NIP SQUARE, OLD HIGHWAY,

WALSDEN

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Then and Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just after Inchfield Road bottom and Birks Bar the old highway passes through an area known then as Nip Square. Today it is Square Road. A long terrace of some 20-odd cottages line one side of the narrow road, whilst the other side boasts a strip of open land planted with shrubs and trees, on the other side of which is the new road, now known as Rochdale Road, Walsden. The cottages are all original, and although all joined together in a terrace, were built in small groups at different times over a period of several years. If you have a close look, you can see the joins!!

The date of the first houses isn't known exactly, but it was certainly before 1790. In that year there were 7 cottages. It is thought that the first two to be built were the present numbers 30 and 32, built by William Ingham, a corn miller. He was assessed for tax of 1s.8d. on these two cottages in 1790. No's 30 and 32 are on the left of the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other 5 were owned by Enoch Law, Robert Law, John Crabtree, Thomas Taylor and Thomas Butterworth, each of whom paid 11d. a year tax for their homes.

Enoch and Robert Law were brothers and the sons of John Law, the Bridgemaster, whose story will appear on our site soon. Robert was there until he died in 1806 and the house was then taken over by Sally Walton. Enoch was there until he died and was then taken over by his wife, Nancy.

Thomas Taylor was the son-in-law of William Ingham. He and his wife Sarah Ingham lived at Square all their married lives. Their son William Taylor was born at Square in 1792. Sarah died quite young, possibly during childbirth.

Thomas Butterworth built his own house at Square before 1790. He was born in 1754 and was married to Sally Wadsworth. When he was a lad he had plenty of time to spare between his hand weaving duties, and spent this watching the stonemasons building a barn near the Waggon and Horses at Walsden. At that ime he lived at Allescholes. He was still at Square in 1805 but by 1806 he had moved on to Henshaw Farm. His house at Square was then acquired by James Fielden and occupied by Samuel Law, later to build Ramsden Wood Mill, and Nancy Ingham his wife.

After that came the present numbers 34 and 36, also built by William Ingham. This photograph is of number 34, showing a date stone on the lintel above the door, which says WIB 1795. This represents William and Betty (his wife) Ingham.

 

 

Numbers 30, 32, 34 and 36

When William Ingham died in 1806 he left his 4 cottages (no's 30, 32, 34 & 36) to his 2 grandchildren. Nancy, who was married to Samuel Law, inherited the two nearest to Walsden and William Taylor inherited the 2 nearest to Todmorden as follows:

"I give and devise the 2 lowermost cottages or dwelling houses now occupied by the said William Crabtree and Thomas Taylor, with gardens, hereditaments and appurtenances to the same belonging unto William Taylor my grandson, son of my daughter Sally, deceased, to hold to him, his heirs and assignees forever...

William Taylor was only 14 at the time it was left to him.

 

... I also give and devise unto my reputed granddaughter, Nancy Ingham, natural daughter of my said Daughter, Sally, deceased, all those 2 uppermost
cottages or dwelling houses lately occupied by Thomas Butterworth and Eli Fielden, with the stables and garden thereto adjoining and all the hereditaments and appurtenances unto the same belonging and therewith occupied, to hold to her, my said reputed granddaughter, her heirs and assignees, forever.

There is a full transcript of the will HERE

By the time that Nancy (Ingham) Law died in 1838 she owned all 4 of the cottages, leaving them in her will to her husband Samuel Law for his lifetime and then to their eldest son, John Law. Samuel stated in his will of 1845:

"...And whereas my son John will, at my decease, be entitled to certain freehold cottages at Square which were devised to my late wife..."

John lived in the end cottage (now number 36) next to the stables and plot of land, working as a whitesmith. John Law had an unfortunate life. He was widowed three times and out of 8 children only two survived to adulthood. John died at the age of 54 in 1853, leaving his 4 cottages to his two children, Susan and Samuel.

Susan inherited the plot of land and two cottages nearest to Walsden and the water well and trough in front of the end house in which her father had lived. The

other two cottages were left to his son Samuel.

The water trough outside the cottage

where John Law lived

 

Susan married George Beanland and they eventually settled in Sowerby where they ran a successful coal and lime merchants business. Susan still owned number 34 in 1898. An Indenture of Conveyance dated 20th October 1898 describes:

1st part    Susan Beanland
2nd part    William Beanland, John Beanland, Annie Greenwood (her children)
3rd part    Sarah Eastwood

This would imply that Susan and her 3 children sold the cottage to Sarah Eastwood on that date. Sarah Eastwood was the first child of Thomas Fielden J.P. and Margaret Roberts. She was born in 1850 and married quite late in life - in 1889. Sarah sold the 4 cottages on 5th March 1906 when she is described as a widow of 19, Wolseley Road, Blackpool. The purchaser was Young Lord of North Hollingworth Farm and the 4 tenants were:

No. 30    Smith

No. 32    Joseph Crabtree

No. 34    Jonas Dugdale

No. 36    Richard O'Near

Young Lord died on 11 June 1915 and Probate was granted to his widow Hannah Lord and son George Henry Lord. George Henry Lord died on 13 August 1916. Hannah Lord sold all 4 cottages on 11 September 1925 to Harry Fielden, weaver, of 4 Peel Cottages Walsden.  She was at 6 Quebec Street, Walsden by then. Harry Fielden died on 10 July 1932 and the property passed to his widow Margaret Fielden. She died 18th November 1940 when the property passed to her daughter Mary Sutcliffe of 3 Heather Bank, Walsden. Mary Sutcliffe sold No 34 to Frank and Ellen Jackson on 19.11.1946. This seems to be the first time any of the 4 cottages were sold separately.  Frank and Ellen Jackson stayed till they died in 1965.

