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.

Copyright © RayS57, 2026

Spotland Bridge New Mill, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Spotland Bridge New Mill stands at the north side of Bridgefold Road in Spotland, Rochdale, and is now an industrial landmark. This once thriving Victorian cotton spinning mill has been newly renovated in recent years, and is now an industrial centre with a cafe. The original mill was built in 1833 and run by the family firm of Joseph Butterworth Co Ltd. However, by 1888 it was taken over by Charles Whittaker Ltd. In the early 1900's a newer and much larger four storey mill was built onto the original building. The mill got Grade II listing status in 1996. However, we learn that as far back as 1610 there was a fulling mill beside the River Spodden at Spotland Bridge. The place-name Spotland derives its name from the River Spodden, so we have 'the land around or next to the River Spodden'. The mill is located at OS grid ref: SD 885138.

Mike Williams and D.A.Farnie in their 1992 book say:"Spotland Bridge New Mill provides a good illustration of mill development between the early 1830s, the date of the earlier building on the site, and the early 20th century, when a new mill was added. The original mill, of five storeys and an attic and of thirteen bays, has typical proportions for a spinning mill of the early 1830s. It is of non-fireproof construction with joisted timber floors, supported by two rows of columns, and timber queen-strut roof trusses. A square fireproof external stair tower is attached to the north end and a privy tower to the west side. A large external engine house for a double beam engine and a contemporary boiler house are attached to the south end. The detached octagonal brick chimney may also be original. A small office block had been added to the north end by the 1870s.

"The second mill, of four storeys and nine bays, was probably built for electric power using the mains supply. Materials and construction are typical of the early 20th century. The walls are of red Accrington brick with large segmented-headed windows. The floors are of concrete supported by steel beams and cast-iron columns and the roof is flat. The square plan is unusual, however, the number of bays being limited by the size of the site."

From the Website British Listed Buildings: "A cotton spinning mill, now industrial centre. c1833, early C20 extension. Built for the firm of Joseph Butterworth and Co. Ltd. EXTERIOR: original mill of five storeys and attic, thirteen bays. Red/brown brick, slate roof, gable copings. Square fireproof external stair attached to N end, privy tower and fire escape doors (same size as windows) with cast-iron railed platforms on W side. Blocking course and corner pilasters. INTERIOR: Two rows of cast-iron columns, with flat bolting faces for line shafting, support massive timber cross-beams and joisted timber floors; roof structure of queen-strut trusses to attic storey lit by roof lights and gable windows. Lower engine house with paired narrow round-arched windows indicating housing for a double-beam engine at S end. Attached to this is the low contemporary boiler house, 2-storey storeroom to rear; tapering octagonal chimney close by. Later additions include a 2-storey office block with 4-pane sash to right of doorway and a sash window with margin lights above, added by the 1870s. 4-storey, 9 x 8 bay added mill to the east: Accrington brick, flat roof, segmental-arched 9-pane..windows. Structure of steel beams with cast iron columns and concrete floors with sprinkler tower. Powered by mains electricity. Access from the Edenfield Road is through a gateway with wide wrought-iron gates; the original cobbled road surface survives, as does the revetment wall of massive stone slabs on the west side. Also on the site, facing the road junction, is the mill owner/manager's house: coursed gritstone, stone surrounds to doors and windows, slate roof, no stacks. Two storeys, Two rooms deep, single-storey attached outbuilding at rear. Central recessed half-glazed door with overlight, flanking full-height canted bay windows. Doorway and tall stair window to left of centre, rear. Low retaining wall to forecourt. HISTORY: the mill was built for spinning course counts of cotton twist. By 1888 it was powered 17,424 spindles, when the business was taken over by Chas. Whittaker Ltd. Listed as a good example of an early C19 non-fireproof mill, which, with its early C20 addition, shows a typical expansion of the business. (Gurr, Duncan, and Hunt: The Cotton Mills of Oldham: Oldham. 1989-) .. development pattern for an early site. The c1833 mill is an example of the increasing width (18m) of buildings as construction methods improved and larger machines became available during the middle yea.rs of the century. In this example the width is spanned by- timber beams for a non-fireproof construction which remained usual through the mid C19. The roof structure and roof lights indicate the Use of powered machinery rather than storage on this floor. The double beam engine had 2 cylinders side-by-side working a single flywheel; in this mill one line shaft powered each of 2 rows of spinning throstles on the wide spinning floors, (Williams, 1992). (Williams, M and Farnie, DA: Cotton Mills in Greater Manchester: 1992-: 74,82,83,89). Listing NGR: SD8852613831."

