CHAPTER XIV .
t e Grammar *cOoof and
(JuBeu
£harifieg.
THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
HERE were only about half a dozen grammar schools in
Lancashire when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne,
and seeing the great want of such a means of education in
Rochdale, Archbishop Parker in 1561 proposed to the inhabitants that they should raise a fund to build a school,
which he would be prepared to endow, and by indenture
dated 4th November, 1562, the vicar granted a site for the building out
of the glebe lands ; this conveyance required the confirmation of the
archbishop, which was however not received until loth June, 1565,
probably because, the necessary funds not having been forthcoming, the
From a letter dated 2nd May, 1565, from
school was not completed .
Francis and Charles Holt, Esquires, and Charles Radcliffe, to the archbishop, it appears that the school was then finished . In the meantime the
archbishop by indenture dated 1st January, 1564, between himself, the masters
and fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and the vicar and churchwardens of Rochdale, had assigned a perpetual stipend to a master and
under master for teaching the youth of the parish gratis in the school
there to be provided and governed by them, in manner as the archbishop
or his successors should appoint . The stipend was to be fifteen pounds
a year for the master and two pounds for the under master, which was
to be paid by the farmer of the rectory . ,
The master was to be appointed by the archbishop or his successors,
or if the see was vacant, or in default of appointment within three months
of a vacancy occurring, the master of Corpus Christi College was to
* This seventeen pounds was obtained from Sir John Byron by the archbishop after a long lawsuit with
the former, in consequence of his having failed to pay the stipends of the ministers .-Strype's Life of Parker .
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL
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PUBLIC CHARITIES .
271
appoint, but in case neither of these filled up the vacancy then the appointment was to be made by the vicar ; the deed sets forth that this was
done by the archbishop "for his good will towards the inhabitants, that
their youth might be brought up in the learning of true piety and the
Latin tongue ." The boys were to be taught gratis, if there were not
more than one hundred and fifty, or less than fifty scholars daily . ,
When Sir John Byron (i Ith December, 1590) received a renewal
of his lease of the rectory, one of the conditions was that the seventeen
pounds just referred to was to be paid by him until the same be paid
by the Blackburn rectory ; 2 this arrangement was not carried out .
The school subsequently received various endowments .
From an
indenture of lease and re-lease bearing date 31st October and ist November, 1682, it appears that Elizabeth Dickson, wife of Robert Dickson and
widow of John Chadwick, D .D .,3 declared that her former husband had
intended to settle lands for her use, but with the proviso that three
pounds a year should be payable thereout after her decease to the master
of the free grammar school of Rochdale, on condition that he taught free
nine poor boys in the town or parish ; she had therefore purchased lands
in the county of York, which she had charged with this payment .4
This rent charge was not paid after f8oo . A Mr . Linney of Rochdale
gave two pounds a year to the school.5
Canon Raines believed
that this was represented by the two pounds a year paid to the school by
the Chadwicks of Healey.
Jeremy Hargreaves, by will dated 16th
January, 1696, left twenty pounds to the school, the interest whereof was
to be paid for teaching writing. This benefactor was a solicitor in Rochdale in 1719 ; this money was used to improve the buildings at Newfield
Head . James Holt of Castleton Hall, Esq ., left by will bearing date
24th November, 1712, the sum of one hundred pounds for the master,
on condition that he educated free so many poor boys, not exceeding six,
settled inhabitants whose parents were unable to educate them, as the
vicar and churchwardens should nominate .
This sum and Hargreaves'
bequest were in 1735 invested with the other money [see Shepherd's
charity] in the purchase of Newfield Head farm in Butterworth, it being
agreed that half the rent went to the school .6 In 1826 the Charity Com'
Charity Com. Report, 18x5-35, 269 (Lancashire) . A copy of the endowment deed is in the church chest .
z Dr . Chadwick, son of John Chadwick of Healey Hall .
2 State Papers .-Dom . Set ., Vol. 277 .
s Gast. Not . Cest .-Chet . Soc ., xix ., 131 .
4 Copy of original deed in possession of Mr. E. Lyon Taylor.
6
Charity Com . Report, 1815-35 .
272
HISTORY
OF
THE
PARISH
OF
ROCHDALE .
missioners reported that there were only sixteen scholars in the school,
and the master was determined not to take more, as without an usher
he considered that he could not attend to a greater number .
