A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



the disturbance of employment following the intro- 

 duction of machinery. 16 



Periodical literature began with the Oldham Observer 

 in 1827. The first newspaper was the Chronicle, 

 published weekly from May 1854. At present there 

 are two newspapers the Chronicle and the Standard 

 issued daily and weekly. 17 



The Oldham Rushbearing or Wakes are on the last 

 Saturday in August ; at Glodwick on the first Satur- 

 day in October. 



The people have long been distinguished for their 

 love of vocal music. 18 



The Oldham dialect has many peculiarities. 10 



Portions of the Roman road from Manchester into 

 Yorkshire are recognizable in the southern part of the 

 township. Some coins have been found. 11 



Lawrence Nuttall of Oldham issued a halfpenny 

 token in 1669." 



Lawrence Chadderton, a Puritan divine, was a 

 native of the town, 13 as was Samuel Ogden, one of 

 the clergy ejected in 1662 for Nonconformity.* 4 In 

 more recent times Thomas Henshaw, the founder of 

 the Bluecoat Hospital, was an inhabitant and trades- 

 man here. 15 The Butterworths, father and son, ren- 

 dered great services to students of local history. 16 Sir 

 John Mellor, judge, was born at Hollinwood House 

 in 1809, and died in 1887." James Whitehead, 

 M.D., 1812-85, son of John Whitehead, a herbalist 

 of local fame, became a distinguished physician. 28 

 Thomas Oldham Barlow, R.A., 1824-89, was a 

 famous engraver ; the Oldham Corporation in 1891 

 secured an almost complete collection of his works.* 9 

 Sir John Tomlinson Hibbert was born at Oldham in 

 1824, and was member of Parliament for his native 

 town 1862 to 1874 and 1878 to 1895, holding 



minor offices in different Liberal ministries. He was 

 made K.C.B. in 1893. On the formation of the 

 Lancashire County Council in 1888 he was chosen 

 to be its chairman, and retained this position till his 

 retirement in February, 1908. He was appointed 

 Constable of Lancaster Castle in 1907. He died at 

 his house at Grange-over-Sands on 7 November, 1908. 

 There should also be mentioned James Wolfenden of 

 Hollinwood, a mathematician, who died in 1841 

 aged 87 ; John Whitehead, a botanist, who died in 

 1896 ; and James Dronsfield, of Hollinwood, 

 1826-96. Some prodigies are on record. 80 



In the 1 2th century KASKENMOOR, 

 MANORS including Oldham and most of Cromp- 

 ton, was a thegnage estate held of the 

 royal manor of Salford as 2 5 or 26 oxgangs of land by a 

 rent of 2O/., and sending a judge to the hundred 

 court. Adam Fitz Swain was the tenant, and left 

 two daughters, between whom the inheritance was 

 divided. Maud married Adam de Montbegon, lord 

 of Tottington, and her son Roger was the tenant of a 

 moiety in 1212. Amabel, the other daughter, 

 married William de Nevill, but this moiety was in 

 1 2 1 2 in the king's hands, ' because the heirs had not 

 spoken with the king.' 31 Each of the heiresses left 

 issue, but the later inquisitions omit any reference to 

 them, the descendants of their sub-tenants being 

 stated to hold directly of the Earl or Duke of 

 Lancaster as of his manor of Salford. 



In 1 2 1 2 the sub-tenants were Gilbert de Notton, 

 for Crompton ; Reyner de Wombwell, for Werneth 

 and Oldham ; Adam de Glodwick, for Glodwick ; 

 Ralph Tagun, for Sholver ; and Henry de Scholefield, 

 for Birshaw. Gilbert, Reyner, and Adam held a 

 moiety under each lord ; Ralph and Henry held 



16 Especially in 1795, I799 1812, 

 1826, and 1834; . Butterworth, op. 

 cit. 138, 144, 162, 190,213. 



17 Oldham Notes and Gleanings, i, 1 94 ; 

 iii, 10. 



18 Notes on the musicians in the neigh- 

 bourhood are given by Edwin Butter- 

 worth, op. cit. 251-5. 



Elias Hall, born in Oldham, published 

 a Ptalm-singer't Compleat Companion in 

 1708. It was written at Oldham and 

 dedicated to the Rev. H. Pigot, rector of 

 Brindle and vicar of Rochdale. 



20 Pal. Note Bk. i, 1 3, &c. ; Lanes, and 

 Ches. Antiq. Soc. vi, 182. 



81 Ibid, viii, 155, 156 ; x, 251. 



M Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. v, 87. 



