| 1 |
The phrase 'Villa Castelli de Racheham' occurs in an early 13th-century
charter; Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii,
599. The castle ditch is named in another
deed; ibid. ii, 608. A plan of the castle
hill in 1823 will be found in H. Fishwick, Rochdale, 65. Nothing is known of
the history of the castle. |
| 2 |
Harland and Wilkinson, Traditions,
60. |
| 3 |
The real meaning of the name is
supposed to be 'Well Valley'. |
| 4 |
Lond. Gaz. 2 July 1875. |
| 5 |
Parts of Hopwood and Thornham
were included in 1879; 42 & 43 Vict.
cap. 86. |
| 6 |
Loc. Govt. Bd. Order, 32287. |
| 7 |
Loc. Govt. Bd. Order P 1639; at
the same time a small part was included
in Heywood; ibid. P 1640. |
| 8 |
De Banco R 419, m. 102; Abbot of
Whalley v. Roger Brown. |
| 9 |
A large number of charters relating
to the Rochdale estates of the abbey will
be found in the Whalley Courber (Chet.
Soc.). In 1212 the abbey held 6 oxgangs in alms by grant of Roger de Lacy,
and in 1358 it was stated that Roger had
granted 4 oxgangs in Castleton, as well as
the manor of Marland, and that Henry
de Lacy had afterwards added 5 oxgangs in
Castleton, all which grants had been duly
confirmed; Lancs. Inq. and Extents (Rec.
Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 40; Assize R.
438, m. 4.
The grant of Marland seems to have
been due to Alan de Marland, who about
1200 gave his estate there—which, it
appears, was a moiety—to Roger de Lacy,
who soon afterwards transferred it to the
monks of Stanlaw with Alan's concurrence. A rent of 40d. was due to Hugh
de Eland; Whalley Coucher, ii, 590–3,
This land probably counted as 2 of the
6 oxgangs recorded in 1212. The other
moeity was given to the monks by Adam
de Bury, who had procured its surrender
by his tenant Thomas de Bamford; a
rent of 32d. was due from this portion;
ibid. ii, 593–5. The rent due to the
chief lords amounted to 6s. In 1304 William de Lightollers, perhaps heir of the
chief lord of the second moiety of Marland, released to the monks all his right
in the grange of Marland and lands in
Castleton; ibid. ii, 631.
Roger de Lacy also granted 4 oxgangs
in Castleton; ibid. i. 153. As the charter is placed among those relating to the
church, it is probable that these were the
4 oxgangs afterwards appropriated to the
vicarage; and in turn may be indentical
with those granted by Henry de Eland to
Alexander son of Andrew the priest, at a
rent of 32d., which Andrew the son of
Alexander de Castleton granted to Stanlaw, together with his title in the mill of
Sudden; ibid. ii, 607, 606. John de
Lacy also gave 4 oxgangs, perhaps the
same, which had belonged to Humphrey
de Lascales and released his claim to the mill;
ibid. ii, 601–2. Some other grants
appear to be surrenders by the actual
occupiers of the lands; thus Ellis son of
Award Brown gave to the monks an
oxgang, which he held by the service of
serjeanty; ibid. ii, 610, 612. John son
of Reynold the Gynour also gave an
oxgang, called the Great Bromytod (now
Brimrod); ibid. ii, 609. This account is
not quite satisfactory, as the total rent
due to the chief lord should have been
12s., whereas only 8s. 8d. or 9s. is recorded
above.
In 1277 Henry de Lacy gave to Stanlaw 5 oxgangs in Castleton, previously
held at will by the monks; ibid. ii, 595.
The monks appear to have purchased
from the occupiers; thus Adam son of
Dolphin de Healy gave 2 oxgangs, lying
beside the Roch, to his brother Henry, at
a rent of 16d., and Henry gave them to
Stanlaw for 16s. 8d., surrendering also his
claim to Sudden mill; ibid. ii, 596–8.
He sold a further oxgang, held of Robert
de Flamborough, at a rent of 8d.; and
Robert not only confirmed the grant, but
added two more oxgangs, purchased from
the above-named Adam, to be held at a
rent of 16d., the monks giving him 20s.;
ibid. ii, 598–600.
Many place and field names occur in
the charters; a 'dead water' called Twofoldhee lay near the Roch, some way to
the west of the castle; ibid. ii, 608, 603.
