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

AFFETSIDE: this place-name to the north-west of Bury is an Old English word meaning 'a boundary on a hillside'.

AINSWORTH: is an Anglo Saxon personal name and farmstead, so the meaning is 'Ainulf's farmstead or settlement'.

BALDINGSTONE: could be 'the bold settlement', or maybe 'Baldhere's 'ton' settlement'.

BIRCH: is probably an Anglo Saxon personal name, but its meaning is also 'birch trees'.

BIRTLE: originally called Bircle, the meaning of which is 'birch trees' or 'the hill where birch trees grow'.

BRADSHAW: the meaning of which is 'a broad wood or copse.'

BRANDLESHOLME: Brandles being a personal name and holme 'a piece of land by a stream or river'.

BROOKSBOTTOMS: is thought to mean 'rams valley', or even 'wild garlic valley'.

BUCKLEY WELLS: is 'clearing by the wells or springs'.

BURRS: (Walmersley) the former industrial site of Burrs, with its now demolished cotton mills, is derived from Burh or byrig much like Bury - the meaning of which is 'a fortified settlement or refuge'. The former industrial site is overlooked by Castlesteads Iron Age promontory hillfort.

BURY: is the Old English place name "Burh" meaning 'fortified settlement or stronghold'.

CHATTERTON: is probably the same as Chadderton ie 'Ceatta's settlement or farmstead'. But could also be 'settlement by a hill.'

CHEESDEN: the meaning of which is 'gravel valley'. ie the Cheesden Valley between Bury and Heywood.

CHESHAM: seems to be 'gravelly place or places'.

COCKEY MOOR: seems to have been the Roman name COCCIUM, which was later Anglized to Ainsworth.

CROWTREES: is 'trees that are inhabited by crows', which is self-explanatory, really.

DOFFER FOLD (Radcliffe): uncertain with regard to this place-name, but could be a personal local name.

EDENFIELD: is 'the field belonging to the island.'

ELTON: is probably Ella's tun which is 'the farmstead of Aella or Ella'.

FAIRFIELD: is self-explanatory and simply means 'the fair fields'.

FERNHILL: is self-explanatory and means 'hill where fearns grow'.

FISHPOOL: is self-explanatory and refers to 'pools or ponds where fish are found.'

GOLLINROD: the meaning of which is not known.

GREENMOUNT: only came into existence in the 19th century and is self-explanatory meaning 'the grassy hill.'

GRISTLEHURST: this place-name is uncertain. Gristle means sinewy, while Hurst means a hill with a wood or copse.

HAWKSHAW: is 'Hawk's wood.'

HAZELHURST: seems to mean 'hill where hazel trees grow.', or could be 'copse of hazel trees.'

HEYWOOD: is 'the high wood or high wood.'

HOLLINS: is uncertain, but could be 'where holly bushes grow.' or 'holly enclosure.'

HOPWOOD:. seems likely to be 'wood in a valley.' rather than 'wood where hops grow.''

IRWELL: is a river flowing through the district. The name means "the angry river.' or 'wandering river.'

JERICHO: (located between Rochdale and Bury). The place got its Biblical name after a visit by John Wesley in 1778.

LILY HILL: is possibly 'a hill where lilies are grown?'

LIMEFIELD: could be 'the fields or low lying land next to the Lyme (the Lyme forest), but not lime trees!'

MEADOWHEAD: is possibly 'high, grassy cultivated land' or 'the high, grassy land.'

NANGREAVES: this place-name is a personal (local) name, but back in history, the name was also associated with the breeding of goats.

NUTTALL: is 'the bare hill' or perhaps 'piece of land by the river'.

OWLER BARROW: the place-name Barrow is usually a grove, rather than a hill or mound. Owler is maybe a personal name.

OUTWOOD: is probably self-explanatory and means the wood or copse at the outer edge'.

PIMHOLE: is possibly a personal (local) name followerd by hole - a pit or hollow.

PRESTWICK: is likely to be 'Priests wic (farm)", or a 'religious house of priests'.

RADCLIFFE: is almost self-explanatory with the meaning 'the red cliffe'.

RAMSBOTTOM: is probably 'the ram's valley' or could be 'valley where wild garlic grows'.

ROWLANDS: is uncertain, but could be a personal name or 'a row of houses or buildings' on or around some land.

SHUTTLEWORTH: is 'a gated enclosure'.

STUBBINS: this place-name near Edenfield means 'a clearing' or 'an enclosure made of something'.

TOTTINGTON: is 'the farmstead of Totta' or 'Totta's settlement'. It could also be 'look-out hill'.

