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Coordinates: 53°30′55″N 2°16′35″W / 53.51528°N 2.27639°W / 53.51528; -2.27639
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{{Short description|Moorland in Salford, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox mountain
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Kersal Moor
| name = Kersal Moor
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| map = Greater Manchester
| map = Greater Manchester
| map_caption = Location of Kersal Moor in [[Greater Manchester]]
| map_caption = Location of Kersal Moor in [[Greater Manchester]]
| coordinates = {{coord|53|30|55|N|2|16|35|W|type:mountain_region:GB_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| lat_d = 53 | lat_m = 30 | lat_s = 55 | lat_NS = N
| range_coordinates =
| long_d = 2 | long_m = 16 | long_s = 35 | long_EW = W
| region = GB
}}
}}


'''Kersal Moor''' is a recreation area in [[Kersal]], [[Greater Manchester]], England which consists of eight hectares of [[moorland]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_projects_details.asp?ID=174|title=Kersal Moor&nbsp;— proposed LNR|last=Anon|date=September 2004|work=Natural England&nbsp;— Special sites|publisher=Natural England|accessdate=11 September 2009}}</ref> bounded by Moor Lane, Heathlands Road, St. Paul's Churchyard and Singleton Brook.
'''Kersal Moor''' is a recreation area in [[Kersal]], [[Greater Manchester]], England which consists of eight hectares of [[moorland]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_projects_details.asp?ID=174|title=Kersal Moor&nbsp;— proposed LNR|last=Anon|date=September 2004|work=Natural England&nbsp;— Special sites|publisher=Natural England|access-date=11 September 2009|archive-date=3 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003194012/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_projects_details.asp?ID=174|url-status=dead}}</ref> bounded by Moor Lane, Heathlands Road, St. Paul's Churchyard and Singleton Brook.


Kersal Moor, first called Karsey or Carsall Moor,<ref name="townships">Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (editors) (1911). 'Townships: Broughton', ''A History of the County of Lancaster'': Volume 4, pp.&nbsp;217–222. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41408. Date accessed: 20 February 2008</ref> originally covered a much larger area, running down to the [[River Irwell]].<ref name="old maps">{{Cite book | title = 1848 - LANCASHIRE AND FURNESS 1:10,560| url = http://www.old-maps.co.uk/indexmappage2.aspx?action=forcexy&easting=382100&northing=402100 | publisher = old-maps.co.uk | accessdate = 12 April 2009}}</ref> Evidence of activity during the [[Neolithic]] period has been discovered and the area was used by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]]. It was the site of the first Manchester Racecourse and the second golf course to be built outside Scotland. It has been extensively used for other sporting pursuits, military manoeuvres and public gatherings such as the Great [[Chartism|Chartist]] Meeting of 1838, prompting the political theorist [[Friedrich Engels]] to dub it "the ''Mons Sacer'' of Manchester".
Kersal Moor, first called Karsey or Carsall Moor,<ref name="townships">Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (editors) (1911). 'Townships: Broughton', ''A History of the County of Lancaster'': Volume 4, pp.&nbsp;217–222. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41408. Date accessed: 20 February 2008</ref> originally covered a much larger area, running down to the [[River Irwell]].<ref name="old maps">{{Cite book| title = 1848 - LANCASHIRE AND FURNESS 1:10,560| url = http://www.old-maps.co.uk/indexmappage2.aspx?action=forcexy&easting=382100&northing=402100| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130505032137/http://www.old-maps.co.uk/indexmappage2.aspx?action=forcexy&easting=382100&northing=402100| url-status = dead| archive-date = 5 May 2013| publisher = old-maps.co.uk| access-date = 12 April 2009}}</ref> Evidence of activity during the [[Neolithic]] period has been discovered and the area was used by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]]. It was the site of the first [[Manchester Racecourse]] and the second golf course to be built outside Scotland. It has been extensively used for other sporting pursuits, military manoeuvres and public gatherings such as the Great [[Chartism|Chartist]] Meeting of 1838, prompting the political theorist [[Friedrich Engels]] to dub it "the ''[[Mons Sacer]]'' of Manchester".

