BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



The chapel of ST. MART AND 

 CHURCH ALL SAINTS, GOODSHAW, was 

 one of those built to serve the growing 

 population of Rossendale after the disforesting. An 

 agreement was made in 1540 between George 

 Ormerod of Crawshaw Booth and others and 

 Thurstan Birtwisle of the Goodshaw and others for 

 the building of a small chapel at Morrell Heights, 

 where the inhabitants of Crawshaw Booth, Good- 

 shaw, Gambleside and Love Clough might hear 

 mass and other divine service." This existed till 

 1780, when it was rebuilt, being renewed again in 

 1828.'' There was no maintenance for a priest 

 beyond what the people might contribute. The 

 building and its chalice were confiscated by the 

 Crown in 1548, but the chapel was repurchased by 

 the inhabitants." After that time it was probably 

 served but irregularly, but in 1610, though it was 

 not parochial, a minister was maintained there ' by 

 benevolence."" In 1650 there was neither minister 

 nor maintenance beyond a house worth 10/. a year.'' 

 About 1717 there was still no endowment beyond 

 the cottage let for loj-. a year, and the ' inconsiderable 

 contributions ' of the people were ill paid. The 

 curate of Altham read the service and preached 

 there once a fortnight, and in 1724 the curate of 

 Haslingden served it.^' Goodshaw remained a chapelry 

 to Haslingden till 1849 ; the curates were nominated 

 by the vicar of Whalley, but since its independence 

 the Hulme Trustees have been patrons. The net 

 value of the vicarage is now returned as ^256.^' 

 The following have been incumbents ^* : — 



1738 John Uttley, M.A. (Glasgow) 



1 78 1 Richard Ortt 



1789 John Bailey 



1790 George Casson 

 1 801 John Dawes 



1 81 3 John Haworth 



1 8 14 George Haworth 



1836 Ebenezer Brown Allen, B.A. 



1839 Henry Howorth, B.A. 



1 848 James Bell '* 



1854 John Howard 



1888 Abraham Spencer, M.A. (Brasenose Coll., 



Oxf) 

 1892 Alfred Bedson, M.A. (Brasenose Coll., 



Oxf) 

 I goo Richard Newman, M.A. (Brasenose Coll., 



Oxf.) 

 1905 James William Wilkinson, M.A. (Dur.) 

 1909 Alfred Edward Rubie, D.D. (Brasenose 



Coll., Oxf.) 

 St. John's, Crawshaw Booth, was built in 1892 ; 



the patronage is vested in trustees. A district was 

 assigned to it in 1899. 



The Wesleyan Methodists had a church at Craw- 

 shaw Booth as early as i8il ; the present one was 

 built in 1867; the Primitive Methodists also have 

 one there ; while Free Methodists have Providence 

 Chapel (1871) at Love Clough. 



The Baptists have churches at Goodshaw and at 

 Sunnyside in Crawshaw Booth '" ; the former of these 

 goes back to 1747 and the latter to 1847. A small 

 Particular Baptist chapel was built at Goodshaw in 

 1852." There was formerly a General Baptist 

 chapel at Gambleside, 1 844.'' 



In 1689 the Quakers had a meeting-house ' in the 

 forest of Rossendale.' '° Again, in 1 7 1 7, Bishop 

 Gastrell mentions one under Haslingden," with ten 

 families. This is probably that at Crawshaw Booth 

 still in use. 



John Walmsley of Love Clough in 

 CHARITY 1884 left part of his estate, now 

 represented by ^£410 Blackburn Cor- 

 poration Stock, to provide an annual distribution to 

 the poor of Higher Booths on 2 i December. The 

 income, £1^ js., is distributed at Goodshaw accord- 

 ingly, in doles of from 5/. to 10/." 



There was formerly a fund producing £j a year 

 for the poor of the chapelry, and in 1826 James 

 Hargreaves distributed 20/. a year, supposed to repre- 

 sent part of it. Nothing is now known about it. 



LOWER BOOTHS 



Rowtonstall, Cunstabellegh, 1323. 



Hokenhevedd, c. 1300 ; Okenheved, 1305. 



Lower Booths is another district taken from Rossen- 

 dale Forest, lying mainly in the lower land near the 

 Irwell and along the stream which flows south through 

 Higher Booths ; but it has three detached portions 

 to the north-west on the border of Accrington and 

 other three to the east in the middle of Newchurch. 

 The three principal divisions of Lower Booths are 

 Rawtcnstall, Constable Lee or Constablee, and 

 Oakenhead Wood, with areas of 1 10, 403^ and 

 643 acres respectively. The modern town of Rawten- 

 stall is built on both sides of the stream above- 

 mentioned and extends to the Irwell ; it occupies 

 portions of each of the above three divisions of this 

 township and part of Newchurch also. The total 

 area of the township is 1,600 acres, and in 1 90 1 there 

 was a population of 7,931, chiefly in Rawtenstall. 



The roads naturally follow the streams. One road 

 leads eastwards from Haslingden through the south 

 end of Rawtenstall along the Irwell to Bacup. This 



^' Newblgging, i?0J5fn(/fl/c, 134-6. Th<- 

 building was to be ' made, thacked and 

 finished' before 20 July 1541. Its 

 dimensions were : length 16 yards, breadth 

 7 yards and height 3 yards ; it was to 

 have two doors and three windows of 

 stone. The parties to the indenture were 

 responsible each for a moiety of the cost. 



^' Manch. Dioc. Dir. A brief to aid the 

 rebuilding was issued in 1783. 



*' Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc), 277, 

 269. 



'» Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xIt, App. Iv, 10. 



" Common'w. Ch, Surv. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 168. 



32 Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), 

 ii, 331. 



33 Manch. Dioc. Dir. 



»^ Church Papers at Chester. These 

 papers show that in 1705 Edward Meatham 

 was appointed after the chapel had been 

 vacant over twelve months ; then John 

 Nov.'ell and Joshua Nuttall, dates un- 

 certain -, 1726, Richard Walmsley, B.A. 

 (Christ's Coll., Camb.) ; 1728, William 

 Norcross, after whose departure the 

 chapel was vacant for a considerable 

 time. 



35 Newbigging, loc. cit. 



3'' *Mr. John NuLtall was pastor of the 

 Particular Baptist Church at Goodshaw 

 Chapel. He began his labours in this 

 neighbourhood in the year 1747. By his 

 ministry the church was raised, and he 



435 



commenced pastor of it about 1749, and 

 left it in a flourishing state at the time 

 of his exit, which was 30 Mar. 1792' ; 

 Rippon, Bapt, Reg. ii, 99. 



■*' These were known as Gadsbyites ; 

 Newbigging, iJojj^ni/a/f, 155. 



38 Ibid. 



39 Hht. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 

 230. 



^^ The meeting at Crawshaw Uooth Is 

 named In the Life of George Griffith, who 

 visited England in 1748. The deeds go 

 back only to 1753 ; Quaker Char. Rep. 

 1905. 



*^ End. Char. Rep. for Newchurch in 

 Rossendale, 1901. 