Sources of Information:-

Williams, Mike & Farnie, D. A., Cotton Mills In Greater Manchester, Carnegie Publishing Ltd., 1992.

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101268046-spotland-bridge-new-mill-spotland-and-falinge-ward

Photo (top) by Chris Allen: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7761203

Copyright © RayS57, 2026.

Washwheel Mill (Bleach Works), Cheesden Valley, near Birtle, Greater Manchester.

Fairly Hidden away upon the moors above Elbut Lane, Birtle Road and Deeply Vale Lane in the Cheesden Valley, near Old Birtle, Greater Manchester, are the ruins of a former bleach mill called Lower Washwheel or Lower Wheel. It was built by James Almond (his residence was about half a mile further up the valley at Deeply Vale) sometime in the early 19th century as a cotton spinning mill, but later in the 1880s, the mill was bought by Joseph (James) Shepherd who ran it as a bleach works. The mill at Washwheel survived until the early 1900s, possibly as late as 1930, but as a somewhat scaled-down industrial site by then. In the 1950s some of the mill building remained, but after that these remaining structures had been demolished and the stonework taken away. The former mill's chimney still stands as do the access bridge and stone becks, and the mill lodges are still to be seen and some other industrial remains can just about be made out if you look for them. The site of the former bleach mill can be found at Grid Reference SD 8286114120.

A.V.Sandiford & T.E.Ashworth writing in 1981 tell us that: "In the 1880's the Lower Works at Washwheel was taken over by Joseph Shepherd for the bleaching of cotten waste and there is still evidence of the stone becks used to hold the scouring liquors. These were of some 65 cubic feet and probably held around 400 gallons of solution. Though the Cheesden Brook did not provide power for the mill the water for processing was taken from sluices a short distance up-stream and fed to a lodge on the west bank of the brook. From there it flowed through a twenty inch diameter pipe, over the brook to another lodge on the east bank. Supply to an adjacent third lodge was supplemented by a stream leading from a source on the moors above. i >

Sandiford & Ashworth go on to tell us more about Washwheel Bleach Mill. Heading south from Deeply Vale:"On recrossing the stone bridge and joining the road south we continue down the valley,the overgrown drive which once led to James Almond's house on our immediate right. Ahead on the skyline can be seen a radio transmission mast and to the left a large water tank. These landmarks stand above Birtle Dene and give the direction of our journey. A short distance beyond Almond's house we leave the road and follow a footpath to the right leading to a chimney amid a clump of trees. The chimney was that of Washwheel Mill, the last concern to closein the valley, and on closer inspection it can be seen to have been extended by brickwork, possibly to avoid the effect of down draughts. The corroded remains of the pipe, until recently, linked the lodges across the stream and the remains of the scouring becks can still be found near the base of the chimney. The Lancashire boiler lay parallel to the stream close to the bridge, but was wrenched from its housing and hauled away in a lorry in the middle of the night by some no doubt enthusiastic scrap dealer in the early 1950's. A cavity filled with the undergrowth is the only remaining evidence, but fragments of iron pipe at the end may be the remains of an 'economiser', an invention allowing water being fed to the boiler to be preheated by pipes carrying flue gases from the boiler."

H.D. Clayton writes in 1979:"Wash Wheel. This mill was a bleachworks, driven by steam, and owned by Almonds, the ruins of whose house can be seen in pleasant surroundings a little further up the valley. It was reached by a bridge over the brook from Birtle and had access up the hill in Ashworth Road. The mill closed in the 1930s"

Sources of information:-

Sandiford A.V. & Ashworth T.E., The Forgotten Valley, Bury and District Local History Society, 1981.

Clayton, H.D., A History of Ashworth near Rochdale, Ashworth Hall, Rochdale, 1979.

Copyright © RayS57, 2025.

Four Acre Mill, Cheesden Pasture, Turn Village, Near Edenfield.

On the windswept Fecit Hill above Cheesden Pasture, 1 mile from Turn Village to the northwest of Knowl Hill, near where the Grain Brook flows into the Cheesden Brook are the now very sad and scant remains of what was Four Acre Mill (OS Grid Ref: SD 827175). A section of the mill wall used to stand there but has had to be demolished for safety reasons. Four Acre Mill was built as a Woollen Mill just before 1810 by John and George Haworth - who were both farmers at Croston Close in the Cheesden Valley. The mill later became a cotton spinning mill. John Haworth also built Great Lodge (now dried up) about half a mile further up on the moor to help feed the brook at Four Acre, and an embankment was also built. George Haworth also ran mills at Lower Croston Close in the Cheesden Valley, and Coal Bank (Carr Woods) in the Ashworth Valley roughly between the period 1830 and 1860. Admittedly, the Haworth brothers did not always see eye-to-eye and would often fall out over business ventures. Four Acre Mill had closed down by the late 19th century.

