshaw Chapel. Cropper, Peter John, Thorne, Bacup. Cryer, Thomas, Loveclough. Cunliffe, T. H., Rochdale. CuNLiFFE, Edward, J. P., C.C, Hazlehurst, Ramsbottom. Cunliffe, Thomas, 33, Co-operation Street, Bacup. Cunliffe, Arthur Richard, Portsmouth, near Todmorden. CuLPAN, Spencer, Holme Bank, Rawtenstall. Devonshire, His Grace the Duke of, Chatsworth, Derbyshire. Dale, John, Mill Manager, Stubbins. Davies, E. M., J.P., Darwen. Davies, Rev. W. Collins, B.A., Cloughfold. Darwen Co-operative Library. Dean, J. G., Helmcroft, Helmshore. Dean, Thomas, M.D., Burnley. Dearden, James, Loveclough. Dearden, Arthur, 39, Cross Street, Haslingden. Dearden, Robert, 635, Pleasant View, near Accrington. Dewhurst, Elizabeth Alice, Townsend Fold, Rawtenstall. Dewhurst, G. H., 55, Market Street, Edenfield. Dickenson, Arthur, 29, Market Street, Bacup. DiLwoRTH, W., Villa Newton, Goss Flottbeck, Hamburg, Germany. DiSLEV, Alderman Thomas, Knot Hill House, Stacksteads. DoxEV, Rev. J. S., Bacup. Duckworth, J., Accrington. Duckworth, Alderman G., York Street, Crawshawbooth. Duckworth, James, Rochdale. DuGDALE, Joseph^ Claremont, Blackburn. Eastwood, Edmund Taylor, Bury Road, Rawtenstall. Eastwood, J. H., Manchester and County Bank, Bacup. Eastwood, Chas, 126, Litherland Road, N., Bootle. Eastwood, James, 61, Greengate Street, Oldham. Eatough, Oliver, GaghiUs, Waterfoot. Ecroyd, William, J. P., Lomeshaye House, Nelson. Ecroyd, Edward, J. P., Edgend, Nelson. Eccles, Joseph, J.P., Oldfield, Darwen. Edward, Dr., Bank House, Rawtenstall. List oj Subscribers. 357 Edmondson, a. J., Market Street, Edenfield. Edmondson, F., Yarraville, Melbourne, Australia. Edmondson, Mrs., Duke of Buccleuch Hotel, Waterfoot. Ellerbeck, J., Fletcher Bank, near Bury. Elliott, Joseph W., 9, Marsden Street, Bury. Elliot, William Hulme, Woodhill, Ramsbottom. Ellis, R., 17, Bold Street, Bacup. Emmett, R. H., Post Office, Lumb. Emmett, Thom.\s, Edenfield. Entwistle, J. E., 14, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Evans, E., Fern Bank, Haslingden. Eyre, J. W., Woodleigh, Waterfoot. Faed, Thos., R.A., 24A, Cavendish Road, St. John's Wood, London. Falconer, Rev. John, Tunstead Vicarage, Stacksteads. Fairbourn, E. H., Bank Street, Rawtenstall (three copies). Fenton, John, Spring Terrace, Tottington. Fenton, J. T., Rosehill, HasUngden. Fletcher, John R., Withnall Road, Blackpool. Forrest, Councillor T. W. A., 477, Bolton Road, Darwen. Forrest, Hannah, Spring Vale Terrace, Darwen. Foulds, Aaron, Hawthorn Hill, Bacup. Franklin-Hindle, James, C.C, Birkdale, Southport. Free Public Library, Darwen. Freeman, Edw^ard, Bury Road, Haslingden. Gladstone, Right Hon. W. E., Hawarden Castle, Flintshire. Gaskell, ^VM., 66, Boothfold, Newchurch. Gaukroger, Benj., Hill Street, Brooksbottoms. Gendall, W. H. S., Manager, Gas Department, Bury. Gibson, G. Fred. H., Kersal Bank, Higher Broughton. GiLLiBRAND, J. W., J. P., Earlsfield, Darwen. GiNNS, Wm., Lyreden Road, London, S.W. Goldsmith, Frederick W., 14, Ash Street, Bacup. Graham, Thomas, Cloughfold. Gray, Councillor, Crawshawbooth. Gray, Hy., 47, Leicester Square, London, W.C. (two copies). Gray, James, Old Bank Road, Mirfield. Greaves, James, Rose Hill, Crawshawbooth. Greaves, Willia.m, Oak House, Bacup. Green, H. S., Lloyd Street, Greenheys. Greenoff, Rd., 8, Wesley Place, Bacup. Greenoff, H., Edgeside-holme, Newchurch. Greenwood, B., 46, Tythebarn Street, Darwen. Greenwood, James, Spring Bank, Rawtenstall. Greenwood, Ralph, Marsden House, Haslingden. Greenwood, Alderman D., J. P., Lane Ends House, Bacup. 