Coordinates: 53°33′N 2°00′W / 53.55, -2

Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one North West England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Oldham postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Ashton-Under-Lyne, Bacup, Heywood, Littleborough The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Greater Manchester Police (" GMP " is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing the Metropolitan county of Greater The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Metropolitan county of The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS North West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Oldham East and Saddleworth is a Constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a partial list of places in Greater Manchester, in North West England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ^[1] It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Delph, Diggle and others. A hamlet is (usually&mdashsee below a Rural community — that is a small settlement — which is too small to be considered a Village. Saddleworth Moor is an area of sparsley populated Moorland and dark millstone grit scenery typical of the West Yorkshire and East Lancashire Pennine hills of northern The Pennines are a low-rising Mountain range in Northern England and southern Scotland. Uppermill is the largest village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Greenfield is a village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Delph is a village in the Saddleworth civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Diggle is a village within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Saddleworth, which lies east of the large town of Oldham and 11 miles (17. Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock 7 km) east-northeast of the city of Manchester, is broadly rural, has a scattered population of 24,351,^[2] making it one of the larger civil parishes in the United Kingdom. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, for centuries Saddleworth was a centre of woollen cloth production in the domestic system. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species The putting-out system was a means of subcontracting work It was also known as the workshop system. Following the Industrial Revolution, Saddleworth became a centre for cotton spinning and weaving during the 18th and 19th centuries, so much so that by the end of Queen Victoria's reign, mechanized textile production had become a vital part of the local economy. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic Fibers are twisted together to form Yarn (or thread This article describes textile weaving For other senses of this word see Weaving (disambiguation. The boom in industry that called for greater transport links, including the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and several mills and railways. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an inland Waterway in northern England

Following the Great Depression Saddleworth's textile sector demised. This article deals with the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s - also known as the Great Slump - on the United Kingdom. Much of Saddleworth's architecture and infrastructure dates from its textile processing days however, notably the Saddleworth Viaduct and several cottages and terraces.

For centuries Saddleworth was linked, ecclesiastically, with the parish of Rochdale and was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived. The Parish of Rochdale, or Rochdale St Chad was an ancient parish which spanned both the the Salfordshire hundred of Lancashire, and the Agbrigg Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea ^[3] The former Saddleworth Urban District was the only part of the West Riding to have been amalgamated into Greater Manchester in 1974. ^[1] However, strong cultural links with Yorkshire remain amongst its communities. The culture of Yorkshire evolved over the county's history, taking influences from the Cultures of those who came to control the region including the ^[4] There are several brass bands in the parish. A British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and Percussion instruments.

History

Early history

The first documentary evidence of Saddleworth appears in the Domesday Book in which it is referred to as "Quick", spelt "Thoac"; where it is described as "Land of the King in Eurvicsire (Yorkshire), Agbrigg Wapentake. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey "^[5]

The history of the region clearly dates further back than the Domesday Book however. Place names derived from Celtic and Anglian dialects, along with the discovery of flint arrowheads and gold Viking rings all point to a much earlier Saddleworth, possibly as old as the Stone Age. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking Furthermore, there is a Roman road running through the area and a Roman fort (Rigodunum) at Castleshaw. The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military Castleshaw is a hamlet in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Also present in the Saddleworth area is a possible Bronze Age bowl barrow (grid reference SD98010746). The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for A bowl barrow, sometimes referred to as a cairn circle, cairn ring, howe, kerb cairn, tump or rotunda grave is a type of The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Despite excavations, no grave goods or human remains have been found associated with the barrow. ^[6]

Industrial Saddleworth

Saddleworth Viaduct was built originally to aid the transporting of goods during the Industrial Revolution, as was the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which passes under it. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an inland Waterway in northern England

