Ditches

The Nico Ditch was mentioned in the 12th C. it is the longest recorded ditch in the region. Read more about the Nico Ditch here.

Ditches mentioned in the Coucher Book of Whalley

There are many references to man made boundaries in the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey, here are some examples.

Rochdale castle ditch

Rochdale’s castle was in a commanding position overlooking the confluence of the Roche and Spodden rivers, and the route to Manchester. The charter transcribed in medieval Latin and published well over a hundred years ago, is from volume 2 of the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey. The charter refers to “Merlond,” modern Marland, and Castleton. The castle ditch in Latin is “fossatum castelli” in the extract below.

Rochdale castle - the castle ditch

TBC

Boundary Stones or “Meres”

Large stones were often used as boundary markers between townships or parishes, such as open heaths or moorland.

Here is a 16th Century reference to the size of stones used to mark the boundary of Rochdale and Oldham, near Buersill.

“Sir John Byron caused “divers great stones, every stone as
much as twenty oxen could draw,” to be set up much within the
boundary line of Hathershaw moor, and if not removed will soon be
taken to be the “meres” rightly set up between the two wastes . Sir
John Byrori s reply to this was to the effect that he was seised as of
fee of his “own severall enherytance” in Buersill moor, which was
divided from Hathershaw by certain “meyers” which by the informers or
other “evilly disposed persons” have been removed, and to remedy this
he had obtained the writ as set forth by the plaintiffs, and by virtue of
it Sir John Atherton caused “certain honest persons” to make the
perambulation and set the ” meyers ” in such places as they had always
been ; since then he had caused to be placed on his own lands certain
stones that the boundaries might be the better known.”

Fishwick description of a 1552 Duchy of Lancaster Court case from the History of the Parish of Rochdale – Castleton Township.

Natural Boundaries

Rivers were often used as boundaries, the river Mersey means boundary river. Prominent rocks or large stones were used as well, the “Wolf  Stone” in Naden near Rochdale, for example.

Rivers

Rivers were often used as boundaries and are amongst some of the earliest places mentioned in medieval documentation of the region. The name Mersey, as in the river Mersey means boundary river, according to Ekwall and other place-name experts.

Lakes

Lakes were an important source of fish as well as being a natural landmark. Marland in Rochdale was owned by Whalley Abbey, while Lake Kor near Prickshaw in Whitworth was mentioned in a medieval charter in the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey. Sadly both lakes have gone, the former was in what is now Marland Park, the latter may be where the ponds east of Prickshaw are now.

Under construction…

Lancashire Assize Rolls

In the time of  Henry III, Alice de(of) Liverseg (now Liversedge) won cases related to common land in Hundersfield (a township of Rochdale parish).

Who was Alice?

Alice was the daughter of Robert of Liversedge a co-owner of the Manor of Whitworth, but where were they based? Liversedge is in West Yorkshire. So here we have someone based inYorkshire, holding part of the manor of Whitworth, in  Rochdale’s Spotland township also holding land in the adjacent township of Hundersfield also in Rochdale.

This shows how complex the landholding was in Rochdale, even at this time.

Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey

References to common land often used the term “communi pastura” and example is shown below, which refers to common land near Withens (Harewyhnes) Bagden (recorded as Bikeden), between Whitworth and the area today known as Rooley Moor.

Under construction…

This post will outline references to common land, and related legal disputes.

Digital diplomatics uses computer technology to study documents, for example digital techniques can be used to enhance faded medieval documents or to analyse the content of translated documents.

Conference

A conference will be held later this year to present the latest research in digital diplomatics, you can read more here Digital Diplomatics Conference.

Further study

It would be great to see research like this for documents from Salford Hundred.

More about digital diplomatics can be found here .

Digitized medieval manuscripts interoperability conference papers can be  found here.

Under construction…

Bagden was called Bikden in medieval times, and as this extract shows it was called “Bargden” around 1600. Like many names in and around Whitworth it was mentioned in Medieval times. This was because many small pieces of land were traded or granted to Whalley Abbey, one theory is that the Abbey acted as a bank. There were also local contacts with the Abbey monks, some were from Whitworth.

