Interesting Facts about Clayton Le Moors

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by bekibird

Sorry Retlaw but the MYTH is going in!! Even if it is just a dodgy legend (which the Accy Pals prove) its still a much told and revered story. I think the class will enjoy it! Still, it would be good to find out more connections with the Accrington Pals with the people of Clayton... were many Pals from Clayton?? If you could provide a listing of those from Clayton we could do a section on that too.

Just a side note that probably won't be believed by many... My husband and I stayed overnight at the Dunk a few years back as a birthday treat for me. It was the worst nights sleep we'd ever had. Laying in bed that night we both felt the distinct presence of 'something' in the room. At first I thought it was me but when I asked my Husband if he was asleep he answered an affirmative NO! It was horrible, like someone was standing at the end of our bed. We didn't 'see' anything, but there was a really creepy feeling that something was in the room with us. We ended up turning all the lights on and attempting to sleep. It may have been something dodgy we'd both eaten that night at the Dunk Restaurant but when we mentioned it the following morning to staff they said we'd slept in the 'new' wing and that they'd never heard of anyone having a bad night before... spooky... yes it was!!!

Thanks again!!

Bekibird

It must have been something you ate, I've yet to see a ghost that likes the look of the business end of a Winchester 44.
93 men from Clayton served in the 11th East Lancs,
12 of the original Pals from Clayton never came home, their names are on the Memorial.
As for a list of names I'm afraid that not possible, it would take too long to type all that in here, all that info is in another computer that has never been connected to the internet, and the programs they are in are not compatable with any of bill gates's programes.
I don't agree with perpetuating myths that have been proven wrong, thats just feeding the gullible, like that clown from Clitheroe does, why not show it up for what it is, a myth. Probably 1/2 the kids in the school will have included that myth, how many will be able to refute it.

[ossy kid]

It's only a myth to those who don't believe Retlaw whoooooooooo! But I'm with you, if I don't see it I don't believe it, HOWEVER, I took a photo of a line of trees in the Dunk grounds, just because they looked nice. When the photo was developed I thought I had done a good job and showed it around, the reaction was certainly not expected, first, I could see nothing out of the ordinary, but a couple of the people who looked at the photo questioned who the lady was??? No lady there as far as I could see but then another couple of people ask who the lady was?? These comments were made by different people on different days who had not discussed the photo with each other. I still thought they were daft until I showed the photo to my grand daughter who asked "who is that lady holding the baby?" That was back in Canada and she didn't know where the photo was taken or any of the ghostly tale. And no, I still can't see a damn thing.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by bekibird

That explains it then!! We parked in the car park of Wilsons to take pictures of the track and I noticed that there was no through road past Wilsons. How interesting! The website mentioned previously on this thread shows some really good pictures and gives an excellent history... shame its so out of the way. Is it occupied now do you know?

Clayton Hall is occupied by some wealthy person who likes his privacy.

[Bob Dobson]

How very romantic!!! Seriously though - your day with your lad will be with him for ever, and in hope it has started a lifelong love of local history. There has been at least one book on Clayton in recent years. Not great but better than nowt. It will still be on sale. Mention the man who made ice cream in a court room ( Wilson?) On old maps, the Dunk is called Duncan Hall. I think Duncan Square, Ossie, is so called, as the land agent ,Robert Addison, working for the Peels, who owned that land lived at Duncan Hall c 1820

[Bob Dobson]

See 'memories of Clayton le Moors & Altham by Angela Davies. 2007 Local publisher -PM me for details

[bekibird]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

It must have been something you ate, I've yet to see a ghost that likes the look of the business end of a Winchester 44.
93 men from Clayton served in the 11th East Lancs,
12 of the original Pals from Clayton never came home, their names are on the Memorial.
As for a list of names I'm afraid that not possible, it would take too long to type all that in here, all that info is in another computer that has never been connected to the internet, and the programs they are in are not compatable with any of bill gates's programes.
I don't agree with perpetuating myths that have been proven wrong, thats just feeding the gullible, like that clown from Clitheroe does, why not show it up for what it is, a myth. Probably 1/2 the kids in the school will have included that myth, how many will be able to refute it.

Thanks for this... It will be especially good for the kids to know that 93 men came from Clayton and not the Pals were Accrington born.

[claytonx]

If you type in the search box Clayton Le Moors and then go to the sixth one down, click that you then come to wanting photos of c-le-m go down one click and you will find quite a lot of photos and interesting things about Clayton.