Girls as
well as boys were admitted . The master considered that he was bound
to teach free all boys who only wanted to learn " true piety and the
Latin tongue," but no boys applied who did not require to be taught
other branches of literature, and for such he considered himself authorized
to make his own charge .
The school, which was not pulled down until 1846 (when the present
building was erected), was only sixty feet in length and twenty feet in
breadth.
In was built of rough stone and covered with flag slates .
Adjoining was a chamber to which access was gained by a flight of
stone steps from the outside . This was originally the master's house
but it was latterly let to the person who cleaned the school .
HEAD
MASTERS .
was the first master, and was appointed in 1565,
He was still here in 1580.'
He was a son of Charles Radcliffe of
.
XVIII
.] He married Katherine a daughter
Todmorden Hall . [See Chap
of Arthur Assheton of Clegg Hall . He was buried in the Rochdale
Church, 1st November, 1605 .
ROBERT WALKDEN, ludimagister, occurs in a deed dated 6th June,
1589 . The church registers contain the christenings of several children
of a Robert Walkden in 1582 and following years .
He was buried at Rochdale, 14th December,
RICHARD HOLTE .
1605, and his will was proved three days afterwards at Chester, and he
is there described as "late schoolmaster" of this school . He was one
of the Holts of Ashworth Hall . From his will it appears that he was
a married man and had an interest in property in Spotland .
To
his usher, John Chadwick, he left a treatise on "Paul's Epistles ;" to
James Holt of Rochdale, he left a Bible, a Greek Lexicon and a
Thomas' Latin Dictionary .
To the vicar he bequeathed " Buden's
Commentaries upon the Greek Tongue ."
His library was valued at
thirty shillings, his apparel at fifty-two shillings, and a stone of black
wool at elevenpence .
ROBERT RADCLIFFE
'The Townley Nowell M .S .-Grosart, p .
270 .
ROCHDALE GRAMMAR SCHOOL IN
PROM A DRAWING I :V W .
1840 .
I'IIVSICK (IN Till! AUTHOR'S POSSESSION)
THE
ROBERT
GRAMMAR
MARLAND
Marland of Marland,
February, 16io-II .
SCHOOL
AND
PUBLIC
273
CHARITIES .
resigned in 161o. 1 He was the son of James
gentleman.
A child of his was buried 24th
curate of Milnrow, was head master for a
short time. He died in 1617 . [See Chap . X .]
REV . RICHARD WALKER occurs in 1622 .
Buried at Rochdale, 4th
;
his
wife
on
the
14th
December,
in the same year .
December, 1625
Died at Rochdale, 13th October, 1637 .2
REV. THOMAS BROWNS
If he was the head master (the evidence of which is not very clear
it would be from 1625 to 1629 .
He was curate of Whitworth and
Littleborough .
LAURENCE ORMEROD, B .A. Licensed to the school 22nd June,
1629.3
He was a son of Laurence Ormerod of Ormerod, gentleman .
He married, for his second wife, Frances sister of Samuel Radcliffe,
D.D., principal of Brasenose College, Oxford .
REV . JOHN WICKVNS, M.A.
A native of Tylehurst in Berks ;
appointed t Ith June, 1638 and remained until 1643 .
His son, John
Wickyns, was high master of the Manchester Grammar School.4
REV . JAMES STEVENSON, in 1642-3 ; was buried at Rochdale, 3rd
March, 1648-9 .
REV . ZACHARY TAYLOR was born in 1618, and graduated at Dublin ;
and on leaving the university held an appointment in Ireland .
In
1649 he was rector of Grappenhall in Cheshire, which he did not hold
long, as in April, 1653, he was master of the Bolton-le-moors Grammar
School, and in 1654 he was appointed to the Rochdale School, holding at the same time a curacy at the parish church under the Rev .
Robert Bath and was with him ejected in 1662 .
About the year
1673 or 1674 he was appointed head master to the Grammar School
at Kirkham, where he died in February, 1692 . Many of his children
were baptized at Rochdale . One of his sons, also called Zachary, was
vicar of Ormskirk and rector of Croston . He was the author of "The
Surey Imposter," London, 1697, and other works .5
REV. GEORGE JACKSON, B .A ., of Emmanuel College, Cambridge .
He was master from sometime before 26th October, 1676 to 1696.
REV.
