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Although giving its name to this
article, it must be confessed that Longridge is noted not so
much for its own history, or for what it contains in itself,
but rather for its immediate vicinity.
The Roman's
The Ancient Britons and Saxons
The Norman's
The Tudors
The Stuarts
The Protectorate
The Early 1800's
The Longridge and Preston Railway
Anybody visiting Longridge for the first
time readily discerns the philological reason for its name.
The Long Ridge that stretches in an unbroken line for three
miles to Jeffrey Hill plainly has given birth to the name of
the town.
Rumour has a very plausible tale about
this long ridge.
It has been said that Longridge owes its
name to Oliver Cromwell, who, when on his way across the fells
from Stonyhurst to Preston, said, "What a long ridge this
is".
Pleasant as this tale is, history compels
us to relegate it to the lumber-room, to which are consigned
so many similar romantic stories. For mention is made in 1554,
some hundred years before Cromwell's time, of "Sir Robert
Cotome, priest of Longryche in Ribblechester".
For a very long time the town of Longridge
had no legal existence. It was a "courtesy name"
given to the two townships of which the town is composed.
In 1868 the Ecclesiastical district of
Longridge was formed, the Chapel-of-ease under Ribchester
becoming the Parish church of Longridge. Again in 1883,
another important step was taken to alter the state of
confusion that had prevailed by the formation of a Local Board
district, co-terminus with the Ecclesiastical district.
The philological meaning of the words
"Alston" and "Dilworth", the townships
which Longridge is composed is not so plain as in that of
Longridge.
The various ways of spelling Alston are:--
Actun 1066
Alsden 1311
Alston 1469
Howston 1650
There can be little doubt that the Anglo
Saxon way of spelling was Athelstone. So called after King
Athelstan, who defeated the Danes and Scots in a pitched
battle that took place in 936 - 939 on the banks of the
Ribble, near Elston.
The derivation of Alston may therefore be
Athel; -- stone, the house of stone or castle (Scandinavian
"stein").
Alston - Anglo Saxon Athel's ton, the town
of Athelstan.
Dilworth is spelled a great number of
ways:--
Dylleword 1199
Dilwhre 1210
Dileworthe 1227
Dilword 1254
Dilleworth 1291
Dylleworth 1292
Dilleworthe 1303
Dileworill 1311
Dilworth 1650
The origin of the word appears to be Dil,
an idol and Anglo Saxon Worth, an enclosure. The meaning being
the enclosure of idols.
The various ways of spelling Longridge are
given here:--
Longerydche 1554
Longryche 1554
Langrigg 1560
Long-Ridge 1622
Langridge 1648
Langrytch 1698
For miles around, the town of Longridge is
a prominent object in the landscape. Built on the
south-western edge of the fell that bears its name, its
situation is very picturesque. To the east, the range of
hills, of which Pendle is most conspicuous. To the north-west,
Parlick Pike and Bleasdale Fell shelter the Vale of Chipping
and Leagram, through which the Hodder runs its rapid course,
and the sluggish Loud winds like a serpent.
To the west is Beacon Fell, and further
still the lofty buildings of Fleetwood and Blackpool are
plainly visible. The estuary or the Ribble, and beyond the
Welsh hills are to be seen to the south.
Almost at your feet is the Ribble,
"Lancaster's greatest glory" flowing through
Ribblesdale past many a beauteous and historic spot.
From information given in the Domesday
book, we gather that the district contained in early times
large forests and that bogs and morasses were very numerous.
The
Romans
There are clear traces and remains to be
seen of Roman roads and bridle paths in the district.
Ribchester appears to have been connected by a direct Roman
road with Lancaster.
Leaving the castrum it runs north-west, a
modern road being placed upon it, past a place called Dale
Hey, another called Pinfold and so on to a place called
Preston Wives. Where it crosses at right angles a road leading
east-north-east from the town of Longridge.
