Despite its proximity to Furness Vale, the hamlet of Waterside was historically isolated, on the eastern side of the River Goyt. Until the development of Turnpike roads in the early 18th century, there were no road crossings between Whaley Bridge and New Mills. Marsh Lane / Dolly Lane was an ancient route between New Mills and Bugsworth. From Greenhead, a track led eastwards to Waterside, the only access to the hamlet.
A footbridge across the river appears on maps published after the mid 19th century. The footpath leads to Buxton Road near the quarry in Furness Vale. It was probably established some time after opening the new turnpike road in 1804. There is however, mention of a bridge in a mortgage of 1744 so it might predate this.
The first record of Waterside is dated 1612 when a property there was sold by John Pott of Staincliff to Edward Bennet of Bugsworth.
On his death the property passed to his second son, William.
William died in 1765 and according to his will of 1706, Waterside passed to his son-in-law Thomas Heskey and on his death to his wife, Ellen; William Bennet’s daughter.
The property was next divided between Ellen’s daughters, Elizabeth Goddard and Mary Bennet. Even the dwellinghouse was split into two.
The first moiety (portion) [1] comprised: the upper end of the dwellinghouse, the kitchen, two chambers over the same rooms, a buttery, site of a shop, 44 sq yards of land adjoining the site of the shop, garden at the upper end of the house, upper part of the barn, upper part of the shipponing, swine cote adjoining the shipponing, closes called Pickow Meadow, Further Meadow, Cottrell Bottom, Paul Poolfield, New Piece, Part of Warth above the Bridge, half of a piece of land above the fold, and a fourth part of the watering place in the fold. [2]
The second moiety included the lower end of the dwellinghouse containing a house place and parlour, two chambers over the same, a small buttery, lower end of the barn, and half of the threshing bay shippon and stables at the lower end of the fold, half of the fold, a fourth part of a watering place in the fold, and closes called Pickow Field, Tagg End Field, Lower Warth, Laughton, Wheat Field, Calf Hey, New Piece adjoining Calf Hey, and a fourth part of the Warth. This comprised 12 acres of land. [2]
The property prior to division comprised 32 acres of land.
In 1766 the first moiety was sold to John Hibbert of Wethercotes near Hayfield together with an old cottage adjoining the Cottriel Bottom, a croft belonging to the cottage, and fields and meadows, namely the ancient dwelling house and outhousing, the fourth part of the warth above the poule, New Piece, Paw Poule Field, Cottriel Bottom, Further Meadow and Picol Meadow.
The property was then sold in 1773 to Thomas Drinkwater the Younger of Beard, yeoman [3]
1817 saw this assigned to Joseph Braddock, farmer of Bugsworth in trust for Thomas Drinkwater.
In 1771, the second moiety was sold to James Drinkwater, yeoman, of Bugsworth who died at Glossop in January 1805. It was inherited by his son Thomas Drinkwater
Thomas died in January 1837. In his will he gave the Higher Fold Estate as well as the barn and shippon in the Lower Fold and half of the Lower Fold at Waterside to Charles ans Sarah Hobson of Bugsworth during their lives and then to his grandson, William.. His six cottages at Waterside were to be shared equally between his wife Ann and his daughter Sarah Hobson during Ann’s life and then to Sarah. Ann Drinkwater died in January 1838. His only child and heiress, Sarah Hobson survived him. Charles Hobson died in December 1867.
The cottages were occupied by Peter Kirk, John Shawcross, William Morton, Robert Ellert, Peter Wild and John Hegginbotham as tenants.
The Higher Fold Estate, a messuage at Waterside called Higher Fold and closes belonging to the messuage called the Croft at Back of House and the Piece, in the whole 5 acres was given to Charles Hobson.
The cottages were sold in 1879 by Mary Ann Hobson, Sarah Hobson’s daughter. Sarah had died in November 1874 and left her estate to her two daughters Mary Ann and Martha Minshall. The cottages were purchased by Edwin Hobson of Hazel Grove, a hatter. They were occupied by James Pierce, Edward Horsefield, Peter Hill, Sarah Wood and Samuel Parker.
The Midland Railway was sold over an acre of land for construction of their line between Chinley and New Mills which opened in 1867.
[1] moiety def: a part or share of something, when it is divided into two parts.
[2] these are the ancient field names. It may be possible to identify these from the Tithe Maps and Apportionments of the mid 19th century although some do appear on the sketch map covering Waterside.
[3] refers to Jow Hole or Gowhole which was in the parish of Beard.
The Tithe Map of 1841 is the earliest known large scale map featuring the hamlet.