UNSWORTH: is 'Hund's enclosure'.

WALMERSLEY: is 'Walmer's leah' or 'leah belonging to Walmer.' It could also be 'a lake by a wood.'

WALSHAW: some uncertainty, but probably 'the wood or copse of a Welshman or foreigner".

WHITELOW (Shuttleworth): is a bit uncertain, but probably 'hwit or wita' followerd by 'low - a burial mound.'

WOODGATE HILL: is uncertain, but possibly 'a hill with woodland that is gated' or 'gated and enclosed wood on a hill.'

Sources of Information:-

David Mills, The Place Names of Lancashire, Batsford Ltd., London, 1986.

Adrian Room, Dictionary of Place-Names in The British Isles, Blitz Editions, Enderby, Leicester, 1993.

Copyright © RayS57, 2026.

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.

Birtle Dene Mill, near Bury, Greater Manchester.

There is nothing much, if anything, left of Birtle Dene Cotton spinning mill in the lower Cheesden Valley today. But, back in the 19th century it was a thriving manufacturing establishment, even though it was located well away from the towns of Bury and Rochdale, making it difficult to reach for the workers who came from the local towns and villages down in the valley, especially in the Winter months. Some workers were even persuaded to up-sticks and come from other parts of the country to work at Birtle (Bircle) Dene Mill. It was back in 1824 that industrial entrepeneur Mr Thomas Rams-bottom built his spinning mill at Birtle Dene. Thomas and his brother John had earlier built a mill at Harwood Fields in the nearby town of Bury, and, they owned three coal mines in the vicinity of Birtle Dene. To reach the mill one had to walk the two or three miles up Elbut Lane and Birtle Road, and then on up to the mill where the industrial revolution seemed to have arrived at breakneck speed by the early 19th century, and, at which time the Ramsbottom family had 'secured their place in cotton spinning history'. The mill finally closed in 1894-5. OS Grid Ref: SD 83261345. I'm just thinking here - would Birtle Dene Mill have been called Mr Tom's by its workers?

H.D.Clayton says of Birtle Dene Mill: "This was a large establishment, owned by the Ramsbottoms for most of its life, and consisting of a four-storey spinning mill and a weaving shed, lit by their own gas. It was driven by a large waterwheel and auxiliary engine. Lying at the foot of a steep hill, access was difficult down a winding road on which were two rows of cottages with their backs to the hill, so that only front doors could be provided. A windlass was used to haul goods up and down the hillside to the top road and the same procedure was adopted for coal from a nearby pit. When the boiler was installed the mill had a day's holiday, owing to the danger of the boiler falling on the mill as it was lowered down the hillside. When the mill closed towards the end of the 19th century, the boiler was removed and hauled up the hill by a large team of horses."

Sandiford & Ashworth (2000) tell us that: Beyond Deeply Vale the Cheesden Brook wanders across a broad plain flanked on either side by steep hills. Here there are no mills but it is as if the valley chooses to pause before making its final and perhaps most surprising revelation. The stream curves gently round the towering contours of Birtle Edge and the valley gradually opens into a deep gorge, curiously patterned with low embankments and crumbling walls, its thick undergrowth strewn with sturdy masonry and gouged with hollows and enigmatic channels, for it was here in Birtle Dene that the industries of the Cheesden Valley reached their pinnacle. The mill that Thomas Ramsbotttom of Harwood Fields built there in 1824 was far removed, in both style and spirit, from those humble enterprises to the north of the valley.

"Thomas Ramsbottom, however, showed no such caution when he built his mill at Birtle Dene. Here was a cotton mill in its own right, in no way dependent on the putting-out system or the domestic outworker. It was a vertical concern spinning the raw cotton into yarn and weaving the yarn into cloth, with possibly some yarn dyeing capacity and cloth finishing. It was planned and built with the boldness and confidence of a man who clearly had caught the spirit of the Industrial Revolution. Yet when the observer stands at the top of the mill road, a good 340 yards from the valley bottom with a steady and formidable gradient of one in seven, he may ask why Ramsbottom chose such a remote site for such an ambitious mill. There were, of course, the usual facilities of water and coal, but for an enterprise of this scale, comparable with many of the edifices of the growing towns beyond this valley, its situation created intrinsic problems.

"The Observer may also ask how Ramsbottom raised his capital for the project. There is, in fact, evidence that the Ramsbottom family had been involved in textile manu-facture previously at Harwood Fields."

