A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1911.
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'Townships: Higher Booths', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6, ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp433-435 [accessed 8 November 2024].
'Townships: Higher Booths', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6. Edited by William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online, accessed November 8, 2024, https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp433-435.
"Townships: Higher Booths". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6. Ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill(London, 1911), , British History Online. Web. 8 November 2024. https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp433-435.
In this section
HIGHER BOOTHS
Croweshagh, Godeshagh, Lugheclogh and Lufclough, Gameleshevid, 1323.
This composite township, taken out of the forest, includes Crawshaw Booth, Goodshaw Booth with two detached portions, Love Clough, Gambleside and part of Wolfenden. The area of 4,412 (fn. 1) acres is mostly desolate hill country, but southwards through the central clough runs a small stream to join the Irwell, and along it—by the road from Burnley to Rawtenstall—is a series of manufacturing hamlets: Love Clough in the north, Goodshaw in the centre, and Crawshaw Booth to the south. At the lastnamed place are Liberal and Conservative clubs; the Co-operative Society has a library. (fn. 2) The population in 1901 was 6,577, chiefly in Rawtenstall.
Higher Cross and Lower Cross, near Gambleside, may preserve the sites of ancient crosses. (fn. 3)
Cotton mills and calico-printing works, as indicated, give employment to the bulk of the people; others are engaged in the woollen manufacture. There are also collieries and stone quarries. The agricultural land is almost entirely used for pasture.
A love of music is one of the characteristics of the people of Rossendale. (fn. 4) Belief in witchcraft was prevalent. (fn. 5)
As a township Higher Booths has ceased to exist, having been taken into the new townships of Haslingden and Rawtenstall, formed in 1894. (fn. 6)
Crawshall Hall, built in 1830, was the residence of John Brooks, one of the great calico printers of the district; and his son Sir Thomas, made a baronet in 1891, on being raised to the peerage in 1892 chose Crawshaw for the title of his barony. He was high sheriff of the county in 1884. (fn. 7) He died in 1908.
John Butterworth, son of a blacksmith of Goodshaw, being born there in 1727, became a Baptist minister of some note, and published a Concordance, &c. He died in 1803. (fn. 8)
Forest
The accounts of Rossendale in 1296 and 1305 were rendered under Haslingden, (fn. 9) which itself was included in Trawden Forest, and the separate vaccaries or booths are not named, though several are indicated by the names of the keepers or boothmen. (fn. 10) It appears that the lord of Clitheroe had a hall (fn. 11) or mansion house in Rossendale, and that a mine (fn. 12) and a forge (fn. 13) existed. The stocks of cattle suffered, among other things, from murrain, a wolf and robbers. (fn. 14) There were eleven vaccaries in the whole of Rossendale in 1311, and they were worth £5 10s. a year. (fn. 15) Details are given in the accounts of 1323–4 for the booths of Love Clough, Goodshaw, Crawshaw and Gambleside. (fn. 16)
Later it became the custom to let them out on lease, and in the latter part of the 15th century the rents were as follows: Love Clough, 9s.; Goodshaw, £3 13s. 4d.; Crawshaw, £6; and Gambleside, £2 1s. 8d. (fn. 17) The survey of 1507, (fn. 18) when a copyhold tenure was granted, gives the following particulars: Love Clough, let to Richard Birtwisle and Margery widow of George Birtwisle for £5; Goodshaw, let to Thomas Birtwisle, Roger Pilling, George and Richard Hargreaves for £5; Crawshaw, let to George, Henry and Reynold Haworth for £9, the tenants being chargeable with the collection of 20 marks a year for Wolfenden lands; Gambleside, let to Oliver and George Ormerod for £4, as compared with an earlier rent of 44s. 8d. The surnames of Ormerod (fn. 19) and Hargreaves occur frequently in the district in later times. (fn. 20)