JOHN
ASHWORTH,
' Raines'
Memorials of Rochdale Grammar School (no authority given) .
Do .
„
3Bishop's Reg., Chester .
+Life of Adam Martindale .-Chef. Soc., iv ., p . 176.
s Fishwick's (fist . of Kirkham, p. 146.
11
11
11
35
HISTORY
274
OF
THE
PARISH
OF
ROCHDALE .
He was minister of Ashworth chapel and was buried at Rochdale, 19th
January, 1698.
REV. ROBERT BOLTON was here in 1696.1
REV . JOHN KIPPAX was master before
1706.
How long he remained is uncertain .
He was curate of Littleborough in 1727 .
[See
Chap . IX]
LEAF was master 1731 to 1739 .2
.
REV JOSHUA TILLOTSON was master about 1739, in which year he
was appointed curate of Milnrow . [See Chap. X.]
REV. JOSEPH SUTCLIFFE was curate of Milnrow and Littleborough.
[See Chaps. IX. and X.]
He held the mastership of the school from
1745 to 1756 .
REV . JOHN SHAW .
Appointed 21st January, 1756 ; died 9th November, 1796. He was curate of St . Mary's chapel .
[See Chap. XI .]
REV, WILLIAM HODGSON .
Appointed 19th December, f796 ; died
26th June, 1832 ; having been head master for nearly forty years . He
was curate of Milnrow . [See Chap . X.]
REV . WILLIAM TOPIIAM HOBSON, B .A ., was appointed in Novem He was for some years
ber, 1832, and resigned 27th June, 1839.
curate of Smallbridge [see Chap . XI.] and subsequently rector of Brekingham, Notts, where he died in June, 1873. He married a daughter
of Walter Vavasour. [See Chap . XVI .]
REV . ROBERT KENINGALE CoolK was head master from 23rd July,
1839, to 18th December, 1841 . He was also incumbent of Smallbridge.
[See Chap . XI .]
REV . WILLIAM SIMPSON, B .A ., of Queen's College, Cambridge, was
appointed 8th January, 1842, and resigned in 1844 on his appointment
to the incumbency of Dobcross, Saddleworth .
Appointed
REV . JOHN SHEFFIELD, M .A ., of Trinity College, Dublin .
24th December, 1844, and resigned in 1852 .
Before
REV . CHARLES H . PILLING, M .A ., was appointed in 1852 .
Mr. Pilling was
he came the school had been closed for some time .
the son of John Pilling of Manchester, agent for the Rochdale Canal
Company. He died in r86o, and was succeeded by the
REV. J . B . WINTER, B.D .,3 in January, 1861 .
MR. R. R . GREY, the present head master was appointed April, 1862 .
'
3
Raines' Memorials of Grammar School .
2 Do .
Mr. Patchett was master for a short time after Mr . Pilling .
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL
AND
PUBLIC CHARITIES .
275
FREE ENGLISH SCHOOL (THE Moss SCHOOL) .
This school was founded by John Hardman, who by will dated Loth
March, 1759, left to trustees j500, to be invested and the interest thereof
to be used for the education of as many poor children residing within the
parish as his trustees should think proper. After the death of John
Hardman, his mother, Jane Hardman, widow of James Hardman, a wealthy
woollen merchant of the town [see Chap . XIX], obtained permission from
the archbishop of Canterbury (the owner of the rectory), Lord Byron the
lord of the manor, and Thomas Wray the vicar, by instrument dated 18th
January, 1761, to enclose a portion of the waste lands called the Vicar's
Moss, and to erect a school thereon ; and in lieu of the 4500 above
named she endowed it with certain lands in Wardle, which for that purpose were conveyed to trustees, who out of the revenue of them were to
keep the school in repair, pay the master X25 a year and if there was
any surplus to buy books, &c ., therewith .
The trustees were to appoint
the master, and to take bond from him for £looo to deliver up the
The master was to teach free scholars (who were
school on requisition .
not to exceed thirty in number), and he was allowed to teach scholars
on payment of fees, but not above six in the daytime and as many in
the evening as the trustees might think fit . When the trustees became
reduced to five the survivors were to appoint new trustees to make up
the number of fifteen, who were to be Protestants or Protestant Dissenters .
