A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



it being of the inheritance of Gilbert de Hulme. 78 

 In 1346 it was held in moieties by Richard de Pil- 

 kington and Cecily de Hulme. 79 From the Hulmes 

 it descended to the Prestwich family, 80 who held it 

 till the middle of the 1 7th century. It was sold to 

 various persons about 165 7." 



Count Hill, 8 * Polden, 83 Crowley, 84 Watershed- 

 dings, Barrowshaw, Broadbent, Peacote, Fullwood, 

 and Hodgeclough, lie in this portion of the town- 

 ship. 



The growth of the town at the beginning of last 

 century induced some of the inhabitants to procure 

 an Act of Parliament, 1802-3, for the inclosure 

 of the moors ; the commissioners appointed had by 

 1807 completed the division of the lands among 

 the landowners and occupiers. 84 



The government of the town ap- 

 BOROUGH pears to have been formerly in the 

 hands of the vestry or the county 

 magistrates. 86 In 1826 a board of Improvement 

 Commissioners was constituted, who governed the 

 town for twenty-two years. 87 During this time the 

 Reform Act was passed, and in 1832 Oldham was 



made a parliamentary borough, the limits for this 

 purpose including the whole chapelry. Two members 

 were assigned to it. One of the first elected was 

 the celebrated William Cob- 

 bett, who represented the 

 place till his death in I835. 88 

 The ratepayers becoming dis- 

 contented with the adminis- 

 tration of affairs by the com- 

 missioners, 89 petitioned for 

 incorporation, and a charter 

 was granted on 13 June 

 1849, constituting the inhabi- 

 tants of the township a muni- 

 cipal borough ; 90 the town 

 was divided into eight wards, 

 each having an alderman and 

 three councillors. 91 William 

 Jones, a representative of 

 Werneth Ward, was the first 

 mayor. 91 A town hall had been built in 1 840 ; the 

 present town hall succeeded in 1879. One of the 

 first acts of the new council was to create a police 



BOROUGH OF OLDRAM. 

 Sable a cheveron itrvccted 

 and plain cotised or be- 

 tween three oivls argent, 

 on a chief engrailed of 

 the second a rose between 

 two annulets gules. 



Lands in Sholver were among the moiety 

 of the Trafford Estate given to Geoffrey 

 de Chadderton before 1278 ; Final Cone. 

 i, 153. In 1290, Ellen widow of Geoffrey 

 de Bracebridge claimed lands in Oldham 

 against Alexander de Pilkington and 

 Geoffrey de Chadderton ; De Banco R. 81, 

 m. 64. In 1291 his demesne lands in 

 Sholver were among the places named in 

 the grant of free warren to Roger de 

 Pilkington; Chart. R. 84, m. 10, 41. 

 From suits of the same time or a year 

 later it appears that Geoffrey de Brace- 

 bridge had held a messuage, 60 acres of 

 land, &c. in Sholver, which should have 

 descended to his sister Christiana, wife of 

 William son of Robert de Stanringes ; 

 but Geoffrey de Chadderton and Roger de 

 Pilkington (perhaps as heirs of Chetham) 

 had taken possession of the messuage and 

 lands, Adam de Impetres had refused the 

 i^d. rent, and Robert Attehill the rent of 

 four barbed arrows. Geoffrey and Roger 

 showed a charter from the plaintiffs 

 releasing all claim to the tenements in dis- 

 pute, and though it was repudiated, the 

 jury decided for the defendants, ordering 

 William to gaol because he had denied his 

 deed. Afterwards he made fine by two 

 marks ; Assize R, 407, m. 2 ; 408, m. 12. 



Margery the niece of Geoffrey de 

 Bracebridge was in 1305 plaintiff and 

 defendant in several pleas regarding her 

 uncle's lands in Oldham ; in one case the 

 plaintiffs included Geoffrey de Chadderton 

 the elder, Roger de Pilkington, Adam de 

 Impetres, &c. ; Assize R. 420, m. 8 ; 

 also m. i, 8, 9. 



In 1317-8 Geoffrey de Chadderton 

 granted to Gilbert son of Cecily daughter 

 of William le Bagher land in Sholver 

 which he had had of the gift of Adam de 

 Impetres and William son of Henry de 

 Oldham, with remainder to Thomas the 

 brother of Gilbert ; Hyde of Denton D. 

 Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 153, &c. 



Robert son of Adam de Impetres was a 

 claimant of lands in Oldham in July 

 1351 ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, m. 

 5 A 



' 8 Duchy of Lane. Rentals and Surv. 

 379, m. 13, where the tenant is called 

 Robert de Ashton and the rent given as 

 Us. &d, ; and Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii, 

 105, where the rent is given as 3$. id. 



