Flow River Flow

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The Roch might be a little river in the wider scheme of things, being a tributary of a tributary of the Mersey, but it's the biggest river that Heywood has and it has played a big part in the history and development of the town. This Ten Thousand Years in Monkey Town slideshow charts the wandering course of the waters from a tiny spring emerging from under a rock high up on Chelburn Moor, then right down to the Irwell. Enjoy.

(Best viewed on 'expand screen' option in YouTube)




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General Timeline of Heywood History

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This timeline of the history of Heywood is a work in progress. It is intended to be as accurate as possible, and suggested corrections or additions are welcome.

Pre - A.D. 1270 7th century: Middleton is thought to have been settled by this time.1086: Rochdale recorded in the Domesday Book as Recedham.1164: Heywood family recorded in local area.1183: Records for Ashworth start around this time.1197: Reference to Birtle in records.12th century: Hopwood family recorded at site of current Hopwood Hall.1210: Reference to hamlets of Lumhalghs (Lomax) and Hep (Heap) in records.1260: Land at Pilsworth granted to William de Radcliffe. 1270-1600 1260s-70s: Adam de Bury grants land to Peter de Heywood during this time.1278: William del Bridge granted land near Bury.1292: Reference to Hoppewode in records13th century: Bamford family living in Bamford area.13th century: Peter de Heywood builds Heywood Hall.13th century: Woollen mill recorded at Bamford16th century: Woollen mill recorded at Bridge Hal…
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The Old Mills of Heywood: C-E

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See all the A-Z listing of old mills and workplaces of Heywood here
Cartridge Ropery Rope
Brunswick Street
1843: Established by William Healey.
1874: Became Healey Bros. when his sons William, Robert and Jehu took over the business. They manufactured many types of rope including mill drive ropes, and a rope walk stretched from Cartridge Ropery through the grounds of Brooklands, owned by the Healeys, until 1940.  1888 directory: Healey Brothers (manufacturers of all kinds of rope, twine, cotton & tubular banding; also main driving ropes for mills), Cartridge Steam Ropery & Broadfield Mill. 1960: Healy Bros. taken over by British Ropes.  1971: Became British Twine and Rope.  2018: Building still present and in use.

Castleton Moor Mill
Cotton
Castleton
1890: Not present on OS map.
1908: Present on OS map.
1956: Marked on OS map as Castleton Moor Mill (wool combing).
1960s: Demolished, became the site of a supermarket.

Cheesden Lumb Higher
Cotton
Cheesden Brook, Cheesden Lumb
1845: B…
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The Devil and the Monkey Puzzle Tree

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The Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) is not a common sight in Monkey Town. The rather exotic spiked trunk and winding branches always caught the attention of local children, and two in particular that stuck in the memory were the trees in a front garden on Heywood Hall Road (which was on the route to Queen’s Park for many people).

One well-remembered aspect of these trees was the superstition surrounding them. Some parents actually told their children to be quiet as they passed the tree, various reasons being that they would have bad luck or lose something, or in some cases even grow a monkey’s tail! This led those children who actually wanted a monkey’s tail to shout out as they passed by the trees.

Superstitions about the Monkey Puzzle tree can be found throughout Britain. One widely-shared bit of folklore is that the Devil himself sits in this tree and people have to be quiet when walking past or else they will attract the Devil’s attention and get bad luck. In some cases …
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