The first trustees 1 were William Lord Byron ; Thomas Wray, D .D .,
vicar ; John Leigh of Outrington, co . Chester (a nephew of Mrs . Hardman) ; John Royds of Falinge, merchant ; Thomas Braddock of Redivals,
co . Chester ; John Kay of Manchester, gent . ; Daniel Kay of Manchester, gent . ; Richard Gore of Rochdale, merchant ; -George Walmsley
of Rochdale, merchant ; Peter Baron of Manchester ; Joseph Baron of
Manchester ; Daniel Kay of Manchester ; Samuel Holker of Manchester ;
Samuel Grundy of Baldwin's Lane, merchant .
In 1819 the coals under the Wardle estate were sold for nearly £1ooo,
with which the trustees shortly afterwards purchased another farm in
Wardle .
In front of the schoolhouse is a stone bearing the Hardman crest,
with the initials " J . H ." and date " 1769." There are now sixty free
scholars and twenty who pay fees .
`
Charity Corn . Report .
276
HISTORY
OF THE
PARISH
OF
ROCHDALE .
TOAD
LANE SCHOOL.
By indenture of lease and re-lease, dated 9th and loth February,
I74o, between Samuel Taylor the elder of Hundersfield, merchant, and
Robert Jacques of Spotland, chapman, conveyed to James Hardman,
James Haslam, Thomas Lord and John Taylor, two dwelling houses, a
shippon and garden at Brownhill, and a house, then used for " a petty
school," situate in Spotland, part of a close called Hanging Road,
upon trust, to bestow six pounds a year out of the rents of the property to a schoolmaster to teach in the said school ; the overplus of
the rents to be disposed of as the trustees should think fit. A house
and barn and one acre of land improved out of the waste at Brown
Wardle Hill formed part of the endowment. In r827 the rental from
the premises amounted to X24 11s . od. and a room in one of the
cottages was let for a school . ,
In 1840 John Crook, wine merchant of Rochdale, expended about
£400 on improving this property.
There are now about twenty free scholars and about thirty-five
who pay fees .
NATIONAL SCHOOL (RED CROSS STREET) .
This school was built by public subscription raised in 1814 for the
purpose of founding a school on Dr. Bell's system.
A plot of land
was for this purpose leased for 999 years to Jonathan Fildes the
younger, of Wardleworth, Esq ., in trust for the benefit of a school
which had just been built on the said plot of land .
The trust deed
itself was dated 18th November, 1815, the first trustees being Jonathan
Fildes the younger ; the vicar ; James Royds of Mount Falinge, Esq . ;
John Walmsley of Castlemere ; Thomas Heppon Vavasour of Rochdale ;
John Entwistle of Foxholes, the younger ; John Gilbert Royds of Greenhill ; Robert Holt of Crossfield ; John Holland of Rochdale ; Clement
Royds of Brownhill ; and Thomas Wood of Rochdale .
Several bequests were subsequently made to this school .
Miss
Betty Whitworth 2 of the Temple, Manchester, in 1817 left by will
fifty pounds, and in 1832 Ann Taylor the daughter of Ralph Taylor,
'Trust Deeds .
She also left £5o to be invested and the interest expended in purchase of woollen cloth, to be given to
the poor on Christmas Day in each year .
I
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL AND
PUBLIC
CHARITIES.
2 77
the parish clerk, bequeathed one hundred pounds ; John Lea, solicitor,
Rochdale, a like sum ; and in 1838 Jonathan Fildes of Quarry Hill,
gentleman, left one thousand pounds.
Out of these sums the school
site was purchased in 1841 .'
The administration of the affairs of this charity led, in 1817, to a
long paper warfare. Amongst those who took part in this were J . G .
Royds, James Midgley and the Rev . J . T. Horton, who published the
whole of the pamphlets in what he entitled "The Committee, or the
Rochdale way of conducting a Public Charity ;"2 this is now very scarce .
LITTLEBOROUGH SCHOOL .
This school was founded by Theophilus Halliwell, the eighth son
of James Halliwell of Pike House . He was baptized at Rochdale, 22nd
September, 1633, and was called to the bar in 1654.