33 See the account of Lees Hall. 



a< See below, under Horsedge. 



25 He was a native of Prestbury, but 

 apprenticed in Oldham, and became hat 

 manufacturer there. He drowned himself 

 in 1 8 10, having been for some years of 

 unsound mind, and his will was therefore 

 contested ; E. Butterworth, op. cit. 153-5, 

 *3<5 *37- 



M James Butterworth, the father, was 

 born in Ashton in 1771. His account of 

 the Oldham district was published in 

 1817 ; it contains a plan of the town 

 and map of the chapelry, together with 

 pedigrees and a directory. A second 

 edition appeared in 1826. The author 

 died in 1837. 



Edwin Butterworth, his son, born in 

 1^12 at Oldham, published a brief history 

 Of the town in 1832. He compiled the 

 local accounts for Baines' Hist, of Lanes. 

 1836. His Historical Sketches was begun 

 in 1847 ; the instalments were inter- 



rupted by his death in April 1848, but 

 were reprinted with a supplement in 

 1856. 



For notices of them see the account of 

 Edwin by Mr. Giles Shaw in Lanes, and 

 Ches. Antiq. Soc. xxii ; Manch Guardian 

 N. and Q. no. 584, 648 ; Oldham Notes 

 and Gleanings, i, 35, 205, 209. 



Their works and the Oldham Annals 

 and Oldham Notes and Gleanings have 

 proved of great assistance to the editors. 



7 Diet. Nat. Biog. Ibid. a Ibid. 



80 Elizabeth Bradbury; Manch. Guardian 

 N. and Q. no. 520 ; Daniel Newton, ibid, 

 no. 1237. 



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

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 63, 64 ; where it is 

 stated that Roger de Montbegon held 

 1 3 oxgangs in thegnage by gs. 2^d. and by 

 half a judge ; and that William de Nevill 

 had held, in right of his wife, 13 oxgangs 

 by lOi. 9j</. and by half a judge. Roger's 

 under-tenants held only 1 2 oxgangs ; 

 while his share of the thegnage rent is 

 apparently intended for i oxgang less than 

 half, being 9^. less than 101. William's 

 tenants held 1 3 oxgangs, and his thegnage 

 rent indicates that he held an oxgang more 

 than half. His holding was ten years after- 

 wards called 14 oxgangs ; it had escheated 

 to the king ; ibid. 132. Possibly an even 

 division had at first been made, account- 

 ing for the 13 oxgangs each of the 1212 

 survey, and then i oxgang transferred to 

 the Nevills, the thegnage rent being altered 

 accordingly. 



Ailric held lands in Yorkshire in the 

 time of Edward the Confessor ; his son 

 Swain succeeded and died in 1131, being 

 followed by his son Adam, a benefactor of 



94 



Pontefract, who died in 1159. Maud, 

 one of his daughters, married Adam de 

 Montbegon, and by him had a son Roger, 

 the holder of Kaskenmoor in 1212, who 

 died in 1227 without issue ; she married, 

 secondly, John Malherbe, and their 

 daughters Mabel and Clemence respec- 

 tively married William de la Mare, a 

 feudatory of the honour of Richmond 

 (having an heiress, wife of Geoffrey de 

 Nevill) and Eudo de Longvilers ; thirdly, 

 she married Gerard de CanvilL Amabel, 

 the other daughter, by her first husband 

 had a daughter Sarah, who married Thomas 

 de Burgo and had issue ; and by her second 

 husband, Alexander de Crevequer, left a 

 daughter Cecily, who by her husband, 

 William de Nevill, was ancestor of the 

 Nevills of Mirfield. These particulars 

 are from the account of the family by the 

 late Richard Holmes in his edition of the 

 Chartul. of St. John of Pontefract (Yorks. 

 Arch. Soc.), i, 95 ; ii, 306, 307, with 

 some correction. 



William de Nevill occurs in 1201 as 

 contributing 401. to the tallage ; Lanes. 

 Pipe R. 151. The sheriff in 1210 ren- 

 dered account of I2s. 6d. for the mediety 

 of William de Nevill' s pasture in Kasken- 

 moor ; ibid. 236. 



For grants to William de Nevill and 

 Amabel his wife see also Cal. Pat. 131 7-2 1, 

 p. 245. 



Oldham, Crompton, and Royton con- 

 tinued to be fees of the court leet of the 

 manor and hundred of Salford down to 

 1856; Edwin Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 

 1856), 13. 



The name Kaskenmoor does not seem 

 to have come down to modern times. 



