Prestwich-cum-Oldham
Encyclopedia
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was an ancient ecclesiastical parish
of the hundred of Salford
, within the historic county boundaries
of Lancashire
, England. With the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich as its centre, this parish encompassed a total of ten township
s, and within them, several smaller chapelries
.
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was divided in to two non-contiguous sections: the townships of Great Heaton
, Little Heaton, Pilkington
, and Prestwich
on the west; Alkrington
, Tonge
, Chadderton
, Crompton
, Oldham
and Royton
on the east. The parish of Middleton
divided these two portions of Prestwich-cum-Oldham from north to south. The parish covered 21625 acres (87.5 km²) and was noted in 1851 to have a population of 94,470, and again in 1861, to have 117,961.
and West Pennine Moors
that had one early-medieval church building between them. Prestwich-cum-Oldham traces its existence to the colony of priest
s whose presence gave Prestwich its name, as well as tithe
s, levies and terms of land-tenure related to the ancient Royal Manor of Tottington
, a unit used for governance in the manorial system
that spanned most of the territory. Stretching for 13 miles (21 km) from east to west from the High Middle Ages
onwards, Prestwich-cum-Oldham was probably larger in extent in earlier times; documents suggest an ecclesiastical connection with Radcliffe
and Middleton
. Manorialism in the parish was comparatively weak when compared nationally; ruling families were either non-resident or of "only local importance". An exception was the Pilkingtons, from the western portion of the parish, who ranked "among the great families of the county". However, their military allegiance to Richard III, King of England and the House of York
during the Wars of the Roses
brought about their overthrow in the late-15th century.
The rector
of Prestwich-cum-Oldham "was at first reluctantly compliant and then an avowed opponent" to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement
of 1559, however, there is little other evidence of opposition to the English Reformation
and the established church
. Nevertheless, it is one of only a few parishes in England in which any resistance was made; there was a show of popular support for the abolition of the Book of Common Prayer
and Episcopal polity
in favour of Presbyterian polity
supported by presbyter
s in the parish of Manchester
. By 1662, the rector of Prestwich-cum-Oldham complied with Anglicanism
, but the curate
of Oldham, St Mary's
was expelled for preaching nonconformism
; chapels at Stand
and Greenacres
span virtually the whole history of non-conformity in the United Kingdom, as does a meeting-house at Royton
to the Religious Society of Friends
.
The parish remained comparatively rural
until the Industrial Revolution
; some townships, such as Royton
, had primitive domestic manufactories and traded goods at the markets in Rochdale
and Manchester
. The introduction of the factory system
to Oldham, Chadderton, Crompton and Royton, led to the demise of arable land
via rapid urbanisation and industrialisation
. This gave rise to the eastern portion as the predominant partner of the parish, despite it being under the authority of the church at Prestwich.
Objections to Prestwich's dominance of the parish existed from an early time; there had been a chapel of ease
at Crompton since at least the early 16th century, but, due to ecclesiastical arrangements in Prestwich-cum-Oldham, the inhabitants were obliged to contribute money towards Oldham Church, which in turn had obligation to the mother Church of St Mary the Virgin at Prestwich. On several occasions during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Archdeacon
of the Diocese of Chester had to intervene because Crompton's inhabitants refused to contribute monies towards holy bread and candles used at Prestwich.
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was dissolved in the 20th century.
Prestwich-cum-Oldham lay within the Diocese of Lichfield
, until 1541, when this diocese was divided and Prestwich-cum-Oldham became part of the Diocese of Chester
. This in turn was divided in 1847, when the present Diocese of Manchester
was created.
Many of Prestwich-cum-Oldham's townships had no medieval church of their own. For ritual baptisms, marriages and burials, the people had to travel to St Mary's, Prestwich, or else churches that lay outside the parish's boundaries, such as St Leonard's, Middleton. Oldham, though remaining nominally a chapelry into the 20th century, effectively secured independence for the eastern portion of Prestwich-cum-Oldham.
The area of the whole is 22,022½ acres. The geology of the entire parish is represented by the Coal Measures
, and on the eastward side of a line drawn from High Crompton
to Greenacres
, of the Lower Coal Measures or Gannister Beds.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of the hundred of Salford
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
, within the historic county boundaries
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. With the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich as its centre, this parish encompassed a total of ten township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
s, and within them, several smaller chapelries
Chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...
.