The Abbot of Stanlaw had £3 assized
rent in Rochdale in 1291; Pope Nich. Tax.
(Rec. Com.), 259.
The tenure of the lands of the monks
appears to have been as uneventful as
usual. In 1306 Isabel widow of Robert
de Liversedge claimed dower in Castleton
against the abbot; the third of a rent of
7s. 4d. was included; De Banco R. 160,
m. 113 d.; 161, m. 343. This would
be the chief rent of the 5 oxgangs last
acquired. In 1353 the Abbot of Whalley
successfully resisted a claim for a rent of
6s. as due from his manor of Marland to
the Duke of Lancaster; Assize R. 435,
m. 11 d. In the time of Richard 11 and
Henry IV the abbot had to make good
his title to a number or parcels alleged to
have been alienated without the royal
licence; Q.R. Memo. R. 159; L.T.R.
Memo. R. 163, m. xiii; 166, m.113.
Licences of alienation to Whalley Abbey
may be seen in cal. Pat. 1330–4, p. 384;
1340–3, p. 23; 1343–5, P. 51.
Castleton Moor was recovered from the
abbot; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i. 89. |
| 10 |
Whalley Coucher, iv, 1224–32. Overland is perhaps an error of transcription
for Merland. |
| 11 |
Pat. 33 Hen. VIII, pt. 6, m. 14;
there were included various messuages and
lands, a mill, and a fulling-mill; also a
close called Lycott in Hundersfield. 'A
close called Lyrol' had been occupied by
Richard Schofield, at a rent of 6s. 8d.;
Whalley Coucber, iv, 1231. |
| 11 |
a The Holts had land in Castleton long
before they acquired the lordship; Final
Conc, iii, 31; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.),
ii, 17. Robert Holt, who died in 1554,
was found to have hled the manor of
Castleton in chief, by the tenth part of a
knight's fee, and a rent of 22s. 4¾d.;
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. x, no. 7. |
| 12 |
See the account of Stubley. According to the Survey of 1626 Robert
Holt held Castleton House, Gorehill, and
Deeplish, with 464 acres of land, and
nearly 400 acres in Castleton Moor;
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxi, 4, 9.
The manors of Castleton, Naden, and
Marland were held by James Holt and
Dorothy his wife in 1704; Pal. of Lanc.
Feet of F. bdle. 269, m. 12. |
| 13 |
Com. Pleas Recov. R. Trin. 13
Geo. III, m. 124. |
| 13 |
a More correctly south-east. |
| 14 |
Fishwick, Rochdale in the beginning
of the 17th Century (Hist. Soc. of Lancs.
and Ches. xxxviii 1886). |
| 15 |
Fishwick, Hist. of the Parish of Rockdale, 310–11. |
| 16 |
Ibid. 311. |
| 17 |
Pat. 32 Hen. VIII, pt. 4. For the
Tyldesleys see the account of Wardley in
Eccles. |
| 18 |
Richard Radcliffe and Owen his son
and heir apparent in 1565 purchased from
Thurstan Tyldesley, Margaret his wife,
and other members of the family, ten
messuages, 1,000 acres of land, 2,000
acres of moor, &c, in Marland, Castleton, and Spotland; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of
F. bdle. 27, m. 202. Owen Radcliffe
and Edmund Radcliffe secured the same
estate, or an additional portion of it, from
William Sherington, Elizabeth his wife,
and Gilbert Sherington in 1578; ibid,
bdle. 40, m. 8. Owen Radcliffe in 1589
made a settlement of his estate in Castleton and Spotland; ibid. bdle. 51, m. 42.
An account of Langley and its owners
will be found under Middleton. In 1604
Edmund Radcliffe died in possession of ten
messuages, lands, &c, in Marland, not
described as a manor, held of the king by
the hundredth part of a knight's fee; he
held other messuages, &c, in Castleton by
services unknown, and others in Spotland
of Sir John Byron ; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Rec.
Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i, 21–2. In 1626
Henry Radcliffe, the only freeholder
mentioned, held 720 acres in Marland,
which he had received from his great-uncle
Richard Radcliffe; Raines MSS. xxi,
10. Henry died in 1630 holding the
manor of Marland' of the king by
knight's service; Duchy of Lanc. Inq.
p.m. xxvii, no. 25. |
| 19 |
Robert Holt purchased the manor of
Marland with messuages, lands, &c., in
Marland and Castleton, from Richard
Radcliffe and Elizabeth Radcliffe, widow.