358 History of Rossendale. Greenwood, Rev. R., Vicar, St. Paul's, Westleigh. Greenwood, Wm., Park View, Currier Lane, Ashton-under-Lyne. Greenwood, Josiah, 2, Whitefield Terrace, Townley, Burnley. Greenwood, Paul, Market Street, Bacup. Greenwood, J. L., 38, Market Street, Bacup. Greenwood, John, Ormerod Buildings, Water. Greenwood, George, Spring Garden Cottages, Dean. Gregory, Joseph A., County Bank, Rawtenstall. Gregory, James, Manchester Road, Burnley. Gregory, Josiah, 22, Spring Gardens, Dean. Gregory, Rd., North Street, Water. Gregson, Wm., Astley Bank, Scarisbrick New Road, Southport. Gregson, Jos., Rawcliffe Street, Blackpool. Grimshaw, Mrs., Blackburn Road, Haslingden. Grover, Henry LI., Clydach Court, Pontypridd. Grundy, Robert, 321, Walmersley Road, Bury. Guest, W. H., Arlington Place, Manchester. Hacking, W. H., Heathfield, Whiteiield. Hall, Robert, 3, Union Square, Bury. Hall, R., 108, Walmersley Road, Bury. Hall, E., 2, Dale Street, Bacup. Hallard, Walter, St. Anne's Street, Manchester. Halliwell, John, J. P., Laburnum House, Bury. Halstead, Henry, 22, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Halstead, Miss Viva, 22, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Halstead, William, 8, Rock Terrace, Crawshawbooth. Halstead, John, Railw-ay Inn, Waterfoot. Halstead, Jamks S., 62, Church Street, Newchurch. Halston, William, i, Hamer Terrace, Brooksbottoms. Hamer, Edwin, J.P„ Brae Side Villas, Blacklnirn. Hamer, Abner, Greenbank Cottages, Cloughfold. Hamer, John, Crawford Street, Rochdale. Hamer, Richard, Myrtle Villa, Forest Holme. Hamilton, Councillor T. B., J. P., Ryefield, Haslingden (twocopies). Hanson, Benjamin, Brewer, Oldham. Hardaker, Henry, 63, Bath Street, Southport. Hardman, Richard, J. P., Cliffe Tower, Rawtenstall. Hardman, Captain George, J. P., Alder Grange, Rawtenstall. Hardman, H. Cunliffe, Prospect Villas, Newchurch. Hardman, George, Whitewell Bottom, Newchurch. Hardman, James S., Cloughfold. Hardman, William, 53, Callender Street, Ramsbottom. Hardman, Alderman Edwin, Stacksteads. Hargreaves, Richard, Gladstone Buildings, Bacup. Hargreaves, D., 17, Market Street, Bacup. Hargreaves, John, J.P., Greensnook House, Bacup. List of Subscribers. 359 Hargreaves, Miss, Regent Street, Haslingden. Hargreaves, Richard, C.C, Holmes House, Rawtenstall. Hargreaves, J. Howarth, Bacup. Hargreaves, R. Hardman, Bacup. Hargreaves, Alexander, Woodleigh, Waterfoot. Hargreaves, John, Leebrook Foundry, Rawtenstall (two copies). Hargreaves, Elijah, Fleece Hotel, Bradshawgate, Bolton. Hargreaves, John, 83, New Line, Britannia. Hargreaves, Richard, Robin Road, Summerseat. Hargreaves, Carey, 3, Bacup Road, Waterfoot (two copies). Hargreaves, George, Townsend Street, Waterfoot. Hargreaves, John Willie, Ivy Cottage, Water. Hargreaves, Alfred, Parrock, Lumb. Hargreaves, Wm., Pippin Bank Mill, Bacup. Harling, Joseph, 6, Derby Terrace, Rawtenstall. Harris, Dr., Bacup. Harrison, W., 402, Rochdale Road, Britannia. Hartley, Albert, 51, Pleasant View, Rawtenstall. Hartley, John, Phillips Town, Whitewell Bottom. Hartley, John Thomas, Nelson Square, Burnley. Haslingden Industrial Co-operative Society (two copies). Haslingden Road Sunday School Library. Haworth, J. E., Springside House, Rawtenstall (three copies). Haworth, James, J. P., Spring Mount, Bacup (two copies). Haworth, W. H., 8, Industrial Cottages, Cloughfold. Haworth, James, 10, High Field, off York Street, Crawshawbooth. Haworth, Rd. J., 22, Beehive