A.V. Sandiford & T.E. Ashworth tell us more about Four Acre Mill:"The history of the Cheesden Valley is dominated by three names; The Ashworths, the Ramsbottoms and the Haworths and from them emerges a figure whose enterprise, perhaps ruthless enterprise, did much to develop the industries of the upper valley in their formative years. The man was John Haworth who with his brother George was a farmer of Croston Close. Before he was thirty he was operating a mill in Croston Close Bottoms a little way downstream from Cheesden Lumb and he ran another, Four Acre Mill, high up on the moors above Cheesden. Four Acre was powered by a waterwheel thirty six feet in diameter and four feet in width and it took all of Haworth's ingenuity to provide a head of water to drive it. The task of harnessing the waters of the Cheesden Brook to the valley industries was an exacting one to every mill owner, but Haworth at Four Acre, situated well upstream, it was a particular challenge. But it was one to which he proved more than equal.

"The mill lay only a short distance from the confluence of the Cheesden and Grane Brooks but the Cheesden was not of sufficient height to provide a goyt for the lodge at Four Acre. The Grane Brook, however, was higher so Haworth built an embankment across the former and diverted the water into the latter. Furthermore, in the triangle thus formed the earth was excavated to provide useful extra storage at little expense to the construction. A weir, constructed a few yards from the confluence, can still be seen and from it the goyt can be traced to the lodge above the mill.

"But Haworth later turned to a greater concept. Despite the ingenuity of their con-struction the mills, in their early years, were still heavily dependent on a regular rainfall and workers were at times called from their beds to work long hours at their machine when stormwater flooded down the valley to turn the wheels. Haworth was far from satisfied with this situation and literally with shovel in hand led the construction of a lodge, later known as Great Lodge, where the Cheesden Brook rose among peat covered moorland 1478 feet above sea level. He erected an embankment across a narrow neck of the valley to impound the water draining from the moss some four-hundred yards to the north east, and fitted sluices to guarantee a steady flow of water to the industries below.

"When the work was complete he called a meeting of the valley mill owners and offered the use of the water to each of them. The acceptance would have been unanimou but for one dissenter. so Haworth in his tempestuous manner, replied 'if all don't want it, then none shall have it!' and kept the sluices closed. Perhaps he relented later for Great Lodge was, in fact, used and provided a valuable service in regulating the work of the mills.

"The dissenter may possibly have been his brother George. History has provided countlesss examples of the bitterness which can exist between members of a family and it would appear that the Haworth brothers were no exception. John's daughter, Alice, often recalled in later years - a time shortly after the brothers quarrelled when George became ill. Convinced his end was near he despatched a messenger to request John to visit him so that the breach existing between them could be healed. John, it is said, listened to the request, paused for a moment then turned to the messenger and replied 'Now thee goo back an' tell tell 'im as sent thee to get on' wi' 'is deeing. I want to see him neither dead nor alive!'".

Sources of above text information:-

Photo (top) Four Acre Mill remains by Kevin Waterhouse (Creative Commons):https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7255201

A.V. Sandiford & T.E. Ashworth, The Forgotten Valley, Bury and District Local History Society, 1981.

Copyright © RayS57, 2025.

Radcliffe Tower, Near Bury, Lancashire - its History and Legends.

A few miles to the south of Bury, Lancashire, is the historic building known as Radcliffe Tower, which is located just to the east of the River Irwell, at Radcliffe. It was built way back in the early 15th century when it started its life as a timber-framed manor house (locally it was referred to as the hall); the tower being a defensive pele with very strong and thick walls in case of raiders from the North. A second tower was never built. However, the house itself was demolished in the last century after being in use for agricultural purposes before its eventual demise, leaving the tower behind, which had been in a semi ruinous state for some time, though the Ministry of Buildings and Works has been taking care of it for a long time now. The partly ruined Tower is now a local landmark, and, no doubt local people will know the 'Legend' and subsequent poem regarding 'Fair Ellen of Radcliffe' who died in the most horrid of circumstances at the old manor house with the wicked stepmother the culprit. There is also the legend of the ghostly 'Black Dog of Radcliffe Tower', which is now long forgotten, but was linked with the tragic Fair Ellen.

