Mossley

Mossley

A view of Mossley
Mossley
 Mossley shown within Greater Manchester
Population 10.921 (2011)
OS grid referenceSD9702
Metropolitan boroughTameside
Metropolitan county Greater Manchester
RegionNorth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE
Postcode district OL5
Dialling code 01457
Police Greater Manchester
Fire Greater Manchester
Ambulance North West
EU Parliament North West England
UK ParliamentStalybridge and Hyde
Websitewww.mossley-council.co.uk
List of places
UK
England
Greater Manchester

Coordinates: 53°30′53″N 2°02′19″W / 53.5147°N 2.0387°W

Mossley is a small town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.[1] The town is in the upper Tame Valley in the foothills of the Pennines, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Oldham and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) east of Manchester.

The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire meet in Mossley and local government wards and church parishes correspond to their boundaries. In 2001, Mossley had a population of 9,856.[2] This had increased to 10,921 at the 2011 Census.[3] It is the only parished area of Tameside, having had a parish council since 1999.

History

Toponymy

Believed to originate in around 1319, the name Mossley means "a woodland clearing by a swamp or bog".[4]

Events

Mossley - alongside neighbouring Stalybridge and Uppermill in Saddleworth - helped launch the annual Whit Friday Band Contest, an internationally known brass band event. This came about when the three towns held unconnected brass band events on 6 June 1884.

George Lawton, the son of magistrate and alderman John Lawton, inherited a family fortune and, when he died in August 1949, he left his entire estate (apart from some legacies) to the people of Mossley. Part of his estimated £40,000 estate was left to build a public meeting place, the George Lawton Hall, which is a testament to his generosity.

Notable people

Governance

Following the passing of the Public Health Act 1848 and the Local Government Act 1857, a Local Board of Health was established in Mossley in 1864.[5] On 13 March 1885 Mossley was granted a Charter of Incorporation to become a municipal borough, replacing the local board.[6][7] The whole borough was unified under the administrative county of Lancashire under the Local Government Act 1888.[5] In 1974 the borough of Mossley was absorbed under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 into the new metropolitan borough of Tameside in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.[5] It became an unparished area.

Under the provisions of the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 local electors were given the right to request that a new parish and council be created in unparished areas. The people of Mossley exercised this right and a civil parish for Mossley was established in 1999. The civil parish council voted to adopt town status and Mossley now has a town mayor. The town has three parish wards based on the historic county borders, with four members representing the Cheshire part, three members the Lancashire part and two members the Yorkshire part. The town's unofficial Coat of Arms includes Cheshire's sheaf of corn, Lancashire's red rose and Yorkshire's white rose to signify the historic demarcation.

Parliament

From 1918 to 1950 the town gave its name to the Mossley constituency which returned a Member of Parliament; for most of the period, the MP was Austin Hopkinson, who was notable for being elected as an Independent candidate. The town is now represented by the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde.

Geography

A view of Mossley from near Mossley railway station.
Mossley's proximity to the Saddleworth Moor and the Pennines makes it prone to precipitation.

Mossley lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines, on the western edge of Saddleworth Moor.

Churches

The eccesiastical parishes correspond to the boundaries of the historic counties: St. Josephs church centre of mossley Roman Catholic

Education

Primary schools

Secondary school

Twinning

Mossley's French twin town is Hem, situated near Lille, in the Nord département.

Sport

Local sport teams include Mossley A.F.C., Mossley Mayhem Softball Club, Mossley Athletic JFC, Mossley Juniors F.C. and Micklehurst Cricket Club.

Fairtrade

Mossley's Town Council passed a resolution in November 2009 to make Mossley a Fairtrade Town. A group of local campaigners and activist have started the Fairtrade Mossley group to make 2010 the year that Mossley becomes a Fairtrade Town.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Places names - M to N. Archived from the original (HTTP) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  2. ↑ Census 2001
  3. ↑ "2011 census". Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Hanks, Patrick; Flavia Hodges, A.D. Mills, Adrian Room (2002). The Oxford Names Companion. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860561-7.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nevell, Michael (1993). "Chapter 2: An Industrial Society". Tameside 1700–1930. A History and Archaeology of Tameside. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. p. 17. ISBN 1-871324-08-4. OCLC 53181546.
  6. ↑ Holt, Alfred (1974) [1926]. The Story of Mossley; Ancient and Modern. Mossley Civic Society. p. 9.
  7. ↑ Nevell, Michael (1993). "Chapter 2: An Industrial Society". Tameside 1700–1930. A History and Archaeology of Tameside. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. p. 11. ISBN 1-871324-08-4. OCLC 53181546.
  8. ↑ http://www.jurang.co.uk/fairtrade-mossley-campaign.html

External links