Cottages, Rawtenstall. Haworth, Hargreaves, Green Hill, Bacup. Haworth, Haworth, Grane Road, Haslingden. Haworth, Hardacre, 12, Ormerod Street, Rawtenstall. Haworth, John William, Annis View, Lumb. Haworth, John, Foresters' Buildings, Forest Holme. Haworth, Messrs. L., & Son, Rossendale House, Newchurch. Hay, James Kerr, Fairfield, Haslingden. Head, J., L.D.S., Millgate, Facit. Heap, Albert, 39, Burnley Road, Crawshawbooth. Heap, Moses, 3, Adelaide Street, Crawshawbooth. Heap, William Henry, Higher Cloughfold. Heap, John, The Crescent, St. Anne's-on-the-Sea. Henry & Henry, Deardengate, Haslingden. Hepworth, J., C.E., 18, Chatsworth Square, Carlisle. Hey, Clement, Spring Gardens, Dean. Heys, Henry, junr., Rakehead, Stacksteads. Heywood Co-operative Library. Heywood, Abel, 56 and 58, Oldham Street, Manchester. Heyworth, Rev. R., 8, Wood Lea Bank, Waterfoot. 360 History of Rossendale. Heyworth, John H., 15, Park Street, Haslingden. Heyworth, Jas. Alfred, Cedar Bank, Newchurch. Heyworth, John, 17, Hartley Street, Bacup. Heyworth, James, Kiln Terrace, Stacksteads. Heyworth, James, Sunnybank, Bacup. Heyworth, John R., Park Mill, Britannia. HiBBERT, Rev. J. A. v., M.A , 117, York Place, Harpurhey. HiGGiN, John, 18, Ash Terrace, Bacup. HiGSON, Thomas, Ivy Mount, Loveclough. HiGSON, Samuel, 12, Wood Bank, Helmshore. Hilton, W. H., 29, Beetle Street, Manchester. HiNDLE, Thomas, Schofield Road, Rawtenstall. HiNDLE, James Franklin, C.C, Birkdale, Southport. HiNMERS, Ed., St. Arnold's, Bread Oak Park, Worsley (four copies). Hirst, J. H., Whitewell Bottom, Waterfeet. HoBSON, Samuel, Ivy Cottage, Rawtenstall. HoLDEN, William, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Hollidav, Rev. E., The Vicarage, Cloughfeld. Holmes, Jos. P., 22, Regent Street, Bacup. Holt, Thomas, Schofield Read, Rawtenstall. Holt, John, Swan Hotel, Haslingden. Holt, Edgar, 19, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Holt, Richard, Calder Lea, Avondale Read, Southport. Holt, John, 5, Todmorden Road, Bacup. Holt, Albert, Rawtenstall. Holt, Crowther, Lane Ends, Bacup. Holt, James, Sunnybank, Newchurch. Horne, W. H., Queen's Buildings, Rawtenstall. Hornsby, Frank, Rossendale Villa, Lymm (two copies). Horsfall, John, F.C.S., Plantation House, Cleughfold. Howarth, Thomas, 9, Old Road, Stacksteads. Howorth, George, 41, ^\'hitewell Terrace, Waterfoot. Ho worth, Richard, 13, Stanley Street, Bacup. HoYLE, Joshua, junr., J. P., Bankside, Bacup. Hoyle, William, 336, Sykeside, Haslingden. HoYLE, Edward, J. P., Moorlands, Bacup (two copies). Hoyle, W. T., Irwell House, Rawtenstall. Hoyle, Caleb, Todmorden. HoYLE, Joshua T., Thorn, Bacup. Hoyle, Joseph, 17, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Hoyle, Parker, and Co., Piercy Mill, Newchurch. Hudson, Eli, Bombay, India. Hunt, Charles J., A.C.O., St. Mary's Terrace, Rawtenstall. Hunt, Henry, Headmaster National Schools, Rawtenstall. Huntington, C.P., M.P., Astley Bank, Darwen (two copies). Ibbotson, Geo., Smith Brook, Chapel-en-le-Frith. List of Subscribers. 