In 1322 Robert de Ashton and Margery 

 his wife (in her right) appeared against 

 Gilbert son of Cecily daughter of William 

 the Baggere concerning a messuage and 

 land in Oldham by writ of Quare cessa- 

 iiit per blennlum ; De Banco R. 244, 

 m. 45. 



" 9 Add. MS. 32103, fol. 146 ; each 

 held one oxgang in socage, by a total rent 

 of zs. zd. (for 31. zd.), providing puture, 

 and paying a double rent at death. A 

 note in the manuscript adds : 'The heirs 

 of Richard de Pilkington, 31. zd.' 



80 The Hulme family perhaps bought 

 the Pilkington share. In 1445-6 Ralph 

 Prestwich held one oxgang in Sholver in 

 socage, rendering 31. zd. yearly ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. Thus 

 the full rent is paid, though only one 

 oxgang is ascribed to him out of the 

 original four. 



A dispute as to Sholver occurred in 

 1529, Ralph Prestwich being plaintiff; 

 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 138. 



Edward Prestwich paid the chief rent 

 of 3*. zd. in the time of Elizabeth ; 

 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 447. In 

 1639 Edmund Tctlow of Coldhurst dis- 

 claimed any right of common on Sholver 

 Moor, conceiving that it belonged to 

 Thomas Prestwich, as parcel of his lord- 

 ship of Sholver ; Shaw, Oldham, 8 1. 



81 E. Butterworth, op. cit. 42. 



82 In 1657 Joseph Clegg purchased 

 land at Count Hill from Sir Thomas Prest- 

 wich ; this and other purchases descended 

 to Joseph Clegg, who died in 1835 ; ibid. 



83 Palden in Oldham was at one time 

 owned by the rectors of Prestwich ; 

 L.T.R. Mem. R. 169 (5 Hen. IV), m. 

 xii. Later it was ' the abode of a most 

 eccentric rustic wit named John Brierley, 

 a carrier, who from his long connexion with 

 this place was called "Old Poden,' and 

 who was buried 17 Mar. 1688'; E. 

 Butterworth, op. cit. 62. 



84 Once die residence of a family of 

 Byrom ; ibid. 



85 E. Butterworth, 156; 'these pro- 

 ceedings were not popular amongst the 

 body of the people, for the rights of unre- 

 strained pasturage for cattle and fowl, and 

 the advantages of the moors as places of 

 recreation and exercise, had rendered them 

 spots deeply endeared to successive genera- 



102 



tions.' The Acts were 42 Geo. Ill, cap. 

 59 ; 43 Geo. Ill, cap. 44 ; a copy of the 

 award may be seen at the County Offices, 

 Preston. See also an award in 1804 in 

 King's Bench Plea R. Trin. 44 Geo. Ill, 

 m. 393. Another Act was passed in 

 7 Geo. IV, cap. 67. For the moors in 

 1640, with a plan, see Oldham Notes and 

 Gleanings, ii, 53 ; also 145, 204. 



86 Some of the Constables' accts. (from 

 1697) are printed in Shaw's Oldham Notes 

 and Gleanings, i, 5, &c. From these it 

 appears that they used to attend Salford 

 Leet Court. 



W E. Butterworth, Oldham, 227. The 

 qualification for assuming the office was 

 the possession of property worth 50 or 

 the occupation of premises rented at 30 

 a year. The commissioners numbered 360 

 in 1848. 



The Act (7 Geo. IV, cap. 117) was 

 known as the Oldham Police Act. Its 

 powers were transferred to the corporation 

 in 1850. 



88 Pink and Beaven, Par!. Refre. of 

 Lanes. 307. John Morgan Cobbett, son 

 of William, represented the borough from 

 1852 to 1859 as a Liberal, and from 1874 

 till his death in 1877 as a Conservative. 

 Sir John Tomlinson Hibbert was member 

 from 1862 to 1874, 1877 to 1886, and 

 1892 to 1895. John Platt, member from 

 1865 to 1872, has a statue near the 

 town hall. 



89 In 1847 'a disagreement arose be- 

 tween the political parties in the borough 

 with regard to the conduct of the police, 

 which was then under the management of 

 the Commissioners, and the result was the 

 introduction, by the magistrates, of the 

 county force,' to the dissatisfaction of the 

 people ; E. Butterworth, op. cit. (ed. 

 1856), 227. 



90 Confirmed by Act of Parliament 1 3 

 & 14 Viet. cap. 42 ; the boundaries were 

 extended in 1880 by 43 & 44 Viet. cap. 

 147. An Improvement Act was obtained 

 in 1865, 28 & 29 Viet. cap. 311. 



91 The area of the borough remains un- 

 changed, but has been divided into twelve 

 wards Clarksfield, Coldhurst, Hartford, 

 Hollinwood, Mumps, St. James's, St. 

 Mary's, St. Paul's, St. Peter's, Waterhead, 

 Werneth, and Westwood. 



92 E. Butterworth, op. cit. 228-9. 