By his will,
dated 6th September, 1688, he desired to be buried in the middle
aisle of Rochdale Church : he devised to trustees an estate called
Crawelshawe in Sowerby near Halifax, and a fee farm rent of twenty
shillings " to t he pleasure of Almighty God," and for the use of a
schoolmaster at the chapel of Littleborough or some place near thereunto . The right of appointing the schoolmaster was reserved to John
Halliwell of Pike House (nephew to the testator) and his heirs for
ever . Richard Halliwell (elder brother of Theophilus) by his will, dated
18th December, 1699, left six pounds a year as a charge upon certain
tenements in Walsden, the same to be used towards the maintenance of
a schoolmaster to teach the children in the school which he had lately
erected .3
WHITWORTH FREE SCHOOL.
By deed dated 6th January, 1724, between James Starkey, surviving
trustee of his brother John Starkey, of the first part ; the said John
Starkey of the second part ; and William Bamford, James Scholfield and
ten others of the third part ; James Starkey, at the request of his brother,
John Starkey, conveyed to William Bamford and others six cottages in
Blackwater Street, Rochdale, "about the middle of the street, near the
spout," of the yearly rent of £6 4s . od ., upon trust ; to dispose of £4 a
'
3
Trust Deeds .
Charity Corn . Report .
" Rochdale, J . westell, by S. Ashworth .
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF ROCHDALE .
278
year out of the rents to the use of such Protestant schoolmaster as should
be appointed by the trustees to teach at Whitworth Chapel or some place
near thereunto ;
the master to teach twelve children of the poor settled
in the chapelry of Whitworth to spell and read English ; the residue of
the rents for repairs or to "raise a stock" to augment the school or to
buy books, &c .
In 1805 the old cottages in Blackwater Street were pulled down and
the premises leased for ninety-nine years at an annual rental of Z14 Ios .
At the beginning of this century the school-room was in the "middle
of the street of Whitworth," was old and in bad condition, and had,
previously to 1824, not been used for many years, when it was sold and
a new school built . ,
[See Brearley's Charity .]
TODMORDEN SCHOOL .
The founder of this school, the Rev . Richard Clegg,2 vicar of Kirkham, the son of Richard Clegg of Stansfield in Halifax, and grandson of
Richard Clegg of Stonehouse in Walsden, who by deed dated 4th
August, 1713, conveyed to Henry Pigot, the vicar of Rochdale ;
Halliwell of Pike House, gentleman ;
yeoman ;
John
William Byron of High Wardle,
and John Crossley of Scaitcliffe, yeoman, a newly erected house
in Todmorden then used as a schoolroom, upon trust for such person as
the major part of the inhabitants of Todmorden and Walsden shall elect
to be master of the said school ;
and by another deed, dated the day
after the one just recited, and between the same parties, it is set forth
that Richard Clegg had collected fifty pounds and himself given one
hundred pounds and paid the same to the trustees, who were to invest
the same and use the yearly income therefrom for the repairs of the
school and for the maintenance of a master, who was to teach gratis two
children ; one to be selected by the owners of Stonehouse for the time
being and the other by the owners of Eastwood in Heptonstall, as
well as two children from Todmorden and Walsden to be nominated
by the churchwardens .3 In 1976 the one hundred and fifty pounds was
secured on mortgage of premises at Mosley in Ashton-under-Lyne . This
school was sold a few years ago by the vicar of Todmorden, and the
proceeds (together with the last-named one hundred and fifty pounds)
'Charity Com . Report .
2 See History of Kirkham .-Chet. Soc ., xcii ., Si .
3
School Deeds.
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL
AND
PUBLIC CHARITIES .
279
were devoted to educational purposes, in accordance with a scheme
Richard Clegg also left
sanctioned by the Charity Commissioners.
sixteen pounds, to be lent for four years to "none but sober and honest
men" of Todmorden and Walsden, newly married, to help them to
"keep house ." For this no interest was to be paid .
MILNROW SCHOOL .
From indentures of lease and re-lease, dated 18th and 19th August,
1726, it appears that Alexander Butterworth 1 of Belfield, before he
sold his estate to Richard Townley [see chap . XVIII .] intended to
build a school in Butterworth ; and that since then Richard Townley
had erected "two bays of good stone building" in Milnrow near the
west end of the chapel, for a school house, in order to carry out this
intention ; and had conveyed the same with certain lands to Alexander
Butterworth and William Buckley as trustees of the said school, wherein
youth should be taught by such protestant schoolmaster as should
be from time to time appointed by the said Richard Townley and his
heirs, being owners of Belfield Hall .