The steep slopes of the Saddleworth area and the acidic soils of the region have never been particularly conducive to intensive farming; meaning that long before the Victorian era, Saddleworth already had a long established, albeit domestic, textile tradition. Small, basic mills had been existent in Saddleworth before the industrial revolution, but these were increasingly replaced by larger more intensive establishments. So much so that by the end of Queen Victoria's reign, mechanized textile production had become a vital part of the local economy. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The boom in industry that had occurred in Saddleworth during the Industrial Revolution called for greater transport links. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was begun in 1794 at the height of 'Canal Mania', connecting Huddersfield to Stalybridge via Saddleworth and completed seventeen years later in 1811; when the Standedge Canal Tunnel at Diggle was finally opened. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an inland Waterway in northern England Huddersfield ( is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, 190 miles (306km north The Standedge Tunnels (Standedge is normally pronounced Stannige) are four parallel Tunnels that run beneath the Pennines at the traditional Diggle is a village within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England The decline of canals and the rise of steam powered locomotives left the canal falling behind the competition, and so it was decided that a railway tunnel would be built parallel to the canal, which was completed in 1848. The Standedge Tunnels (Standedge is normally pronounced Stannige) are four parallel Tunnels that run beneath the Pennines at the traditional The rise in traffic demanded a second tunnel be built, completed in 1871. Both of these were single line tunnels and eventually superseded by the 1894 tunnel, a double line tunnel, which is the only one of the three still regularly carrying passengers.

Unlike the majority of the Oldham Metropolitan Borough, where the industrial architecture was generally constructed from Accrington redbrick, Saddleworth's textiles mills and supporting infrastructure was made from stone. A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. ^[7] This is in keeping with other settlements amongst the southwest Pennines, such as Milnrow near Rochdale. Milnrow (pop 12500 is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Rochdale is a large Market town in Greater Manchester, England

Governance

Although on the western side of the Pennine watershed, Saddleworth, or Quick as it was once known, has lain within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire since the middle ages. A drainage divide, water divide, divide or (outside North America) watershed is the line separating neighbouring Drainage basins The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. From a very ancient time, the area formed part of the Agbrigg Wapentake, in the "Land of the King in Eurvicsire" (Yorkshire). Somerset classed as a GA--> Yorkshire is an historic county of England, centred on the county Agbrigg and Morley was a Wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. ^[5]

For a time, during the 17th century, Saddleworth constituted a chapelry within the ancient parish of Rochdale in Salfordshire, which was otherwise entirely in the ancient county of Lancashire. A Chapelry was a subdivision of an Ecclesiastical parish in England, and certain areas of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th Century The Parish of Rochdale, or Rochdale St Chad was an ancient parish which spanned both the the Salfordshire hundred of Lancashire, and the Agbrigg The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea ^[1]

In 1866 it became a civil parish in its own right and in 1889 became part of the administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire. A civil parish in the United Kingdom is a unit of local government. Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974 The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. In 1894 the parish's boundaries were altered somewhat, with the parts in Quickmere Middle Division (Springhead), Mossley and Uppermill becoming Urban Districts. Mossley is a small town and Civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. Uppermill is the largest village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. The residue became a single-parish rural district. Rural districts were a type of Local government area &ndash now superseded &ndash established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and

In 1872, Saddleworth was recorded to be "a hamlet, a chapelry, a township, and a district, in Rochdale parish and West Riding of Yorkshire". ^[8] At this time, a post office for the area was found under the name of Uppermill which was under Manchester. Uppermill is the largest village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.

In 1900 the boundaries were changed again with the inclusion of Uppermill, and the single-parish rural district being instead replaced by the "Saddleworth Urban District". Uppermill is the largest village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. ^[9] In 1937 it incorporated Springhead Urban District. Springhead (or Vagniacis lies at the source of the River Ebbsfleet, just southwest of the Gravesend suburban conurbations ^[9]

Under the Local Government Act 1972, the West Riding of Yorkshire was abolished^[10] and Saddleworth was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level Administrative division of England. Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 ^[1]

Unlike neighbouring Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth is a Successor parish, and thus was automatically granted civil parish status in 1974 when its urban district status was abolished. Successor parishes are Civil parishes created by the Local Government Act 1972 with the same boundaries as an Urban district or Municipal borough

Up until 1996, Saddleworth's official postal county was Lancashire, due to it forming part of the Oldham post town. The postal counties of the United Kingdom, now known officially as the former postal counties, were subdivisions of the UK in routine use by the Royal Mail The, also known as the Oldham postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Ashton-Under-Lyne, Bacup, Heywood, Littleborough This is a list of Post towns in the United Kingdom, sorted by the postcode area (the first part of the outward code of a postcode) Postal counties were abolished in 1996 however.

