A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



DROYLSDEN 



Drilesden, 1502. 



This township, 1 on the south side of the Medlock, 

 has an area of 1,62 1^ acres. The surface is compara- 

 tively even, rising towards the eastern boundary, and 

 falling on the north, towards the river. Droylsden 

 proper l forms the eastern half of the township, and is 

 parted from Clayton, the western half, by Edge Lane, 

 running south from Newton to Openshaw ; Little 

 Droylsden 3 is a detached area of 2 acres in extent in 

 the extreme east of Openshaw. In the south-east 

 corner of Droylsden lies the hamlet of Fairfield. 



The principal road 4 is that called Ashton New 

 Road, leading east from Manchester to Ashton ; * 

 another road leads north-east from Openshaw near 

 the eastern boundary of Droylsden ; it is along this 

 road chiefly that the houses are built, though at 

 Clayton there is another group, forming an extension 

 of Bradford. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Com- 

 pany's Manchester and Ashton railway cuts through 

 the northern part of the township, and at Droylsden 

 station 6 has a junction with the London and North 

 Western Company's line from Stockport. The Man- 

 chester and Ashton Canal winds along near the 

 southern boundary ; at Clayton it has a junction with 

 the Stockport Canal, coming from the south, and 

 near Fairfield one with the Oldham Canal, from the 

 north. 



At Greenside, to the west of the village of Droyls- 

 den, is a cemetery. 



A stone celt, some Roman coins, and an axe have 

 been found in the mosses at the eastern end. 7 



There were coal-mines at Clayton ; potter's clay 

 has been found on the moss. In 1859 the older 

 people still clung to farming and the hand-loom, and 

 a few to hatting ; oats were the principal crop. 8 

 Bleaching was introduced as early as the time of 

 James I ; 9 hat-making 10 and linen and cotton weav- 

 ing " were ancient industries ; but the first factory of 

 the modern type was erected in 1785.'* There are 

 now several cotton mills, print and dye works, chemi- 

 cal works, and a rope walk in Droylsden ; with 



similar industries, iron foundries, printing, and brick- 

 making in Clayton. 



In 1666 the hearths liable to the tax numbered 

 ninety-three. The largest houses were Clayton Hall 

 (James Chetham), with eighteen hearths, and John 

 Gilliam's with six. 13 



The government of the township was formerly in 

 the hands of the constables elected annually at the 

 town's meeting An Act for lighting Droylsden with 

 gas was passed in i86o. 1Ja A local board was formed in 

 1863 ;" but in 1890 the Clayton moiety was taken 

 into the city of Manchester, and became part of the 

 new North Manchester township in 1 896. The popu- 

 lation of the remaining part, the present Droylsden, was 

 11,087 in 1 90 1. 15 It is governed by an Urban Dis- 

 trict Council of twelve members. The institute, built 

 in 1858, is now used as a school and council office. 



The wakes, or rush-bearing of the Newton wakes, 

 had a singular custom called Threedy wheel, intro- 

 duced in 1 8 1 4-. 16 The stocks disappeared long ago. 

 Clayton Hall and other places were supposed to be 

 haunted by * boggarts.' " f Rocket,' for frock, occurs in 

 the old township accounts. 



Although a manor ' of DROTLSDEN 

 MANOR is spoken of in the i6th century the word 

 seems to have been used improperly. The 

 only manor in the township 

 was that of CL4TTON, for 

 four centuries the seat of the 

 Byron family. 18 To Robert 

 de Byron the elder Robert 

 Grelley, between 1 1 94 and 

 1 2 1 2, granted fourteen oxgangs 

 of his demesne of Manchester 

 to be held by the service of 

 half a knight. 19 The original 

 grant was of Clayton and 

 Barnetby ; this was increased 

 by land in Tunstead and two 



oxgangs of land in Failsworth, but Tunstead was soon 

 afterwards surrendered. 80 



Robert de Byron married Cecily, and had several 

 sons ; ll in 1212 Robert's heirs were in possession of 



BYRON. Argent three 

 bendlets enhanced gulet. 