 

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Back in 1830 several other cottages had been added to the terrace, and the area grew with the coming of the railway in the late 1830's. At that time Square was overrun by navvies. Coincidentally, in 1830, the Beer House Act was implemented. This allowed for anyone to apply for a licence to sell ale on or off the premises for a fee of 2 guineas a year. Two such premises opened up on Square next door to each other.

   

	Abraham Fielden, a corn miller, took over 2 cottages at what is now number 12 and converted them into a Beer House calling it the Dusty Miller. This business survived over a hundred years, only reverting to private housing in the 1930's.
At much the same time Abraham Law, brother-in-law of Nancy Ingham and a clogger by trade, opened up his Beer House at what is now number 10, calling it the Cloggers Arms. The photo shows the house in 2003. Abraham was also brother to Robert, Thomas and Samuel Law who built Ramsden Wood Mill in 1820. As befits a man of that family, he was shrewd enough to realise the potential of running a beerhouse in an area surrounded by railway navvies. Then the railway company decided to build a new road, which would by-pass Square altogether.
Advertisement in the 1898 Todmorden & Hebden Bridge Almanac
	No-one would use the old highway once the new one was built. This new road was made parallel to the Old Highway alongside the canal. The road is now known as Rochdale Road, Walsden. Abraham acquired a plot of land on the canal side of the new road on which he built a new beerhouse and four cottages.

 

Abraham knew that his new beer house would attract not only the trade passing by on the new road, but also the trade from passing boatmen on the canal. He made sure there was a rear entrance direct from the towpath as the photograph below, taken from the towpath, shows.

 

The new beer house retained the original name of the Cloggers Arms until 1848 when it became known as the Cross Keys. Abraham remained there until his death in 1850, and then his widow Nancy continued as the publican thereafter.

During the making of the railway the area fell into disrepute. It was described as a "destitute neighbourhood" by methodists James Fielden and Joseph Dearden, so much so that they built a school for the children, which extended over the lower rooms of numbers 2 and 4. Access to the school was by a flight of stone steps on the side of number 2, built by Abraham Craven. The school was named the United Methodist Free Church Sabbath School and remained there until a new chapel and school was built at Inchfield Bottom in 1861.

the stone steps have long gone

By 1841 there were at least 16 cottages on Square, including the two beer houses. The heads of these 16 households were:

John Law, whitesmith, a widower aged 40 and his son Samuel aged 7. Abraham and Hannah Crossley , aged 35, roller turner, with 7 children James and Nancy Fielden, power weaver, both aged 30, and 4 children Enoch Law, clogger aged 25, his wife Sarah and 1 child John and Maria Crossley , a carter, with 1 child Mally Heyworth, a 55 year old widow, and family of 5. Ralph and Sally Taylor, with 5 children and 7 lodgers, all railway workers Thomas and Mally Newell, a carter, with 6 children Abraham and Mary Fielden, a power weaver with 4 children Edmund and Betty Lord, corn miller Abraham and Betty Fielden (Dusty Miller) with 2 children Abraham and Nancy Law (Cloggers Arms) with 5 children and 3 lodgers Paul and Sarah Greenwood, spinner, with 7 children John and Sarah Fielden, cotton weaver aged 40, with 5 children and a relative John and Mary Crossley, a 65 year old cotton weaver with 3 adult children William and Betty Rigg, aged 35, and 5 children

William Rigg , the last mentioned householder, was a joiner and coffin maker who came to live in Square with his parents. His father was a shuttle and bobbin maker, making pickers and reeds for hand weavers. The parents lived to be very old people and eventually died at Square. William married Betty Jackson had they had many children. In 1881 William was widowed and living alone supported by "money from a club". His address was number 30, Square. It should be noted that the cottages have been re-numbered since then. He died in 1885 aged 82, having lived in the same house on Square for over 54 years.

In 1843, a full survey of Todmorden and Walsden was commissioned. As far as Square was concerned, there were 16 properties, each of 3 or 4 perches in area. The result of the survey for Square is shown below.

Owner	Occupier	Perches	Properties
Samuel Law	John Law & others	14	4
Ann Taylor	Mary Howarth & others	9	3
Executors of James Fielden	John Fielden & others	12	4
Martin Mitchell	Abraham Fielden & others	6	2
James Travis	James Parker	3	1
Ogden Mitchell	James Howarth & others	3	1
John Chatburn	Jeremiah Jackson	4	1

 

Square Road in the snow about 1910

 

Photographs of the Dusty Miller and Square in the snow by kind permission of Roger Birch

Grateful thanks to Sue Coventry for supplying information on past conveyances of number 34 Square Road

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