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was divided in to two non-contiguous sections: the townships of Great Heaton
Great Heaton
Great Heaton was a township in the parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham and hundred of Salford, in Lancashire, England. It was occupied land between Prestwich and Manchester, near Heaton Park....
, Little Heaton, Pilkington
Pilkington (ancient township)
Pilkington was a township in the parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham, hundred of Salford and county of Lancashire, in northern England.-Manor:The Pilkington family can be traced from about 1200. The senior line acquired the manor of Bury when Roger Pilkington who died in about 1347, married Alice Bury...
, and Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
on the west; Alkrington
Alkrington
Alkrington Garden Village, more commonly known as Alkrington, is a suburb of Middleton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England....
, Tonge
Tonge
-People:*Jenny Tonge, British politician*Israel Tonge, English devine*Roger Tonge, British actor*Michael Tonge, English footballer*Dale Tonge, English footballer*Gavin Tonge, West-Indian cricketer-Places:...
, Chadderton
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire...
, Crompton
Shaw and Crompton
Shaw and Crompton is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, north of Oldham, southeast of Rochdale, and to the northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
and Royton
Royton
Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies by the source of the River Irk, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines, north-northwest of Oldham, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a...
on the east. The parish of Middleton
Middleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
divided these two portions of Prestwich-cum-Oldham from north to south. The parish covered 21625 acres (87.5 km²) and was noted in 1851 to have a population of 94,470, and again in 1861, to have 117,961.
History
The parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham has "no united history", and instead was a loose affiliation of rural townships between the South PenninesSouth Pennines
South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. It is bounded to the west by the Forest of Rossendale and the Yorkshire Dales to the north...
and West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
that had one early-medieval church building between them. Prestwich-cum-Oldham traces its existence to the colony of priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s whose presence gave Prestwich its name, as well as tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s, levies and terms of land-tenure related to the ancient Royal Manor of Tottington
Tottington, Greater Manchester
Tottington is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, Tottington's early history is marked by its status as an important Medieval fee, a type of Royal Manor which encompassed several townships...
, a unit used for governance in the manorial system
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
that spanned most of the territory. Stretching for 13 miles (21 km) from east to west from the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
onwards, Prestwich-cum-Oldham was probably larger in extent in earlier times; documents suggest an ecclesiastical connection with Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
and Middleton
Middleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
. Manorialism in the parish was comparatively weak when compared nationally; ruling families were either non-resident or of "only local importance". An exception was the Pilkingtons, from the western portion of the parish, who ranked "among the great families of the county". However, their military allegiance to Richard III, King of England and the House of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
brought about their overthrow in the late-15th century.
The rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Prestwich-cum-Oldham "was at first reluctantly compliant and then an avowed opponent" to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement
Elizabethan Religious Settlement
The Elizabethan Religious Settlement was Elizabeth I’s response to the religious divisions created over the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I. This response, described as "The Revolution of 1559", was set out in two Acts of the Parliament of England...
of 1559, however, there is little other evidence of opposition to the English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
and the established church
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Nevertheless, it is one of only a few parishes in England in which any resistance was made; there was a show of popular support for the abolition of the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
and Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
in favour of Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity
Presbyterian polity is a method of church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or consistory, though other terms, such as church board, may apply...
supported by presbyter
Presbyter
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
s in the parish of Manchester
Manchester (ancient parish)
Manchester was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, in Lancashire, England. It encompassed several townships and chapelries, including the then township of Manchester...
. By 1662, the rector of Prestwich-cum-Oldham complied with Anglicanism
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
, but the curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of Oldham, St Mary's
Oldham Parish Church
The Oldham Parish Church of St. Mary with St. Peter is the Church of England parish church for Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It forms part of the Diocese of Manchester, and is one of several Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester....
was expelled for preaching nonconformism
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
; chapels at Stand
Stand, Greater Manchester
Stand is a village in Greater Manchester, England near Radcliffe. It is a residential area. There is no agreed origin of the name....
and Greenacres
Greenacres, Greater Manchester
Greenacres , or archaically Greenacres Moor, is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the west side of the River Medlock opposite the village of Lees....
span virtually the whole history of non-conformity in the United Kingdom, as does a meeting-house at Royton
Royton
Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies by the source of the River Irk, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines, north-northwest of Oldham, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a...
to the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
.
The parish remained comparatively rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
until the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
; some townships, such as Royton
Royton
Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies by the source of the River Irk, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines, north-northwest of Oldham, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a...