The Tithe Apportionments give details of each numbered plot including ownership and occupancy. At this time, Waterside Cottage was owned by John Drinkwater and occupied by Mary Marriott, presumably his tenant. The adjacent cottages were owned by Charles Hobson and occupied by seven different families. The lands that comprised the old Waterside Estate had by this time been divided into six different ownerships. Peathills Farm was owned by James Braddock and occupied by James Bennett.
Waterside Cottage comprises of two parts, the earliest dates from the 17th Century and the later, taller section is from the 19th Century. It is a Grade II listed building and the Historic England website describes the house as follows: C17 and C19. Coursed squared gritstone, rock-faced to C19 section, quoins to C17 section. Gritstone dressings. Stone slate roof. Stone gable end and ridge stacks. Two storeys, irregular fenestration. C19 section to west, C20 window filling blocked flush doorcase. Similar window beyond to west. To east C17 quoined doorcase with incised fillet all round. Recessed and chamfered, formerly four-light, now two-light mullion window beyond to east. Above door C20 window in recessed and chamfered opening, formerly two-light. Two C20 windows above in C19 section. East gable wall has C17 four-light recessed and chamfered mullion window with dripmould over. Similar window with one mullion missing, above to south. Above to north recessed and chamfered opening, formerly three-light, also with dripmould over.
The group of houses alongside includes four homes. Both the Tithe Apportionments and later census returns show that there were once as many as seven homes here. One of the buildings carries a date stone, 1808. The early deeds indicate that the complex of buildings once included various farm buildings including shippons and stables. There has clearly been a lot of reconstruction over the past centuries
Peathills Farm nearby, is also a listed building and is described as follows: Peathills Farmhouse and barn. Grade II Farmhouse and barn under continuous roof. Late C18. Coursed gritstone rubble with gritstone dressings. Slate roof. Stone gable end and ridge stacks. Two storeys, double fronted, two bay. Three-light flush mullion windows with plain sashes either side of doorcase with large flush jambs, imposts and lintel. Plank door. Above two similar windows. To west barn with hayloft opening at first floor.
Peathills was bought by Thomas Mellor in 1958. He then bought, at auction, the cottages, barn and land at Waterside, with the exception of Waterside Cottage. The cost was about £400. He installed bathrooms and rented out the cottages. He also owned nearby Greenhead Farm and other adjacent property.
Head back towards Dolly Lane and immediately before the railway bridge are low sections of wall on either side of the road. These are the parapets of a bridge built over a propose railway line. It was to branch off of the Midland Railway to form a branch line to Whaley Bridge. Although some of the earthworks were completed, the plan was abandoned before any tracks were laid.
After the railway bridge, a public footpath leads off to the right. This leads over the hills to Knowl Top Farm and Brierley Green. The Tithe Map shows quite a large a building at this point although no information is given. This was probably demolished in the 1860s to make way for the Midland Railway line. About 100 metres along the footpath, amongst the undergrowth on the right, is the site of Green Bottom Cottage. Some scattered stones are all that remain. This too was marked on the Tithe Map but again no details are given. The only record that we have found is in the 1911 census when it was occupied by John and Lillie Warhurst and their young daughter. The cottage is not listed in the 1939 National Register so it had perhaps been demolished by that time.
The census returns show that between 1841 and 1911, as many as 40 people lived at Waterside and Peathills. Surprisingly, few families stayed for more than 10 years as successive surveys show mostly new residents every decade. The census tells us a little about the residents of Waterside. Charles Hobson, whom we have already heard much of, was living at the Hamlet in 1841; his occupation was that of Tea Dealer. At the same time, his neighbour from Peathills, 12 year old James Bennett, was already working in the coal mines. Hobson's daughter, Sarah continued to live at Waterside for her name appears in the next three censuses.
Mining was the most common occupation of Waterside residents, probably due to the proximity of Lady Pit, just 1 kilometre away across the meadows.
Ten years later, we find that Sarah Yarwood, aged 13, was already weaving cotton, a job that she was still doing ten years later.
In 1871, we find John Gould of Peathills Farm, working as a labourer at Crist Quarry. It was quite a long walk before starting a day's hard work for a boy who was just 10 years old. The same census shows that William Morten lived alone at Waterside. He was still earning his living as a dry stone waller at the age of 78.
In 1901, Ethel Cribb was still going to school; not as a pupil but as a member of staff !
The latest census to be made public is that of 1921. At that time, Leonard Redfern, aged 29 was living at Waterside. He was a coal miner and had a fair distance to travel to work at Arden Colliery in Birch Vale. This was the last mine to be worked in the New Mills area. It was abandoned in June 1925 after a tram runner lost his life in December 1924 following a shale burst. It does not appear to have been Mr Redfern.
William Spencer, a signalman at Gow Hole Sidings, had family visitors at the time of the census. His brother in law from Birmingham worked as a pearl button maker !
No comments:
Post a Comment