Tales of 50,000 herring... and a frozen horse

The Chronicles of Alda

AT the start of my second series, I brought a message from our Viking god, Odin, who sent his best wishes and said he would try his best to ensure a particularly cold and miserable winter!

Well, after observing the plunging thermometer this week, it looks as though he wasn’t jesting.

Doesn’t it create a little magic, though, when we see the first flakes of winter snow?

I was surveying the old Viking lands of Sholver on Monday when it started to snow lightly. I saw a little girl’s face light up with glee while her mum made some strange remark about ‘brass monkeys’.

I feel sorry for the children nowadays – they don’t experience winters where the snow is knee deep – it was such great fun.-And if that little girl’s mum thought it was cold this week, just ponder on this historical snippet: On February 2, 1798, it was so cold that a mare owned by John Taylor of Primrose Bank was frozen to death in Moorside.

On Wednesday, Alda went to observe the great white palace on West Street.

I understand it is to the custodians of that place that the common folk now have to pay their local taxes and I have heard many a complaint.

Resistance to tax has never changed and over the centuries those in power have dreamt up many means to extract money from the people.

In 1583, the locals were up in arms about a tax introduced to pay for the royal household’s oxen!

Oldham had to stump up 12s 2d, Chadderton and Crompton 9s 2d each and Royton 6s 1d.

In 1662, a hearth tax was introduced. Referred to as “chimney money” it imposed a two shilling per year tax on each fire hearth or stove.

The 1666, return provides an insight into Oldham at that time as only 144 people in Oldham chapelry were liable for the tax.

The dominant homes are highlighted — Chamber and Lees Halls (both Werneth) had to pay for eight hearths each with Werneth and Bent having six each.

Over in Saddleworth, around 1800, and we have a tale to match that of the biblical ‘loaves and fishes’ one.

William Wilberforce MP (a great philanthropist and fighter against slavery) had written to a Mr Harrop of Dobcross about the distress of the poor of the parish.

The MP hailed from Hull and a few casks of herrings were subsequently sent from there to help feed the Saddleworth starving.

The meeting of the vestry at St Chad’s Church requested that Mr Wilberforce be made acutely aware of the extent of the suffering of the poor in Saddleworth at that time.

He certainly responded in style as 50,000 herrings duly arrived and were distributed to the parish’s poor.

Amid all this distress it is comical to learn that the very same members of the Vestry in April, 1800, ordered that, “the Overseers of the Poor of this Township are hereby authorised to employ a Molecatcher to destroy the Moles for fourteen years at a salary not exceeding sixty seven pounds per annum”.

So, never mind the starving, as long as those troublesome furry little miners get clobbered, then all will be well.

History shows us, you see, that nothing ever really changes — those charged with overseeing us have always made the most bizarre decisions.


Author’s Footnote: The Chronicles of Alda are based on historic fact with a little conjecture and a sprinkling of poetic licence.