SALFORD HUNDRED 



MANCHESTER 



NEWTON 



There is no noteworthy variation in the spelling 

 of the name. 



This township 1 lies between Moston Brook on 

 the north and the Medlock on the south ; part of the 

 western boundary is formed by two brooks which 

 there unite to flow south-west through Manchester 

 as the now hidden Shootersbrook. The area mea- 

 sures 1,585 acres. The population of Newton, 

 Bradford, and Clayton was 83,501 in 1901. 



The principal road is that from Manchester to 

 Oldham, going north-east through the northern half 

 of the township ; in the same direction, but some- 

 what to the south, goes a fragment of a Roman road. 

 The township is crossed by several portions of the 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway ; the 

 line from Manchester to Rochdale crosses the north- 

 west corner, with a station at Miles Platting, where 

 there are extensive goods sidings, and is joined by a 

 branch from the west, another branch going east to 

 Oldham, with a station called Dean Lane ; yet another 

 branch from Miles Platting bends to run along the 

 southern border with stations called Park and Clayton 

 Bridge ; this last line has a junction with one from 

 London Road Station. The Rochdale Canal passes 

 through the centre of the township. 



The hearth tax return of 1666 shows that there 

 were 113 hearths liable. The principal houses were 

 those of Mrs. Mary Whitworth, with nine hearths ; 

 William Williamson, with eight, and Thomas Byrom 

 with six. 1 



The district to the north of the canal is quite 

 urban ; the western portion, known as Miles Platting, 

 has long been a suburb of Manchester, and the 

 eastern portion, or Newton Heath, has more recently 

 become one. In the south-east corner of the town- 

 ship stands Culcheth Hall, and the hamlet formerly 

 called Mill Houses (from Clayton Mill) is now Clayton 

 Bridge, from the bridge over the Medlock. 8 



The detached portion of the township called Kirk- 

 manshulme 4 appears to have been taken out of 

 Gorton. It is separated from Newton proper by 

 a distance of 2 miles. In its north-east corner lie 

 the Belle Vue Gardens, formed in 1836 ;* the 

 southern portion is known as Crow Croft ; Gore 

 Brook crosses the centre from east to west. 



A local board for the whole township was formed 

 in 1 85 3, 6 but Kirkmanshulme was separated in 1859.' 

 Newton was taken into the city of Manchester in 

 1890, and in 1896 became part of the new township 

 of North Manchester. 



A free library was opened in iSgi. 8 Philips Park 

 Cemetery lies on the border of Bradford. There is 

 another cemetery near the centre of the township. 



The inclosure of the Heath was effected in 1804 

 under an Act obtained two years previously. 9 



The industries are various. There are cotton 

 mills, dyeing and bleach works, iron works, chemical 

 works, a brewery, rubber works, and a match factory. 10 

 Coal mining was formerly carried on. 11 



A Marprelate press, the first printing press known 

 to have been worked in Lancashire, was seized in 

 Newton Lane, in or near the township, in 1588, by 

 the Earl of Derby. 12 



The annual rush-bearing took place on 1 8 August, 

 the wake being on the following Sunday." 3 Stocks 

 were erected in 1721 ; they were placed at the west 

 end of the chapel. 13 Two halfpenny tokens of the 

 1 7th century are known. 14 



The manor of NEWTON has from 

 M4NOR time immemorial been part of the en- 

 dowment of the parish church of Man- 

 chester, being, there can be no doubt, the plough-land 

 recorded in Domesday Book as belonging to the 

 churches of St. Mary and St. Michael, and then 

 free of all custom except geld. 14 To this Albert 

 Grelley between 1154 and 1162 added 4 oxgangs of 

 his demesne, which have been identified as KIRK- 

 M4NSHULME, 1 * long regarded as a hamlet in the 

 township of Newton and parcel of the manor. The 

 manor was taken by the Crown on the confiscation 

 of the collegiate church estates by Edward VI in 

 1548 and restored about eight years later by Philip 

 and Mary. 17 It is possible that in the interval some 

 portions had been granted out by the Crown, which 

 would account for some land not being held of the 

 warden and canons ; it seems, however, that the lords 

 of Manchester had of old some land in Newton. 

 The manor courts, though mere formalities, continue 

 to be held. 18 



The principal estate was that known as CUL- 

 CHETH, 19 long the property of a family of that 

 name. 20 It was in the I7th century acquired by the 



I A full description of the ancient and 

 modern topography of the township is 

 contained in H. T. Crofton's Newton 

 Chapelry (Chet. Soc. new ser.). See also 

 Manch. Collectanea (Chet. Soc.), ii, 184-8. 



a Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9. 

 8 Higson, Droyhden, i 8 ; the mill was 

 in Failsworth. 



4 Kyrdmannesholm, 1292 ; Curmes- 

 holme and Kermonsholm are the spellings 

 in the copy of the 1320-22 survey. 

 About 1500-1600 it was frequently called 

 Kerdmanshulme. 



5 Crofton, op. cit. iii, 420. 



8 Land. Gaz. 30 Dec. 1853 5 *h e dis- 

 trict appears to have been in very bad 

 condition ; Crofton, Newton, ii, 146. 



7 Act 22 Viet. cap. 31. 



8 Crofton, op. cit. 235. 



9 Ibid, ii, 2 ; the Act was 42 Geo. Ill, 

 cap. 306. 



10 For some particulars see ibid, i, 213, 

 204, 236; ii, ii ; i, 151. 



II Ibid, i, 8, 9, 205. 



13 Manch. Guardian N. and Q. no. 389, 



4i4> 447- 



12a Crofton, op. cit. i, 25. See also 

 Alfred Burton, Rush-bearing, 55. 



18 Crofton, op. cit. ii, 23 ; i, 29. 



14 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. V, 86. 

 r.C.H. Lanes, i, 287. 



Albert de Nevill as rector of Man- 

 chester granted to John de Byron a por- 

 tion of Newton within bounds beginning 

 at the Medlock and going up by Shite- 

 faldest Clough to Blacklade and so to the 

 head of Kirkshaw, thence to Failsworth 

 Brook, by this brook to the Medlock, and 

 so down to the starting point ; John was 

 to render 41. a year to the church and 

 two wax candles of a pound weight each 

 at the feast of the Assumption ; Byron 

 Chartul. no. 15/3. The date must be 

 about 1 200. 



16 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 57. There is 

 practically nothing to be said of the 

 separate history of Kirkmanshulme. 



271 



In 1292 William son of Richard the 

 ' Demer ' of Kirkmanshulme unsuccess- 

 fully claimed a messuage and an oxgang 

 in Stretford, as next of kin of Richard 

 son of Henry Pyryng ; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 70. 



J 7 See the account of Manchester 

 Church. A list of the tenants in Newton 

 in 1 547 is given by Raines, Lanes. Chant. 

 (Chet. Soc.), i, 10-19. 



18 See Crofton, Newton Chapelry, ii, 30. 

 Copious extracts from the rolls from 1530 

 to the present time are given in the work 

 cited; ibid, ii, 36-117. Among old 

 subjects of complaint was ' the great 

 waste of ground ' by reason of the Med- 

 lock floods. For Kirkmanshulme, see 

 ibid, iii, 414-50. 



19 It appears to have been part or all 

 of the ancient grant to John de Byron 

 already quoted, as will be seen by com- 

 paring the rents payable. 



20 Richard Culcheth and Elizabeth his 

 wife, daughter of Richard Moston, in 