The vendors gave warranties against the
heirs and assigns of Henry Radcliffe
(father of Richard), Edmund Radcliffe,
Owen Radcliffe, and Richard the father of
Owen; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 117,
no. 11; Clowes D. no. 20. |
| 20 |
For the earlier bearers of the name
see Whalley Coucher. Henry Marland
was vicar of Rochdale from 1426 to
1455. For later members of it see Fishwick, op. cit. 312. |
| 21 |
It gave a name to residents; see
Whalley Coucher, ii ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec.
Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), 34. |
| 22 |
See Plac. de Quo Warr. (Rec. Com.),
375. |
| 23 |
Rental in Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84;
the rent should no doubt be 13½d., as in
the manor survey of 1626. |
| 24 |
Twelve messuages, lands, &c, in
Nether Buersill and Castleton were in
1554 sold to Sir John Byron by William
Stafford and Lawrence son of John Stafford; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 15,
m. 6. The manor of Buersill is named
among the Byron estates in 1582; ibid,
bdle. 44, m. 223. |
| 25 |
Survey of 1626; Raines MSS. xxi,
21. The acreage is given as 680. |
| 26 |
Ibid. 23. |
| 27 |
Adam de Balderstone attested a
charter in the time of Henry III; Whalley Coucher, iii, 645; John son of Hugh
de Balderstone in 1290 released to the
monks of Stanlaw his right in the service
of Richard son of Andrew de Haworth;
ibid, iii, 723. Henry de Balderstone
about 1300 made a grant of all his part of
the waste of Buersill Moor to Sir Richard
de Byron; Byron Chartul. no. 68/176.
More extended grants were made by
Henry de Balderstone to Sir Richard and
Sir James de Byron in 1347 and 1348 respectively ; ibid. no. 19/188, no. 21/189.
This was perhaps a trust, for Sir James
at once granted them back to Henry for a
term of sixteen years ; ibid. no. 22/200. |
| 28 |
Thomas Urmston in 1414 released
to trustees, including James Holt, all his
right in lands in Castleton formerly belonging to Henry de Balderstone; Dods.
MSS. cxvii, fol. 164. Shortly afterwards
the estate is found in possession of James
del Holt and Eleanor his wife; a settlement made in 1419 gives remainders, in
default of male issue, to Henry del Holt,
bastard, Elizabeth wife of Ellis de Buckley, and Agnes wife of Bernard de Butterworth. James was a son of Geoffrey del
Holt; ibid.
From a plea of 1424 it is evident
that James de Chetham (of Nuthurst) and Eleanor his wife (a daughter
of Ellis de Buckley) had a share of the
estate; ibid. It was afterwards settled
on the above-named Elizabeth Buckley.
James Holt dying without heir Henry
Holt succeeded, and was followed by his
son Henry, who died in 1520 without male
issue. He was known as Henry Holt of
Balderstone, and held nine messuages,
300 acres of land, &c, in Castleton, of
the king as of his duchy by services unknown; the heir was Ellis Buckley son
of Richard, grandson of the above Ellis
and Elizabeth Buckley, aged forty years;
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 31. |
| 29 |
In 1557–8 Roger Gartside claimed
against Gabriel, bastard son of James
Gartside, four messuages, 200 acres
of land, &c, in Castleton, which
Henry Marland and others had [about
1450] given to Agnes Gartside, Elizabeth Townley, and Alice Belfield,
daughters of a certain Henry Holt; the
lands were afterwards divided, and James
Gartside, as son and heir of the said
Agnes, had granted her share to Roger as
his brother and heir; Dods. MSS. cxvii,
fol. 166; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 203, m.
7 ; 204, m. 14.
Henry's daughters did not obtain their
right without a lawsuit; Ducatus Lanc.
(Rec. Com.), i, 200; ii, 40; Fishwick,
Rochdale, 318.
By a settlement in 1565 Roger Gartside and Isabel his wife provided that their
estate of six messuages, lands, &c., in
Castleton should descend to their daughters Margery and Agnes, the latter being
then wife of Robert Holt; Pal. of Lane.