Parliamentary representation

Saddleworth forms part of the Oldham East and Saddleworth parliamentary constituency, of which the Member of Parliament is Phil Woolas. Oldham East and Saddleworth is a Constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Philip James Woolas, known as Phil Woolas, (born 11 December 1959 in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England is a politician in the United Kingdom

It is split into three electoral wards; Saddleworth North, Saddleworth South and Saddleworth West and Lees

Geography

Saddleworth makes up around 52 % (29. In Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an Electoral district 4 square miles (76. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 1 km²)) of the entire Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in terms of area, and remains largely rural.

Bounded directly to the west by Oldham, Lees and Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth is twelve miles (19. Lees (pop 10100 is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Shaw and Crompton is a town and Civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England 3 km) southwest of Huddersfield. Huddersfield ( is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, 190 miles (306km north

Settlements

Saddleworth contains a collection of villages and hamlets, including:

Settlement	Population	OS Grid reference	Image
Austerlands
Castleshaw
Delph		grid reference SD984080
Denshaw	c. A hamlet is (usually&mdashsee below a Rural community — that is a small settlement — which is too small to be considered a Village. Austerlands is a suburban area in Saddleworth, a Civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Castleshaw is a hamlet in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Delph is a village in the Saddleworth civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Denshaw is a small village in Saddleworth, a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.  500	grid reference SD974106
Diggle		grid reference SE017083
Dobcross
Friezland
Grasscroft
Greenfield		grid reference SD995061
Grotton
Heights		grid reference SD981089
Lydgate
Scouthead
Springhead		grid reference SD963052
Uppermill		grid reference SD938090

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, Saddleworth had a total population of 24,351. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Diggle is a village within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Dobcross is one of the smallest villages in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Friezland is a hamlet in Saddleworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Grasscroft is one of the Saddleworth villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Greenfield is a village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Grotton is one of the Saddleworth villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Heights is a hamlet in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Lydgate is one of the Saddleworth villages in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Scouthead is a village within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Springhead is a small settled locality within the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Uppermill is the largest village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 For every 100 females, there were 94. 7 males. ^[2] The average household size was 2. 39. ^[11] Of those aged 16–74 in Little Bollington, 45. 3% had no academic qualifications or one GCSE, lower than the figures for all of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham (55. The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. 2%) and about the same for England (45. 5%). ^[12][13] According to the census, 1. 9% were unemployed and 28. 2% were economically inactive. ^[12] 18. 5% of the population were under the age of 16 and 7. 3% were aged 75 and over; the mean age of the people of Little Bollington was 40. 92. 71. 5% of residents described their health as 'good'. ^[14]

Population change

Culture

Identity

Since the local government reforms of 1974, some people of Saddleworth have been uneasy about their primary geographic reference frame, with parts of the local community feeling aggrieved at Saddleworth forming part of Greater Manchester. Population growth is the change in Population over time and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals in a population using "per unit time" for Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 Saddleworth, where the local architecture of stone cottages is markedly Yorksharian, is the only part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham to come from the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, the rest being from Lancashire. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea It is also the only part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester to lie within these borders. Greater Manchester is based on the conurbation of towns surrounding the city of Manchester. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population However, Saddleworth is highly rural, and, for purposes of the Office of National Statistics, most of the parish's territory does not form part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area. The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large Conurbation surrounding and including the [1]

Up until 1996, Saddleworth's official postal county was Lancashire. The postal counties of the United Kingdom, now known officially as the former postal counties, were subdivisions of the UK in routine use by the Royal Mail This was because its post town was Oldham. This is a list of Post towns in the United Kingdom, sorted by the postcode area (the first part of the outward code of a postcode) Postal counties were abolished in 1996 however.

The Saddleworth White Rose Society organises events every Yorkshire Day (1 August) to promote its contention that Saddleworth remains part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The Saddleworth White Rose Society is an political advocacy group dedicated to the promotion of the historic county of Yorkshire as the primary geographic Yorkshire Day is celebrated on 1 August to promote the historic English county of Yorkshire. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. The Prince of Wales referred to Saddleworth's continuing Yorkshire status when he visited the area in 2001 saying "The fact that Saddleworth is still part of the historic West Riding is extremely important". ^[15]

