Tockholes
Encyclopedia
Tockholes is a village and civil parish
which forms part of the Blackburn with Darwen
unitary authority
in the North west of England
. Tockholes consists of the village of Tockholes itself and the Hamlet of Ryal Fold, and has a population of 454. It lies on the West Pennine Moors
and is surrounded by the towns of Blackburn to the North and Darwen
to the East and by the villages of Belmont
to the south and Withnell
to the West. Darwen Tower is a prominent local landmark that lies to the east of Tockholes and The Roddlesworth Reservoirs and Tockholes forest plantation lie to the south with the M65
passing to the north and the A675 to the south.
ic and Anglo-Saxon
settlers. Artifacts found in the area to support early settlement include a stone axe head, bronze
spear
head and later coins
. There is a strong connection with early settlers nearby with Bronze age barrows
, stone circles, settlements and a variety of objects all being found over the surrounding countryside.
Despite running close to an ancient Roman route between Preston and Bolton
, There is little evidence of any Roman
settlement at Tockholes.
In 1314–15 The son of John de Pleasington, Robert conveyed his land to William de Holand and in 1332 He granted the manor of Tockholes in fee to Robert de Radcliffe.
At sometime during the Civil War either during the course of the Earl of Derby's movements between Preston, Bolton, and Blackburn in 1643, or during 1644 with the passage of Prince Rupert's army severe fighting took place about the lower part of Tockholes, in the vicinity of the church and then on to Cartridge-hill and Hollinshead Hall
. Several cannon-balls have been picked up in other parts Tockholes, One was found in a field just above the Bethesda Chapel and another was found on Cartridge-hill, a lofty fell a mile or so further to the south above Hollinshead Hall
. Musket bullets have also been found in a field behind the Old Independent Chapel only a short distance from the “Kill Filed” Pit. The artefacts recovered in Tockholes seem to indicate a severe battle in which troops, horses and musketeers were engaged and in which at least one piece of ordnance was brought into use by one side or the other. A battle whereby at least forty horses are killed does must have been quite a fierce one for such a small village.
As the pit was found so close to the old Church of Tockholes, It is supposed that the bodies of the soldiers killed in the Battle would have be removed and buried in consecrated ground, Their weapons and items of Value being claimed by the prevailing side.
, the former Tockholes manor
house
and What may be an older Manor house can be found if the road from the centre of the village known as Top O't Low past Victoria Terrace and the Bethesda Chapel towards Abbey Village. This Manor house was still occupied during the 1930's though not by the original family. Tockholes itself has quite a lot of history. During the time of the religious purges it was a centre for nonconformist followers to come to worship. The Chapel situated at the bottom of Long Lane was one of the earliest Congregational Chapels in Lancashire though not in the present building. When Slavery was still practised in England I believe one of the local farmers went to Liverpool and bought a Slave to work on his farm but the villagers objected so strongly at this that he was made to declare him a free man and pay him his due wages. The row of cottages in Silk Hall fold were built during the 17th century to accommodate silk weavers and the old weaving rooms are situated in the rooms at the top of the stone staircase the roof windows are still to be seen.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
which forms part of the Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
in the North west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Tockholes consists of the village of Tockholes itself and the Hamlet of Ryal Fold, and has a population of 454. It lies on the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
and is surrounded by the towns of Blackburn to the North and Darwen
Darwen
Darwen is a market town and civil parish located within Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area...
to the East and by the villages of Belmont
Belmont, Lancashire
Belmont is a village in Lancashire, England. It is close to Winter Hill between the towns of Bolton and Darwen. It has around 500 inhabitants and lies within the civil parish of North Turton in the unitary authority area of Blackburn with Darwen.-History:...
to the south and Withnell
Withnell
Withnell is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,631. Withnell is about five miles north-east of Chorley itself and about away from Blackburn. It constituted an urban district from 1894 to 1974...
to the West. Darwen Tower is a prominent local landmark that lies to the east of Tockholes and The Roddlesworth Reservoirs and Tockholes forest plantation lie to the south with the M65
M65 motorway
The M65 is a motorway in Lancashire, England. It runs from just south of Preston through the major junction of the M6 and M61 motorways, east past Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and ends at Colne.-History:...
passing to the north and the A675 to the south.