1 A valuable account of the township 

 was published in 1859 by John Higson, a 

 resident, under the title of Droylsden Past 

 and Present. It contains (p. 57, &c.) an 

 interesting description of the condition of 

 the people in the early part of last century. 



2 This portion had in 1859 four ham- 

 lets Fairfield, Edge Lane, Greenside, and 

 Castle ; the last name was derived from 

 a dwelling built about 1790, and nick- 

 named Netherlands Castle ; Higson, op. 

 cit. II, 15. 'The boundary line across 

 the moss [at the east end] before its re- 

 clamation and allotment to adjoining 

 estates, was indicated by long oaken poles, 

 fixed upright at distances of from zo to 

 30 yards apart' ; ibid. 10. For the 

 tenants' moss rooms see ibid. 160. 



8 The local legend respecting it is given 

 by Higson, op. cit. 12. It was added to 

 Openshaw in 1889. 



* The condition of the roads in former 

 times is described by Higson (op. cit. 19) ; 

 they were repaired in short sections by the 

 owners of the land, some well, some ill ; 

 ibid. 25. 



6 It was formed under a turnpike Act, 

 1825-6 5 ibid. 20. 



6 The line was formed in 1846 ; the 

 station was at first called Lum. 



' Higson, op. cit. 29, 30. 



8 Ibid. 33, 71, &c. 



9 Ibid. 82-5. 



10 Ibid. 86. In 1832 the village was 

 ' chiefly inhabited by hatters ; ' E. Butter- 

 worth. 



11 Higson, op. cit. 86-8. 



12 Ibid. 89-100. 



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

 13a 23 & 24 Viet. cap. 4. 



14 Land. Gaz. 20 Nov. 1863. 



16 The area of this part is 1,010 acres, 

 including 18 of inland water. 



16 Higson, op. cit. 636. 



W Ibid. 66-71. 



18 The name is said to be derived from 

 the village of Buron in Fresnoy le Vieux. 

 Two of the family Erneis and Ralph de 

 Buron appear in Domesday Book, hold- 

 ing lands in the counties of York, Lincoln, 

 Derby, and Nottingham. The Byrons of 

 Lancashire, ancestors of the Lords Byron 

 of Newstead, are supposed to have de- 

 scended from them, but the connexion, if 

 any, is unknown. 



In Lancashire documents the prefix 

 varies between de and le, and is sometimes 

 absent ; the surname has a great variety 

 of spellings Buron, Burun, Byron, Biroun, 

 Byrun, &c. 



282 



19 Lana. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 56. It seems to 

 have been made up thus : Clayton, i 

 plough-land ; Droylsden, 4 oxgangs ; Fails- 

 worth, 2 oxgangs. 



20 Albert Grelley about 1175 gave land 

 in Tunstead, Norfolk, to Albert son of 

 Robert de Kent, Robert de Byron being a 

 witness ; then Robert Grelley granted to 

 Robert de Byron the same land in Tun- 

 stead, 'which his (Byron's) brother, 

 Robert de Kent, had formerly held,' adding 

 the Failsworth land, in order to make up 

 the lands in Clayton and Barnetby to half 

 a knight's fee ; the surrender of Tunstead 

 follows ; the three deeds are tied together. 

 Duchy of Lane. Anct. D. LS. 187; see also 

 the account of Failsworth. The relation- 

 ship between Robert de Byron and Robert 

 de Kent may have been by marriage. 



21 See the account of Failsworth, where 

 Robert, Cecily, Robert their son, and John 

 another son are mentioned. From the 

 terms of Cecily's grant to Cockersand it 

 might be supposed that she had an inde- 

 pendent or hereditary title to the land in 

 Failsworth, but this seems excluded by 

 the terms of Robert Grelley's charter con- 

 cerning it. 



Margery de Byron, widow (probably of 



