Affetside

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 53.618
longitude = -2.368
official_name= Affetside
population=
metropolitan_borough= Bury
metropolitan_county= Greater Manchester
region = North West England
constituency_westminster= Bury North
post_town= BURY
postcode_area= BL
postcode_district= BL8
dial_code= 01204
os_grid_reference= SD755136

Affetside is an upland village located in the West Pennine Moors area, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England.

History

Toponymy

The name Affetside is said to be based on the Old English word "ofer" meaning "border" or "boundary" and "side" or "site", meaning "hillside". The literal translation of Affetside is the "boundary on the hill", which seems appropriate as the hamlet at its highest point is 900 ft (277 m) above sea level with the boundary being that formed by the route of the old Roman road, now known as Watling Street and built circa 72AD, that ran from Manchester "Mamucium" to Ribchester "Bremetenacum". Affetside is the only place in England with this name.

Affetside is a village which has been through at least a dozen name changes since the 16th century — "Avesyde", "Haffetside", "Affaitsyde", "Offyside", "Affetsid", among them. And after all this confusion the village has reverted back to its original name which made its documented debut in 1504.

Recent history

The village entered a new chapter in 1991 as it was made part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, whose council now officially administer the village and provide services for its residents.

Such a change may at first seem unimportant but the villagers know only too well what problems can occur from being split between two boroughs. No doubt they hope that any problems which arise in the future will be solved far more quickly, because Affetsiders remember a number of instances where the rival boroughs argued over just whose responsibility the problems were.

Trouble struck the village in 1955 when the Tottington Urban District Council suggested that because certain cottage properties did not meet housing standards the residents should be rehoused in Tottington, adding that the Affetside cottages would then be condemned and demolished. This suggestion received an overwhelming objection. A similar battle for piped water has meant that residents realised they needed to form an action group with piped clean water finally being supplied to the village in 1976. The problem was partly the fault of the councils who could not decide whose responsibility it was to provide water.

Governance

For many years the road through the village acted as the boundary between the townships of Bradshaw and Tottington. This continued after local government reform in 1894 when the road marked the meeting point of Turton and Tottington Urban Districts. Following further local government reorganisation in 1974, the boundary marked the meeting of Bolton and Bury Metropolitan Boroughs. In 1991 this anomaly was removed by extending the boundary of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury to the west of Watling Street.

Geography

The village lies north west of Tottington, west of Greenmount & Hawkshaw and south of Edgworth.

Economy

Affetsiders have always found plenty of work, be it farming, coal mining, or working handlooms.Fact|date=February 2007 However, like workers today, they often had to travel to nearby towns for jobs. Back in 1921 though, the villagers were very enterprising. It was the year of the first (and last) Holcombe Hunt point to point Steeplechase at Affetside. As the crowds rolled in there were an estimated 100,000 visitors that day. Families turned their houses into shops advertising teas, whilst local farmers got in on the act selling milk to the thirsty spectators. The course, which ran over constructed jumps including two over streams, was a great success but it was decided that the event would be held in the future at Nab Fold, Harwood.

Landmarks

Affetside Cross has always prompted questions from people intrigued as to its history. In fact one curious person, believing it concealed hidden treasure, actually pulled it up late one night in the 1890s. However he was to be disappointed, finding nothing, not even a single Roman coin. Fortunately the Roman cross was repaired by the Lord of the Manor and still stands today marking the supposed half way point between London and Edinburgh. Affetside cross still remains a mystery today; thought to date from medieval times and perhaps much earlier.

Its close proximity to the Roman road from Manchester "Mamucium" to Ribchester "Bremetenacum" has caused many to mistakenly date it as Roman in origin and yet some date it much later. Present thinking considers it as a medieval route marker for Lancashire pilgrims on route to Whalley Abbey. Some see it as a market cross from Jacobean or Georgian times or it may mark the point of a beacon due to its dominant position. The view which holds it is a market cross does not, on the surface, appear to make much sense as Affetside has had no record of ever having a market charter (although it is recognised that many markets did exist throughout Lancashire without a charter ever being granted), and as a market it would have been difficult to access in addition to being very remote and as such would have suffered from competition from adjacent areas with greater populations. The loss of the cross head is undated and furthermore it has never been proven that it ever had one.

