HISTORY, DIRECTORY, & GAZETTEER, of the COUNTY PALATINE of LANCASTER in TWO VOLUMES |
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succeeded in his title and estate by his brother Sir Thomas Horton, Bart. Clerk, who dying in 1821, without issue, the estate devolved partly upon Thomas Horton, Esq. and partly upon __ Reece, Esq. who married the only daughter of the late Sir Watts Horton, and now possesses Chadderton-hall, which is unoccupied. Near to Chadderton-hall, but in the township of Oldham, is an Episcopal Chapel, built in the year 1765, at which the Rev. W. R. Hay, the present vicar of Rochdale, was assistant curate soon after he had, like Dr. Chadderton, quitted the bar for the pulpit. There is no existing record, written or traditional, of any great battle fought in Chadderton, but one of those tumuli, raised on the remains of departed warriors, rears its head in the lawn, near the front door of the hall, and seems to indicate that this has been a scene of some considerable military operation. This tumulus has been materially reduced, and a number of ancient relics have been found here. CROMPTON, the most northern part of the parish, has the largest population of any of the townships associated with Oldham; and its growth in numbers and in trade has fully kept pace with the other parts of this flourishing district. A bleak situation and somewhat sterile soil have produced a race of hardy and laborious men, and the close connexion with Saddleworth has given to the people much of the manners and character which prevail in those mountainous regions. An ancient free chapel belonging to the establishment stands at Shaw, in this township, which was twice enlarged and re-edified during the last century. Crompton-hall, like too many of the other ancient houses in the neighbourhood, has fallen into decay. According to Dr. Aikin, the chapelry of Oldham consists of 4025 statute acres of land, of which the principal part is now enclosed. The soil is extremely variable, and by no means capable of raising a sufficiency of food to supply the wants of the inhabitants. The land is principally in grass, but there is considerable quantity of potatoes grown and some corn crops. The district is bare of wood, though timber might be planted in many situations, particularly on the sides of the hills, that would yield both profit, shelter, and ornament. The increase of population in the last century was considerable, as the following return will show ; and the ex- tract from the parliamentary census at the head of the present chapter proves, that this great increase has been nearly doubled within the present century:-
The growth of the manufactures has exceeded the growth in the numbers of the people, and if the inquiry is made at what place in the county of Lancaster, in proportion to its size, are cotton mills rising most rapidly? the answer is, at Oldham.
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