The Lancaster road keeps on past the
"Written Stone". Where a still used road terminates,
but passed near Stony Croft and by various fragments, now used
as lanes, is traceable by "Stony Lane Farm",
"Windy Arbour", near Lickhurst, Broadgate, Stangate,
"Street Farm" near Stonehead, about a mile and a
half from Shireshead and appears to have fallen into the road
from Walton to Lancaster near Galgate.
The road from Manchester to Lancaster is
generally considered to have been continued forward up to
Longridge, communicating with the station by a short road from
the point where it forded the river, but, as usual, near the
station the traces of it are lost until we come to
"Cherry Gate", where a road called Stonygate Lane
ascends the hill. This though a zigzag road, is occasionally
upon the track of the Roman road, though in most places the
latter is to the left of the former being plainly visible. It
continues to the summit of the hill near a point called
"Jeffrey Hill" it falls at almost right angles on
the road pointing towards Walton.
A Dr. Stukely visited Ribchester in 1775
and in his "Iter Boreale" gives a graphic
description of the place. He mentions a street that is the
Roman road running directly northward up the fell called
"Green Gate". It passes over Langridge so through
Bowland Forest.
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The
Ancient Britons and Saxons
Perhaps a brief account of the religion of
the Ancient Briton, Saxons and Danes should be given. Many
places in the district still retain the names of the heathen
places of worship, and some of the old customs of the people
may be due to the sacred rites of the Pagan inhabitants.
In T.C. Smith's work "The History of
Longridge" the Rev. J. Davies stated:-
"In the middle of the county we have
Angle-Zark. The first part of the word is clearly from the
name of the Angles tribe. The second is found also in
Grimsargh and Goosnargh. All the names of places not far from
Anglezark are probably the old High German 'haruc', Old Norse
'hörga', Anglo Saxon 'hearb', a heathen temple or
altar. The Old Norse 'hörga' shows that it means
primarily a lofty grove and thence a temple encircled with
groves.
It answers, therefore, to the Danish
'lund' (a sacred grove). We know that all the Germanic races
were wont to celebrate the rites of their dark and cruel
worship in the gloomy shades of forests or groves, the word
teaches us that the Angles were worshippers of the old
Teutonic deities, when they took possession of Lancashire. The
name, was probably given by the Angles themselves and if so,
it indicates that the Anglian speech approached, in some words
to High German form".
The conjoint worship of the Sun and Moon,
the Samen and Sama, and Husband and Wife of nature have
been from these early times so firmly implanted that ages have
not uprooted it. Christianity has not banished it. The Saxons
were guilty of it. Even as late as the 1800's Pagan rites
where performed on the borders of the Ribble.
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The
Norman's
In the Domesday book Actun (Alston) is
stated to have contained one carucate of land. (a carucate,
carve or plough land was generally about one hundred acres)
while Dilworth is not mentioned at all, the land evidently
being waste, making a total of one carucate for Longridge in
the eleventh century.
The Domesday Book had the whole of
Amounderness, which at that time, included Ribchester and
Dilworth. Probably this district was covered in those days
with large forests.
In the 20th year of the reign of King
Edward III, (1347) the Abbot of Cockersand assumed that, by a
charter of King John (1199 - 1216) he was exempted from the
payment of rates and taxes in certain specified places.
Dylleword is mentioned amongst their number.
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The
Tudors
In the first year of the reign of Queen
Mary, 1554, a Royal Commission was appointed "to enquire,
serche and survey what land and tenements and hereditaments
and bell and chalisses, plate, jewel and stocks of Kyen shepe
mony and other things", which had not been surrendered to
King Edward VI's Commissioners.
Edward Parker, who was appointed
Sub-Commissioner by the former Commission, declared that he
had not received certain bells, amongst which was "item,
one lytell bell belongying to the chapell of
Longerydche".
For which we find that "Syr Robt.
Cottam, priest and John Tomlynson, chyrche reve, sworn and
examined, depose and say, that there ys one belle yett
remaynninge at ye said chapell specifyed in ye said sedule wch
was lease and thuse of our late soveraigne lorde Kinge Edwarde
ye vjth, by auctorytie of ye said Comyssion". The
chalice, of silver gilt, weighing 7¾ ounces was given up, as
were also the ornaments, which were valued at twelve pence.