361 Irving, D., Stapleton Gasworks, Bristol. IsHERWOOD, T., B.A., University School, Southport. Jackson, J. Brood, c o Bentley & Jackson, Ironfounders, Bury. Jackson, Wm. Smith, 181, Clough Road, Sheffield. Jackson, Samuel, 10, Kensington Road, Douglas. Jackson, Thomas, 5, Wheatholme Cottages, Cloughfold. Jackson, T. E., M. A., Head Master, Grammar School, Newchurch. James, C. H., 4, Derby Road, Burton-on-Trent. Jepson, John E., Park Lodge, Feniscowles, near Blackburn. Jepson, Nathaniel, Sudell Road, Darwen. Jones, Chas. Edwin, C.E., Water and Gas Offices, Chesterfield. Kay, Jacob, 64, Bolton Road, Pendleton. Kay, James, 192, Walmersley Road, Bury. Kay, James, 10, Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Kay, Richard, 3, Hamer Terrace, Brooksbottoms (two copies). Kay, Robert, 22, Manchester Road, Bury. Kemp, \V. H., 9, Bury Road, Haslingden (two copies). Kenyon, James, J. P., Walshaw Hall, Bury (four copies). Kenyon, Captain Arthur, Brynbella, Rawtenstall (two copies). Kenyon, John, Brynbella, Rawtenstall (two copies). Kenyon, Ernest C, Rose Bank, Rawtenstall. Kenyon, Joseph, Larbreck, near Garstang. KiDD, William, Bishop Blaize Hotel, Rawtenstall. King, Samuel, 12, Dorset Street, Hulme. Kitching, C. R., 29, Travers Street, Burnley. Klein, Rev. P., St. James' Rectory, Rawtenstall. Knott, Oliver, Victoria Park, Manchester. Landless, William, Clowbridge, near Burnley. Lane, Rev. J., St. Mary's Church, Bacup. Law, Herbert, Woodleigh Bank, Waterfoot. Law, Ashworth, The Square, Newchurch. Law, Richard, Springside, Reedsholme. Law, L J., Willow House, Waterfoot. Law, Richard, Meadows Farm, Water. Law, Edward, 26, Farmer's Grove, Water. L.ay'cock, John, Quarry House, near Keighley. Leach, J. F., 39, Belgrave Road, Darwen. Lee, Robert, 8, Hill Street, Brooksbottoms. Lee, L. B., 33, George Street, Manchester. Leah, Albert, 12, Manchester Road, Haslingden. Leake, Robert, M.P., Lockers Hemel, Hempstead. Leaver, Thomas, Fearn Holme, Prestwich. Ledsham, James B., 10, Corporation Street, Manchester (two copies). Levell, James W., Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Lewis, Ephraim, Myrtle Grove, Hareholme. Lightbown, T., B.A., C.A., J. P., Falcon House, Darwen. 362 History of Rossendale. LocKETT, Rev. F. H., M.A., Lumb Vicarage, Rossendale. LoMAS, Rev. George, The Vicarage, Helmshore. Lonsdale, James, Albert Street, Hareholme. Lonsdale, James, Church Street, Newchurch. Lonsdale, Mark, Church Street, Newchurch. Lord, Richard, Sunnybank House, Rawtenstall (two copies). Lord, Alderman WiLLLivM, Cowpe. Lord, Albert, Nabb Farm, Lumb. Lord, Sam, Newchurch. Lord, Willie, Professor of Music, Bacup. Lord, David, Daisy Cottage, Stacksteads. Lord, J. H., The Mount, Stacksteads. Lord, J. T., Gaghills, Waterfoot. Lord, Lawrence, Rockliffe Bank, Bacup. Lord, James, 4, Ash Street, Bacup. Lord, Edmund, Belmont, Rawtenstall. Lord, Richard, Isle of Man Street, Forest Holme. Lord, Edward, Albion Street, Burnley. Love, William A., Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Lumb Baptist School Library. LuPTON Bros., Manchester Road, Burnley. LuPTON, Benjamin, Cumberland Place, Burnley. LuPTON, Joseph Townend, 7, Carlton Road, Burnley. LuPTON, Arthur, Holly Mount, Burnley. Lupton, Albert, Holme View, Burnley. LuPTON, William, Trafalgar House, Burnley. Maden, J. H., M.P., Rockliffe House, Bacup. Maden, Councillor Henry, Prospect Villas, Newchurch. Maden, J., 60, Blackpool Terrace, Waterfoot. Maden, W. H., L.D.S., Bury Road, Rawtenstall. Maden, T., Chapel Street, Crawshawbooth. Maden, Richard, 14, Spring Gardens, Dean. Manchester Free Public Library. Marsden, John, 182, Rose Bank, New Line, Bacup. Marshall, James, junr., Stacksteads. Mather, Rev. J. Marshall, Oakley Manse, Rawtenstall. Mather, John H., Godalming, Surrey. Mayor, Mrs., Newchurch, Rossendale. McGuire, James, Deardengate, Haslingden. McLerie, John, 12, Heys Street, Cloughfold. McLerie, Samuel, Holt Holme Mill, Waterfoot. Mead, Daniel, Waterfoot. Mercer, Thomas, Great Hey, Edenfield. Middleton, George, Poppythorn, Prestwich. Midgley, Councillor S., Market Street, Bacup. Midgley, John, 97, Rochdale Road, Bacup. List of Subscribers. 