[mobertol]

This is an interesting local story I came across a while ago -don't know if it's the sort of thing you're looking for. In todays money £150,000 in 1896 is equivalent to nearly £56 million so like a massive lottery win...the link is to the original newspaper article.
15th Dec 1896 -Windfall
A canal boatman named Turner, employed on the Leeds and :Liverpool Canal, received notice lately through a firm of solicitors in Manchester that, owing to the death of an uncle, a successful gold-miner in Australia, he had fallen heir to a fortune of £150,000. The boatman resided at a township near Accrington called -Clayton-le-Moors, and up till the date of this good news had had, a very hard life.
15 Dec 1896 - WINDFALLS. THOS. BRASSEY'S CONTRACTS. £78,000,000.

[mobertol]

The industrial history of Clayton-le-Moors is well described by Rothwell and includes the following summary of the textile industry:

As in the neighbouring towns of Accrington, Church, Rishton and Great Harwood, cotton manufacture was the pre-eminent industrial trade of Clayton-le-Moors, providing employment for a large percentage of the township’s population. The primary site was Oakenshaw Calico Printworks, initially commenced by Peel, Yates & Company, but later associated with Richard Fort and Brothers. This company, through one of its partners, John Mercer, made a significant contribution to the nineteenth century textile industry and bequeathed to the trade the important process of mercerisation.

Canal Mill, Enfield, an impressive spinning and weaving factory built in 1835, was a worthy event in the introduction of the cotton industry to Clayton-le-Moors, but the real growth of the town came between 1851 and 1865 when Joseph Barnes actively encouraged the foundation of mills and factories on the Oakenshaw estate.
(Rothwell, Michael, 1979, Industrial Heritage – A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Clayton-le-Moors: Hyndburn Local History Society, Printed by Caxton Printing, Accrington)

The canal and Enfield Wharf were extremely important to the development of Clayton. Transport at the time of the Industrial revolution into and out of booming Accrington was mostly dependent on Church Wharf and Enfield Wharf. I don't know if you've looked into this aspect for your project but with the story of the boatman it could be an interesting sideline.

[mobertol]

This extract explains why the canal didn't go through Accrington as originally planned and this was an important factor in the eventual development of Clayton as the wharf and industrial area built up around it. There's a nice anecdote about the Petre family of The Dunk too!
"As the Leeds and Liverpool Canal winds its tortuous way through East Lancashire it seems to carefully avoid Accrington. However, when the canal’s route through East Lancashire was planned in 1793, it was to continue up the valley of the Hydburn, crossing it at a point close to the old Grammar School on Blackburn Road. The proposed Haslingden Canal was to join it here, creating a waterway link with Bury and Manchester. Had this happened there would have been a wharf near the junction where goods to and from the town could have been handled.

Instead the route was altered. The Peel family asked the canal company to avoid crossing the Hyndburn above their textile print works at Peel Bank. At that time it was one of the largest factories in the world and used the river's waters during the printing process. Building the embankment for the canal to cross the Hyndburn would have interrupted this supply and caused production problems. Instead, the canal was built downstream, rejoining the original line at a right angle junction at Church. Much of the land for the canal deviation had to be purchased from the Petre family of Dunkenhalgh. Although they were quite happy for the canal to be built, they requested that the towpath was made on the side of the canal away from their house and lands. They hoped that this would prevent poachers from gaining easy access to their estate!"

The stable block of what remains of Enfield Wharf is a Grade II listed building.

Info from this link: The Leeds-Liverpool Canal by Mike Clarke

[Margaret Pilkington]

There is always the Dr Lovelace's floating soap factory too.
And Clayton was well visited for the whit walks. My dad used to tell me that they sat a pig on the wall of the canal bank where the Con club is...they did this so that the pig could watch the procession go by...although this story is apocryphal.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Floating soap | Carol's Place
A snippet about the floating soap.

[susie123]

Whalley Road from the Greyhound to the canal used to be called Napoleon Street.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by bekibird

Thanks for this... It will be especially good for the kids to know that 93 men came from Clayton and not the Pals were Accrington born.

There were 62 men from Rishton as well.
One other thing when did Oakenshaw Chapel become known as Barnes Square Baptists ?. The font inside the chapel originally came for Rishton Weslyan Chapel, thats a bit more for you.

[Lost in Cornwall]

It never was Barnes Square Baptists. The chapel that stood on Barnes Square was built by John Mercer as a Wesleyan Chapel, becoming Methodist after Methodist Union in 1932. There was also a Primitive Methodist Chapel in Barnes Street which closed in the 1960's. The Baptist Chapel stood on the corner of Blackburn Road and Atlas Street until it was knocked down and eventually a new chapel was built in Sparth Road.