Oldham Historical Research Group

William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard

1790

ANNALS OF OLDHAM

No. VI

Mary, wife of Thomas Ogden, of Busk, died April 16th, 1790.

March 5th, 1790. – Robert Wrigley entered as tenant to the Red Lion Inn, Oldham.

Higson says thirty persons died of fever in Oldham between October 23rd, 1789, and April 6th, 1790.

James Mills, ringer of the great bell at Oldham, was buried April 24th, 1790. Disorder, a fever.

Wife of the late Thomas Hobson, mercer and draper, Oldham, died April 23rd 1790.

April 29th, 1790, being Ashton Fair, a gang of pickpockets were detected, and the day following were brought before Joseph Pickford, Esq., of Royton, when one was committed and six discharged.

Phinits Neild, keeper of the Anchor Inn, Oldham, died May 1st, 1790.

The word Neelde is used in Shakespeare as signifying needle; indeed needle is pronounced Neelde in country places to this day. The word is said to be of Norse origin. The family of Neelde has been settled in Oldham for many centuries. In the year 1534 there were three distinct families of Neeldes living at ‘Glodlight’, under the Asshetons, and three other families in Chadderton, under the Standishes, of this name as appears by a kind of court held at Chadderton in that year, at which court Edward Nield was a juror. The name appears all down the centuries since then. The old hostelry of the Anchor would appear to have been in the Nield family for almost a century, during which time Phineas has been a family name. From another branch of the Nield family we have Mr. James Neild, whose name will long live in the annals of natural science.

Edmund Whitehead, of Coldhurst-lane, died May 2nd, 1790.

Jonathan Neild, of Oldham, died in an advanced age April 30th, 1790. He was formerly a man of property, but died poor.

 

May 7th, 1790. – Last night a man fell into the engine pit at Werneth, and was killed instantly. He was a collier in the pit.

Grace, wife of James Neild, innkeeper in Oldham, died May 14th, 1790.

John Jackson, commonly called Joan of Ralph’s, died at Oldham, May 31st, 1790.

A son of Joseph Wild’s, carter, in Nathan-row, Oldham, unfortunately drowned, June 1st, 1790, age 3 years.

June 11th, 1790. – This day there was a sale of the property of Wm. Booth, late of Royton, when the house lately occupied by Jos. Taylor was sold to James Franklin for £259, the meadow and two cottages for £220 odd to Wm. Schofield, the factory for something under £500 to one Kenyon. They were situated near Street Bridge.

Sarah, wife of John Hardman, innkeeper, Oldham, died June 14th 1790. She was own sister to John Hardman’s last wife.

Mr. Richard Bury, of Royley, buried June 6th, 1790.

Wm. Winterbottom died at Oldham of a consumption, June 17th, 1790.

James Shaw, formerly of Beartrees, died near Chadderton, July 5th, 1790.

Ann Newton died after being afflicted for six years, July 7th, 1790. She died at Bent, age 28 years.

July 26th, 1790. – This day there was a concert of music at Blackridings, near Cowhill.

August 9th, 1790. – There was a coiting match at Northmoor between John Hilton, of Greeenacres Moor, and John Wild, the celebrated footman, which was won by the former.

A son of Samuel Smethursts, of Bent, Oldham, unfortunately killed by the tail-pole of a carding robin at Bent, Oldham, August 23rd, 1790, age about 6 years.

The tail-pole pf a carding robin” – I have been unable to discover what a “carding robin” was so as to give a description of it, but judging from the term “robins” as used in the carding of wool, I should say it was a machine used for the partial carding of cotton in mills first formed for carding purposes only.

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John Dean was executed at Chester for the murder of his wife, September 2nd, 1790, and the day following was hung in chains on Stockport Moor.

James Macnamara was executed on Kersal Moor for burglary, September 11th 1790.

A boy of nine years was killed at Royley Coalpit, September 10th, 1790.