363 MiDGLEY, James, 41, Rockliffe Terrace, Bacup. MiLLiGAN, WitLiAM, Queen's Terrace, Rawtenstall. Mills, William, Ivy Cottage, Waterfoot. Mitchell, J. VV., Woodleigh, Cloughfold. Mitchell, Robert, 14, Marchhall Road, Edinburgh. Mitchell, Colonel, Rosslyn, The Downs, Wimbledon. Mitchell, J., Greensnook, Bacup. Mitchell, C, Station Master, Rawtenstall. Mitchell, R. J. C, Springfield House, Waterfoot. Mitchell, James, Constablelee, Rawtenstall. Mitchell, Milton, 5, Rose Mount, Newchurch. Monk, Josiah, C.C, Brookfoot, Padiham. Monks, Fred, Fir Trees, Bacup. Monks, James, 47, Rockliffe Terrace, Bacup. Moore, Peter, Queen's Buildings, Rawtenstall. Moorhguse, Fred R., Kingston Mount, Didsbury. Morgan, Rev. William, Ormerod Street, Rawtenstall. Mould, Edward J., 70, Bank Street, Rawtenstall (three copies). Mould, John E., 43, Springside, Rawtenstall. Moulds, E. J., 70, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Murgatrovd, Harry, Rose Bank, Prestwich. Neill, R., Spring Bank, Sharpies, Bolton. Neill, J. C, Deardengate, Haslingden. Nelson Co-operative Society. Nichols, A. F., Manchester Road, Haslingden. Noble, The Misses, Oakley, Rawtenstall. NoRRis, Rev. J., M.A., The Vicarage, Rawtenstall. North, D. L., 49, Pleasant View, Rawtenstall. NuTTALL, James, Park View, AValmersley Road, Bury. NuTTALL, Francis James, 4, Charles Street, Darwen. NuTTALL, J. W., Kay Street, Rawtenstall. NuTTALL, R. W., Storncliffe, Rawtenstall. NuTTALL, J. H., Gaghills, Waterfoot. NuTTALL, Lewis, Scoutbottom, Waterfoot. NuTTALL, John, 63, Briercliffe Road, Burnley Lane, Burnley. NuTTALL, John, North Street, Water. NuTTALL, James Adam, Terra Cotta Buildings, Culvert. NuTTER, H., Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Oddie, Truman W., Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Oddie, Miss L. E., Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Ogden, James, 143, Rochdale Road, Bacup (two copies). Ogden, W. J. H., 143, Rochdale Road, Bacup. Oldham Free Public Library. Ormerod, J. P., Castleton, near Manchester. Ormercd, Miss, Brookland House, Higher Cloughfold. Ormerod, Richard, Brookland Cottage, Higher Cloughfold. 364 History 0/ Rossendale, Ormerod, Peter, 3, Co-operation Street, Bacup. Ormerod, Abraham, 21, Co-operation Street, Bacup. Ormerod, T. L., Green Mount, Bury. Overend, Rev. F., Blackthorn House, Bacup. Overstall, W. J., Rawtenstall. Palmer, J. E., i, Strasburg Buildings, Waterfoot. Parker, Thomas, 45, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester Parker, J. H., Poplar Grove, Crawshawbooth. Parker, Richard Albert, ii, Albert Terrace, Crawshawbooth. Parkinson, Herbert W., Rawtenstall. Parkinson, J. T., 4, Schoiield Road, Rawtenstall. Paterson, T. O., Gas Works, Birkenhead. Patrick, Captain Charles, Cloughfold. Pearson, Thomas, Parramatta Street, Rawtenstall. Peebles, D. B., Tay House, Bonnington, Edinburgh. Peel, Roger, Highfield House, Walmersley Road, Bury. Peel, John, 21, Victoria Street, Cloughfold. Pickup, Edward, Springside House, Lumb-in-Rossendale. Pickup, William, Britannia, Bacup. Pickup, Richard, 44, Smith Street, Trafford Road, Salford. Pickup, Edwin, Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Pickup, John, 18, Beech Street, Brooksbottoms. Pickup, James, Hope View, Edenfield. Pickup, J. H., 104, Newchurch Road, Bacup. Pickup, George, Spencer Street, Crawshawbooth. Pickup, John Scott, Helmshore. Pickup, James, East