Oldham Historical Research Group

Scan and page transcript from:
Historical Sketches of Oldham by Edwin Butterworth
Pub. 1856

Historical Sketches of Oldham by Edwin Butterworth

1100, and the population, including the adjacent places, 6000 or upwards. In the ten years from 1831 to 1841 the increase was correspondingly rapid in the amount of dwellings and population, but not in manufactories; the number of mills was 23, houses 1700, and inhabitants 10,000. The totals of the last period include Side of moor, estimated population 2000; Lower moor, 2000 ; Hill, 1000; and Glodwick lane, 1000. Another remarkable example of the rapid changes effected by the influence of the cotton manufacture manifested itself in the increase of the population of North moor, which, so late as 1796, was an extensive, almost treeless, marshy common, stretching nearly a mile to the north-west of the town. At that period the number of houses on various parts of the heath, including the dwellings in Maygate lane, were 57. Five years previous to that time the habitations in the same locality were 46, and a small cotton mill had been erected on the eastern border. The formation of the new road to Rochdale, passing along the north-west edge of the moor, and the project of a new road to Middleton to traverse the southerly outskirts, contributed greatly to increase the number of habitations, and to expedite the reclamation of this bleak waste of almost 100 acres. In 1800 the dwellings had augmented to 71 , and in 1807 they had still further increased to 130. In 1820 they had reached nearly 200, and although there was still only one cotton mill, the population amounted to nearly 1100. In 1841 the habitations on North moor and in Maygate lane were upwards of 300, and the population 1700. The increase in the population of the villages of Hollinwood, Shaw, Royton, Waterhead mill, and Lees brook, at the same periods was equally extraordinary. The population of Ashton-under-Lyne parish in 1831 was 33,597, town, 14,670; Rochdale parish, 58,441, town, 25,000; Bury parish, 47,627, town, 14,000; Bolton-le-moors parish, 63,034, town, 40,000; Preston parish, 36,336, town, 32,000 ; Blackburn parish, 59,791, town, 26,000; Manchester parish, 270,061, town, 218,529. .

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