With the increasing industrialisation and urbanisation of [[Manchester]] and Salford during the 18th and 19th centuries, the moor became one of the remaining areas of natural landscape of interest to amateur naturalists, one of whom collected the only known specimens of the now extinct moth species ''[[Euclemensia woodiella]]''. It is now a [[Site of Biological Importance]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/sitesofbiologicalimportance.htm|accessdate=28 February 2013|title=Sites of Biological importance}}</ref> and in 2007 was designated as a [[Local Nature Reserve]] by [[English Nature]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/biodiversity-spd-january-2006.pdf |title=Salford City Council Supplementary planning Document: Nature Conservation and Biodiversity: Adopted 19 July 2006 |work=Salford City Council |format=PDF |date=2007-07-19 |accessdate=14 December 2007}}</ref>


With the increasing industrialisation and urbanisation of [[Manchester]] and Salford during the 18th and 19th centuries, the moor became one of the remaining areas of natural landscape of interest to amateur naturalists, one of whom collected the only known specimens of the now extinct moth species ''[[Euclemensia woodiella]]''. It is now a [[Site of Biological Importance]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/sitesofbiologicalimportance.htm|access-date=28 February 2013|title=Sites of Biological importance}}</ref> and in 2007 was designated as a [[Local Nature Reserve]] by [[English Nature]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/biodiversity-spd-january-2006.pdf |title=Salford City Council Supplementary planning Document: Nature Conservation and Biodiversity: Adopted 19 July 2006 |work=Salford City Council |date=2007-07-19 |access-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225142818/http://www.salford.gov.uk/biodiversity-spd-january-2006.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2009 }}</ref>


