A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



but part of the lyth-century structure remains at the 

 east end, consisting of a wing running north and south 

 with a gable at each end. The house is built of 

 stone, with stone slated roofs and brick chimneys, and 

 has a long frontage facing south, with a slightly 

 recessed middle portion two stories high and loftier 

 gabled wings. The site slopes from north to south, 

 so that in the south or principal front the ground 

 floor is raised well above the level of the garden, 

 allowing for a good basement. A double flight of 

 stone steps leads from an outer door on this side to 

 the garden. 



The 1 8th-century rebuilding, together with subse- 

 quent additions and alterations on the north side, has 

 made it very difficult to determine the lines of the 

 original plan, but the whole of the later work on the 

 south front is built on an older basement apparently 

 of the same date as the east wing, which goes to show 

 that the extent of the original house on this side was 

 the same as that of the present one. The buildings 

 are grouped round a quadrangle of irregular shape, 

 longer from west to east, but those on the north and 

 part of the west side are of modern date, which makes 

 it impossible to say how far they carry out the original 

 arrangement. The east wing, as before stated, is part 

 of the lyth-century building with mullioned and 

 transomed windows and a square projection on the 

 west side to the courtyard containing a radiating oak 

 staircase.* 7 The south and south-west parts of the 

 building are of plain 1 8th -century work with little or 

 no architectural detail. The older wing has a good 

 stone chimney on its east side with brick shafts set 

 diagonally, and at the north end has string-courses 

 marking the first and second floors, which are not 

 continued round the south end. The gable is with- 

 out coping, and the general appearance of the wing 

 at this end suggests that it had formerly been the 

 back of the house or that some of its features have 

 been removed in later times. It is probable that the 



original house was built on three sides of the court- 

 yard only, the north, which would be the principal 

 front of the building, being left open. 



The 18th-century rebuilding appears to have been 

 done at two different times, there being a straight 

 joint on the south front about the middle of the centre 

 wing, between the door and the window east of it. 

 The spacing of the windows also points in the same 

 direction. They are of the usual tall square-headed 

 type, with stone architraves, and originally had case- 

 ments and wooden millions, but these have been 

 replaced by sashes, which detract from the appearance 

 of the house. The walls of the older wing are of 

 rough masonry, but the later work is built in squared 

 coursed stones, with projecting quoins, and at its west 

 end is faced with brick. Against the brick wall at 

 the south-west corner is a spout-head with the initials 

 T p M and the date 1 768. 



There is some good iSth-century panelling with 

 classic cornice, now painted over, in a room in the 

 middle wing, and a large room in the east wing, 

 which was altered in the i8th century and has two 

 windows of that date on its east side, preserves a 

 portion of its decoration, though the oak dado has 

 recently been taken away. 



The house has been for a long time divided into 

 two. The western part is now a private residence, 

 and the east wing is used as a Church Institute. 



There was recently a pedestal sundial in the garden 

 with many facets, but it has been taken away by the 

 owner. A wall sundial on the south side over the 

 door is still in position. 



Other local families may be named. The Shaws of 

 Heyside recorded a pedigree in 1664, and occur in 

 various ways for a century longer. 18 The Tetlows of 

 Royley 19 seem to have been succeeded in the iyth 

 century by the Rhodes family. 30 Holdens of Holden- 

 fold occur.* 1 At Thorpe the Taylors had a resi- 

 dence." Dryclough was once held by the Mellors.** 



*7 The local but foolish tradition is that 

 the stairs are built round the trunk of a 

 tree which grew on the spot, and now 

 forms the newel. 



88 Dugdale, Visit. 260 ; they had only 

 recently settled in Royton. The epitaph 

 of Oliver Shaw, who died I Aug. 1706, 

 'after various conditions of life,' is given 

 by Butterworth, op. cit. 29. 'Old Mrs. 

 Shaw, from Heyside,' was buried at O_ld- 

 hatn, i Nov. 1710. She was probably 

 Alice daughter of Thomas Chetham, of 

 Heyside, and wife of Oliver. 



For the Chetham family's connexion 

 with Royton see Ernest Axon's Chit. 