View, Water. Pickup, John, Osborne Terrace, Whitewell Bottom. Pilkington, Samuel, 15, Rochdale Road, Bury. PiLKiNGTON, Wm. Edward, 2, Garden Street, Brooksbottoms. Pilkington, Joseph, 73, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Pilling, John, Market Place, Waterfoot. Pilling, Councillor James, Larkhill, Bacup. Pilling, James, Market Street, Bacup. Pilling, Alderman J. H., Fair View, Rawtenstall. Pilling, Thomas, 3, Woodbank, Helmshore. Pilling, W., Baptist Minister, Ulverston. Pilling, James, 28, St. James' Street, Bacup. Pilling, James, Todmorden Road, Bacup (two copies). Place, W. H., J. P., Ashleigh, Darwen. Platt, Robert, Duven Strasse, Nulfort, Germany. Porritt, H., St. Anne's-on-the-Sea. Porritt, W. J., J. P., C.C, Tor Side, Helmshore. Priestley, L. J., St. James Street, Bacup. Priestley, 8, Glen View, Lylesland, Paisley. Proctor, Richard, Oak Mount, Burnley. List oj Subscribers. 365 Proctor, John, 45, Rectory Road, Burnley. Radcliffe, R. C, Balderston, Blackburn. Ramsbottom, Joshua, Oak Street, Rawtenstall. Ramsbottom, J. W., 7, Crawshaw Buildings, Rawtenstall. Ramsbottom, Councillor J.R., Crawshawbooth. Rankine, Oswald Barclay, Royal Hotel, Waterfoot, Ratcliffe, James, 13, Market Street, Bacup. Rawlinson, Rowland, C.C, Claremont Park, Blackpool. Rawsthorne, J., 240, Blackburn Road, Haslingden. Rawtenstall Industrial Co-operative Society. Richardson, Phillip, Millend, Newchurch. RiGBY, Thomas, 120, Spring Street, Bury. Riley, George, 92, Newchurch Road, Bacup. Riley, Hollows, 9:, Newchurch Road, Bacup. RiLEV, George, Junr., 20, Blackwood Road, Stacksteads. Roberts, Henry, 36, Lee Road, Bacup. Rochdale Equitable Pioneers' Co-operative Society. Rochdale Free Public Library. Rossendale Liberal Clubs' Association (ten copies). Rothwell, John, 4, Sough Road, Darwen. ROTHWELL, J. W., Brighton View, Newchurch. Rothwell, James, Royal Warehouse, Waterfoot. Rothwell, Mrs. P. E., Fowlcotes House, Holcombe Brook. RoYDS, Mrs., 55, York Road, Birkdale, Southport. RusHTON, Thomas, 12, Industrial Cottages, Cloughfold. RusHTON, Mrs., Forest House, Newchurch. Sadler, C. E., 8, Well Bank, Haslingden. Sagar, William, 232, Piper Bank, Edgeside, Newchurch, Salmon, Alderman H., J.P., Sandfield, (Mayor of Bacup). ScARR, W. H., 19, Sunny View, Crawshawbooth. Schofield, G. W. Law-, New Hall Hey, Rawtenstall (six copies). Schofield, Henry, 44, Irwell Terrace, Cloughfold. Bchofield, Councillor Sagar, Scoutbottom, Newchurch. Schofield, E., L.D.S., R.C.S., Waterfoot. Scott, George Alderson, 70, Burnley Road, Bacup. Shaw, John Walker, Park Hill View, Bury. Shaw, Giles, 72, Manchester Street, Oldham. Shorrock, Robert, Belgrave Road, Darwen. Shorrock, John W., J. P., Longmarsh, Darwen. Sharples, J.\mes, West Lea, HasUngden. Sharples, John, Crawshawbooth. Sharples, Councillor R. O., Forest Bank, Crawshawbooth. Shepherd, John, 10, Esther Place, Bacup. Shepherd, Theodore, Regent Street, Bacup. Shuttleworth, James, Ash Terrace, Bacup (two copies). Shuttleworth, Miss, Stanley Street, Tunstall. 