, had primitive domestic manufactories and traded goods at the markets in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The introduction of the factory system
Factory system
The factory system was a method of manufacturing first adopted in England at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 1750s and later spread abroad. Fundamentally, each worker created a separate part of the total assembly of a product, thus increasing the efficiency of factories. Workers,...
to Oldham, Chadderton, Crompton and Royton, led to the demise of arable land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
via rapid urbanisation and industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
. This gave rise to the eastern portion as the predominant partner of the parish, despite it being under the authority of the church at Prestwich.
Objections to Prestwich's dominance of the parish existed from an early time; there had been a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
at Crompton since at least the early 16th century, but, due to ecclesiastical arrangements in Prestwich-cum-Oldham, the inhabitants were obliged to contribute money towards Oldham Church, which in turn had obligation to the mother Church of St Mary the Virgin at Prestwich. On several occasions during the 15th and 16th centuries, the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of the Diocese of Chester had to intervene because Crompton's inhabitants refused to contribute monies towards holy bread and candles used at Prestwich.
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was dissolved in the 20th century.
Churches and rituals
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
, until 1541, when this diocese was divided and Prestwich-cum-Oldham became part of the Diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
. This in turn was divided in 1847, when the present Diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
was created.
Many of Prestwich-cum-Oldham's townships had no medieval church of their own. For ritual baptisms, marriages and burials, the people had to travel to St Mary's, Prestwich, or else churches that lay outside the parish's boundaries, such as St Leonard's, Middleton. Oldham, though remaining nominally a chapelry into the 20th century, effectively secured independence for the eastern portion of Prestwich-cum-Oldham.
Constituent areas
Prestwich-cum-Oldham comprised ten townships during the greater part of its history. These were not static, and changed according to the construction of churches and chapels and increases in population. Similarly, Prestwich-cum-Oldham was later split into two separate parishes of Prestwich and Oldham.The area of the whole is 22,022½ acres. The geology of the entire parish is represented by the Coal Measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
, and on the eastward side of a line drawn from High Crompton
High Crompton
High Crompton is a locality in the west of the Shaw and Crompton parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is formed around High Crompton Park and Rochdale Road....
to Greenacres
Greenacres, Greater Manchester
Greenacres , or archaically Greenacres Moor, is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the west side of the River Medlock opposite the village of Lees....
, of the Lower Coal Measures or Gannister Beds.
| Parish | Township | Area (In 1911) |
Notes | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prestwich-cum-Oldham | Alkrington Alkrington Alkrington Garden Village, more commonly known as Alkrington, is a suburb of Middleton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England.... |
797 acres (3.2 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53004 | |
| Chadderton Chadderton Chadderton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of Lancashire... |
3138 acres (12.7 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53010 | ||
| Crompton Shaw and Crompton Shaw and Crompton is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, north of Oldham, southeast of Rochdale, and to the northeast of the city of Manchester... |
2864.5 acres (1,159.2 ha) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53008 | ||
| Great Heaton Great Heaton Great Heaton was a township in the parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham and hundred of Salford, in Lancashire, England. It was occupied land between Prestwich and Manchester, near Heaton Park.... |
875 acres (3.5 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53003 | ||
| Little Heaton | 532 acres (2.2 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53003 | ||
| Oldham Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester... |
4665 acres (18.9 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53007 | ||
| Pilkington Pilkington (ancient township) Pilkington was a township in the parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham, hundred of Salford and county of Lancashire, in northern England.-Manor:The Pilkington family can be traced from about 1200. The senior line acquired the manor of Bury when Roger Pilkington who died in about 1347, married Alice Bury... |
5469 acres (22.1 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53006 | ||
| Prestwich Prestwich Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury.... |
1917.5 acres (776 ha) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53002 | ||
| Royton Royton Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies by the source of the River Irk, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines, north-northwest of Oldham, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a... |
1372 acres (5.6 km²) | The suburb of Thornham Thornham, Greater Manchester Thornham is the name of a suburban area and ecclesiastical parish overlapping the towns of Middleton, Royton and Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England... formed its own township, and lay within the parish of Middleton Middleton, Greater Manchester Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester... . |
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53009 | |
| Tonge Tonge -People:*Jenny Tonge, British politician*Israel Tonge, English devine*Roger Tonge, British actor*Michael Tonge, English footballer*Dale Tonge, English footballer*Gavin Tonge, West-Indian cricketer-Places:... |
392 acres (1.6 km²) | http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53005 |