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Saddleworth
The Obelisk on Alderman's Hill overlooking Greenfield towards Oldham
Saddleworth shown within Greater Manchester
Area	29.4 sq mi (76 km)
Population	Expression error: "24,351 (2001 Census)" must be numeric
OS grid reference	SD995061
• London	161 miles (261 km) SSE
Metropolitan borough	Oldham
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	OLDHAM
Postcode district	OL3
Dialling code	01457
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Oldham East and Saddleworth
List of places UK England Greater Manchester

Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Delph, Diggle and others. Saddleworth, which lies east of the large town of Oldham and 11 miles (17.7 km) east-northeast of the city of Manchester, is broadly rural, has a scattered population of 24,351, making it one of the larger civil parishes in the United Kingdom.

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, for centuries Saddleworth was a centre of woollen cloth production in the domestic system. Following the Industrial Revolution, Saddleworth became a centre for cotton spinning and weaving during the 18th and 19th centuries, so much so that by the end of Queen Victoria's reign, mechanized textile production had become a vital part of the local economy. The boom in industry that called for greater transport links, including the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and several mills and railways.

Following the Great Depression Saddleworth's textile sector demised. Much of Saddleworth's architecture and infrastructure dates from its textile processing days however, notably the Saddleworth Viaduct and several cottages and terraces.

For centuries Saddleworth was linked, ecclesiastically, with the parish of Rochdale and was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived. The former Saddleworth Urban District was the only part of the West Riding to have been amalgamated into Greater Manchester in 1974. However, strong cultural links with Yorkshire remain amongst its communities. There are several brass bands in the parish.

History

Early history

The first documentary evidence of Saddleworth appears in the Domesday Book in which it is referred to as "Quick", spelt "Thoac"; where it is described as "Land of the King in Eurvicsire (Yorkshire), Agbrigg Wapentake."

The history of the region clearly dates further back than the Domesday Book however. Place names derived from Celtic and Anglian dialects, along with the discovery of flint arrowheads and gold Viking rings all point to a much earlier Saddleworth, possibly as old as the Stone Age. Furthermore, there is a Roman road running through the area and a Roman fort (Rigodunum) at Castleshaw. Also present in the Saddleworth area is a possible Bronze Age bowl barrow (grid reference SD98010746). Despite excavations, no grave goods or human remains have been found associated with the barrow.

Industrial Saddleworth

The steep slopes of the Saddleworth area and the acidic soils of the region have never been particularly conducive to intensive farming; meaning that long before the Victorian era, Saddleworth already had a long established, albeit domestic, textile tradition. Small, basic mills had been existent in Saddleworth before the industrial revolution, but these were increasingly replaced by larger more intensive establishments. So much so that by the end of Queen Victoria's reign, mechanized textile production had become a vital part of the local economy.

The boom in industry that had occurred in Saddleworth during the Industrial Revolution called for greater transport links. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was begun in 1794 at the height of 'Canal Mania', connecting Huddersfield to Stalybridge via Saddleworth and completed seventeen years later in 1811; when the Standedge Canal Tunnel at Diggle was finally opened. The decline of canals and the rise of steam powered locomotives left the canal falling behind the competition, and so it was decided that a railway tunnel would be built parallel to the canal, which was completed in 1848. The rise in traffic demanded a second tunnel be built, completed in 1871. Both of these were single line tunnels and eventually superseded by the 1894 tunnel, a double line tunnel, which is the only one of the three still regularly carrying passengers.

Unlike the majority of the Oldham Metropolitan Borough, where the industrial architecture was generally constructed from Accrington redbrick, Saddleworth's textiles mills and supporting infrastructure was made from stone. This is in keeping with other settlements amongst the southwest Pennines, such as Milnrow near Rochdale.

Governance

Although on the western side of the Pennine watershed, Saddleworth, or Quick as it was once known, has lain within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire since the middle ages. From a very ancient time, the area formed part of the Agbrigg Wapentake, in the "Land of the King in Eurvicsire" (Yorkshire).

