Historic Book

Extract from

“The History of the Parish of Rochdale in the county of Lancaster Volume 2”

by Henry Fishwick

Published 1889

Page 534-537

SPAW SUNDAY .
A custom of repairing to Knoll Hill and Blackstone Edge on the
first Sunday in May was long prevalent in the district , and the day
was formerly known as Spaw Sunday . As far as Blackstone Edge is
concerned the custom has not yet died out .

SUPERSTITION ABOUT CHAPEL CROFT AT BUTTERWORTH HALL
Within the last twenty years it was believed that if the grass
grown on this meadow was the first mown and carried away without rain
falling , none of the hay from the neighbouring meadows would be
” housed ” dry , and for years the Chapel ( or Chapel Vard ) Croft was
mown after the others .

WITCHCRAFT IN THE 16TH CENTURY .
The belief in witchcraft was at this period widespread throughout
the land , and that the inhabitants of this parish were no wiser than
their neighbours is evident from the fact that , in 1597 , one Alice
Brerely of Castleton obtained a pardon after being condemned to death
for having killed James Kershaw and Robert Scholefield by witchcraft .

A CHARM OR EXORCISM AGAINST WITCHCRAFT AND EVIL SPIRITS .
In pulling down an old barn at Healey in 1876 , beneath one of
the roof timbers the workmen discovered a small wood box , which
contained a charm written in cipher…The tabe on the top corner is a magic square dedi
cated to the sun , on which the numbers are expressed by letters
formed from the Greek alphabet ; any six sums in this square taken
in a straight line make the number 111 , and together make up a total
of 666 , being the number of the beast ” ( Rev. , xiii . , 18 ) . In a line
with this square are the symbols of the sun and moon and under
them the word ” Machen , ” strife or contention ; below this is a symbol
consisting of a Jerusalem cross and the sign of Jupiter ; beneath this .
is the word ” Michael . ” In the centre is a symbol to which no mean
ing can be attached , and above it is the word ” Intelligence ; ” the
other figure , on which is ” sigil . ” is the seal of the sun . of the body

of the charm the first two lines are meaningless words in the Greek
character , and end with the word ” tetragrammaton . ” What follows is
in Latin and may be translated into ” I love God , the Lord God , the
Hour , Christ , let it be done , let it be done ; let it be done as it is
said in the xvii . chapter of St. Matthew and at the twentieth verse .
By faith ye may remove mountains . Let it be according to your
faith . If there is or shall be however a bewitcher or a demon
dwelling in , or in the habit of disturbing , this person , this place , or
this thing , I exorcise it to depart without any disturbance , trouble or
the least tumult , in the name of the Father , and of the Son , and of
the Holy Ghost . Then follows the Lord’s Prayer . On the back of
the paper is endorsed ” Agla en Tetragrammaton . ” The four letters in
the ” Agla ” form the initial letters of a cabalistic word meaning ” Thou
O Lord , art mighty for ever . ” Tetragrammaton is the Hebrew
Jehovah .
A charm almost exactly like this was found in the beginning of
this century under a brass plate on a tombstone in a Lancashire
churchyard , and another one was discovered in the roof of a barn at
West Bradford , near Clitheroe . The belief in this kind of charm
lingered long in Lancashire , and probably none of these exorcisms are
more than 100 or 150 years old .

ROGER BREKELEY , THE FOUNDER OF THE ” GRINDLETONIANS . “

In 1626 Roger Brereley [ or Breirley ] , clerk , held ( by descent from
his grandfather , Roger Brereley ) a close of land near the site of the
reputed castle in Castleton . This Roger Brereley , clerk was the fourth
son of Thomas Brereley of Marland . He is said to have been
the founder of a religious sect called the Breirlists or Grindletonians . “
He was for some years of Grindleton in Yorkshire , and afterwards
held the perpetual curacy of Burnley Church , where he died in 1637 .
During his life he underwent much persecution : at one time he was
kept prisoner at York pending the hearing of fifty charges against him
of false teaching and the like , not one of which being proved he was
set at liberty and allowed to continue his ministry . Roger Brereley
was also a poet . His sermons and poems were published in 1677…

An elder brother of Roger Brereley was Abel Brereley , who was
parish clerk of Rochdale .

THE JULY FLOOD .
This term is locally applied to a storm which took place 4th July .

The effects of the flood were mostly felt in the Spod valley ,
where it swept away Spotland Bridge . It is recorded that near to the
site of the bridge the strean rose to a height of fifteen feet ; of course
all the mills and houses near to its banks were much damaged .

FOOTBALL MATCHES .
As late as 1775 these matches between the various hamlets in the
parish were played in the streets of Rochdale , with an occasional
divergence into the bed of the river.

Cock FIGHTING ON SHROVE TUESDAY .
As late as 1830 the boys at the Grammar School were permitted
to indulge in this sport in the school – house .

BAUM RABBIT .
This name was given to a ghost which for many years was firmly
believed to haunt the vicinity of St. Mary’s Chapel ( Cheetham Street ) .
Why it chose this locality or why it usually assumed the form of a
white rabbit has never been divulged .

CRACKNEL FRIDAY .
Some fifty years ago Good Friday morning was known as Cracknel
Friday , and children calling on their friends were regaled with small
thin cakes known as cracknels .

THE Srocks .
It will be seen from the views of Whitworth and Littleborough
Chapels that the stocks were in both cases within the chapel yards ;
the stocks in Rochdale were just outside the churchyard ; the upright
stones of the latter still remain ; upon them are cut the letters ” w . w . “
and the date ” 1666. “

OLD CROSSES
In 1650 the remains of a cross stood at Stubley , near Portsmouth…The ordnance map shows also a hill in Wardle called
Stubley Cross Hill . At the junction of the Oldham and Ripponden
Turnpike with the road to Cold Greave , in Ogden , is marked the
site of an old cross . The market cross in Rochdale remained in its
original position until about the beginning of this century , when ,
tradition says , it was pulled down wilfully by some drunken men , and
was afterwards removed to Goose – lane .

BEACONS .
Most of the hill tops in the parish have been utilized for beacons ,
certainly Knoll Hill , Brown Wardle , Blackstone Edge , and the hill
behind Stones in Todmorden [ see p . 473 ] were so used .