Mary, wife of Michael Rowbottom, died, September 15th, 1790, age 58 years.

Betty, wife of James Butterworth, of Nodd, died, September 20th, 1790; disorder, a violent fever.

September 27th, 1790. – Edward Barlow opened his public-house in Maggot-lane for the first time and to grace it like other alehouses there was uncommon fighting.

September 27th, 1790. – Damson plums sold from 8d. to 9d. per quart.

October 20th, 1790. – This being the yearly feast of sick clubs, Mr. Fawcet preached from the 2nd of Tes. 3c., 10 v.

On Sunday, October 24th, 1790, as some colliers were blasting an old stock of wood at Cowhill, Betty Howard imprudently standing too near, a splinter flew from the stock and stuck in the back part of her head and most dangerously wounded her.

November 4th, 1790 – A child of John Wooley’s, bricklayer, of Chadderton, so misorrably burnt that in a few days it died.

John Schofield, alias John Jonas, of Bogart Hole, died, November 23rd, 1790.

November 24th, 1790 – A mare belonging to one John Standring, of Shaw Chapel, trotted from Oldham to Manchester (nearly seven miles) in 23 min. 58½ sec. for six guineas. The owner rode her, and was allowed 32 min. The mare was not 13 hands high, and was broken winded and in foal.

James Ogden, shoemaker, of Busk, died, November 26th, 1790, age 73 years.

November 26th, 1790 – This day Captain Charles Pickford, independent company (25), marched through Oldham on their way to Chatham.

George Worthington, of Chadderton, formerly a walk-miller, died, December 4th, 1790.

 

A walk-miller was a man engaged in the process of fulling at a walk or fulling mill.

Thomas Horton, of Holroyd, Esq., had a son baptized at Chadderton Hall, Joshua Thomas (afterwards the Rev. Joshua Thomas Horton.)

Miss Sally Horton, sister to the late Sir William Horton, Bart., buried at Oldham, December 10th, 1790.

A daughter of John Binns, collier, of Goldbourn, unfortunately drowned in Shapashes, December 13th, 1790, age 9 years.

Greenacres, December 9th, 1790. – Last night one Charles Williamson broke into the house of Richard Waring, of Greenacres, and stole a silver watch, two bills of exchange, and a quantity of gold and silver. He was taken the following day at Stockport. He had broke out of Chester Gaol, where he had been committed for house-breaking.

Abraham Cocker, of Heyside, formerly of Wood, was intered at Oldham, December 17th, 1790.

Ralph Collier, of Royton, committed to the New Bailey for security in bastardy, December 16th, 1790. His age upwards of 70 years.

Betty Marshall (formerly Betty Atherton) interred at Oldham, December 13th 1790.

December 15th, 1790. – Last night the wind rose astonishingly, and unroofed a deal of helpless thatched cots. It likewise blew down a large factory at Manchester; the bricks fell upon a cottage near it, wherein was a child six years old, a man and his wife. The child was killed dead; the man and his wife much bruised.

December 23rd, 1790. – Last night it was uncommon stormy and wind very high, which unroofed a deal of thatched houses. Very loud cracks of thunder and vivid flashes of lightning.

A lamentable misfortune on the 21st December, 1790. A large cotton factory in Hanover-street, Manchester, suddenly fell down at 11 o’clock forenoon, when the people were at work. Three were killed and a great number miserably hurt, besides a number of horses killed and wounded. Its falling was attributed to the springing of an arch in one of the cellers under it. Two have died of there wounds.

Betty, wife of Robert Wolstoncroft, of Couldhurst, High Barn, died December 27th, 1790; disorder a consumption, age 38.

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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard
Transcribed by Mary Pendlbury & Elaine Sykes
Courtesy of Oldham Local Studies & Archives
Not to be reproduced without permission of Oldham Local Studies & Archives.
Header photograph © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for re-use under the C.C. Licence.'Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0'

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