The several estates named were to be subject to a rent charge of
twenty pounds a year which was to be paid to the schoolmaster, who
was to instruct the children of persons, "settled inhabitants" of Butterworth, free of all charge.
From 1789 to 1796 the school was unused .
In 1826 the master
was appointed by the trustees and was only required to teach twenty
free scholars .
These scholars are now taught at the National School,
the master of which receives the salary under the trust .2 The schoolhouse has been pulled down and the site is partly occupied by the
Local Board Offices .
This school will always be known as the school of which the
well-known Lancashire writer, "Tim Bobbin," was for many years the
teacher.
John Collier ("Tim Bobbin") was the son of John Collier, schoolmaster of Flixton and curate of Eccles. He was baptized (at Flixton)
6th January, 171o . His father (whose stipend never exceeded thirty
Alexander Butterworth, son of the above, by his will in 1714, left a rent charge on Crofthead farm
of five pounds a year for the poor of Milnrow .
- A new trust deed was made in May, 1856 .
2 80
HISTORY OF THE
PARISH
OF
ROCHDALE .
pounds a year) apprenticed him in 1722 to one Johnson a Dutch-loom
weaver, at Newton Moor in the parish of Mottram in Cheshire, but
not liking this employment he relinquished it, and when only seventeen
years old became usher to the Rev . Robert Pearson, the head master
of the Milnrow School, at a salary of ten pounds a year .
On 29th
March, 1739, Mr. Pearson died and was succeeded by Collier, but it
was not until November, 1742, that he became duly licensed as head
master ; his testimonials to the bishop were signed by the vicar of
Rochdale (Dr. Dunster), the curate of Littleborough, and the Rev .
Edward Bolton, who certified that they had known him for three years
and that he was "of sober life and conversation and qualifyed for
teaching an English school ." ,
He married, 1st April, 1744, Mary Clay, the daughter of Mr .
Clay of Flockton near Wakefield, by whom he had six children . He
died at Milnrow 14th July, 1786, aged 76, and was buried in the
Rochdale churchyard, where his gravestone is often visited by strangers
visiting the town . [See p . 163 .]
"Tim Bobbin's" great work was "A View of the Lancashire
Dialect, by way of Dialogue between Tummus and Meary o' William's
o' Margit's o' Roaph's and Meaty o' Dick's o' Tummus o' Peggy's .' .'
This was first published in 1746 ; it has been reprinted very frequently
and is considered the standard authority for the dialect of the district .
"Tim Bobbin" wrote many other pamphlets and was also an artist of
some skill, but although his paintings were both grotesque and humorous
they were often coarse both in design and execution . ,
CLOUGH FOOT SCHOOL (TODMORDEN) .
This school was built in 1819 by public subscription for the education
of all classes, and vested in trustees.
It is now a Board School .
LANEBOTTOM SCHOOL (WALSDEN) .
In 1818 a few inhabitants of Todmorden erected this school on land
given to them by John Fielden of Bottomley, yeoman : the trust deed,
Bish. Reg ., Chester.
' For notices of "Tim Bobbin" see Lancashire Worthies, by F. Espinasse, Waugh's Lancashire Sketches, &c .
For bibliography of his works see The Lancashire Library .
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL AND
PUBLIC
281
CHARITIES .
dated I7th October in that year, sets forth that the founders were "desirous
of establishing a Sunday School at Bottomley for instructing the children
of the poor and indigent in reading, writing and arithmetic ." In this
school occasionally on Sundays sermons were preached by both Churchmen and Methodists . , In 1843 a controversy arose as to the appointment
of trustees, which led to a long dispute . The school was transferred to
the School Board under the act of 1870HILL'S
CHARITY .
HOLLING\ORTH AND
•
•
•
•
•
•
f
OGDEN SCHOOLS .
John Hill of Hollingworth by his will dated 31st August,
1727, left his estates in Ogden and Hollingworth to certain people
for their lives, and he directed that after their decease the rents of
the property at Ogden were to be paid as follows, viz ., twelve pounds
a year to a schoolmaster at Ogden, one pound a year to the parson of
Milnrow, and the remainder to clothe poor children ; and as to his Hollingworth property, thirteen pounds a year for a schoolmaster there, and
the surplus to clothe poor children ; to carry this out he nominated trustees.