Pennine Magazine (1985) tells us that: "James de Radcliffe got a licence to build a timber hall with two stone towers in 1403. There's no evidence that the second tower was ever built and the hall disappeared last century, leaving the tower - 50ft by 28ft, with five 5ft thick wall - rising 20ft or so from the ground, which had a natural defence in the Irwell, in a loop of which it lies. The historian Whitaker noted that the hall had several interesting features when he visited it in 1781. The hall had gone by 1841, when Samuel Bamford noted the fine barrel-vaulted room at the base of the tower and wrote "unless it be protected from further wanton outrage it must soon share the fate of the hall". It wasn't and it has. But what remains is still impressive. Catholic families were imprisoned here by the Earl of Derby in 1592, for refusing to attend Church of England services.

"Like all good towers, Radcliffe has a legend attached - in this case a particularly good one. Like many other folk tales it involves a loving father, a beautiful daughter and a wicked stepmother - who'd be a stepmother with stories like Snow White, Hansel and Gretel etc? In true fairy-tale style, the daughter, Fair Ellen of Radcliffe, just had to go and the wicked stepmother persuaded the master cook to do her bidding in the dastardly deed. One day, when the tower was the centre of a hunting party and the ladies were out riding, Fair Ellen was sent back to the tower by her stepmother to tell the cook to get the meal ready and "kill the fair white doe." He would know what she meant, the stepmother explained. The cook seized a knife and told the girl that she was the "fair white doe". But the little scullion boy, seeing his intention, begged to be allowed to take her place. The cook refused and told the lad that if he spoke a word the same fate would befall him.

"The Lord of Radcliffe missed his daughter at the meal and was told by the stepmother that she had run away to become a nun. The cook served an enormous pie, but as the lord was about to cut it open, the scullion boy came in and told him what had happened, and that his daughter was inside. The Lord, having lost his only child, made the boy his heir for bravely offering to take Fair Ellen's place."

Sources and References:-

Colour Photo (top) Radcliffe Tower by David Dixon (Geograph). https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1687127

Pennine magazine, Vol. 4 No. 5 June/July 1983. Pennine Heritage (Pennine Development Ltd.,)The Birchcliffe Centre, Hebden Bridge, West Yorks.

Copyright © RayS57, 2024.

Clegg Hall, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Near Rochdale, its History and the Clegg Hall Boggart.

Clegg Hall at Smithy Bridge in Littleborough, near Rochdale, has recently been re-stored, but it was in a state of disrepair from the 1920s onwards. There was possibly a medieval building on the very same site in the mid 12th century which might have been referred to as Clegg Hall, but the four-storey Grade II listed building that we see today called Clegg Hall dates from the late 16th to early 17th century. It was even in use as a public house in the 19th century! So far as we know the hall does not take its name from the Clegg family who resided at the earlier hall back in medieval times but from local place-names Great Clegg and Little Clegg. There is also the famous legend of the Clegg Hall boggart which has survived for many centuries - with one room in particular being the site of the haunting. The newly renovated hall is located 2 miles southwest of Littleborough and half a mile south of Smithy Bridge on Clegg Hall Road at OS grid reference: SD 92241448.

Kathleen Eyre writing in 1979 tells us about the Clegg Hall Boggart: She says "Built about 1600 by Theophilus Ashton, Clegg Hall stands derelict by the Rochdale Canal. From 1818 to 1869 it was a public house called the "Black Sloven" - the name of a favourite hunting mare of legendary speed which belonged to a former owner, Mr. Charles Turner. He died in January, 1733, and the mare walked in the cortege carrying his hunting regalia. Clegg Hall had a peculiar reputation and was believed to be haunted. Traditionally, a wicked uncle, guardian of the orphaned heirs, threw the children into the moat and claimed the estate for himself. The Boggart Chamber became a place to be avoided. During the Commonwealth era, there were hints of counterfeiting activities in the vaults and cellars of Clegg Hall."