In Gregson's map dated 1598
"Longridge" and "Langridge Hills" figure
conspicuously.
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The
Stuarts
At this time (1648) there was a great
struggle raging between the King and Parliament. Nowhere did
it rage more fiercely than on the Lancashire borders. It was
at Longridge that Cromwell, who had made forced marches
through Yorkshire, cane up and engaged the Scot's, commanded
by Langdale and the Duke of Hamilton. In a letter to the
committee of Lancashire, Cromwell writes from Preston, 17th
August 1648.
"It had pleased God this day to show
his great power by making his army successful against the
common enemy. We lay last night at Mr Sherburn's of
Stonyhurst, nine miles from Preston, which was within three
miles of the Scot's quarters".
In another letter, dated 20th August, to
the speaker of the House of Commons, Cromwell says -- "On
the 14th we came to Hodder Bridge over Ribble where we held a
council of war". (What Cromwell meant was Hodder, close
by or over against the Ribble, and not what he says, which is
of course absurd.)
The result of this council of war was that
Cromwell decided to pass over the river (Hodder) and halted
for the night at Stonyhurst. Very early the next morning,
Cromwell marched towards Preston.
In this battle the Lancashire regiment
bore the brunt of the struggle, and soon defeated the Scots
with great slaughter, chasing them over Ribbleton moor and the
Ribble as far as Wigan. The number of Scots slain Cromwell
estimated at 1,000 and 4,000 prisoners. His own losses were
very little.
The Protector's army numbered 10,000 at
the most, while Hamilton had under his command not less than
30,000 men. "Truly it was" as Cromwell exclaimed,
"a glorious day", for it was one of the most
brilliant victories achieved in the war.
A good many relics of this Battle of
Preston (which began in Longridge) as it is often called have
been found, amongst others, a hidden treasure, consisting of
about 300 silver coins discovered in 1853 in the roof of a
thatched cottage at Tenter Hill, Whittingham. Nearer Preston,
at Fulwood and Ribbleton clear traces of the site of this
battle were visible as late as the mid 1800's.
The Earl of Derby set out, in April 1643,
to put down disaffection in East Lancashire. Moving up the
valley of the Ribble, he, "With all the other great
Papists in this county issued out of Preston, and on Wednesday
noon April 19th came to Ribchester with eleven troops of
horse, 700 foot and infinite clubmen, in all conceived to be
5,000".
From Ribchester he marched, with
discretion, over Ribble at Salesbury Boat and by Salesbury
Hall", and he was well neare gotten to Whaley before he
was discovered", his clubmen. According to their
practice, plundering in most towns they passed by or through.
The Cavaliers were no match for the Roundheads, the result of
the expedition being a heavy defeat at Whalley, and were
finally driven out of district by way of Ribchester and
Salesbury. This "affair at Ribchester" would,
perhaps, be more correctly described as the "Battle of
Blackburn".
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The
Protectorate
After the suppression of the Chantries,
Longridge became the parochial chapelry of a poor district. In
1650 its poverty came forcibly before the Commissioners of the
Parliamentary survey during the Commonwealth, when it was
stated that it had neither minister nor maintenance. Although
the district contained 140 families, who, deploring their
spiritual destitution, humbly desired the Legislature to
afford them a competent endowment, to appoint a minister, and
to constitute their district a distinct parish.
The state of Lancashire during this period
(1646 - 1650) was "sad and lamentable". "In
this county hath the plague and pestilence been raging for
these three years and upwards, occasioned chiefly by the wars.
There is very great scarcity and dearth of all provisions
especially of all sots of grain, which is fully six fold the
price that of late it hath been. All trade, by which they have
been much supported, is utterly decayed; it would melt any
good heart to see the numerous swarms of begging poor, and the
families that pine away at home, not having the faces to beg.