Early settlement
Archaeological records for the area in and around Tockholes reveal the presence of Tribal communities as early as 2,000BC. The area is thought to have been inhabited by both CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic and Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
settlers. Artifacts found in the area to support early settlement include a stone axe head, bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
head and later coins
COinS
ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
. There is a strong connection with early settlers nearby with Bronze age barrows
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
, stone circles, settlements and a variety of objects all being found over the surrounding countryside.
Despite running close to an ancient Roman route between Preston and Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, There is little evidence of any Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
settlement at Tockholes.
13th & 14th Centuries
In the first half of the 13th century Tockholes was found to be held in thegnage by a local family of the name of Pleasington for a yearly service of 2s. The manor was split in half between Robert de Pleasington and Elias de Pleasington. The manor was subsequently held in demesne by a Joice de Tockholes and a Geoffrey de Sutton. In around 1250 Joice de Tockholes released his tenement to His Lord Elias de Pleasington and at some point during the early reign of Edward I, A William de Livesey was mesne tenant here and was granted the feudal rights and services due from Geoffrey de Sutton.In 1314–15 The son of John de Pleasington, Robert conveyed his land to William de Holand and in 1332 He granted the manor of Tockholes in fee to Robert de Radcliffe.
Civil War
In 1833 a large pit was discovered in Tockholes located in a field with the official title of "Pit Field", this field had previously been known locally as "Kill Field". In the pit was found the remains of some forty horses along with Cannon balls, Clubs and Large Buttons.At sometime during the Civil War either during the course of the Earl of Derby's movements between Preston, Bolton, and Blackburn in 1643, or during 1644 with the passage of Prince Rupert's army severe fighting took place about the lower part of Tockholes, in the vicinity of the church and then on to Cartridge-hill and Hollinshead Hall
Hollinshead Hall
Hollinshead Hall was a manor house close to the village of Tockholes, Lancashire. It is unclear as to whether the hall was originally the manor house of Tockholes or if Hollinshead was indeed a manor in its own right alongside Tockholes and Livesey...
. Several cannon-balls have been picked up in other parts Tockholes, One was found in a field just above the Bethesda Chapel and another was found on Cartridge-hill, a lofty fell a mile or so further to the south above Hollinshead Hall
Hollinshead Hall
Hollinshead Hall was a manor house close to the village of Tockholes, Lancashire. It is unclear as to whether the hall was originally the manor house of Tockholes or if Hollinshead was indeed a manor in its own right alongside Tockholes and Livesey...
. Musket bullets have also been found in a field behind the Old Independent Chapel only a short distance from the “Kill Filed” Pit. The artefacts recovered in Tockholes seem to indicate a severe battle in which troops, horses and musketeers were engaged and in which at least one piece of ordnance was brought into use by one side or the other. A battle whereby at least forty horses are killed does must have been quite a fierce one for such a small village.
As the pit was found so close to the old Church of Tockholes, It is supposed that the bodies of the soldiers killed in the Battle would have be removed and buried in consecrated ground, Their weapons and items of Value being claimed by the prevailing side.
20th Century to Present
Approximately two miles to the south are the ruins of Hollinshead HallHollinshead Hall
Hollinshead Hall was a manor house close to the village of Tockholes, Lancashire. It is unclear as to whether the hall was originally the manor house of Tockholes or if Hollinshead was indeed a manor in its own right alongside Tockholes and Livesey...
, the former Tockholes manor
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
house
and What may be an older Manor house can be found if the road from the centre of the village known as Top O't Low past Victoria Terrace and the Bethesda Chapel towards Abbey Village. This Manor house was still occupied during the 1930's though not by the original family. Tockholes itself has quite a lot of history. During the time of the religious purges it was a centre for nonconformist followers to come to worship. The Chapel situated at the bottom of Long Lane was one of the earliest Congregational Chapels in Lancashire though not in the present building. When Slavery was still practised in England I believe one of the local farmers went to Liverpool and bought a Slave to work on his farm but the villagers objected so strongly at this that he was made to declare him a free man and pay him his due wages. The row of cottages in Silk Hall fold were built during the 17th century to accommodate silk weavers and the old weaving rooms are situated in the rooms at the top of the stone staircase the roof windows are still to be seen.