The Cross is a listed grade II structure. The cross shaft is cut from a single piece of local gritstone, set into a plinth of 2 stones on 2 steps. The first step is circular, 2.28 m (7.5 ft) in diameter, and 0.1 m (4 inches) high. The second step is 1.6 m (5 ft 3 inches) in diameter, and 0.25 m (10 inches) high. The shaft is of a pillar form with a square base 0.34 m (1 ft) wide tapering to a column 1.43 m (4 ft 8 inches) high. At 1.34m (4 ft 4 inches) there is a collar surmounted by a bun shaped capital. Cut into the top is a socket that probably held the cross head or stone ball. There are other pilgrims crosses in the area, notably Holcombe Moor to the east, and at Bradshaw, (which has now been removed) and the Pilgrims Cross theory appears to be the most plausible, as the route east to west was an old packhorse trail and was a major route for the passage of goods and people.

The year 1879 saw the opening of the day school in the Affetside Chapel. As the building was shared there was no spare room for a permanent classroom so the villagers decided to put out desks on a Monday morning, ensuring they were removed on Friday night in preparation for the Sunday congregation. This procedure continued until closure of the school by Bury Metropolitan Council in August 2003. [citenews|title=Schoolday memories from Affetside|publisher=UK Newsquest Regional Press |date= August 31, 2006|url= http://w3.nexis.com/partnerfeed/getdoc.aspx?id=21362890&mtid=1&ws=9j0hDk1UboE=&ws_pub=UK%20Newsquest%20Regional%20Press%20-%20This%20is%20Lancashire&ws_date=August%2031,%202006&ws_len=478&ws_lni=4KSJ-N120-TX57-73B8-00000-00&ws_lastupdate=20060831&ws_title=Schoolday%20memories%20from%20Affetside]

World War I brought great sadness to Affetside. If we consider the tiny population then we realise how the deaths of 15 young church and school members must have affected the whole village. The chapel congregation, wishing to have a memorial to these brave boys, decided to raise funds with which they purchased a new organ. The organ was unveiled in 1920 and is still played in the church today.

Present day

The Affetside Society, one of two local amenity societies, concerns itself with the appearance and amenities of the village. It has succeeded in having a 30 mph (48 km/h) restriction through the village. Fact|date=February 2007 The Affetside Society has also planted thousands of daffodil bulbs, shrubs and trees alongside Watling Street in order to improve the appearance of the village. The second amenity society in the Village is the Millennium Green Committee and was formed to propose and oversee an application to the "Millennium Greens" initiative run by the Countryside Commission. The aim was to create a public open space on the old, disused bus turn-around in the centre of the village adjacent to the cross, which would act a focal point for village activities. This application was successful and the Green is used for all types of village activities from a summer Boules competition to the Christmas Carol service.

As of January 2007 , Bury Mertropolitan Borough Council have raised the idea of placing the village into a Conservation Area. This is currently undergoing discussion with the residents. This does impact on future development of the village and will restrict householders General Permitted Development Rights, however, it will give protection from what some see as architecturally misguided refurbishment and extension of the cottages which has been happening since the turn of the Millennium. The majority of the cottages in the village are of a pre 1800's Pennine vernacular. As of May 2008, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council decided against changing the status of the village to that of a Conservation Area.

A local resident and historian, and author of the book; "Affetside, an historical survey" believes the village’s strength shows through its survival. He says::"The building of the local turnpike road was the death knell for the packhorse trains, but the Affetsiders showed great resilience in continuing to build up their village, and so the village did not collapse like others, less fortunate. For such a small village, with only about 150 people to still have a church and pub says a lot about the people who live there."

References