INTRODUCTION TO LITTLEBOROUGH’S HISTORY

The revised website has included a couple of Summary Pages which provide an overview of Littleborough which may satisfy your initial curiosity. These include links to more detailed pages. Some pages are drop-down pages from a MAIN HEADING such as Textiles which may provide the details you require.

The SUMMARY PAGES are:

INDUSTRY - TRANSPORT which provide on one page brief details of most of the important industries in Littleborough many of which have now long gone

LIVING - a one page summary information on Housing including, Leisure, Churches, Chapels and Schools

In the sections below are introductions t the basic Geography of Littleborough and brief over-view of the towns history

If you wish to go direct to the more detailed pages use the kinks below:

Textiles. Cotton and Wool - including Fothergill and Harvey, Heap’s, the Consterdine’s. Schofield’s, Clegg of Shore; Law's and various mills across Littleborough. plus the Rakewood area mills, Smithy Bridge and area mills, and Python and Atlas Rayon Mills. Also synthetic fibre manufacturing, weaving, finished products. Textile Finishing - including Heap’s, Gale Print works, Ealees, Grove, Littleborough and Calderbrook Dyeworks, Clough works

Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals and Engineering based Industries - including Phoenix Engineering, Ebor Engineering and Schofield Foundry

Coal and Clay mining. Brick and Tile works including Summit and Rake Brickworks, Tetlow's, Hall and Rogers and Starring Pottery and smaller works.

Natural product related Industries - including Abattoir, Fellmongering, the Tannery and a Glue Works.

Food

Transport - including

Trams
Road Frieght - including numerous haulage companies

Remember you can always email elboroistry@gmail.com

Greater Littleborough's Geography

Littleborough is surrounded by the Pennine Moors which rise to over 1,500 feet on Blackstone Edge. The town sits in two main and other smaller valleys which come together in the town centre near to the railway stations. The main valley leads up to Summit through which the River Roch, Halifax Road, Canal and Railway also pass and is the location of the large textile complex at Rock Nook and Green Vale. Off this, one heads to Lead Clough Sladen and Lydgate toward Blackstone Edge The other main valley to the south is Longden End Clough which stretches beyond Rakewood and its viaduct towards Windy Hill. Both the M62 and its brook pass along the clough passing by Rakewood Upper Mill and the remains of closed mills. The brook feeds Hollingworth Lake before exiting via Ealees to join the River Roch next to the end of the station car park. On the northern side of Todmorden Road, Town House brook enters the River Roch on Gale Flats having travelled south from the Shore Moo via Long Clough above Greenhill Chapel. Another water courses joins the Roch having passed though Fetherstall, also feeding off Shore Moor. To the west, Littleborough's border ends at Hurstead/Birch Hill, Little Clegg and not far west of the lake. The town has a long border with west Yorkshire travelling along the crest of Blackstone Edge and the moors to the north crossing the Summit Gap near to Steanor Bottom Toll House and the Moors above Calderbrook.

See the National Library of Scotland for old Ordnance survey Maps.

Historical Overview

Littleborough as seen from Blackstone Edge

Pre and Roman Era

There is little doubt that Stone Age man roamed the local moors as the History Society's fine collection of flints and Microliths from the Mesolithic era demonstrates.

Later the finding of a Bronze Torque at Mawrode (above Summit) and now in the British Museum (copy in Touchstones) shows continual occupation. There is also little doubt that the Romans came into and passed through Littleborough as the finding of a number of Roman coins near Hollingworth Lake make clear. Now called the Littleborough Hoard (in the possession of the History Society. it has been joined by another Roman Coin Hoard.

On Blackstone Edge there are traces of Civil War Defensive works and writings about crossing Blackstone Edge over the years confirm that the so called Roman Road has a long history.

18th and 19th Centuries

reductions in status & in wages;
poor working condition and long hours;
poor housing, sanitation and food;
Taxation was also a problem;
increased cost of food - The Corn Laws from 1815 to 1846 (see Gordon Harvey’s election advert regarding No Tax on Foods)
Food Adulteration;
payment in tokens redeemable in the factory shop;

An example was Gale mill - the rich often kept much of the benefits to themselves but there were other Littleborough Mill Owners who were very different, from Gordon Harvey and A J Law (both MPs).

The Truck Acts 1831 to 1887 prevented forced payment by goods etc or payment by Tokens, later enforcing payment by ‘Coins of the Realm’ and freedom to buy from the shops the worker wanted to use. The Littleborough Coop. founded not much later than the Rochdale Pioneers, sought to improve food quality and price.

Littleborough as isknown today grew from a number of outlying hamlets including Shore, Calderbrook, Dearnley, Stubley, Lightowlers, Hollingworth, Blatchinworth and Smithy Bridge etc.

The Littleborough Local Board was formed in 1870 and incorporated these Hamlets It later became the Littleborough Urban District Council within the County of Lancashire.

Under the 1972 Local Government Act, Littleborough was subsumed within Rochdale MBC, a not universary popular move within the local community