Anglezarke
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Anglezarke is a civil parish in the district of Chorley, Lancashire. It is dominated by a series of reservoirs that supply water primarily to Wigan, and a large expanse of moorland with much evidence of Bronze Age settlements.
Anglezarke derives its name from the Old English name 'Anlaf' & '-es' & the Old Norse word 'erg' meaning 'Hill pasture belonging to Anlaf'. The first use of the name was in 1202 when it was recorded as 'Andelevesarewe'. By 1224 this had become 'Anlauesargh' and by 1240 'Anleshargh'.[1] It lies in the West Pennine Moors in Lancashire, sandwiched between the moors of Withnell and Rivington, and is close to the towns of Chorley and Darwen.
The area of Anglezarke and Rivington was also the location of the 2002 Commonwealth Games Mountain Biking competition. In the early 1800s, both areas were within the Bolton Parish, itself part of the hundred of Salford. Census information from the time gives population figures for Anglezarke of 162 in 1801, 181 in 1811 and 215 in 1821. Peaking in 1871 at 531, the current population is less than 50.
Anglezarke itself is most well known as a popular rock climbing destination for local climbers and is included in the guidebook Lancashire Rock published by the British Mountaineering Council.
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[edit] History
Human activity around Anglezarke can be traced back to pre-historic man. Dotted across Anglezarke Moor are two pre-historic sites which are still clearly visible - Pikestones and Round Loaf, a landmark clearly visible from the route across Great Hill from White Coppice.
[edit] Mining
Most of Anglezarke's history, however, revolves around mineral mining. As early as 1690, lead was discovered in Stronstrey Bank, near White Coppice. The landowner, Sir Richard Standish formed a partnership with two farmers and a mining engineer, John Knowle. After several failures, a good quantity of lead was mined, but following her husband's death, Sir Standish's wife claimed all the profits. After losing the resultant court case she flooded the mines by diverting a stream. Despite this, the mines were expanded in the 1790s and not only lead was extracted, but also copper and galena.
A substance known as witherite (barium carbonate) was also discovered as early as 1700, and although there were some ill-fated attempts to use it for medicinal purposes its main use is as a coloured glaze for porcelain.[2]
Shortly after the discovery at White Coppice was the effective formation of the vast Leicester Mill Quarries. The quarries were merely named after Leicester Mill, which was in the locale. The Leicester family - sometimes referred to as Lester or Lister) operated a corn mill, evidence of which is visible with abandoned millstones at the base of Anglezarke Reservoir, and exposed relics in the moorland west of Grain Pole Hill.
Demand for stone increased hugely with the building of the reservoir system in the area. The construction of Yarrow Reservoir was described in Wm. Fergusson Irvine's book "A Short History Of The Township Of Rivington" :
| “ | A suitable site for the embankment having been selected, a trench was excavated on the centre line of the intended work and carried down to the solid rock right across the valley. This was filled with clay deposited in laters of 9 inches, and carefully puddled so as to produce a homogenous watertight material. This clay wall, having reached the natural surgace of the ground, was continued through the embankment, which was also build in thin laters thoroughly rammed and consolidated on both sides of the clay centre. Before commencing the erection of the embankment all peat and unsound material were stripped from the site. The inner or water slopes of the embankment have been built to an angle of 3 to 1, and outer slopes to an angle of 2 to 1.
The impermeability of the dam depends upon the wall of puddled clay in the heart of the dam tied into the solid rock at the bottom and sides of the valley. The clay wall has been carried up to a batter on each side of 1 inch to every foot vertical, the thickness at the top being 6 feet. The inner slopes of the bank are protected by 15-inch pitching, consisting of the millstone grit of the neighbourhood, laid on a bed of broken stone. The outer slopes have been soiled and grassed over. |
” |
Lead production finally ended around 1830 but the remains of mining activity can still be seen at Lead Mines Clough.