366 History of Rossendale. Shenton, Thomas, Goodshaw Chapel. Shutt, Thomas, Horncliffe, Blackburn. SiMPKiN, H., Derby Terrace, Heywood. . SiMPKiN, Edmund, C.E., 9, Spring Street, Bury. Simpson, F. E., Cawl Terrace, Cloughfold. Simpson, Thomas, Manchester Road, Burnley. SiDEBOTTOM, WALTER, Market Street, Shawforth. Smalley, Henry, Mellor, near Blackburn. Smith, George Ashworth, Westbourne, Helmshore. Smith, Edwin, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Smith, Joshua, J. P., Arncliffe, Eccles. Smith, Thomas, Greenbank Lodge, Rawtenstall. Smith, Councillor Ben, Racup. S.MiTH, E. W. B., 5, Haymarket Street, Bury. Smith, Allan, 100, Bury Road, Edenfield. Smith, Henry, Post Office, Edenfield. Smith, Henry, 95, Manchester Road, Haslingden. Southwell, Charles, Woodbine Cottage, Brooksbottoms. Sparks, Rev. G., Fearns Cottage, Stacksteads. Spencer, John Henry, F.G.S., 3, Mayor's Street, Crawshawbooth. Spencer, Rev. A., M.A., The Vicarage, Haslingden. Spencer, Samuel, Thorn Bank, Stacksteads, Stansfield, William, Mytholme, Waterfoot. Stansfield, James, Olive Terrace, Reedsholme, Rawtenstall. Stansfield, Joseph, Tup Bridge, Rawtenstall. Stansfield, C, 75, Peel Brow, Ramsbottom. Stansfield, Abraham, Whitewell Terrace, Whitewell-bottom. Steele, Joseph Henry, 18, Chapel Terrace, Whitewell-bottom. Stephens, Patrick, Newchurch. Stewart, John, Rossendale Villa, Southport. Stewart, Robert, Bacup. Stockdale, Councillor William, Rookhill, Stacksteads. Stonehouse, George, Queen's Buildings, Rawtenstall. Stones, J. Herbert, Scarsgarth, Blackburn. Stott, John, Springfield Lodge, Haslingden. Stott, William J., M.I)., Haslingden. Sugden, S., Waterfoot. SuGDEN, Dr. E., M.B., Ch.M., Greenfield House, Waterfoot. Sugden, W. A., 319, Harrow Road, Paddington, W. SuDALL, Robert, 44, Railway Road, Darwen. Subscription Library, Bolton. SuTCLiFFE, Fred, Bank Terrace, Bacup. Sutcliffe, John, Hareholme. SuTCLiFFE, John, Junr., 3, Wheatholme Cottages, Cloughfold. Sutcliffe, Joseph, Linden Place, Haslingden Sutcliffe, W., Market Street, Bacup. List of Subsctibers. 367 SuTCLiFFE, John, Ormerod Street, Rawtenstall. SuTCLiFFE, J. W., C.E., 5, Norfolk Street, Manchester. SuTCLiFFE, James W., Lark Hill, Bacup. SUTCLIFFE, Miss, Agnew Street, Lytham. SUTCLIFFE, John Stansfield, Causeway End, Burnley. SwiNDLEHURST, J. E., C.E., Burton-upon-Trent. SwiNDALE, W., Rookhill, Stacksteads. Sykes, W., Providence House, Chesham, Bury. Tattersall, Mrs. E., 38, Prospect Hill, Rawtenstall. Tattersall, Henry, 59, Cateaton Street, Bury. Tattersall, Thomas, Pack Horse Inn, Boothfold. Taylor, J., Albion House, Rawtenstall. Taylor, Alex., St. Mary's Place, Bury. Taylor, Mrs., Holmfield House, Rawtenstall. Taylor, John Crawshaw, Brownsville Road, Heaton Chapel Taylor, George, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Taylor, John, Bacup Road, Cloughfold. Taylor, Thomas, Oakfield, Wood Top, Rawtenstall. Taylor, John, 3, Fearns, Stacksteads. Taylor, Councillor Alexander, St. Mary's Place, Bury. Taylor, John, 6, Heywood Street, Bury. Taylor, Robinson, Railway Terrace, Rawtenstall. Taylor, James, Rose Bank, Rawtenstall. Taylor, Samuel, Edenfield. Taylor, Richard, Egypt Terrace, Rawtenstall. Taylor, William, 89, Holmes Terrace, Rawtenstall Taylor, John, Stack Bank, Rawtenstall. Taylor, Arthur W., Bury Road, Rawtenstall. Taylor, David, Ash Cottages, Stacksteads. Taylor, Geo. Wm., m, Earle Road, Edge Hill, Liverpool. Taylor, J. W., Gresham Street, Manchester. Taylor, James, 2, Christ Church Street, Bacup. Taylor, John, 12, Co-operation Street, Bacup. Thornley, John B., 24, Market Street, Darwen. Thompson, John, 50, Market Place, Blackburn. Thompson, Joseph, Broadclough Hall, Bacup. Thompson, Councillor William, 46, Bank Street, Rawtenstall Thompson, Harry K., Glenville, Waterfoot. Thomas, Thomas, Laund House, Rawtenstall. Titherington, John, 2, Manchester Road, Haslincrden Tomlinson, Henry, Well Bank, Haslingden. ToMLiNSON, Councillor W., 20, Ormerod Street, Rawtenstall Tomlinson, Thomas, Gaghills Terrace, Waterfoot Tomlinson, J., Union Street, Rawtenstall. TowNSEND, T. H., Carr House, Rawtenstall. TowNSEND, John, Brookfield, Rawtenstall. 