SALFORD HUNDRED 



whole of the west end, including a projecting porch 

 and gable in front of the present brick-faced portion 

 of the principal elevation, has been destroyed. 



The house is situated on high ground above the 

 valley of the Irk, facing north, and overlooking the 

 town of Middleton. It was probably erected in the 

 latter part of the i6th century, and is an interesting 

 specimen of the timber architecture of the county. 

 What remains consists of the central and eastern 

 wings, two stories in height, which preserve their 

 original timber and plaster construction on the north 

 and east sides. The south and west sides have been 

 rebuilt in brick. The exterior timber-work consists 

 of roughly-shaped beams and posts with a filling-in of 

 square quatrefoil panels. The continuous repetition 

 of the quatrefoils, broken only by the shallow plaster 

 coves which mark the lines of the first floor and 

 eaves, gives a somewhat rich and ornamental appear- 

 ance to the building, though the detail is poor. The 

 oak pegs are left projecting about an inch all round 

 the panels, and form a characteristic feature of the 

 building, which, however, has a very dilapidated 

 appearance, the gables being without barge boards, 

 the windows without glass, and portions of the front 

 of the house boarded up. In other parts the walls 



OF TONGE HALL 



are broken through, and open for anyone to enter. 

 The west end of the principal or north elevation has 

 been refaced in brick in front where the porch origin- 

 ally stood, and there is some brick patching in other 

 parts of the front of the house. The roofs are 

 covered with grey stone slates, and the chimney shafts 

 are of brick set diagonally on a square base. 



The interior is in an even worse state than 

 the outside, and very little of interest remains. 

 The principal apartment, or great hall, which is paved 

 with stone flags, occupies the whole of the west (or 

 what was the centre) wing, but has been divided in 

 later times unequally across its length by a partition. 

 It measures about 27 ft. in length and 21 ft. in width, 

 and had a large bay window 9 ft. square at the north-east 

 end. The position of the screens seems to be indicated 



PRESTWICH WITH 

 OLDHAM 



by the present passage at the west end of the room, 

 which is now separated from it by a brick wall. The 

 usual arrangement of the great hall was, however, 

 probably not strictly adhered to. The fireplace is at 

 the west end, in the position of the screen, and block- 

 ing up any way to the passage, except on the north 

 side. The ceiling is crossed by four massive beams. 

 When the building was occupied as a farmhouse the 

 part of the hall on the south side of the partition 

 was used as a kitchen, and modern windows and a 

 door were inserted in the south wall. The bay 

 window with the portion of the great hall on the 

 north side of the partition is now a separate apart- 

 ment. The east wing contains a square staircase, 

 with solid oak steps, and seems to have had originally 

 two rooms, one on each side of a central chimney. 

 One of these rooms, however, has again been divided, 

 and a small apartment, measuring about 1 2 ft. by 1 1 ft., 

 formed. This parlour, which has a window on the 

 east side, is panelled all round with 18th-century 

 wainscot, and has had a picture over the fireplace, half 

 of which still remains. In the room at the back 

 there is still a good 17th-century oak table. There 

 are five rooms on the first floor, but they offer no 

 points of interest, and there is a cellar under the front 

 portion of the east wing. There was appa- 

 rently a restoration or alteration of the house 

 in 1703, that date, with the initials R T A. 

 (Richard Tonge and Alice his wife) being on 

 three lead spout-heads in different parts of the 

 building. The initials R. T. were also on a 

 latch-plate in one of the barns, and in yellow 

 stain on one of the leaded quarries of the win- 

 dows. The house was tenanted by a farmer 

 for some years previous to 1 890 ; since then it 

 has been unoccupied, and allowed to decay. 

 During its occupancy as a farm modern win- 

 dows were inserted on the south and east sides, 

 and a new brick porch built at the south-east 

 corner. The owner recently offered it as a 

 gift to the town of Middleton for use as a 

 museum, but the offer was not accepted. 18 

 The inquisitions show that the Radcliffes of Smi thills 

 held land in Tonge of the king, but no details are 

 given. 19 About 1400 William del Dam and Margery 

 his wife had lands in Tonge. 30 Richard Assheton of 

 Middleton died in 1618, holding land in Tonge of 

 the king by knight's service, as part of the manor of 

 Middleton. 11 



Several places of worship have during the last 

 century been erected in Tonge. In connexion 

 with the Established religion St. Michael's, in the 

 west, was built in 1839, anc ^ rebuilt in 1902; the 

 rector of Prestwich is patron ; and St. Gabriel's, 

 Middleton Junction, was built in 1885, the Bishop 

 of Manchester collating. In connexion with the 

 former is the iron mission church of the Holy In- 

 nocents. 



28 Manch. Guard. I Dec. 1 906. 



29 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 12. 



80 In 1392 William son of John del 

 Dam granted to Sir Ralph de Radcliffe all 

 his messuages and lands in Tonge in the 

 vill of Prestwich, at a rent of one pepper- 

 corn for eight years, and 401. afterwards ; 

 Agecroft D. 41. 



The custody of two messuages called 

 Tonge in Alkrington was in 1401 granted 



to William del Dam and Margery his 

 wife ; Dtp. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 530. 



In 1481 at Prestwich Church sworn 

 declarations were made before a notary, 

 concerning the lands of John Langley and 

 Robert his son. Robert Stork, aged So, 

 said that formerly at the Barkhouses in 

 Tonge dwelt William Dam, at another 

 place John Barlow both houses levelled 

 with the ground at Gunthorp Hugh Hob- 

 son, and later Ralph Hilton, and at another 



8? 



place Joan Bradshaw. The rent of Bar- 

 low's and Hobson's houses had been paid 

 to Richard Barton of Middleton and not 

 to Henry Tonge. Other witnesses cor- 

 roborated. Richard Withington had lived 

 at Gunthorp for thirty-seven years, and 

 never paid rent except to Richard Barton ; 

 Agecroft D. 84. 



81 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc, Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 107. 