For a time, during the 17th century, Saddleworth constituted a chapelry within the ancient parish of Rochdale in Salfordshire, which was otherwise entirely in the ancient county of Lancashire.

In 1866 it became a civil parish in its own right and in 1889 became part of the administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1894 the parish's boundaries were altered somewhat, with the parts in Quickmere Middle Division (Springhead), Mossley and Uppermill becoming Urban Districts. The residue became a single-parish rural district.

In 1872, Saddleworth was recorded to be "a hamlet, a chapelry, a township, and a district, in Rochdale parish and West Riding of Yorkshire". At this time, a post office for the area was found under the name of Uppermill which was under Manchester.

In 1900 the boundaries were changed again with the inclusion of Uppermill, and the single-parish rural district being instead replaced by the "Saddleworth Urban District". In 1937 it incorporated Springhead Urban District.

Under the Local Government Act 1972, the West Riding of Yorkshire was abolished and Saddleworth was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.

Unlike neighbouring Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth is a Successor parish, and thus was automatically granted civil parish status in 1974 when its urban district status was abolished.

Up until 1996, Saddleworth's official postal county was Lancashire, due to it forming part of the Oldham post town. Postal counties were abolished in 1996 however.

Parliamentary representation

Saddleworth forms part of the Oldham East and Saddleworth parliamentary constituency, of which the Member of Parliament is Phil Woolas.

It is split into three electoral wards; Saddleworth North, Saddleworth South and Saddleworth West and Lees

Geography

Saddleworth makes up around 52 % (29.4 square miles (76.1 km²)) of the entire Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in terms of area, and remains largely rural.

Bounded directly to the west by Oldham, Lees and Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth is twelve miles (19.3 km) southwest of Huddersfield.

Settlements

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items.

Saddleworth contains a collection of villages and hamlets, including:

Settlement	Population	OS Grid reference	Image
Austerlands
Castleshaw
Delph		grid reference SD984080
Denshaw	c. 500	grid reference SD974106
Diggle		grid reference SE017083
Dobcross
Friezland
Grasscroft
Greenfield		grid reference SD995061
Grotton
Heights		grid reference SD981089
Lydgate
Scouthead
Springhead		grid reference SD963052
Uppermill		grid reference SD938090

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, Saddleworth had a total population of 24,351. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. The average household size was 2.39. Of those aged 16–74 in Little Bollington, 45.3% had no academic qualifications or one GCSE, lower than the figures for all of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham (55.2%) and about the same for England (45.5%). According to the census, 1.9% were unemployed and 28.2% were economically inactive. 18.5% of the population were under the age of 16 and 7.3% were aged 75 and over; the mean age of the people of Little Bollington was 40.92. 71.5% of residents described their health as 'good'.

Population change

Culture

Identity

Since the local government reforms of 1974, some people of Saddleworth have been uneasy about their primary geographic reference frame, with parts of the local community feeling aggrieved at Saddleworth forming part of Greater Manchester. Saddleworth, where the local architecture of stone cottages is markedly Yorksharian, is the only part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham to come from the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, the rest being from Lancashire. It is also the only part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester to lie within these borders. Greater Manchester is based on the conurbation of towns surrounding the city of Manchester. However, Saddleworth is highly rural, and, for purposes of the Office of National Statistics, most of the parish's territory does not form part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area.

Up until 1996, Saddleworth's official postal county was Lancashire. This was because its post town was Oldham. Postal counties were abolished in 1996 however.

The Saddleworth White Rose Society organises events every Yorkshire Day (1 August) to promote its contention that Saddleworth remains part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The Prince of Wales referred to Saddleworth's continuing Yorkshire status when he visited the area in 2001 saying "The fact that Saddleworth is still part of the historic West Riding is extremely important".

