Rossendale
Rossendale, also known as the Forest of Rossendale (or tautologically as the 'Rossendale Valley'), is an upland area of Lancashire which consists of the steep-sided valley of the River Irwell and those of its tributaries, as they flow down from the Pennines southwards through the county. The rivers cut their dales through the open unwooded moorland, which is characteristic of the area. The name "Forest of Rossendale" is an ancient designation, from when the landscape was a hunting preserve.
The forest contains two hills high and prominent enough to be designated as 'Marilyns'; Hail Storm Hill and Freeholds Top. The summit of Great Hameldon is here too.
Landscape
The geology of the area is layers of gritstone, coal and glacial deposits of sand and gravel. These rocks were cut by fast flowing rivers, the Irwell and its tributaries, to form steep valleys with sides 600 feet in high and a narrow valley floor. Woodland on the steep slopes includes remnants of ancient woodland but other areas are more recently planted.
Rossendale is characterised by the steep sided valley of the River Irwell and its tributaries which dissect the moorland of the Rossendale Hills, In the valley bottom, town grew up at river crossing points between Rawtenstall and Bacup which were caught up in the Industrial Revolution and today they form a contiguous urban and industrial development. Textile mills and chimneys and gritstone terraced houses are the dominant buildings and roads are concentrated in the narrow valley.
History
One of the earliest sites of historical interest in the valley is that of the dykes at Broadclough, which have been associated with the yet unlocated Battle of Brunanburh.
Rossendale was governed by a constable nominated by principal landowners who held the position of "The Greave of The Forrest" which after 1515 became a quasi-hereditary position held by the Whitacker family at the only ancient hall in the district: Broadclough Hall[1] Later, the valley was part of the mediæval Forest of Rossendale. Settlement in late Middle Ages would have been in "booths" or farmsteads and encroachment into the forest would have developed them into small hamlets.
Outside links
- Location map: 53°42’11"N, 2°17’21"W
- Higher Mill Textile Museum
References
- ↑ "History of the County Palatine and the Ducht of Lancaster". https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8bJCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA276&lpg=PA276&dq=broadclough+history&source=bl&ots=s1F_xUo3xC&sig=zbv2ZdbFJb1WAwFNouSdXWCMKrA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQl-681t3JAhWLcBoKHaf9BB84ChDoAQhTMAk#v=onepage&q=broadclough%20history&f=false.