368 Histoty of Rossendale. TowNSKND, Joshua, The Holme, Rawtenstall. TowNSEND, William, 65, Hampton Road, Southport. TowNSEND, Richard, J P., Bent Gate, Haslingden. Topp, Alfred, J. P., Fam worth, near Bolton. Trickett, Councillor H. \V., J. P., Gaghills House, Waterfoot. Trickett, Joshua, Roughlee, Waterfoot. Trickett, James, Bank Top, Rawtenstall. Trickett, John, Daisy Hill, Rawtenstall. Turner, Myles, 184, New Line, Bacup. Turner, Samuel, Edgeside Holme, Newchurch. Union, William, Christ Church Street, Bacup. Unitarian Sunday School, Rawtenstall. Varley, J. H., New Line, Bacup. Wadsworth, Sam, Old Road, Stacksteads. Walmsley, J., Tenterfield Street, Waterfoot. Walton, Robert, 66, Rectory Road, Burnley. Walker, John, Bank View, Preston New Road, Blackburn. Walker, G. H., Kay Street, Brooksbottoms. Wardlev, John, 8, Arch Street, Darwen. Wardleworth, J. S., I, Gordon Street, Rawtenstall. Wardleworth, John, Blackburn Road, Accrington. Wardleworth, William, 67, Lord Street, Southport. Wardleworth, Albert William, Queen's Road, Llandudno. Wardleworth, T. R., 18, Brown Street, Manchester. Watson, William, Greenbank, Rawtenstall. Watson, William T., Baltic, Waterfoot. Watson, P. O., 12, Hill Street, Brooksbottoms. Watson, B., 9, Beech Street, Brooksbottoms. Webb, Henry, J. P., Brentwood, Bury. Webb, George, West Bank, Bury. Webster, J., Rainford. Wesleyan Sunday School Library, Newchurch. Whalley, James, Pleasant View, Rawtenstall. Wheelton, John H., 56, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Whittaker, Miss Louisa Alice, 3, Carr Mill Street, Haslingden. Whittaker, James, The Collieries, Accrington. Whittaker, W. W., Cornbrook House, Manchester. Whittaker, G. H., Bank Street, Rawtenstall. Whittaker, Sam, Bank Terrace, Bacup. Whittaker, J. H., 138, Peel Brow, Ramsbottom. Whitaker, Richard, Oak Rank, Rawtenstall. Whitaker, J. Lawrence, Pleasant Street, Haslingden. Whitaker, J. H., Rakefoot House, Crawshawbooth. Whitaker, George, Spring Terrace, Rawtenstall. Whitehead, Joseph, 5, Lench View, Newchurch. Whitehead, Haworth, Bright Street, South Shore. List of Subscribers. 369 Whitworth, George E., Facit, near Rochdale. Whittles, Lawrence, Post Office, Britannia, near Bacup. Whittles, John T., Post Office, Britannia, near Bacup. Wiggles WORTH, J. D., Higher House, Newchurch. Wilkinson, Tatteksall, Roggerham, Swindon. Wilkinson, James, Hays Street, Cloughfold. Wilkinson, James, Providence Cottage, Water. Williamson, Joshua, Woodbine House, Darwen. Williams, The Misses, Queen's Buildings, Rawtenstall. Wilson, John, Hurst Piatt, Rawtenstall. WiLCOCK, James, J.P,, 56, Ainsworth Street, Blackburn. WiNT, Isaac, Black Dog Inn, Crawshawbooth. Wood, W. R., Fire Station, Rawtenstall. Woodcock, Thom.\s, 89 and 91, Bank Street, Rawtenstall. WooDALL, Corbet, C.E., Palace Chambers, Westminster, S.W. WoRSwicK, Councillor Robert, J.P. (Mayor of Rawtenstall). Worswick, Robert, junr.. Oak Mount, Rawtenstall. WoRSWiCK, John, Greenbank, Rawtenstall. Worswick, Miss, Greenbank, Rawtenstall. , Wrigley, W., Bacup Road, Rawtenstall. Wright, Richard D'Aubney, 18, John Dalton Street,Manchester. J. J. Riley, " Frke Press " Office. Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. DEC 2 2 1944 Form L9-10m-3,'48(A7920)444 THE Lir>k/vRY R82N4 H istory ~or''6Tie 1893 forest of fitos- sendaleT. lxu%A^ *DA. 670 H82N4 1893 000 452 729 %