In 2004, public meetings were held to discuss the feasibility of splitting Saddleworth from the Borough of Oldham. Some residents at the time said they would prefer to become part of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire or a new South Pennine authority, connecting rural towns and villages on both sides of the border. West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of Even though such a move could involve merging with the neighbouring Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, Oldham councillors maintained the split was not feasible as Saddleworth does not have sufficient hospital provision, civic buildings, transport, schooling nor other infrastructure in its own right. Kirklees is a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Councillor Ken Hulme arranged a meeting for the matter to be discussed. One councillor remarked "They [Saddleworth] want a bigger slice of the pie than the rest of the borough. The people of the rest of Oldham are not going to subsidise Saddleworth, and Saddleworth can't go it alone. It couldn't afford to provide the services it needs. "^[16]

Whit Friday

Saddleworth Beer Walk in Delph, 2006

Saddleworth has a large number of annual customs and traditions, many of which are held during Whitsuntide. Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the On Whit Friday morning, congregations from the churches of all of the Saddleworth villages hold their Walk of Witness and congregate in Uppermill to take part in a religious service. Whit Friday, meaning White Friday, is the the name given to the first Friday after Pentecost or Whitsun (White Sunday A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Later in the evening, the Whit Friday brass band contests take place. A brass band is a Musical group generally consisting entirely of Brass instruments, most often with a percussion section The band contests originated in Saddleworth and the nearby towns of Mossley and Stalybridge and are still centred on the local area. Mossley is a small town and Civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. Stalybridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England Bands from around the country, and indeed the world, travel to the area annually to compete. Due to the huge popularity of the event, Whit Friday band contests are now held in others of Saddleworth's surrounding villages.

Beer Walk

On the following Saturday, the Saddleworth Beer Walk is held. This is a fundraising event where participants walk around Saddleworth in fancy dress, stopping off at many of Saddleworth's pubs along the way for a pint of beer or lager. A costume party ( American English) or a fancy dress party ( British English) mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of Party The pint is an English unit of Volume or capacity in the imperial system and United States customary units. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea Lager (storage camp bearing etc is the more popular of two main types of Beer; the other being Ale. Spectators are encouraged to give money to the participants for charity. Money is anything that is generally accepted as Payment for Goods and services and repayment of Debts. The definition of charitable organization, and of charity varies according to the country and in some instances the region of the country in which the charitable organization operates It is organised by the Saddleworth branch of the Round Table. The Round Table is a friendship organisation founded in Norwich England, in 1927.

Rushcart

Each year, on the second Saturday and Sunday after August 12th (the old Saddleworth "Wakes Week"), the Saddleworth Rushcart takes place. The rushcart ceremony according to "History and the Morris Dance" (2005 by John Cutting derives from Rogationtide. In 1975 a team of local lads formed the Saddleworth Morris Men and the first modern Rushcart was built for the first festival. Saddleworth Morris Men are a team of male Morris dancers based in and around the Civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham The rushcart ceremony according to "History and the Morris Dance" (2005 by John Cutting derives from Rogationtide. This has now become the largest Festival of Morris Dancing in the whole of the United Kingdom. A morris dance is a form of English Folk dance usually accompanied by music

Notable residents

Dobcross is the birthplace to inventors, the Platt Brothers, who were pioneers of the mechanisation of textile manufacture. Dobcross is one of the smallest villages in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Platt Brothers & Co Ltd, (also known as Platt Bros of Oldham) was a British company based at Oldham, in North West England.

Progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest were formed in Saddleworth. Barclay James Harvest is a British rock band specialising in Symphonic/Melodic Rock with folk/progressive/classical influences

Saddleworth’s craggy moorland provided the cliffs that springboard careers for internationally renown Alpinist/Climbers Kevin Thaw of Uppermill and Paul Braithwaite, Denshaw. Kevin Thaw (born c 1967) British Alpinist - Rock climber - Mountaineer. Uppermill is the largest village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Denshaw is a small village in Saddleworth, a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Paul & son Tom currently compete and rank in International Mountain Biking events. Mountain biking entails the Sport of riding Bicycles off-road often over rough terrain whether riding specially equipped Mountain bikes or hybrid road bikes

References

External links

• Saddleworth White Rose Society
• Saddleworth Online
• Saddleworth.org.uk
• Virtual Saddleworth
• Saddleworth Historical Society
• Saddleworth Museum
• Saddleworth Buses