Werneth, Greater Manchester
| Werneth | |
 Booth House is the former headquarters of the Platt Brothers |
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  Werneth |
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| OS grid reference | SD912043 |
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| Metropolitan borough | Oldham |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OLDHAM |
| Postcode district | OL9 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Oldham West and Royton |
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Coordinates: 53°32′08″N 2°07′55″W / 53.535483°N 2.132034°W
Werneth is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) west-southwest of Oldham's commercial centre and one of Oldham's most ancient localities.
It is contiguous with the localities of Westwood, Hollinwood, Hollins and the town of Chadderton.
Werneth also includes the area known as Freehold which is located between Werneth Park and Oldham's border with Chadderton at Block Lane.
History
The name Werneth is very ancient and derives from a Celtic personal name identical to the Gaulish vernetum, the survival of placenames derived from Celtic personal names is very rare in England outside Cornwall.[1]
During the reign of Henry III of England, Alwardus de Aldholme (Oldham) is referred to as holding land in Vernet (Werneth). The territory of Oldham was ruled by Alwardus's family from Werneth Hall, which still stands just north of Werneth Park.
Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Werneth was recorded in 1212 as being one of five parts of the thegnage estate of Kaskenmoor, which was held on behalf of King John by Roger de Montbegon and William de Nevill.[2] The other parts of this estate were Crompton, Glodwick, Oldham and Sholver. Werneth later formed part of the township of Oldham, within the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham, in the hundred of Salford.[2]
Joseph Jones of Wallshaw Mill,was the first Alderman to be elected for the Werneth Ward of Oldham council. He was elected by the Conservative council but was "elbowed" out in 1852 after which he retired to Severn Stoke in Worcestershire.[3]
Platt Brothers and the Industrial Revolution
Werneth has long existed as an industrial district, and in the 19th century was used almost exclusively by the Platt Bros. of Oldham, the large engineering firm of the former cotton spinning industry prevalent in Oldham. The Platt Brothers business headquarters formed the basis of the now closed Oldham Werneth railway station.
The prosperity of the area brought with it civic development. A significant part of Werneth became Oldham's "grand west end" with large mansions.[4] This part of Werneth is known as Coppice.
References
- ↑ Bateson, p. 3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brownbill & Farrer 1911, pp. 92–108.
- ↑ Jo Roche Abberley Hall and Clock Tower n.d. p6
- ↑ Criddle 2002, p. 602.
Bibliography
- Bateson, Hartley (1949), A Centenary History of Oldham, Oldham County Borough Council, ISBN 5-00-095162-X
- Brownbill, J; William Farrer (1911), A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, Victoria County History, ISBN 978-0-7129-1055-2
- Criddle, Byron; Waller, Robert (2002), Almanac of British Politics, Great Britain: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26833-8
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Cowhill | Westwood | Oldham | |
| Freehold |  |
Coppice | ||
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| Block Lane | Hollinwood | Hollins |
External links
- wernethischanging.co.uk, website about the urban renewal of Werneth.
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