THE PLACE NAMES OF ROCHDALE AND DISTRICT (and their meaning).

ASHWORTH VALLEY; is likely to be 'ash trees growing beside a homestead or hamlet'.

BAGSLATE MOOR: Roughly located between Norden and Bamford, the place takes its name from badgers that inhabitated the moorland long ago.

BALDERSTONE: near Kirkholt, some uncertainty, but could be 'the stone or boulder', or maybe 'Balther's Stone'.

BAMFORD: The place-name Bamford refers to a beam or log across a stream as in a ford over a stream.

BIRTLE: Originally called Bircle. The meaning of this village name is birch trees or the place where birch trees grow.

BLACKSTONE EDGE (Littleborough): referrs to the 'dark gritstone rocks on the escarpment (edge) of the moor'.

BROADLEY: is 'the broad leagh'.

BUCKLEY: is 'bleak-hill' or 'bleak hill with a clearing'.

BUTTERWORTH (Near Milnrow); is probanly 'an enclosed place or farm', so could be 'a farm with a dairy'.

CAPTAIN FOLD (Heywood): there's uncertainty with this place-name, but it could stem from a personal name from history.

CARR WOODS: is an Old English name and means 'a marshy place or boggey place'.

CASTLETON: takes its name from an 11th century castle beside the River Roch and near St Chad's church. More often it is 'castle/fortification beside a settlement/farmstead'.

CATLEY (Spotland): Catley Lane Head. this place-name is perhaps 'a clearing where feral cats dwell' or could be from the Celtic word Catt or catu meaning "battle". Or could be 'a clearing where cats dwell',

CHADDERTON: is with some uncertainty, but probably meaning Chad or Caedda's settlement/farmstead, it could also be 'a settlement beside a hill'.

CHEESDEN: stems from a 13th century place-name meaning 'a gravel valley' (the Cheesden Valley).

COPTROD; (Spotland) is likely to mean 'the peaked clearing'.

CRIMBLE: the meaning of which is 'small piece of land (hamlet)'.

COAL BANK (NORDEN): the site of Coal Bank bleach mill in Carr Woods takes its name from coal measures and a colliery which stood near by. Similarly, Black Pits, a bit further along is named after Clapgate Colliery on Woodhouse Lane, which no longer exists.

CUTGATE (Norden): the meaning of this place-name is not known.

EDENFIELD: although several miles away from Rochdale, Edenfield Road runs through Norden and up onto Knowl Moor, Cheesden and Turn Village. The meaning is probably 'the field or fields belonging to the island'.

FACIT: means 'coloured or variegated side of a slope, but also 'bright or flowery slope'.

FAIRFIELD (between Heywood and Bury): is uncertain but could possibly be simply 'the fair fields'.

FALINGE FOLD: the meaning of which is 'fallow land where deers graze'.

FIRGROVE: is probably 'a grove around which fir trees grow'.

GREAVE: seems to simply mean 'a grove'.

GREENBOOTH: is probably beneath or 'below an enclosure, shelter or hut', or in a sheltered place.

HEALEY: the meaning of which is 'the high lea'.

HEAPEY: is either 'a rose hedge' or 'a heaped hill'.

HEYWOOD; simply means 'the high wood'.

HOLLINGWORTH: seems to be 'a holly enclosure'.

HOOLEY (Heywood); is derived from Hoo-leah, a woodland clearing beside the River Roch is probable.

HOPWOOD (Heywood): is probably 'Woodland where hops are grown'.

JERICHO: between Rochdale and Bury, this biblical sounding place-name got its name due to John Wesley, who visited and preached there back in 1778.

KENYON FOLD; (Bamford), is probably a personal name ie Cenion or Kenion.

KIRKHOLT: with some uncertainty about this place-name, but probably 'church' and a personal local name, Holt.

KNOWL HILL: is a small hillock or knoll, so we have Knowl Hill.

LANGLEY: is simply 'the long leah'.

LITTLEBOROUGH: seems likely to be 'a small community' (borough).

MIDDLETON: is probably 'the middle farmstead'.

MILKSTONE (Rochdale): is very obviously 'a stone or wooden structure on which milk churns are placed'.

MILNROW: takes its name from a 16th century corn mill.

NADEN (The name of the brook running through Carr Woods): is 'valley with a brook' or 'projecting peak'.

NEWHEY: the meaning of this place-name is not known.

NORDEN: is 'the north valley', or could be 'the deep and narrow wooded valley'.

OULDER HILL: could perhaps mean 'Alder trees growing on a hill' or 'the place where alder trees are found'.

OWD BETTS (Edenfield Road, Cheesden), is actually a public house that dates from the late 18th century when it was called the Hare and Hounds. It was later re-named after a landlady called Betty Ashworth in the 1860s.

PASSMONDS; the meaning of this place-name is not known.

RED LUMB: is 'a small valley with red soil or clay'.

ROCHDALE: is a late 12th century place-name meaning 'Valley of the river Roch', or possibly 'village by or with the hall'. It could also be an Early English name meaning 'rough valley.

ROOLEY (Spotland): seems to be a personal name. Rooley was named after a Mr Rowley, later corrupted to Rooley, who lived in the 18th century.

SIMPSON CLOUGH (Heywood): is probably a personal local name and Clough meaning a steep-sided valley.

SHAWCLOUGH: is 'a small wood or copse in a steep-sided ravine'.

SMALLBRIDGE: is named after the bridge over the River Roch.

SPOTLAND: takes its name from the River Spodden, so 'land around the River Spodden'.

SUDDEN: is quite literally 'the south valley'. It could though be named after the Sudden brook (Aqua de Sothden).

SYKE (just off Whitworth Road): is apparently an Old English word for a small stream or ditch!

WARDLE: seems to mean Ward Hill, a "fortified place".

WATERGROVE: could be 'the lake beside the grove'.

WATERLOO (Bamford); the name of a farm at the far end of Jowkin and near Carr Woods. Probably takes its name from the Battle of Waterloo, which took place in 1815.

WOLSTENHOLME: the etymology of the 12th century Old English place-name Wolstenholme is derived from Wulfstan's Holme, which is maybe an island on raised dry land or “Holme” refers to a piece of land located by a river or stream, often submerged during floods.

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