A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The boundary on the west is irregular, Kirkmans- 

 hulme, a detached portion of Newton, lying on that 

 side, with a small detached triangle of Gorton to the 

 west of it. There is evidence that the Stockport 

 Road, on the line of the old Roman road from 

 Stockport to Manchester, was not taken as the western 

 boundary till the I7th century, the portions known 

 as Grindlow Marsh and Midway, lying to the north 

 and south of Kirkmanshulme, having been considered 

 as within Rusholme. 5 The southern boundary is 

 defined by the ancient Nico Ditch. 4 Fifty years ago 

 there were four hamlets in the township Gorton 

 village in the centre, Abbey Hey 6 to the east, Gorton 

 Brook or * Bottom of Gorton ' to the north-west, and 

 Longsight ; the last name seems to belong properly 

 to the small detached triangle already mentioned, but 

 is popularly used for the surrounding district. 6 The 

 surface is comparatively level, rising a little towards 

 the east. The area is 1,484^ acres. 



The principal road through Gorton is that from 

 Manchester to Hyde ; almost the whole township to 

 the north of this has become urban, and there are 

 many streets and cross roads. A branch of the Great 

 Central Railway runs along the northern boundary 

 and has a station called Gorton, 1 842-8. A branch 

 line going south-east crosses the western part of the 

 township, with a station called Belle Vue, while 

 another branch passes south through the eastern part 

 and has a station called Hyde Road. The Man- 

 chester and Stockport Canal goes south through the 

 centre of the township. 



On the south-eastern boundary is a large reservoir 

 of the Manchester Waterworks. 



The government of the township was formerly 

 vested in the constables appointed at a town's meet- 

 ing and confirmed by the Manchester Court Leet. 7 

 A local board was constituted in 1863. About a 

 fifth of the township was incorporated in the city of 

 Manchester in 1890, under the name of West 

 Gorton; this portion in 1896 became part of the 

 new township of South Manchester. The remainder, 

 known as Gorton, 9 is governed by an urban district 

 council of fifteen members. An agreement has now 

 (1908) been made for its incorporation in Manchester. 

 The population of this part numbered 26,564 in 

 1 90 1 . The place gives a name to one of the county 

 Parliamentary divisions. 



In 1666 there were forty-four hearths in all contri- 

 buting to the tax ; none of the houses had as many 

 as six hearths liable. 10 The Maidens' Bridge replaced 

 stepping stones over the brook on the road from 



Gorton to Den ton in 1737." Longsight or Rushford 

 Bridge, over Gore Brook, was built in 1751." The 

 stocks were erected in 1743." Some amusing stories 

 are told of the conduct of the people in 1745." A 

 case of body-snatching occurred in i83i. 14 There 

 were formerly several places reputed haunted. 16 The 

 township was famous for its bull-dogs. 17 



The annual rush-bearing took place on the Friday 

 before the first Sunday in September ; the rush cart 

 was accompanied by morris dancers in its tour of the 

 village. The event was usually celebrated by the 

 baiting of bulls, bears, and badgers. 18 Horse-races 

 were established in i844, 19 but have now ceased. 



Bleaching was carried on in the early years of the 

 1 8th century. 20 Power-loom weaving was about to 

 be introduced in 1790"; the Gorton cotton mills 

 were started in 1 824, and after a failure were restarted 

 in 1844.** There are now a cotton factory, chemi- 

 cal works, iron works, and tanyard. 



There was an old custom, discontinued in 1841, 

 of * giving an heraldic peal or ring on the bell at the 

 conclusion of divine service.' n 



Though a manor of GORTON is 

 MANOR named in the I7th century the term 

 seems to have been used improperly. In 

 1282 the place was held in bondage of the lord of 

 Manchester, being assessed as sixteen oxgangs of land 

 and paying 64^. rent ; a plat called the Hall land 

 paid 2OS. a year ; and the mill 26^. Sd. u A more 

 detailed account is given in the survey of 1320, 

 according to which Henry the Reeve, a * native,' held 

 a messuage and an oxgang of land in villeinage, paying 

 8/. 4/. rent ; he ploughed one day for the lord, re- 

 ceiving a meal and ^d. as wages ; harrowed one day, 

 receiving a meal and id. wages, or for half a day 

 without the meal ; reaped one day in the autumn, 

 receiving a meal and \d. ; and carried the lord's corn 

 one day, having a meal and ^d, wages. He and all 

 others owing suit to the mill at Gorton were bound 

 to quarry millstones and take them to the mill, for 

 each pair of stones receiving \d. for loading them and 

 3/. for the carriage. He paid a fine on his daughter's 

 marriage, and on his sons being placed at a free 

 handicraft. On his death a third of his goods went 

 to the lord, and the remainder to his widow and son ; 

 if either the widow or the son were dead, half went 

 to the lord ; if he left neither widow nor son the 

 lord took the whole ; a posthumous son or daughter 

 must make a special agreement as to succession. He 

 had to carry as far as Chesterfield. Five other 

 tenants are named. 25 



3 See the boundary settlement quoted 

 within. 



4 See V.C.H. Lanes, ii, 554. 



6 The origin of this name is unknown ; 

 it will be seen that Abbey was a surname 

 in Gorton in 1320. 



6 ' Longsight ' may mean the ' long 

 shot ' (Mr. Crofton), or a place giving a 

 distant view along the straight road from 

 Manchester to Stockport ; Manch. Guard. 

 N. and Q. no. 189, 425. 



7 Constables are known to have been 

 appointed in 1623 ; Mancb. Ct. Leet Rec. 

 iii, 74. 



8 Land. Gam. 16 Oct. 1863. 



9 It has an area of 1,147 acres, includ- 

 ing 45 of inland water ; Census Rep. 1901. 



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



11 Higson, Gorton Rec. 87 ; the bridge 

 wat widened in 1810. 12 Ibid. 95. 



18 Ibid. 89 ; their position was changed 

 several times. 



14 Ibid. 90-3. The Pretender's army 

 passed through Longsight on its way to 

 and from Derby. w Ibid. 169. 



"Ibid. 1 6, 1 1 6. "Ibid. 148. 



18 Ibid. 131, 165 ; a description of the 

 rush-bearing in 1874 is given in Manch. 

 Guard. N. and Q. no. 456. 



19 Higson, op. cit. 192. 



20 Ibid. 82. The people of the district 

 combined the labours of tilling the land, 

 weaving at home, and bleaching in the 

 ' crofts.' 



31 Ibid. 1 19 ; this first attempt was 

 abortive, owing to intimidation. 



M Ibid. 156, 192. Ibid. 187. 



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

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 245. 



85 Mamecestre (Chet. Soc ), ii, 279, 



276 



280. The other five were Geoffrey del 

 Abbey, Thomas del Oilers, Hugh del 

 Abbey, Emma the widow, and Hugh son 

 of Richard. Each held a messuage and 

 an oxgang of land, except the last, who 

 held only half an oxgang ; the rents varied 

 from 41. 5</. up to 131. 4</. 



The tenants who held for a term of 

 years, who were not free, were subject 

 to the same customs as the natives ; ibid, 

 ii, 281. 



The mill of Gorton, on Gore Brook. 

 was worth 40*. a year ; all the tenants of 

 the hamlet were bound to grind there 

 to the sixteenth measure ; ibid, ii, 282. 

 The right of fishing in Gore Brook be- 

 longed to the lord ; ibid. 



The tenants had the right to get turves 

 in Openshaw ; ibid, ii, 291. 



A small piece of land on Gorton Green 



