Accringtons Elusive Abbey

[Retlaw]

Hi Mr D.

It has been called Cow Houses for well over 150 years, the area around there was known as Cow House Post in the early census returns. In the 1828 Survey the lands and buildings in that area were owned by Jacob Lang and William Myers. Lang paid £56-8s & Myers paid £11-11s-10d, in Rates. What is know as Cow Houses later became part of Black Abbey Farm. A woman from up in pudding land (Yorkshire) once did an article on underground shippons, she made a right mess of description of the one in Accrington. When we did our survey, I took particular note of the stone sills between the stalls, there were what appeared to be saw marks an them, I also took several samples of the mortar between the joints, I was going to have them carbon dated, till I found out it couldn't be done on mortar. I'm still of the opinion that they were once the cellars of the old grange, and have been used by numerous people for different purposes over the years.
Retlaw.

Originally Posted by ***Mr D***

Thanks for that insite/photos.

I to from research was told that, but having been inside, myself I find it hard to believe it was for cows or does cow house have a different meaning?, seems a bit to small. but agree it's no tunnel.

[***Mr D***]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

Hi Mr D.

It has been called Cow Houses for well over 150 years, the area around there was known as Cow House Post in the early census returns. In the 1828 Survey the lands and buildings in that area were owned by Jacob Lang and William Myers. Lang paid £56-8s & Myers paid £11-11s-10d, in Rates. What is know as Cow Houses later became part of Black Abbey Farm. A woman from up in pudding land (Yorkshire) once did an article on underground shippons, she made a right mess of description of the one in Accrington. When we did our survey, I took particular note of the stone sills between the stalls, there were what appeared to be saw marks an them, I also took several samples of the mortar between the joints, I was going to have them carbon dated, till I found out it couldn't be done on mortar. I'm still of the opinion that they were once the cellars of the old grange, and have been used by numerous people for different purposes over the years.
Retlaw.

Thanks for that.

I have been in to the property above which use to connect and (now sealed) there is a passage way so cellar would be plausable.

The little side windows?? or what ever they where puzzled me.

[polly]

So Did the Priest Hole on Black Abbey St ever exist? I was told that this was under a shop called Scholes or similar.

anyone know?

[Retlaw]

There was no such thing as a Priest hole back in the 12th century, they only came into existence when the catholic religion was banned. Why would monks require a Priest hole?.

Retlaw

Originally Posted by polly

So Did the Priest Hole on Black Abbey St ever exist? I was told that this was under a shop called Scholes or similar.

anyone know?

[polly]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

There was no such thing as a Priest hole back in the 12th century, they only came into existence when the catholic religion was banned. Why would monks require a Priest hole?.

Retlaw

Not necessarily in the 12 thC but as a child growing up in Accrington I was always told that there was such under an old shop. It was suppose to have been use during Henry VIII reign and his fickle views on religion

[Retlaw]

That again is some one pulling you leg.
Henry the 8th riegned from 1509 to 1547. Accrington as such didn't exist, there were two small villages known as Accrington Vetus & Accrington Nova. The earliest known count of the inhabitants was in 1666 when Charles 2, levied taxes on the inhabitants. The tax rolls which are held at the Public Record at Kew in London, list all the inhabitants liable for taxes.
My examination of those rolls shows there were 30 families living in Accrington Vetus and 71 families in Accrington Nova, it also listed the occupations of these people. The first road to be built in Accrington was Abbey St in 1790/91, by blind Jack O Naresborough. Before that the were no proper streets in Accrington and the only cottages were in Grange Lane, Heifer Bank, Heights, High Riley, Lower Hey, Lower Antley, Lower Hollins, Old Laund, Pilling Cottages, Rothwells Cottages & Woolhurst bank.

There were no SHOPS, no running water only about 10 wells for the residents, no toilets or proper sanitation, just the rivers and streams to get rid of your garbage, it was not until the Babbage report in the 1850's that the local board of health was made to start dealing with the problem. There was only two churches in the area at that time. Altham and Church Kirk. the nearest Catholic enclave was some time later at Dunkenhgalgh.

Retlaw.

uote=polly;528756]Not necessarily in the 12 thC but as a child growing up in Accrington I was always told that there was such under an old shop. It was suppose to have been use during Henry VIII reign and his fickle views on religion[/quote]