A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



A school was founded in 1726.** From 1739 till 

 his death in 1786 the master was the celebrated John 

 Collier, known as ' Tim Bobbin,' author of A View 

 of the Lancashire Dialect? 1 



There are several modern churches in the township. 

 In connexion with the Church of England, St. Thomas's, 

 Newhey, was built in 1876 ; w the Bishop of Man- 

 chester is patron. There are Wesleyan, Primitive and 

 Free Methodist chapels at Belfield, Milnrow, and 

 Newhey, and a Baptist chapel at Ogden. There is 

 also a Congregational chapel at Milnrow. 89 



HUNDERSFIELD 



Hunnordesfeld, 1202; Hunewrthefeld, 1235; 

 Humfridesfeld, Hunneswurthefeld, Hunwurthfeld, 

 1246; Hunresfeld, Hunderesfeld, 1301 ; Hunrettes- 

 feld, Hunrisfeld, I 306 ; Honersfeld, 1338; Honores- 

 feld, 1361. 



Wirdehill, Wordehill, 1324. 



Todmerdene, 1304. 



This ancient township, divided from Spotland by 

 the summit of the high land to the west, occupies the 

 upper part of the Roch valley and also takes in the 

 southerly side of the Calder valley above Todmorden ; 

 it has a total area of 16,077 acres. On the east it is 

 bounded by Blackstone Edge and other hills dividing 

 Lancashire from Yorkshire. 



It was later divided into four townships ; 



WARDLEWORTH, a triangular township to the 

 north of Rochdale, having an area of 766 acres. The 

 surface slopes gradually from about 700 ft. on the 

 northern border to less than 400 ft. on the southern. 



WUERDLE and WARDLE, to the north of 

 Wardleworth, situate in a broad valley between the 

 higher lands on north, west, and east. It has an area of 

 3,523 acres, Wuerdle having 987, and Wardle 2,536. 



BLATCHINWORTH and CALDERBROOK, to 

 the east of the last-named township, has an area of 

 4,781 acres, of which Blatchinworth has 2,221. It 

 occupies the Roch Valley, the hills rising to 1,200 ft. 

 on the west, and 1,550 ft. on the east. It contains 

 the ancient chapelry of Littleborough, a growing town 

 situated in a rich valley. 



TODMORDEN and WALSDEN occupies the 



northern slope of the hills, as the surface descends to 

 the Calder. The scenery is fine. 1 It has an area of 

 7,007 acres, the respective hamlets having 2,954^ and 

 4,05 2 J. Todmorden has long been a chapelry. 



The principal road is that from Rochdale north- 

 east and north through Littleborough and Todmorden, 

 and thence north-west to Burnley. Over Blackstone 

 Edge is an ancient road into Yorkshire. 1 By the side 

 of the Todmorden road almost all the way are the 

 Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway, and the 

 Rochdale canal. The railway has a tunnel known as 

 Summit tunnel, over a mile and a half long, under 

 the highest part of the hills ; there are stations at 

 Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Walsden, and Todmor- 

 den ; also one at Portsmouth on the Burnley branch. 

 The same company's line from Rochdale to Bacup 

 crosses Wardleworth, and has a station so named. A 

 large reservoir in Ramsden valley, Walsden, belongs to 

 the Corporation of Rochdale. 



At Wardle an agricultural show was established 

 as early as 1839.* 



There are remains of ancient iron works in Walsden. 

 Mines and forges are known to have existed in 1235.* 



Among the celebrities of the district are David 

 Crossley, a Baptist minister, born near Todmorden in 

 1670 (d. 1744) ; and James Leach, a musical com- 

 poser, who was born at Wardle in 1762, and died at 

 Salford in 1798.* 



The local board district of Wuerdle and Wardle 

 was formed in 1874 ; 6 the board had five members. 

 In 1 894 the new township of Wardle was constituted ; 

 the urban council has nine members. At Little- 

 borough, likewise, a local board of nine members, con- 

 stituted in i87O, 7 has been, since 1894, an urban 

 council of twelve members elected by four wards, the 

 district being formed into an independent township. 

 At Littleborough is a Carnegie free library. 