Medieval references to Bagden (Bikden in medieval times)

Bikden – what does it mean?

Bagden was called Bargden

Under construction!

Medieval English Society

Medieval Timeline

Medieval Economy

English Medieval Towns

Digital Medievalist (Digital Resources for Medieval Studies).

Under Construction!

King’s thesis, detailed below, is a valuable contribution to the study of the Coucher Book and also has a really useful chronology of land tenure in Lancashire and Cheshire. This work also contributes to place-name research in Lancashire and Cheshire.

King, C. D . – The Whalley Coucher book and the dialectal phonology of Lancashire and Cheshire 1175-1350 . – University of St Andrews PHD Thesis, 1991 (Unpublished).

ILS catalogue number: 15280797

EThOS Persistent ID: uk.bl.ethos.493393

“This thesis is now available for free download by individuals via the British Library’s EThOS service, (http://ethos.bl.uk)”

David Collins
Repository Administrator
University of St Andrews Library

Great News -Thanks David!

Under construction…

“Suanus” would appear to be a Scandinavian name often written as Swain, Orm is also a Scandinavian name. Note the variation in the spelling of Wardle,  “Wardul” and “Wordul”.

The “de” means “of,” so the names were Petrus of “Wordul” and so on.

These people gave land to Whalley Abbey, which was granted land by many individuals in the Parish of Rochdale. This indicates that many freemen held land, not just the main landowners of the parish of Rochdale.

Under construction!

from Fishwick's History of Rochdale

A brief history of Newbold can be seen here,  in chapter 16, page 313 of the History of Rochdale by Fishwick. Newbold was mentioned in charter XXX (30) from Whalley Abbey:

A general history of Spotland with a footnote (6) about Naden can be found here in the Victoria County History of Lancashire.

Naden Brook

Naden (“Nauden” as it was in medieval times)was mentioned in a grant to Stanlaw Abbey (the monks later moved to Whalley).

Here is another reference to Naden (Naueden) in the transcription of the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey, Chetham Society. Green Booths is also mentioned.

“de Naden” Origin of the Name

According to this history (Victoria County History), land was granted to Gilbert de Notton when he married Margery, the daughter of Hugh de Elland.

“It gave a name to the immediate holders. Maud widow of Thomas de Naden claimed dower in a messuage and land in Wolstenholme in 1277 against Roger son of Robert de Naden; De Banco R. 21, m. 5 d, 58″  – Volume V Victoria County History Of Lancashire Spotland p. 206-213

This charter also mentions Naden Brook and is a transcript from Volume III of the Coucher Book of Whalley Abbey, published by the Chetham Society in the 19th. Century.

Naden Head – Holt’s Spotland Manor House

By the 16th. Century the land at Naden had been aquired by a member of the Holt family,  and the hall there was known as Naden Head.

Naden Head -1626 Manor Survey of Rochdale

Nadenland

“In a deed of partition in 1534 part of the land is called Nadenland in Spotland, Thomas Holt and Ralph Naden being tenants; Robert Holt paid 6d. for the attachment of a mill in Wolstenholme, and there were other messuages and lands in Spotland and Hundersfield; Raines D. in the Chetham Library.”

‘Townships: Spotland’, A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5 (1911), pp. 206-213 footnote 33. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53029 Date accessed: 18 August 2010.

Naden Head

The site of the hall and outbuildings (it was later a farm) can still be seen, there is more about Naden Head  here.

Read more about the Naden family name here.

Under Construction…

Many places in Lancashire were mentioned in medieval documents and there are many books and articles about their origins. Ekwall’s 1922 Place-names of Lancashire is a classic and is available free here.

The place-names of Lancashire by David Mills, 1976 is a more recent work.

Note
The English Place-Names Society is involved with a new more extensive survey of Lancashire place-names.

General Place-name Books

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names E. Ekwall, 1960

Signposts to the past: place-names and the history of England, Margaret Gelling 1978

Place-names in the Landscape, Margaret Gelling 1984

A Dictionary of British Place-Names, A. D. Mills 2003