ROCHDALE is built on both banks of the River Roach, whence it derives its name; but the Rochdale of the present day differs widely from that of barely one hundred years ago. Then this quaint old town of industry and traffic occupied a position in the midst of green fields; vegetation flourished in profusion, and the country abounded in woods. We read that here the honest and red-cheeked milkmaid sang, " Shame upon thi, Robin, Shame upon thi neaw, Kiss me, wud theaw, wi my hands Milking th' keaw.

Daises groo again, King-cups bloo again, And theaw coome and kiss'd me, milking th' keaw." And this she would sing to the accompani- ment of the rich fluid frothing into her pail.

The women of Rochdale were famous for their fair hair, and deep blue eyes.

The beauty of the Lancashire witches is proverbial, and what was true in olden time is true also now, and their beauty will doubtless compare favourably with • that of any other women in the United 1 Kingdom.

! The earliest buildings were in Church ; Stile, Church Lane, Packer Street, bottom ; of Yorkshire Street, on the site of Fen ton's late bank, Newgate, The Butts, Bull Brow, | Blaekwater Street, and Toad Lane; and the view from the neighbourhood of the churchyard was fine and expansive, for no less than seven varied valleys converged to Rochdale with their sparkling streams.

Stepping stones placed in a line across : the bed of the river from opposite Church Lane to the Butts were, before the erection j of the first bridge the only means of com- ; munication between one bank and the ! other, and in those days were called the I " wishing steps," because maidens, we are j told, when crossing, fell not into the river but into a contemplative mood wishing for the impossible or improbable. These romantic stones gave place to a bridge which is supposed to have been built in 1630, and is stilt existing. It was at first only 6 feet wide, and constructed of three- peaked arches of stone: but this was a great advance on the stepping stones as the river could now be crossed at all times, and the risk of a ducking when the waters were swollen by heavy rains was no longer incurred. Though wide enough for the pack horses laden with merchandise, and for the foot traffic, carriages had still to run the risk of fording the stream, which was an inconvenient and dangerous opera- tion when the ford became deep after a heavy rainfall. A bridge of 13 feet in width was accordingly built close to the original one on the west side. As the traffic increased further accommodation was required, and an addition of 7 feet in width was made on the east side; but even this was not sufficient to meet the growing wants of a commercial com- munity, and therefore another extension of 10 feet was erected on the west side.

At this stage carts began to appear in Rochdale, and were considered a great novelty. Then followed stage coaches, and in 1821 a bridge of 14 feet, with a circular arch was added on the east side of the original bridge. In 1868 iron girders were added on each side, and these together, with an ornamental stone balustrade, now give it a fine roomy ap- pearance, combined with strength and durability. There are, of course, other bridges in different parts of the town, which relieve the old bridge of a great amount of traffic, and amply fulfil all re- quirements. The site of the old parish church, St. Chad's, is in a prominent position, standing on a height approached by a flight of steps, and from its square tower an excellent survey of the town and surrounding country could be taken.

This pleasant and picturesque scenery no longer exists, having disappeared to make room for dwellings and places of business, and the introduction of factories the smoke of which sullies the air and offends the sense, for Rochdale now takes rank as one of the large manufacturing centres in Lancashire, containing a popu- lation of some 40,000 inhabitants.

The town, though a place of great an- tiquity, has very little history of impor- tance. The Romans had a station here, and continued the construction of their road from Manchester along Mere Lane, Church Stile, down Church Lane, crossing the Roach just below the Wellington, Hotel, where the river was shallow and wide, and for this reason was called the Broadwater. The road ran across the Butts, up Bull Brow into Yorkshire Street and so on to York.

There is no doubt the chief cause of a town springing up in this locality was due to its picturesque situation, proximity to the Roman road, its suitable soil, and being the point at which the three great divisions of Castleton, Hundersfield, and Spotland joined. The beautiful manor of Rochdale, near the town, was long the property of the Byron family, but was sold by the poet.