WUERDLE AND WARDLE 



In Wardle the principal manor-house 



MANORS was STUBLET, the seat of the Holt 



family, 8 who, as already shown, acquired 



a sixth portion of the manor of Rochdale about 1 3 5 3- 9 



The early history of the family is obscure, 10 but Thomas 



86 End. Char. Rep. 1 904, p. i o. 



8 ? He was son of John Collier, curate 

 of Eccles, and was baptized at Flixton ; 

 he was in youth apprenticed to a weaver, 

 but afterwards became usher at Milnrow, 

 succeeding to the mastership. He died at 

 Milnrow on 14 July 1786, and was buried 

 at Rochdale ; see Diet. Nat. Biog. ; Fish- 

 wick, Lanes. Lib. 248, &c., and Rochdale, 

 280. 



88 Land. Gaz. 4 Apr. and 5 May 1876, 

 for district and endowment. 



89 A chapel, erected for the Countess 

 of Huntingdon's Connexion, was purchased 

 in 1867 ; Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. iii, 



253- 



1 The valley has been named the 

 ' Happy Valley ' ; Munch. Guard. N. and Q. 

 no. 463. At Inchfield a height of nearly 

 1, 500 ft. is attained. 



2 In 1291 a toll was allowed to Hugh 

 de Eland and Richard de Radcliffe, who 

 undertook to repair the causeway ; Cal. 

 Pat. 1281-92, p. 440. An Act for improv- 

 ing the road over Blackstone Edge was 

 passed in 1735 ; 8 Geo. II, cap. 7. 



8 Fishwick, Rochdale, 103. 



4 See Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 69 ; Fishwick, op. cit. 112. 



5 Notices of them are in Diet. Nat. Biog. 



6 Land. Gaz. 10 July 1874. The dis- 

 trict was extended to include part of Rut- 

 terworth in 1879 by 42 & 43 Viet. cap. 

 86. Part of the township was added to 

 Rochdale in 1872 ; 35 & 36 Viet. cap. 49. 



7 Land. Gaz. 17 May 1870. As in the 

 case of Wuerdle and Wardle, the district 

 was extended in 1879. 



8 Before the Holts acquired it a Stubley 

 family is supposed to have held it ; see 

 Raines in Notitia Cettr, ii, 136 ; Fish- 

 wick, Rochdale, 423. 



* See above, and Assize R. 435, m. 

 18 d. 8. 



10 A John de Holt of Colne, and an- 

 other of Read contributed to the subsidy 

 of 1 3 32 ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), 85, 86. John son of Hugh del 

 Holt, and Geoffrey del Holt are named 

 in 1333 ; Cal. Pat. 1330-4, p. 498. 



Geoffrey son of John del Holt in 1345 

 purchased lands in Bury which seem after- 

 wards to have been called the ' manor ' of 

 Chesham ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes. 



222 



and Ches.), ii, 121. John del Holt of 

 Salfordshire and his sons Geoffrey 

 and Roger were among the defen- 

 dants in the Pilkingtons' claim for the 

 manor of Bury at Michaelmas 1351 ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, m. 7. John 

 and his son Roger appear in the claim to 

 lands in Tottington in December 1355 ; 

 ibid. R. 4, m. 28 d. John del Holt the elder 

 was a defendant in a Hundersfield and Spot- 

 land suit in July 1357 ; ibid. R. 6, m. 8. 



Geoffrey son of John del Holt acquired 

 land in Stakehill and Gooden in 1330 

 and 1357; Agecroft D. no. 336, 338. 

 In 1353, as already stated, he pur- 

 chased the Lacy of Cromwellbottom share 

 of Rochdale. He was killed at Spotland 

 in 1372, John son of John de Ainsworth 

 and others shooting him with arrows ; 

 Coram Rege R. 449, Rex m.i. His brother, 

 Hugh del Holt, about the same time ac- 

 quired Ashworth. 



Robert son of Geoffrey del Holt in 1 388 

 made a settlement of his messuages and 

 lands in Hundersfield, Castleton, Spotland, 

 Middleton, Bury, and Heaton Norris ; 

 Final Cone, iii, 3 1, and Duchy of Lane. Inq. 