 Genealogies (Chet. Soc. new ser.), 6, 9, 

 12. A Ralph Chetham, who died in or 

 about 1538, left his 'take and farmSold ' 

 in Royton to his sons Adam and Robert, 

 and part of the Moor Hey to his son 

 James; ibid. 17. In 1541 James Chetham 

 contributed to the subsidy ' for goods ' ; 

 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 145. 



The Shaws had disappeared before 1817, 

 when Butterworth wrote. 



Heyside was in 1842 'notorious for 

 wickedness of the vilest description ' ; 

 Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. v, 267. 



39 Sir John Byron (about 1270) granted 

 to Robert the Falconer lands in Royton, 

 within bounds beginning at Royton wall 

 and following the bounds of the oxgangs 

 of the vill of Royton as far as Eliclough 

 on the south, by the edge to Wallsyke 

 {where was Robert's house) and to the 



Mill Brook ; up this to Royley Brook, 

 and so to the starting-point ; at a rent of 

 6s. 6d. ; Black Bk. of Clayton, 81/241. 

 Two Falconers, Adam and Robert, con- 

 tributed to the subsidy of 1332 ; Exch. 

 Lay Suit. 30, 31. 



The charter cited is headed ' Copy of 

 the Charter of Adam de Tetlow, of Royley 

 in Royton.' Alexander son of Adam de 

 Tetlow complained that a number of men 

 had seized his goods at Royton in 1372, 

 taking his linen and woollen cloth, maser 

 bowls, and silver, brass, wood, and pewter 

 utensils, &c.; Coram Rege R. 463, m. 55. 

 John Tetlow of Royley is mentioned in 

 1541 ; Shaw, Oldham, 18. Mary Tetlow 

 widow seems to have been the principal 

 resident in 1641, having an income of 

 20 a year ; ibid. 92. 



80 In 1653 John Rhodes (Roades) of 

 Royley in Royton leased land in the Ryott 

 and the Gorsey Hill in Hartingstead Yate 

 to Edmund Taylor ; ibid. 145. A further 

 lease was made in 1655 ; 149. Edward 

 Shacklock of Moston in 1666 bequeathed 

 lands he had purchased of Henry Wrigley 

 and John Rhodes to John Rhodes, the 

 younger son of the last-named ; ibid. 1 66. 



Royley is mentioned by Butterworth 

 (op. cit. 115) as noted for its coal. At 

 the adjacent hamlet of Streetbridge there 

 were in 1817 a paper mill and collieries; 107. 



81 Holdenfold, it is supposed, took its 

 name from the proprietors. Ralph Holden 

 contributed to the subsidy in 1622 ; 



114 



Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 158. 

 Ralph Holden died 23 Aug. 1625, leaving 

 a son and heir Ralph, about nine years of 

 age. His lands in Royton were held of 

 the king. By his will he left them to his 

 son, then to his wife, and to his brothers 

 Edmund and Ralph in succession. If 

 Edmund or the other brother should suc- 

 ceed he was to pay a rent of 4 a year 

 to the poor of Oldham ; Towneley MS. 

 C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), p. 518. 



83 Butterworth, op. cit. 1 08. James 

 Taylor died 19 Dec. 1624 holding lands 

 in Heaton Fallowfield, Castleton, and 

 Royton ; the last estate was two mes- 

 suages, &c., held of the king. All was left 

 to his son John, then over fifty ; then a 

 division was to take place among John's 

 daughters Elizabeth Hayward, Susan 

 Butterworth, and Mary Ogden. The 

 Royton lands were to go to Elizabeth, 

 then wife of Thomas Heaward or Hay- 

 ward, and their son Robert ; Townele 

 MS. C. 8, 13, p. 1,187. For another 

 John Taylor of Thorpe (1654) see Oldham 

 Notes and Gleanings, iii, 53. 



Ralph Taylor is said to have had a small 

 cotton mill at Thorpe Clough as early as 

 1764; E. Butterworth, Oldham (ed. 1856), 

 119. 



88 Ibid. 113 ; they were in 1817 'regu- 

 lar carriers to different parts of the king- 

 dom.' Mr. Andrew had there a large malt 

 kiln. The only windmill in the parish 

 stood there, and there were collieries. 