Sandford & Ashworth go on to say: "Perhaps Ramsbottom, for all his ambitions, was still at heart a man of the valley. There is no doubt that he used his resources to the full. Birtle Dene Mill was powered by two, possibly three, water wheels, a small one being provided solely for used in the mechanic's shop when the rest of the mill was closed. The mill also used steam power and Ramsbottom owned three mines situated above the Dene, Bassy Mine, Lower Foot Mine (known as Halfpenny Hole) and Upper Foot Mine (known as Mountain Mine). Access was by narrow tracks running along the hillside to the south of the mill, though there is no evidence of a rail line...... these mines were frequently subjected to flooding and by 1887 they were either unworkable or unable to meet the demands of the large mill. Supplies were then brought up from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways coal yards at Buckley Wells in Bury. The Dene Mill, like several others in the valley, produced its own gas for lighting and the circular depression which once held the gasholder is still in evidence. In later year electricity was introduced.

"To spare the horses the strenuous haul of goods up the steep slope from the mill, the woven cloth consigned to the merchant houses of Manchester was taken up the hillside by means of a windlass and stored in a building before loading. Such consideration for employees was not, however, universal. Three rows of cottages were provided for work-people on the road down to the mill, while others came from Jericho and Fairfield, hamlets some two miles away. Labour was also recruited from the unfortunate inmates of Jericho workhouse and in 1836, following revisions in the administration of the Poor Law, large numbers of people from areas of Suffolk, Norfolk, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire were persuaded to come North to regular work in the new cotton mills."

Sources and References:

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

Sandiford, A.V., & Ashworth, T.E., The Forgotten Valley, Bury and District Local History Society, Reprinted 2000.

Colour photo (above) of Birtle Dene Mill in the Cheesden Valley is by John Westhead on Geograph (Creative Commons).

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

Copyright © RayS57, 2023.

Burrs Mill Industrial Site at Walmersley, near Bury, Greater Manchester.

About a mile to the northwest of Bury town centre, near Walmersley, in Greater Man-chester, is the Burrs Mill Industrial site at (OS Grid Ref: SD 79829 12654), which is on the north side of the River Irwell and beneath Castle Stead Iron Age hillfort. Here there used to be two cotton spinning mills and a coal pit, but nothing much of those buildings remains today, apart from a fairly intact row of workers cottagers, the mill lodges, the tall chimney (built in 1850 and 120 foot-high) and some stonework belonging to the mills themselves. The first of those mills, Burrs, was established in the late 18th century by the famous Peel family of Bury, making it the oldest in Bury. Later, in the early 19th century a second mill was established, just a little to the south, at Higher Woodhill by the Calrow family. But, very sadly, both mills closed in the early 1930s. In more recent years Burrs has become an Industrial Heritage site after the buildings were pulled down and the area levelled. It is now called 'Burrs Country Park'; and there is the 'Burrs Halt' on The East Lancashire Railway.

Red Rose Magazine (1989) has an article called: An Insight Into The Past - The Burrs Mill Site. In this we learn that:- "The Burrs is an area with a fascinating history and is fortunate that much still remains to be seen of its early development. The area extends to some 100 acres of mainly open land, much of it in agricultural use, and it lies to the north of Bury town centre in an attractive river-side setting.

"Throughout the Burrs is evidence of Bury's early industrialisation. The area reached its high point of activity during the late 18th and early 19th centuries with the development of two large mill complexes. In the last decade of the eighteenth century the Peel family established a large scale cotton mill at Burrs, together with a row of back-to-back cottages. The cottages still survive, albeit in a state of some dereliction, together with the chimney to the mill and some fragments of the mill itself.

"To the south, but linked by a possibly unique water-system, another cotton spinning mill was established by the Calrow family at Higher Woodhill during the early nineteenth century. Higher Woodhill comprised a community of a mill, four terraces of cottages, allotments, barn, chapel, school and shop. One terrace of houses and the barn remain, together with some remains of the mill and its water works.

"As the growth of industry turned its back on Burrs the site went into decline. Now the tide is turning and the Burrs could once again rise to prominence."

Red Rose Magazine (1989) in the article "The Burrs Mill Site" adds more information about Heritage, it says: "The Burrs area contains a wealth of historical features and industrial remains with the potential to give a fascinating insight into the life and development of settlements in the Irwell Valley. The Greater Manchester Archaeological Unit are currently engaged in the detailed investigation and recording of the areas' historical features and remains. A detailed research and social history investigation is also being carried out. As work progresses the emphasis will move on to the presentation and interpretation of the sites for visitors.