Ken Howarth wrote in 1993 that: "Clegg Hall lies quite close to Hollingworth Lake near Rochdale. It has been derelict for many years, but still remains an impressive ruin even to this day. Some time about the 13th or 14th century, a wicked uncle destroyed the lawful heirs of Clegg Hall and estates - two orphan children that were left in his care - by throwing them over a balcony into a moat. Clearly the wicked uncle, much in Babes in the Wood vein, wanted their inheritance, what happened to him and whether he was successful in his quest is not known. However, ghostly spirits or boggarts began to disturb the peace, even after the house had been substantially rebuilt. Various attempts were made to lay the ghosts. A pious monk who claimed to be able to lay the ghosts told the local people that the ghosts would only be quietened by the sacrifice of a body and a soul. The pious monk told them to bring the bodyof a cockand the soul of shoe. Thus ended the laying of the Clegg Hall boggarts. During a visit in 1972, I was told that footsteps had been heard in the Old Hall. Several local people had seen an apparition of an old man with a pipe in his mouth walking in an old works nearby. Perhaps the boggart still stalks the ruins? Who knows?"

Sources and References used:

Photo (Top) Clegg Hall, near Littleborough, Lancashire by Dr Neil Clifton (Creative Commons). https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/193719. Kathleen Eyre, Lancashire Legends, Dalesman, 1979. Howarth, Kenneth, Ghosts, Traditions & Legends Of OLD LANCASHIRE, Sigma, 1993.

Copyright © RayS57, 2024.

The History and Geography of Red Lumb and Wolstenholme, near Norden, Rochdale.

The picturesque hamlet of Red Lumb lies just off the A680 Edenfield Road near Norden, Rochdale, in the shadow of, and on the lower slopes of the conical shaped, Knowl Hill. The etymology of the place-name Red Lumb is uncertain though it possibly means 'a small valley with red soil or clay', but that is open to interpretation. The lane through the hamlet winds its way along passing by what used to be a textile mill that made cauduroy clothing, but now it's called 'the Meadows' and is a complex of modern luxory flats, very sadly. The mill, situated beside Boyd's Brook, was built in the 1840s and was for most of its life a cotton spinning manufacturing establishment. It eventually closed down and was later converted into private apartments - in about 2005. The lanes further along branch off and become trackways called Red Lumb Street - while in the opposite direction - the other farm trackway is called Over Town Lane.

There were several coal mines scattered around the hamlet - Red Lumb Colliery being the main pit - the area rich in the commodity of coal - but the mine at Red Lumb closed down in the 1950s following a tragic accident there. Other coal mines were located at Knowl, Bamford Closes, and at Wolstenholme Fold, a bit further along Edenfield Road in the direction of Norden, and at Cheesden Bar (Cheesden Bridge) in the opposite direction there was another coal mine. There was also a coal mine at Wind Hill opposite the Ashworth Moor Reservoir. However, all these coal mines have long since closed dowm and in most cases there is now nothing much to see at ground level.

There are several farms scattered around Red Lumb hamlet and the moors nearby - the area being rich in agriculture. Farms include Lower, Middle and Higher Red Lumb; Knowl Farm and Top o 'th' Royds Farm and Bamford Closes Farm. Above the hamlet of Wolstenholme another hamlet, Rain Shore and the former bleach and Dye works and cotton spinning mills (upper and lower), which were demolished to make way for a modern housing estate with Greenbooth Reservoir close by, while beyond that the smaller Naden Reservoirs. The etymology of the 12th century Old English place-name Wolstenholme is possibly 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. Wolstenholme Hall, a Gothic-style ediface, was built in 1850 by a Mr George Goodwin of North Staffordshire and was built with bricks from that county. It became a military hospital in World War I, but the hall is now a restaurant called Nutters.

Baitings Mill on Rainshore Road (Over Town Lane), Wolstenholme, was marked on the Ordnance Survey map as Baitings Mill (cotton) in 1848 and in 1890 as Baitings Mill (cotton). In 1908 it was marked on the OS map as Baitings Mill (fustian) and in 1923 as Baitings Mill (fustian). Then in 1961 it appeared on the OS map as Mill. But in 1986 the mill was known as Cudsworth's Mill and made cotton fustian cloth for corduroy material. The building was demolished after 2000, and by 2003 there was a new housing development on that site, which is now known as Baitings Close.

The former Red Lumb Mill, now called The Meadows, is located at: SD 84256 15593 and Wolstenholme Hall is at: SD 8482 1508. The former Baitings Mill, now known as Baitings Close, was located at: SD 8524 1479. Rain Shore bleach and Dye works and cotton mills, now a modern housing estate, were at SD 8522 1540.

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2018/01/mills-p-r.html

https://www.heywoodhistory.com/2018/01/mills-a-z.html

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Approach_Road_to_Red_Lumb_-_geograph.org.uk_-_214068.jpg

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/59681

Copyright © RayS57, 2024.