SALFORD HUNDRED 



ROCHDALE 



The town of ROCHD4LE lies in three of the 

 ancient divisions of the parish, having grown up near 

 the church, on both banks of the Roch. The road 

 from Oldham going north, joined south of the church 

 by the old road from Manchester, reaches the river 

 to the north-east of the church, where the ancient 

 bridge is built ; from the further side of the bridge 

 roads spread out in all directions. One going north, 

 called Toad Lane, was the boundary between Wardle- 

 worth and Spotland ; the market-place is situated in 

 it, near the bridge. 



In 1251 Edmund de Lacy procured 

 BOROUGH a charter for a weekly market at Roch- 

 dale on Wednesday, and an annual fair 

 on the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude (28 October). 64 

 Probably about the same time 

 a borough was created, but 

 there were only twelve bur- 

 gesses, and it quickly fell into 

 decay. 63 The town continued 

 to be governed through the 

 manor court until 182 5, when 

 a Police Act was obtained. 64 

 As there was never any town- 

 ship of Rochdale, the area as- 

 signed to the new commis- 

 sioners was a circle, with the 

 old market-place as centre and 

 a radius of three-quarters of a 

 mile. In 18323 parliamentary 

 borough was created, one mem- 

 ber being returned ; " and in 18563 municipal charter 

 was granted, the powers and property of the old 

 commissioners being conferred on the corporation in 

 1858. The town was divided into three wards 

 Castleton, with four aldermen and twelve councillors; 

 Wardleworth, the same ; and Spotland, two aldermen 

 and six councillors. 66 In 1868 the parliamentary 



BOROUGH OP ROCH- 

 DALE. Sable on an es- 

 cutcheon "within an orle 

 of eight martlett argent 

 a woolsack "within a 

 wreath of laurel proper. 



boundary was extended to include Wardleworth, 

 Spotland, Wuerdle, Belfield, Newbold, Buersill, and 

 Marland ; 67 and four years later the municipal 

 boundary was extended so as to be almost conterminous 

 with the parliamentary one, and the area was divided 

 into ten wards, each with an alderman and three 

 councillors. 68 The wards took their names from the 

 townships, viz. Castleton (4), Spotland (2), Wardle- 

 worth (3), and Wuerdle. In 1894 the borough was 

 constituted a township, the whole of Wardleworth 

 being absorbed, with parts of Castleton, Spotland, and 

 Wuerdle and Wardle. 68 * In 1900 most of Castle- 

 ton outside the borough was added, a new ward called 

 Castleton Moor being thus formed ; 69 so that the 

 council now consists of a mayor, eleven aldermen, and 

 thirty-three councillors. Under the Act of 1888 

 Rochdale became a county borough. It has a com- 

 mission of the peace and a police force. 



The town hall, by the Roch, to the north of the 

 church, was built in 1870-1, and is a fine building, 

 ranking high among modern examples of Gothic 

 style ; 70 a bronze statue of John Bright was 

 erected in front of it in 1891. The free library 

 was built in 1884." An art gallery was opened 

 in 1903. There is a public park near the town 

 hall ; Falinge Park was presented to the town 

 in 1903 by Alderman Samuel Turner. The baths 

 were built in 1868. The cemetery in Bury Road 

 was opened in 1855. Waterworks were first estab- 

 lished in 1 809 ; n they were acquired by the corpora- 

 tion in 1866; the gas-works, begun in 1824, are 

 also owned by the corporation, 73 as are the electric 

 light works. An electric tramway system has been 

 inaugurated. The market rights were purchased from 

 Lord Byron in 1823;" the market hall, built in 

 1 844, is still in the hands of a private company. The 

 cattle market is in Manchester Road. A school board 

 was formed in 1870. 



62 Cal. Chart.R. 1226-57, p. 3^2. Mar- 

 garet Countess of Lincoln then held the 

 manor in dower. A fair was till recently 

 held on 7 Nov., the eve of Old St. Simon's 

 day. 



Other fairs were also held; in 1588 

 there were two on Whit Sunday and 

 23 (? 28) Oct.; Wm. Smith, Descr. of Engl. 