After the disforesting the whole of Rossendale was attached to New Accrington. (fn. 21) A greave was appointed for it. (fn. 22)
Decrees concerning the roads in the forest of Rossendale were made in the early part of the 17th century. (fn. 23)
The landowners in Rossendale contributing to subsidies were: In 1524, John Ormerod; 1600, John Nuttall and Richard Ormerod; and 1626, the same and Ralph Haworth. (fn. 24) The hearth tax list of 1666 shows a total of 441 for the whole district, the most considerable residence being that of Lawrence Tattersall of Tunstead in Newchurch with six hearths. (fn. 25)
George Holt of Chamber in Rossendale, apparently in the Wolfenden part of Higher Booths, paid £10 in 1631 as composition for declining knighthood. (fn. 26)
Church
The chapel of ST. MARY AND ALL SAINTS, GOODSHAW, was one of those built to serve the growing population of Rossendale after the disforesting. An agreement was made in 1540 between George Ormerod of Crawshaw Booth and others and Thurstan Birtwisle of the Goodshaw and others for the building of a small chapel at Morrell Heights, where the inhabitants of Crawshaw Booth, Goodshaw, Gambleside and Love Clough might hear mass and other divine service. (fn. 27) This existed till 1780, when it was rebuilt, being renewed again in 1828. (fn. 28) There was no maintenance for a priest beyond what the people might contribute. The building and its chalice were confiscated by the Crown in 1548, but the chapel was repurchased by the inhabitants. (fn. 29) After that time it was probably served but irregularly, but in 1610, though it was not parochial, a minister was maintained there 'by benevolence.' (fn. 30) In 1650 there was neither minister nor maintenance beyond a house worth 10s. a year. (fn. 31) About 1717 there was still no endowment beyond the cottage let for 10s. a year, and the 'inconsiderable contributions' of the people were ill paid. The curate of Altham read the service and preached there once a fortnight, and in 1724 the curate of Haslingden served it. (fn. 32) Goodshaw remained a chapelry to Haslingden till 1849; the curates were nominated by the vicar of Whalley, but since its independence the Hulme Trustees have been patrons. The net value of the vicarage is now returned as £256. (fn. 33)
The following have been incumbents (fn. 34) :—
1738 | John Uttley, M.A. (Glasgow) |
1781 | Richard Ortt |
1789 | John Bailey |
1790 | George Casson |
1801 | John Dawes |
1813 | John Haworth |
1814 | George Haworth |
1836 | Ebenezer Brown Allen, B.A. |
1839 | Henry Howorth, B.A. |
1848 | James Bell (fn. 35) |
1854 | John Howard |
1888 | Abraham Spencer, M.A. (Brasenose Coll., Oxf.) |
1892 | Alfred Bedson, M.A. (Brasenose Coll., Oxf.) |
1900 | Richard Newman, M.A. (Brasenose Coll., Oxf.) |
1905 | James William Wilkinson, M.A. (Dur.) |
1909 | Alfred Edward Rubie, D.D. (Brasenose Coll., Oxf.) |
St. John's, Crawshaw Booth, was built in 1892; the patronage is vested in trustees. A district was assigned to it in 1899.
The Wesleyan Methodists had a church at Crawshaw Booth as early as 1811; the present one was built in 1867; the Primitive Methodists also have one there; while Free Methodists have Providence Chapel (1871) at Love Clough.
The Baptists have churches at Goodshaw and at Sunnyside in Crawshaw Booth (fn. 36); the former of these goes back to 1747 and the latter to 1847. A small Particular Baptist chapel was built at Goodshaw in 1852. (fn. 37) There was formerly a General Baptist chapel at Gambleside, 1844. (fn. 38)
In 1689 the Quakers had a meeting-house 'in the forest of Rossendale.' (fn. 39) Again, in 1717, Bishop Gastrell mentions one under Haslingden, (fn. 40) with ten families. This is probably that at Crawshaw Booth still in use.
Charity
John Walmsley of Love Clough in 1884 left part of his estate, now represented by £410 Blackburn Corporation Stock, to provide an annual distribution to the poor of Higher Booths on 21 December. The income, £14 7s., is distributed at Goodshaw accordingly, in doles of from 5s. to 10s. (fn. 41)
There was formerly a fund producing £3 a year for the poor of the chapelry, and in 1826 James Hargreaves distributed 20s. a year, supposed to represent part of it. Nothing is now known about it.