Feet of F. bdle. 27, m. 166. A partition
or sale of lands in Castleton was in 1579
made by Charles Holt, Peter Heywood
and Margery his wife, John Holt, and
Thomas Holt and Robert his son and heir,
acting together; ibid. bdle. 41, m. 14.
Peter Heywood and Margery his wife
held six messuages, &c, in Castleton in
1580; ibid. bdle. 42, m. 50. Peter Heywood held of Robert Savile or of John
Bradyll; Ducatus, iii, 22, 35,43. |
| 30 |
In 1590 part of the land (26 acres)
was granted to Peter Heywood and Mary
[Margery] his wife, daughter and co-heir
of Roger Gartside, who in 1626 were represented by their son Robert Heywood;
Surv. of 1626 (p. 8). Margery Heywood, widow of Peter, had died in 1602,
holding six messuages, &c, in Castleton
of John Holt of Stubley, and leaving a
son and heir Robert, then aged twentynine; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xviii,
no. 47. |
| 31 |
He is described as 'grandson of
Charles Holt of Stubley,' and held 72
acres; Surv. 7. Thus he was not the
Robert son of Thomas of the fine of 1579
quoted above.
Charles Holt appears as purchaser from
James Chadwick in 1564; Pal. of Lanc.
Feet of F. bdle. 26, m. 196, 239. He
had a messuage and lands in Castleton
in 1574, which in the following year
he granted for life to Ottiwell Holt,
Isabel his wife, and Alexander his son;
ibid. bdle. 36, m. 134; 37, m. 93. Ottiwell Holt was of Brimrod; the pedigree
is given (Holt of Mosside, Marland) in
Fishwick, Rochdale, 330–3. |
| 32 |
Surv. 7; he held 64 acres.
John Holt had in 1577—perhaps by
purchase from the heirs of Henry Holt—
an estate of eight messuages, lands, &c.,
in Balderstone, Castleton, and Hundersfield; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 39,
m. 139. Charles Holt in the following
year purchased land from John Talbot and
Robert his bastard son; ibid. bdle. 40, m.
68. John Talbot and Mary his wife had in
1566 sold a messuage and lands in Balderstone and Kirkholt to George Cowper, and
purchased others from William Charnley,
Thomas Lussell and Jane his wife ; ibid,
bdle. 28, m. 212, 242 ; see also Ducatus
Lanc. (Rec. Com.), ii, 238, 317.
Charles Holt died in 1628 holding the
capital messuage called Balderstone Hall,
with water-mill, messuages, and lands
in Balderstone below Castleton; also
messuages, &c, in Walsden in Hundersfield. The Balderstone estate was held of
Robert Holt of Stubley. His heir was
his grandson John, son of Samuel Holt,
aged nearly sixteen years; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxvii, no. 11.
John Holt's son Richard sold Balderstone Hall in 1713 to Timothy Whitehead of Lidyate in Saddleworth, and it has
changed hands several times since then.
Herbert Radcliffe owned it at his death
in 1904. See Fishwick, Rochdale, 320. |
| 33 |
Thomas de Chetham, who died in
1383, held land called the Slack of the
heirs of Henry de Balderstone in
socage; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1463.
This appears to be the messuage and land
in Castleton recorded in later inquisitions,
the tenure being unknown; e.g. Duchy
of Lanc. Inq. p.m. iii, no. 62. In 1521
Thomas Chetham of Nuthurst and John
Cudworth of Werneth became bound to
Alice Holt of Balderstone to abide an arbitration as to the Slack; Clowes D.
no. 1. Alice, who was the widow of
Henry Holt, appears to have surrendered
the place, which in 1524 Thomas Chetham granted to his brother Ellis for life;
ibid. no. 6. From a rental of 1521 it
appears that Henry Holt had paid a rent
of 6s. 8d. for the Slack ; ibid. |
| 34 |
The estate of James de Chetham and
Eleanor de Buckley his wife has been mentioned in a preceding note. In later disputes it was agreed that the Chethams
should have a rent of 13s. 4d. from Balderstone. By subdivision it was increased to
13s. 6d., thus in 1677—From James
Worrall, Alexander Wolstenholme, James
Whitworth(two), each 1s. 1½d.—4s. 6d.;
from Mrs. Holt of Balderstone, 4s. 6d.;
and from Mrs. Gaskell's, for that which
was John Worsley's, 4s. 6d.; Clowes D. |
| 35 |
William de Slack in 1342 granted his
lands in the moor to Sir Richard de Byron,
who, as stated above, had already procured a grant from Henry de Balderstone;
and in 1539 James Gartside granted Dykegate, &c, to John Byron ; D. in the
Surv. of 1626 (Raines MSS. xxi, 28).