Over the door of the
There have been several trust deeds executed.
school at Ogden is inscribed on a stone slab, "This school, founded and
endowed by John Hill, yeoman, A.D . 1727, was rebuilt 1857 . Trustees
-Rev. Canon Raines, M .A., Mr. Samuel Berry, Mr . Charles Mills, Mr .
Edward Clegg ."
The school at Hollingworth was rebuilt about thirty years ago . It
On Sundays it is used for
is still carried on under the trust deed .
divine service.
GARTSIDE'S CHARITY .
Josiah Gartside of Rochdale, merchant, by his will dated loth
December, 1712, recites that his mother, Mary Gartside, had bequeathed £200 for the use of the poor of Castleton, and to augment
this sum he now devises to his wife, Mary, and his brother Samuel,
four houses, with a smithy and two chambers over it in Blackwater
Street, Rochdale, formerly called "Pear's Houses," upon trust, to the
following uses, viz ., the minister of Todmorden Chapel to preach a
' The trust gave power to the trustees to permit "a person or persons, as they shall appoint, to preach
a sermon therein at such times as they shall appoint," but nothing is said as to the denomination to which
the preacher should belong .
36
2 82
HISTORY OF TILE
PARISH OF
ROCHDALE .
sermon in the Rochdale Parish Church every New Year's Day, and
be paid for such sermon twenty shillings, out of the rents and profits
of the houses, &c . ; and the residue to be yearly laid out in buying
woollen cloth or other clothing for poor persons ; or in buying corn
when corn is dear ; the same to be distributed as follows, viz ., cloth
or corn, £12 every Christmas Day amongst the poor of Castleton and
the rest amongst the poor of the parish of Rochdale ; and he enjoined
all who partook of this charity to go to hear the sermon on New
Year's Day. In 1792 Thomas Cholmondeley of Vale Royal, Cheshire,
great-grandson and heir-at-law of Mary Gartside (the mother), and surviving devisee of the will of Josiah Gartside, conveyed the property
to trustees, who, whenever their numbers were reduced to three, were to
nominate other trustees to make up the number to eight ; no one was
to be eligible to act unless he held an estate of inheritance in lands
in Lancashire of £5o a year .
This charity is still regularly distributed and the annual sermon
preached in the Parish Church on New Year's Day .
HOLT'S CHARITY.
This consists of £120 left by Dorothy Holt of Castleton Hall, by
her will, dated 14th December, 1717 [see Chap . XVI .], to the vicars and
churchwardens of Rochdale, to be invested in lands, and the proceeds
devoted to teaching six poor girls of Castleton or Rochdale "the Church
Catechism, and to read, knit and sew ; " also for buying for each of
them "a new baize mantoe, a petticoat of light coloured blue baize
cloth " each year whilst they continued at the school ; each girl, on
leaving school, was to have presented to her a Bible, a Common
Prayer Book, "The Whole Duty of Man," and "The Christian
Monitor." With this money, in 1721, the trustees purchased a messuage
and seventy-five acres of land called Hogshead in Spotland .r The income of this charity goes towards the payment of the fees of six
children at the National School, to whom clothing and books are given
in accordance with the trust .
GRANTHAM'S CHARITY .
This originally consisted of a sum of thirty pounds, bequeathed by
will to Dorothy Holt, of Castleton Hall, by her mother, Mrs . Grantham,
' Charity
Con, . Report and Mrs . Holt's will .
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL
AND
PUBLIC CHARITIES .
283
At the time of
to the use of the poor of Castleton and Rochdale .
Dr. Drake's death in 1819 there was due from him, on behalf of the
Charity, a sum of /8o .' In 1888 the sum of /107 16s. 4d. appeared
as invested in three per cent. consols on behalf of this Charity .
KENION'S CHARITY.
John Kenion of the Parish of St . Saviour's, York, gentleman,
by his will, dated 26th January,2 1789, directed his executors to pay
the residue of his estate to the vicar of Rochdale and four other
"reputable and substantial inhabitants or housekeepers" of Rochdale,
on trust, to invest the same, and apply the interest towards placing
out poor children of the township2 of Rochdale as apprentices .
In
1826 the accumulated sum amounted to £6,365, which was invested in
consols .
This charity is managed by five trustees .
The funds now
invested amount to considerably over /8,000 .
BUTTERWORTH'S CHARITY .