The manufacture of woollen goods was introduced by some Flemish emigrants in the reign of Edward III., and Rochdale acquired a reputation for articles made of such material. It is chiefly for its indus- trial importance that the town is remark- able. Woollen and cotton goods, particu- larly the former, now form the staple of the manufactures. The trade of the town was much facilitated by the canal which passes at a short distance from it, and unites the Duke of Bridgewater's canal at Manchester, with the waters of the Calder and Ribble near Halifax. It is 33 miles long, was constructed at great cost, and was opened in 1804.

Several trades which were in exist- ence in Rochdale over half a century ago, and furnished employment to a number of hands, have since become extinct. The hat manufacture was at one time one of the staple trades, and moie •woubpeople were employed in it than in any other, excepting perhaps the manufacture of flannel. Hats were bought for India and America as well as the home market.

The slave-owners of South America were good customers, for the hats manufactured for their special use were highly appre- ciated. They were made of the best felt, covered over with beaver, and the brims were 12 inches broad, covering their shoulders to protect them from the sun, and some sold for as much as 31. 10s.

Large orders were also given for felt hats for the slaves. Each slave-owner had the hats dyed one particular colour, to enable him to recognize his slaves. The wearing of leather breeches was another trade that died out about sixty years ago. They were made from duck or doeskin, and fitted from the hip to the knee. Then there were leather staymakers: the work was done by men, a pair of stays at that time not costing less than one guinea. Card-making was another occupation, at which children from five to six years of age were employed from six o'clock in the morning until seven in the evening. The work, fortunately for the children, is now done by machinery. Wool-combing flourished for many years, and numerous workers engaged in the occupation.

Another superior trade was termed pencil- ling. Women were employed to paint colours on calico for dress-pieces, as at that time machinery was so incomplete that only one colour could be printed at a time. The calico was woven by hand, and the material was so strong that it has been known to serve as a dress in succes- sion for mother, daughter, and grand- daughter, being finally cut up in patches for a bed-quilt. The improvement in printing by machinery effectually de- stroyed the trade of pencillers. Many local customs have passed away. It was a practice for children on Good Friday morning or Cracknell Friday, as it was named, to call at the residence of gentle- men, who liberally supplied them with cracknell cakes. The ceremony of rush- bearing has undergone considerable changes during the last hundred years.

The old custom was partly a reli- gious ceremony. The parishioners were invited on a certain date to accompany the church authorities to a particular spot for the annual ingathering of rushes to cover the church floor during the winter months. On the day named, they met at the appointed spot, and a sufficient quan- tity of rushes was cut down, bound up in sheaves, and carried in procession and laid out on the church floor. Wreaths and garlands were also made from them and arranged along the walls of the church for the purpose of display. Bush- bearing Sunday was a great event, for all the inhabitants of the surrounding dis- tricts flocked into the town, and with the parishioners, filled the church to over- flowing ; and closely scrutinized the workmanship displayed in the com- position of the wreaths and garlands which were carried the next day with much pomp through the town. The practice of covering church floors with rushes gradually fell off; but the old custom was still commemorated by rush- carts being dragged round the town.

Seventy years ago there were ten rush- carte in Rochdale. Another old custom of about a century ago was " the ducking- stool," one of the instruments of punish- ment 'for refractory women. The post was situated in the bed of the river near the iron footbridge which runs across from the Wellington Hotel into Smith Street.

An arm-chair was secured to the end of a strong beam 12 or 15 feet long, which worked in a pivot. The prisoner was fastened to the chair, and the beam being lifted up behind, the chair descended into the water. The ducking was repeated according, to the nature of the offence.

It was probably erected at the same time as the stocks, from which women were exempt en account of their sex, and the stool was used for their special benefit. The old market-cross stood nearly opposite the Eagle Inn; a flight of three steps encircled a stone pillar destitute of any architec- tural beauty, and this erection went by the name of the market-cross. It was popularly believed that selling a wife was a legal transaction if the woman was brought to the cross with a halter round her neck, and the buyer obtained a written receipt for the money he had parted with.