In 2004, public meetings were held to discuss the feasibility of splitting Saddleworth from the Borough of Oldham. Some residents at the time said they would prefer to become part of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire or a new South Pennine authority, connecting rural towns and villages on both sides of the border. Even though such a move could involve merging with the neighbouring Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, Oldham councillors maintained the split was not feasible as Saddleworth does not have sufficient hospital provision, civic buildings, transport, schooling nor other infrastructure in its own right. Councillor Ken Hulme arranged a meeting for the matter to be discussed. One councillor remarked "They want a bigger slice of the pie than the rest of the borough. The people of the rest of Oldham are not going to subsidise Saddleworth, and Saddleworth can't go it alone. It couldn't afford to provide the services it needs."

Whit Friday

Saddleworth has a large number of annual customs and traditions, many of which are held during Whitsuntide. On Whit Friday morning, congregations from the churches of all of the Saddleworth villages hold their Walk of Witness and congregate in Uppermill to take part in a religious service. Later in the evening, the Whit Friday brass band contests take place. The band contests originated in Saddleworth and the nearby towns of Mossley and Stalybridge and are still centred on the local area. Bands from around the country, and indeed the world, travel to the area annually to compete. Due to the huge popularity of the event, Whit Friday band contests are now held in others of Saddleworth's surrounding villages.

Beer Walk

On the following Saturday, the Saddleworth Beer Walk is held. This is a fundraising event where participants walk around Saddleworth in fancy dress, stopping off at many of Saddleworth's pubs along the way for a pint of beer or lager. Spectators are encouraged to give money to the participants for charity. It is organised by the Saddleworth branch of the Round Table.

Rushcart

Each year, on the second Saturday and Sunday after August 12th (the old Saddleworth "Wakes Week"), the Saddleworth Rushcart takes place. In 1975 a team of local lads formed the Saddleworth Morris Men and the first modern Rushcart was built for the first festival. This has now become the largest Festival of Morris Dancing in the whole of the United Kingdom.

Notable residents

Dobcross is the birthplace to inventors, the Platt Brothers, who were pioneers of the mechanisation of textile manufacture.

Progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest were formed in Saddleworth.

Saddleworth’s craggy moorland provided the cliffs that springboard careers for internationally renown Alpinist/Climbers Kevin Thaw of Uppermill and Paul Braithwaite, Denshaw. Paul & son Tom currently compete and rank in International Mountain Biking events.

References

1. ^ Anon (2003-07-31). "A select gazetteer of local government areas, Greater Manchester County". Greater Manchester County Records Office. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
2. ^ United Kingdom Census 2001. "Saddleworth CP (Parish)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. Hardy, Clive (2000). Greater Manchester: Photographic Memories. Francis Frith Collection. p. 60. ISBN 1-85937-108-06. Though within the parish of Rochdale, Saddleworth lay within the extreme south-west of the West Riding of Yorkshire and was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
4. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (2002). "Borough Profile: Oldham". Retrieved 2007-04-05.
5. ^ The Saddleworth Story (5th ed.). 1994. p. 10. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
6. "Bowl Barrow". Pastscape.org.uk. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
7. Saddleworth Villages, visitoldham.co.uk. URL accessed March 26, 2007.
8. A Vision of Britain through Time. "Descriptive Gazetteer entry for SADDLEWORTH". Retrieved 2007-04-23.
9. ^ A Vision of Britain through Time. "Saddleworth UD". Retrieved 2007-04-05.
10. A Vision of Britain through time. "West Riding". Retrieved 2007-04-05.
11. "Saddleworth CP household data". Statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
12. ^ "Saddleworth CP and qualifications". Statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
13. "Oldham metropolitan borough qualifications". Statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
14. "Little Bollington civil parish census data". Statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
15. David McKie: Elsewhere,The Guardian 23 September 2004
16. Who's for the Republic of Saddleworth?, Oldham Advertiser, December 15, 2004. URL accessed October 27, 2006.

External links

• Saddleworth White Rose Society
• Saddleworth Online
• Saddleworth.org.uk
• Virtual Saddleworth
• Saddleworth Historical Society
• Saddleworth Museum
• Saddleworth Buses

• Districts of Greater Manchester
• Civil parishes in Greater Manchester
• Geography of Oldham