H I STOR I CAL AC C GUNT T H E T O \V N S - - N ASH TON UNDER LY E, TA YB I GE L . S L R D , AND DUKINFIE D BY EDWIN U B TTERWORTH , B U S H , NE A R O L D H A M . AS H TON r m x m I u u o BY T . A H I P S S A ONER a o m m ss . P LL , T TI , , . 1 8 4 9 . P R E F A C E . TH E Author of the se p age s fe el s con scious tha t he has e n d e a oure d as far as hi s hum bl e o or uni v , pp t ie s ermi e d to su l a on ise ske h of the t p tt , pp y c c tc H i s or and To o ra h of Ash on - un d er - L n e t y p g p y t y , S al brid e an d D ukinfi eld he re ore s ar el t y g , t f , c c y any ap ology i s n e c e ssary in in troducin g the b ook . A c om prehen siv e l ocal history is ge n erally adm itte d t o b e u se ul an d if the re se n sli h rodu ion f ; , p t g t p ct shoul d hav e the good fortun e t o b e d e em e d t o b e in an wa ond u i e to the ubli ood the ishe s y y c c v p c g , W of t he ri r l e l z w t e Wil b e am ply r a i e d . E DWI N B UTTE RWORTH . B K D U S , OL H A M , D r M e c embe 9 , 184 1 . H I T O R Y & c . S , TH E PARISH of A SH TON - U N D E R - L Y N E is within the archde acom C diocese of Chester , the y of hester , and the deanery of Manchester ; the county palatine of Lancaster or Lancashire ; the representative and assi ze division of South L an cashii ' e ; the hundr ed of Salford ; the magis t e rial division of Ashton - under - Lyne ; and the county - - division polling district of Ashton under Lyne . The Parish is in one of the south - eastern parts of the u h co nty , bounded by the adjacent p aris es of two adjoining - - . O u counties Yorkshire and Cheshire the north east , di a brook separates it from the strict of Quick , in the ar l p ochial chape ry of Saddleworth , in the county of fr . O n om York the east , the river Tame divides it the n hamlet of Micklehurst , in Tintwistle , and the tow ship of - in - n Staley , both in the parish of Mottram Lo gdendale , in the county palatine of Chester ; on the south , the same from n D ukinfie ld stream marks its limits the tow ship of , r C . in the pa ish of Stockport , likewise in heshire The Tame afterwards winding to the south , becomes the s - outh east boundary of the parish , Where it is bordered kinfie ld r O D u . u by , in the pa ish and county just named - - the the south south west , the district is bounded by t n w e ow ship of Haughton , and the to nship and chap lry of HI STORY OF e the - D nton ; on south west , by the township and chapelry the of Gorton ; on west , by the townships of Droylsden and F . ailsworth Haughton , Denton , Gorton , Droylsden , M . O u and Failsworth , are in the parish of anchester the north , the parish is bounded by the township , parochial - . r chapelry , and borough of Oldham The north no th - - - east , north north west , west , and south west boundary lines are chie fly imaginary . The form of this parochial e e tract is n arly a square , render d oblong by a narrow - arm on the north east , intervening betwixt Oldham and e - Saddl worth , and a broader portion on the south west , proj e cting betwixt Gorton and D ukinfie ld . The len th the g of the Parish , from Shepley Hall , at - - e C - south south west extr mity , to ross , at the north north l east limit , is estimated at six and a half computed mi es ; the br a d th f C ats Alle r e , rom y , near the west bo der , to fiv e . Bottoms , at the eastern verge , is about miles The breadth of the north - east limb is g e ue rally about a quarter of a mile ; and of the south -west angle upwards of a mile and a half. ous The entire surface of the district comprises , t om ar a cr e s d y , , as ascertaine in the survey made fifte e nth 5 for the assessment of a on each estate , in i th James I . The number of statute acres is about d ivision s v iz There are four principal in the parish , - a . Ashton Town , Hartshead , Knott L nes , and Audenshaw Ashton Town (now a parliamentary borough) is the most l populous , yet the smal est ; no portion of it being above ’ - - 5 ASHTON UNDER L Y NE . t a mile from the centre of the town . It is on he south r side of the parish , lined on the south by the rive Tame , and possesses no subordi nate divisions as yet . Harts head , the largest of the four divisions , stretches to the - an d in east , north east, north of the town , extend g to the centre of the parish . It contains the inferior districts L uzle - i - i or hamlets of y W th Lanes , (includ ng a portion of the town of Stalybridge) , Mossley , Hartshead , Hazle - Sm all shaw . hurst , Lyme , , and Hurst Knott Lanes is of e - - irr gular form , narrow in its north east and south west in parts , and expanding the centre it is situated to the e n north and north ast of the tow , and is detached from Ashton Town division by parts of Hartshead and Auden - h rnl e e . C T o shaw Its sub divisions are ross Bank , Lees , - l P . cum High Knowles , Alt Edge , Alt , Alt Hil , and ark Audenshaw extends ove r the Whole of the we stem side l - - of the parish , and ies north west , west , and south west . M of the town It is divided into Shepley , Little oss , e dh — VVoo ouse s il . Wat rhouses , and , v ls or hamlets The sub n di striots mentioned here are those enumerated in the f Fi teenth Book ; and , strictly speaking , they are still the only proper divisions ; but an incre ase of popul ation has a we find dded to the number of villages , whence , in the se r m as ssment books of the last and present centu y , nu e o rous places of m dern growth represented as hamlets , or n ll i scribed as vi ages , that have taken the lead of their i or several div sions , , in name , superseded such of the an cient spots as have not increas e d to an equal degree of - . Ai i consequence Dr k n and M r. Baines have stated the l all e following p aces , of r cent creation , as hamlets of o - n e -L n e z— t C r e e Asht n u d r y Bos on , ha l stown , (adjac nt to B 2 6 HI STORY OF and now part of Ashton Town) , Stalybridge , Sour Acre , (not , as often erroneously written , Tower Acre) , Hey - - a . R id ehill Ch pel , and Hooley Hill Stalybridge , g Lane , L u zl e and Sour Acre , are parts of the ancient hamlet of y - C e with Lanes . Hey or Hey hapel is a mod rn portion of e now n the anci nt hamlet of Lees , commo ly expressed - - - W P a Lees cum Hey . Knott Lanes and ood rk hamlets h ave been taken from the ancient hamlet of P ark a - . The considerable time name of Knott Lanes , as applied i to a division , is anc ent ; but , as used for a village or ham n. So : let , moder it is With Audenshaw the division is but v of considerable antiquity , the illage or hamlet of that name is comparatively mode rn . The hamlets or villages of Audenshaw and Hooley- Hill are portions of the ancient haml e t of Shepley . The TO W N and B OR OU GH of Ashton -under-Lyne are situated within the division of the town . The borough co- h and division are extensive . T e town occupie s the is fl at greater part of the division , and built upon the e the of an extending emin nce , Which is steep on south , m and rises fro the northern bank of the river Tame . u fiv e i C n The town is pwards of m les from ross Ba k , - -f the most distant part of the parish , to the north north mi P east ; two and a half les from Wood ark , the northern k - extremity ; two miles or upwards from Buc ley Hill , the western point ; about two miles from the termination H - ] - of ooley Hil , the south west verge ; and the same e od h re s e c H r .