"With the area's wealth of early industrial related remains the opportunity presents itself to develop the Burrs as the Borough's main site of industrial interest. The areacould act as an 'open air museum' for other industrial artifacts and with the possibility of develo-ping a visitor centre and craft workshops the area could develop a strong industrial theme. With the 'Burrs Cottages' remaining virtually intact the industrial theme could put considerable emphasis on the social aspects of early industrialisation."

Much has changed at Burrs in the last 30 years or so, though the 120 foot high chimney is still there. Covering over 30 hectares, the 'Burrs Country Park' has water features, footpaths, scenic areas, a row of restored workers cottages and some ruins of the former cotton mills. There are also facilities for educational, heritage and archaeological activities, with regard to schools; as well as walking, picnicking, outdoor pursuits such as camping and fishing, and much more besides. There are also wildlife habitats and woodland areas, open spaces, wetland and water features such as mill lodges. There is also a cafe and a public house - The Brown Cow. A footpath leads around the base of Castle Stead Iron Age hillfort, and, there are some good panoramic views to be had. The East Lancashire Railway runs through the Country Park with a halt for visitors.

References & Related Websites:-

Red Rose Magazine - People and Places, Past and Present, Vol. 1 No 2, Millgate Publishing Ltd., Rossendale, Lancashire, August/September 1989.

https://lancashirepast.com/2020/12/19/burrs-mill-bury/

https://www.bury.gov.uk/Burrs/

https://www.visitnorthwest.com/sights/burrs-country-park/

https://www.visitnorthwest.com/sights/burrs-country-park/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g528789-d13964449-Reviews-Burrs_Country_Park-Bury_Greater_Manchester_England.html

Copyright © RayS57 2021.

Affetside Cross, Near Bury, Greater Manchester

OS Grid Reference: SD 75471 13676. At the edge of Affetside village green, near Bury, Greater Manchester, stands an old cross of uncertain date. It is probably Medieval but, because it stands on the old Roman road (Watling Street), some historians have even considered it to be a Roman cross or milestone, or even a Roman column, but that seems unlikely. It is probably a pilgrims cross. Watling Street runs southeast from Affetside towards Manchester, and northwest in the opposite direction towards Ribchester. The village green has some modern standing stones and a large pond. Affetside Cross is best reached from the A 676 (Ramsbottom road) and then southeast for ½ a mile along the almost straight-running lane that is the Roman road, bringing you into the picturesque little village, where you’ll find the old cross beside the green – you can’t really miss it.

Affetside cross is about 4¼ feet high on its three steps, well actually two steps, as the top step is in effect the base which the gritstone shaft is socketed into, while the two lower circular, tiered steps are well worn with age. The shaft is formed from one complete length of local stone. At the top of the shaft there is a collar with a round or bun-shaped capital which may originally have held a stone cross, or maybe it never did? This is perhaps why the cross-shaft has taken on the appearance of a Roman column! There looks to be some faint carving on the shaft, or is this simply the mason’s tool marks. Thought to be Medieval in date and probably a pilgrims cross that was used ‘as a place to stop and pray for a safe journey’ by those weary but very religious travelers – making their way to Whalley Abbey by way of Bury, Ramsbottom, Helmshore, Holcombe Moor and Accrington – from the late 13th/early 14th century until the Dissolution of that holy place in 1537, when pilgrimages ceased. It would seem though the present monument is a market cross and more recent in age maybe 17th century, being re-erected about 1890, according to Pastscape.

The village of Affetside stands on the Roman road Watling Street which runs from here into Manchester (Mamucium) where there was a Roman fort and settlement, while in the opposite direction it runs to the fort at Ribchester (Bremetennacum). Is it possible that the pillar of the Affetside cross was a Roman milestone as the village is actually about halfway between the two forts; maybe it was re-fashioned by Medieval masons into what we see today. Or does the cross mark the site of a beacon – at which time an earlier monument or cross had stood here, apparently. These questions can never really be answered with certainty, we can only guess.

Authoress Jessica Lofthouse (1964) does not say anything about Affetside cross but she mentions the village and Roman road, saying that: “Driving the civilizing power of Rome through the north-west came Julius Agricola and his road-builders in 79 A.D. Follow the line of the Manchester-Ribchester highway through Affetside and north by Blacksnape and Over Darwen.”

Sources and related websites:-

Lofthouse, Jessica, Lancashire Countrygoer, Robert Hale Limited, London, 1964.

Shotter, D. C. A., Romans in Lancashire, Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd., Clapham, Yorkshire, 1973.

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=44366&sort=4&search=all&criteria=affetside&rational=q&recordsperpage=10

http://affetside.org.uk/cross_history.htm

http://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11677

Copyright © RayS57, 2021.