[edit] Plane crash
On 16 November, 1943, a Wellington Bomber named Zulu 8799 crashed into Hurst Hill, killing all onboard. The craft was flying from Wymeswold in Leicestershire on a Bullseye exercise. The pilot of the plane was a Joseph B Timperon from Alice Springs. Each year on Remembrance Sunday, a service is held at the Wellington Bomber Memorial at Lead Mines Clough, next to Limestone Brook.[3]
[edit] Hill Summits
Notable peaks.[4]
Spitlers Edge * 392 m / 1286' SD653174
Great Hill * 381 m / 1250' SD646190
Redmonds Edge 375 m / 1230' SD650178
Will Narr 358 m / 1175' SD657164
Black Hill Upper 347 m / 1138' SD642182
Old Adam's Hill 345 m / 1132' SD661174
Black Hill Lower 330 m / 1083' SD641180
Standing Stones Hill 330 m / 1083' SD646174
Round Loaf * 328 m / 1076' SD638182
Counting Hill 325 m / 1066' SD645179
Hurst Hill * 317 m / 1040' SD630179
Brown Hill 317 m / 1040' SD635194
Brown Hill (2) 314 m / 1030' SD644198
White Ledge Hill 314 m / 1030' SD642173
Grain Pole Hill * 285 m / 935' SD624180
Cold Within Hill 280 m / 919' SD652201
Green Hill 265 m / 869' SD656203
*denotes walker's cairn or similar.
[edit] Buildings and Ruins
Echoing the declining population of the area, there are a large number of ruins in the area.[5] Mainly farms, some of the properties were large, and extremely remote. Nowadays, they form familiar sites for local walkers and, more recently, geocachers. The following sites are all marked on the current Ordnance Survey range of maps.
[edit] Simms
Located on what was Rivington Lane (now a private track and popular footpath), the property received fresh water from Green Withins Brook (a tributary of the Yarrow), and was occupied by the Chairman of Horwich Urban District Council in 1928-29.
[edit] Old Rachel's
Considered a 'bogeywoman', many local people were afraid of Rachel and her family. The last occupant was the Evans family in the 1880s. Aerial view
[edit] Hempshaws
Lower and Higher Hempshaw's are clearly visible from the Rivington to Belmont road. Little is known of their previous history, although the buildings were farm dwellings.
The ruins are located on the fledgling River Yarrow, approximately half a mile from source at Will Narr. Aerial view
[edit] Waterman's Cottage
A prominent house on the Heapey end of Anglezarke Reservoir.
[edit] Moses Cocker's
A working farm on the Rivington to Belmont road.
[edit] Jepson's Farm
Jepson's Farm and Jepson's Gate are common walking waypoints en-route to Pikestones. The Jepson name is recorded in Rivington in 1595 as tenants of Ward's Farm.
[edit] Manor House
Near to High Bullough Reservoir, the property was one of several given up by a GM Dixon in 1922. Also vacated were the Foggs Buildings (location unknown), and the landmark farm near Great Hill; Drinkwaters. Mr. Dixon wrote to the Lord Mayer Alderman and Citizens of the City of Liverpool, stating "I give notice to quit all lands I hold under Liverpool Corporation on February End, 1923..... owing to the high rates and the heavy slump in prices especially Wool the chief thing on a hill farm."
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ Web : Chorley District Towns & Villages at www.lancslinks.org.uk Accessed 07 September 2006 Link
- ^ Book : Robert Philips Greg, William G. (William Garrow) Lettsom. Manual of the Mineralogy of Great Britain & Ireland, J. Van Voorst. No ISBN p47-48 Read it
- ^ Book : Kenneth Fields. Secret Lancashire, Sigma Press. ISBN 1-85058-606-3 p133 Read it
- ^ Book : Kenneth Fields. Lancashire Country Walks (2) : Five Short Circular Walks From Anglezarke And White Coppice, Unmarked, available from Rivington Lower Barn p2
- ^ Book : Kenneth Fields. Secret Lancashire, Sigma Press. ISBN 1-85058-606-3 p21 Read it