Some of the old inhabitants remember witnessing the disgusting sight of women with halters round their necks being led to the cross like dumb cattle, and then and there sold to the highest bidder. The sum realized at a sale of this kind seldom exceeded two or three shillings. In 1832, Rochdale received the franchise, and Mr.

John Fenton was returned as its first member of Parliament. Towards the close of 1856, a charter of incorporation was granted the town. Rochdale enjoys the distinction of having been represented by the late Mr. Richard Cobden, and of claim- ing Mr. John Bright as a townsman. In 1871, the Town Hall, one of the most per- fect examples of highly ornamented Gothic in the kingdom, was completed at a cost of £150,000, and opened on the 21st September of that year. The inaugural proceedings were presided over by Mr.

Alderman Ashworth, who had been instru- mental in bringing the scheme to a successful conclueioB.

No name is better known in the locality than that of Mr. Robert Taylor Heape.

Born and educated in Rochdale, he has, in the course of his long life, occupied most of the principal public offices in the town, and identified himself with every work for its improvement, and for the welfare of the community. He occupied the civic chair in 1857, and during that year he attended as a deputation, with two other gentlemen, a grand levee to congratulate Her Majesty on the marriage of her daughter to the Crown Prince of Prussia. Mr. Heape, among other things, originated a subscription for a Life-boat.

He had long taken great interest in this noble work, and had read with great pleasure the account of the gallant ser- vices rendered in the saving of life from shipwreck. In 1866 he put himself in communication with the Life-boat In- stitution, in order to ascertain the cost of a Life-boat and its equipment. He then determined to raise the necessary funds among his friends and neighbours. Every application made, with the exception of two, was heartily and liberally responded to, and the sum of £556 was speedily subscribed and remitted to the Institu- tion, with a request that a Life-boat might be built, and when ready sent to Bochdale to be launched and christened.

On the morning of its arrival, the 10th November, 1866, the Bochdale Life-boat was drawn through the town by six hand- some grey horses, kindly lent by the Eochdale Co-operative Society, being pre- ceded by a band of music, and a proces- sion of gentlemen. She was then taken to a large lake, three miles distant, called Hollingsworth, where the naming and launching took place. The Co-operative Society had previously sent Mr. Heape unsolicited a contribution of 501., and I the Co-operative Coin Mill Society 20J., to the fond being raised for its purchase.

From 20,000 to 30,000 spectators sur- rounded the lake on this occasion. Mrs.

Heape named the boat (which was manned by the crew of the Blackpool Life-boat), the "Bochdale." Mr. Heape formally presented her to the Institution, and Admiral, then Captain Ward, acknow- ledged the gift.

A very pleasing circumstance which happened at the launch is told by Mr.

Heape. A gentleman of independent means, who had not been asked for a donation as he was known to be very close-fisted and never to give anything in charity, attended the ceremony, and heard the speeches. He was so much impressed with the whole affair that he at once made his will and bequeathed 10002. to the Institution, to be paid at his wife's death. The money has since been paid. Another gentleman of the town a short time since left the residue of his property to the Society, which after the other legacies are paid will probably amount to 1000Z.; and two ladies, recently deceased, have each left 1002. to the cause. Mr. Heape has thought best to dispense with the assistance of a committee, and to do all the work alone, and no less a sum than 1,590Z. 10s. has been collected by him for the Institution since 1868. Last year the list of contributions shows a total of 1171 5s. The Life-boat was first stationed at Fowey on the coast of Corn- wall, and saved 13 lives, but a wish having been expressed by the contributors that their Life-boat should be stationed on the N.E. coast, the name was trans- ferred to the West Hartlepool No. 1 boat.

Thanks to the influence Mi. Heape has brought to bear, the interest taken in the Life-boat cause in Eochdale is very great, and is likely to remain so while the Society retains his valuable services..