For a settlement of boundaries in 1552
see Fishwick, op. cit. 72 (quoting Duchy
Rec. iv, C.I. 5 Edw. VI). For disputes
as to the rights of pasture on the moor between Sir John Byron on one side and
William Stafford and others on the other,
see Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), i, 222, 250,
274 ; ii, 92. |
| 36 |
Surv. of 1626, p. 5; he held 233 acres.
He was the son of Adam Holt, who died
in 1621, holding lands in Castleton of
John Holt of Stubley in socage by a rent
of 2d.t and other lands in Wardle (including Crolesse Farm) of Sir John Byron by a
rent of 13½d.; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc.
Lancs, and Ches.), ii, 226–8; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 53. The
estate descended in the family for about a
century; see Fishwick, op. cit. 324–6, for
pedigree.
In the same work (p. 327) will be found
the pedigree of Heape of Lower Place.
A rent of 2d. had formerly been paid to
Whalley Abbey by Richard Scholefield for
Malymehey; Whalley Coucher, iv, 1231. |
| 37 |
Several of the name occur in the
Whalley Coucher. Geoffrey son of Robert
de Newbold in the latter half of the 13th
century gave the monks of Stanlaw a
small piece of land for a tithe-barn site;
it stood on the north side of the road to
Butterworth; ibid, i, 161.
William son of Henry son of the Nun
of Newbold gave to his lord, Geoffrey de
Buckley, land in Newbold; Add. MS.
32107, no. 426.
Edward Newbold died in 1620 holding
lands in Castleton and Butterworth of Sir
John Byron the younger in socage by a
rent of 4d., also in Hundersfield of the
same by a rent of 4d. James Newbold,
his son and heir, was over forty years old;
Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and
Ches.), ii, 193. |
| 38 |
Surv. 16, 17; the total acreage of
the hamlet is given as 295.
For later particulars of the Newbold
family see Fishwick, op. cit. 314–16. |
| 39 |
Surv. 16.
Henry Schofield of Humber had five
messuages and lands in Castleton and
Hundersfield in 1569, and settled them
on his son Edward in 1583; Pal. of
Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 31, m. 13; 45,
m. 41.
Richard Schofield of 1626 was a son
of Henry Schofield; he held Newbold
Hall, but the estate was afterwards sold
several times. About a century ago it
was purchased by Joseph Newbold of
Rochdale, whose son Joseph owned it in
1889; Fishwick, op. cit. 316. |
| 40 |
Manor Surv. 6.
Elizabeth widow of Robert Chadwick
died in 1561 holding a messuage, &c., in
Castleton belonging to her husband, held
of the queen in chief by knight's service.
James Chadwick, brother of Robert, was
heir, and sixty years of age; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 9.
James Chadwick in 1564 purchased a
messuage in Castleton from Charles Holt;
Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 26, m. 239.
William Chadwick, as lessee of Katherine
Colling, widow, had in 1568 a dispute
with Otwell Colling (son of Katherine)
and Joan his wife, respecting the Green
Marled Earth in Castleton; Ducatus
Lanc. (Rec. Com.), ii, 361. Robert
Colling about 1540 was the tenant of
Bartles in Castleton; several Chadwicks
were also tenants; Wballey Coucher, iv,
1230. |
| 41 |
See Fishwick, Rochdale, 321 —
Walmsley of Goose Lanc; 326—Heape
of Hartley; and 329—Vavasour of Crossfield. |
| 42 |
The district was formed in 1863;
Lond. Gaz. 13 Jan. Dr. Molesworth, vicar
of Rochdale, is buried here. |
| 43 |
The Congregational Church at Castleton, formerly Blue Pits, originated in
1866; a school chapel was built in 1870;
Nightingale, Lancs. Nonconf. iii, 253. |