This was a bequest made by Alexander Butterworth, the younger,
by his will, dated 14th December, 1714, whereby he devised Croft
Head Farm, in Butterworth, to Thomas Horton and Elkanah Horton,
and their heirs, in trust, to pay out of the rents thereof /5 a year
to the minister of Milnrow for the poor of Milnrow .
This has been
regularly received by the chapelwardens of Milnrow and given to the poor .
WOLFENDEN'S CHARITY .
James Woolfenden, of Hades, yeoman, by will, dated Loth January,
1688, bequeathed /10o to the churchwardens and overseers of Rochdale, to invest and apply the proceeds to the use of the poor of
Hundersfield.
In 1786 this money was said to be vested in Richard
Holt, attorney, of Rochdale, who died about i8o1, and was succeeded
in his profession by John Lee, whose bill of costs against the township
having exceed /loo he discontinued paying the interest on Wolfenden's
bequest.3
' Charity Co . . Report .
' It was decided in the Court of Chancery that, there being no township of Rochdale, the entire parish
3 Charity Coca. Report.
was intended by the testator.
2 84
HISTORY
OF THE
PARISH
OF ROCHDALE .
BREARLEY'S CHARITY.
This consists of the interest of fifty pounds left by John Brearley,
by his will dated 18th December, 1692, for the poor of Spotland . With
this money copyhold land was purchased, called Broad Ing in Wardle,
and Horse Croft Moor in Spotland . On part of the latter the Whitworth
National School and the Whitworth Free School were built . A portion of
the rents has been from time to time laid out in the purchase of cloth
for the poor of Spotland and Whitworth . ,
SHEPHERD'S CHARITY .
Mary Shepherd of St. James's, Westminster, gentlewoman, by her
will dated 3rd September, 1702, left /12o to purchase a rent charge on
a parcel of land for the use of six poor women living in the hamlet of
Whitworth ; the trustees appointed by the testatrix were the ministers
for the time being of Rochdale and Bury .2 This money was, with ,loo
left by James Holt to the Grammar School [see p . 271], invested in lands,
the proceeds of which have been disbursed by the trustees for the time
being in accordance with the wishes of the founders .
GUEST'S CHARITY .
Thomas Guest of Blackwater Street, bricksetter, by his will dated 6th
November, 1731, left three cottages and a garden in Blackwater Street,
Rochdale, to trustees, who were to apply the profits of the premises to
the payment of a schoolmaster, who was to teach reading to the children 3
of poor people who lived between the top of Blackwater and the stile
that led into Town Meadows ; for this purpose a school was for ever to
be kept at the top of Blackwater . This school about the end of the last
century fell into ruins, and the site was sold to James Dearden, Esq . The
proceeds of the sale are believed to have been spent on the repair of
the Whitworth Free School by Mr. Entwistle, who was at that time a
trustee of both these charities.
Thomas Guest also left a legacy for the schoolmaster of Astley in
the parish of Leigh, in Lancashire, of which parish he was a native .4
' Charity
3
Corn . Report .
Not to exceed ten in number.
' A Robert Shepherd founded a charity in Bury in 1666 .
4 will proved at Chester .
THE
GRAMMAR
SCHOOL AND
PUBLIC CHARITIES .
2 85
CHEETHAM'S CHARITY .
Elizabeth Cheetham of Rochdale gave ,61oo in 1866 to the official
trustees of charities, the interest of which was to be paid to the vicar
for the time being, for "cleaning or adorning the old parish church of
Rochdale."
THE INFIRMARY AND DISPENSARY .
This institution was established in October, 1831 . One of its earliest
benefactors was Jonathan Fildes of Quarry Hill . The first dispensary
was in South Parade, but was removed to premises in Lord Street, where
the charity was administered until 1871, when it was deemed advisable
to provide for indoor as well as outdoor patients, and to meet this requirement a large building at the corner of Elliott Street was taken on a
lease, but before its expiration the late Mr . Thomas Watson, M, P ., presented to trustees, Industry House, which, with large additions made at
the donor's expense, forms the present infirmary .
THE LADIES' CHARITY .
This was established in 1817 .
In 1842 it received a bequest of
£iooo under the will of Jonathan Fildes of Quarry Hill .
THE GOOD SAMARITAN SOCIETY.
The object of this society is to visit the sick and needy and furnish
aid and spiritual advice .
Its income is mainly derived from annual subscriptions. It was founded in 1832 .