The toll and stallage of the markets 

 and fairs produced 53*. 8</. in 1296, and 

 53. 4<f. in 1305, but were valued at only 

 3OJ. in 1311 ; Lacy Compoti, 6, 102 ; Inq. 

 20. The other manorial profits show 

 similar variations. Thus the eighth part 

 of the mill paid 51. in 1296, but the fourth 

 part only 41. in 1311 ; the perquisites of 

 the courts were 4 4$. 4^. and the fines 

 for lands 431. zd. in the former year, but 

 the value of the three-weeks court was 

 given as only 26*. Bd. in 1311. 



In 1292 Henry de Lacy was required 

 to show by what warrant he held the 

 market and fair ; Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. 

 Com.), 382. 



The market day was changed from 

 Wednesday to Monday during the i8th 

 century, and Monday continues to be the 

 manufacturers' market day ; there is a 

 provision market on Saturday. The mar- 

 ket hall is open daily. 



* 8 John de Lacy (1211-40) gave a char- 

 ter to his men of Rochdale and their heirs, 

 acquitting them of the judges both in the 

 county and the wapentake ; pleas were to 

 be held from month to month instead of 

 from fortnight to fortnight, and in the 

 pleas attorneys of knights and free men 



might be received ; Byron Chartul. 1/256. 

 The charter of the borough does not 

 seem to have been preserved ; the state- 

 ment that there had been twelve burgesses 

 is derived from an inquisition of uncertain 

 date quoted from Dods. MSS. clxi, by 

 Baines, op. cit. (ed. 1868), i, 483. In 

 1 296 there was received of the farm of 

 the burgesses of Rochdale 6s. ; this is not 

 named in 1305 or in 1311 ; Compoti, 6. 

 The burgesses are named in 1341-2; 

 Mins. Accts. bdle. 1091, no. 6. 



64 6 Geo. IV, cap. 1 28. The commis- 

 sioners, with a qualification of ^3 5 yearly 

 value as owners or occupiers, had powers 

 to watch, light, and cleanse the town. 

 The chairman was entitled the chief con- 

 stable. By an Act of 1 844 the commis- 

 sioners were made elective, the parlia- 

 mentary voters, or 10 householders, 

 having the right to elect. A further 

 Improvement Act was obtained in 

 1853. See Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 

 491-2. 



What remained of the utility of the 

 manor courts was destroyed by the for- 

 mation of a Court of Request in 1839, 

 and the County Court in 1847; Fishwick, 

 op. cit. 30. 



65 The area was a little larger than that 

 of the commissioners' authority, the three- 

 quarters of a mile distance being measured 

 from the edge of the market-place instead 

 of from its centre. For the members, 

 including Richard Cobden (1859-65), see 

 Pink and Beaven, Lanes. Parl. Repre, 

 331-5- 



193 



66 Baines, op. cit. 



'7 Pink and Beaven, op. cit. ; by the 

 Act 31 & 32 Viet. cap. 46. 



68 Fishwick, Rochdale, 63 ; by the Act 

 35 & 36 Viet. cap. 49. 



68a Information of the Town Clerk. 

 The old townships were abolished ; Local 

 Govt. Bd. Order 31646. 



69 Local Govt. Bd. Order P. 1639. 



70 Baines, i, 495 ; the corner-stone was 

 laid in 1866. It stands on the site of an 

 old house called the Wood ; Fishwick, op. 

 cit 333~ 6 - 



7* A circulating library was established 

 as early as 1770 ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 

 1868), i, 501 ; N. and Q. (5th Sen), ii, 

 113. 



7 J In 1760 there was a small reservoir 

 in Leyland Brow near the church steps. 

 It was in private hands and purchased by 

 the company formed in 1809 ; Fishwick, 

 op. cit. 62. See also Baines, op. cit. i, 

 494. 



'* A dispute as to the price charged for 

 lighting the public lamps led to the Act of 

 1844, mentioned above, by which the gas- 

 works were acquired by the commis- 

 sioners. 



7< Fishwick, op. cit. 63; 'The old 

 stalls in the streets were then done away 

 with . . . The lord of the manor re- 

 served the right to hold fairs, &c., and as 

 late as 1872 the horse fair was held in 

 Chectham Street. The right was then 

 purchased by the Corporation, who have 

 provided ground for fairs and cattle 

 markets.' 



25 