Very many nowe craving almes at other men's dores, who were
used to give others almes at their dores, to see paleness,
nay, death, appear in the cheeks of the poor, and often to
hear of some found dead in their houses, or highways, for want
of bread".
Lancashire continued in an unsettled state
until after the rebellion of 1745, after which year trade,
learning and comfort have flourished to an almost unexampled
extent.
It was shortly after these stirring times
(1655), that Ralph Radcliffe laid a huge stone. The stone
measured eight feet long, two feet wide and eighteen inches
deep. The stone was laid in an old Roman private road called
Written Stone Lane, in the township of Dilworth with the
following inscription on it:--
RaVFFE Radcliffe laid this stone
To lye for ever A.D. 1655
The characters are not raised letters, a
style prevalent in the seventeenth century, but deeply cut
into the stone. We do not know why Radcliffe laid this stone,
except, perhaps to commemorate some dear relative, or of
himself. While history is silent about this point, as about
every old and curious thing. The Written Stone has numerous
stories that abound in the locality and maybe, some are more
or less believed by the local residents.
The date on the stone speaks of the days
when sorcery and witchcraft were rife.
Tradition declares this spot to have been
the scene of a cruel and barbarous murder. It is stated that
this stone was put down to appease the restless spirit of the
deceased, 'which played its nightly gambols long after the
body had been hearsed in the earth'.
Another story is told of one of the former
occupants of Written Stone Farm, who, thinking that the stone
would make an excellent 'buttery stone', moved it into the
house and applied it to that use. The result was that the
indignant or liberated spirit would never suffer the family to
rest. Whatever pots, pans, kettles or articles of crockery
were place upon the stone, were tilted over, their contents
spilled and the vessels themselves clattered all night long
seemingly at the beck and call of the restless spirit. Thus,
worried out of his nights rest, the farmer soon found himself
compelled to have the stone conveyed back to its original
resting place. Where it has remained ever since. The good
man's family were never disturbed again by inexplicable
nocturnal noises.
Well may they say with Hamlet, " Rest
perturbed spirit".
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Early
1800's
Prior to the 1800's, Longridge was little
more than a hamlet, containing a few scattered cottages and a
couple of inns. The greater portion of the land on the
northern and north-western side of the fell was moorland and
unenclosed.
In 1804 King Street was built, the old
Club Row having been built a few years earlier. An old cottage
in Fell Brow, for years went by the high sounding name of 'The
Town's Hall,' and was the property of the late Rev. R.
Parkinson, curate of Longridge.
Lime used to be carried in large
quantities in panniers on mule's backs. Another thriving
industry was the besom trade. They were carried from Longridge
to Liverpool and the carrier used to load back with spirits.
Two days were set apart for the annual
Guild. On one day was the horse race, and a foot race was held
on the second.
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The
Preston and Longridge Railway
The Preston and Longridge Railway was
opened for traffic in May 1840. At first it was worked by
horses, as the line was on a steep incline all the way, the
horses, after drawing the trains to Longridge, used to ride
down in the van on the return journeys. In 1848 the first
locomotive was used, the service of trains was as follows:--
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday,
two trains a day. The return fare (third Class) was 9d.
The line originally intended to be
continued through Ribchester and Hurst Green to Yorkshire, but
owing to the determined opposition of some of the leading
landowners in the district, this scheme was abandoned.
On August 10th 1867, a serious accident
occurred, a special train left Longridge shortly after the
ordinary 7-30 p.m. train, near Fulwood, the special train ran
into the leading train. Both trains were crowded with visitors
returning from the Guild festivities at Longridge. Over sixty
people were injured, several seriously.
But for the development of the stone
trade, there can be little doubt that that Longridge would
have remained in the same stationary condition as such places
as Chipping, Goosnargh and Ribchester. The first large scale
quarry was being opened in Longridge in 1830.
The quarries these days have been closed
for years, but one was reopened in the early 1970's and stone
taken for the building of the M55 motorway.
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