==Geography==
==Geography==
[[Image:Sandy path Kersal Moor.JPG|thumb|right|The sandhills on the north of the moor]]
[[Image:Sandy path Kersal Moor.JPG|thumb|right|The sandhills on the north of the moor]]
Kersal Moor is one of the many [[fluvioglacial landform|fluvioglacial]] ridges that formed along the [[Irwell Valley]] during the melting of the [[glacier]]s at the end of the last [[ice age]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mangeogsoc.org.uk/egm/5_1.pdf |format=PDF|accessdate=11 December 2007 |date=2003-08-21 |title=Exploring Greater Manchester&nbsp;— a fieldwork guide: The fluvioglacial gravel ridges of Salford and flooding on the River Irwell |author= Hindle, P.(1998) |publisher=Manchester Geographical Society}}</ref> Typically for this type of [[landform]], the subsoil is composed of sand mixed with coarse gravel. The 19th century botanist [[Richard Buxton (botanist)|Richard Buxton]] described this as "Mr. E.W. Binney's drift deposit no.2&nbsp;... a deposit of sharp forest sand, parted with layers of gravel composed of [[Azoic]], [[Palaeozoic]] and [[Triassic]] rocks, well rounded, parted with layers of fine sand, and having every appearance of a regular deposit by water."<ref group="nb">[[Edward William Binney]] FRS FGS was a founder member of the Manchester Geological Society see:{{cite book|last=Swindells|first=Thomas|title=Manchester Streets and Manchester Men|publisher=Bastian Books|date=August 2008|page=57|chapter=E.W. Binney FRS. FGS.|isbn=978-0-554-72373-0|url=http://books.google.com/?id=Lo9yaYZZJrkC&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=EW+Binney&q=EW%20Binney|accessdate=11 September 2009}}</ref><ref name="Buxton">{{cite book|last=Buxton|first=Richard|title=A botanical guide to the flowering plants, ferns, mosses, and algæ, found indigenous within sixteen miles of Manchester: with some information as to their agricultural, medicinal and other uses|publisher=Longman and Co|location=Manchester|year=1849|pages=xviii|chapter=2}}</ref> This deposit is overlaid with a thin topsoil supporting a range of [[mosses]], [[heathers]], [[grasses]], [[fern]]s,<ref name="Natural">{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_projects_details.asp?ID=174|title=Local Nature Reserves|last=Anon|year=2006|work=Special sites|publisher=Natural England|accessdate=14 September 2009}}</ref> [[common broom]], [[gorse]] and some trees, which are predominately [[oak]] with some [[rowan]], [[cherry]] and other broadleaved species. The land to the south is elevated, rising to a high point towards the south west. From this elevated position there are views across Manchester to the [[Derbyshire]] hills in the south, to the [[Pennines]] in the north east and across the [[Irwell Valley]] and Salford in the west. The land falls away to the north, ending with two [[drumlin]]-shaped hills on the northern edge, which were probably formed by sediment from the [[meltwater]] of the receding glaciers, in a process known as sedimentary [[fluting (geology)|fluting]]. The moor is criss-crossed with footpaths, many of which cut through to the sand and gravel below. Singleton Brook, to the north of the moor, denotes the boundary between Salford and [[Prestwich]].
Kersal Moor is one of the many [[fluvioglacial landform|fluvioglacial]] ridges that formed along the [[Irwell Valley]] during the melting of the [[glacier]]s at the end of the last [[ice age]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mangeogsoc.org.uk/egm/5_1.pdf |access-date=11 December 2007 |date=2003-08-21 |title=Exploring Greater Manchester&nbsp;— a fieldwork guide: The fluvioglacial gravel ridges of Salford and flooding on the River Irwell |author= Hindle, P.(1998) |publisher=Manchester Geographical Society}}</ref> Typically for this type of [[landform]], the [[subsoil]] is composed of sand mixed with coarse gravel. The 19th century botanist [[Richard Buxton (botanist)|Richard Buxton]] described this as "Mr. E.W. Binney's drift deposit no.2&nbsp;... a deposit of sharp forest sand, parted with layers of gravel composed of [[Azoic]], [[Palaeozoic]] and [[Triassic]] rocks, well rounded, parted with layers of fine sand, and having every appearance of a regular deposit by water."<ref group="nb">[[Edward William Binney]] FRS FGS was a founder member of the Manchester Geological Society see:{{cite book|last=Swindells|first=Thomas|title=Manchester Streets and Manchester Men|publisher=Bastian Books|date=August 2008|page=57|chapter=E.W. Binney FRS. FGS.|isbn=978-0-554-72373-0|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9yaYZZJrkC&q=EW%20Binney&pg=PA57|access-date=11 September 2009}}</ref><ref name="Buxton">{{cite book|last=Buxton|first=Richard|title=A botanical guide to the flowering plants, ferns, mosses, and algæ, found indigenous within sixteen miles of Manchester: with some information as to their agricultural, medicinal and other uses|url=https://archive.org/details/b29299792|publisher=Longman and Co|location=Manchester|year=1849|pages=xviii|chapter=2}}</ref> This deposit is overlaid with a thin topsoil supporting a range of [[mosses]], [[Ericaceae|heathers]], [[grasses]], [[fern]]s,<ref name="Natural">{{cite web|url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_projects_details.asp?ID=174|title=Local Nature Reserves|last=Anon|year=2006|work=Special sites|publisher=Natural England|access-date=14 September 2009|archive-date=3 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003194012/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_projects_details.asp?ID=174|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[common broom]], [[gorse]] and some trees, which are predominantly [[oak]] with some [[rowan]], [[cherry]] and other broadleaved species. The land to the south is elevated, rising to a high point towards the south-west. From this elevated position there are views across Manchester to the [[Derbyshire]] hills in the south, to the [[Pennines]] in the north east and across the [[Irwell Valley]] and Salford in the west. The land falls away to the north, ending with two [[drumlin]]-shaped hills on the northern edge, which were probably formed by sediment from the [[meltwater]] of the receding glaciers, in a process known as sedimentary [[fluting (geology)|fluting]]. The moor is criss-crossed with footpaths, many of which cut through to the sand and gravel below. Singleton Brook, to the north of the moor, denotes the boundary between Salford and [[Prestwich]].


==History==
==History==
[[Flint]] [[scraper (archaeology)|scrapers]], knives and other materials associated with [[neolithic]] humans were discovered on the moor in the late 19th and early 20th century by local antiquarians such as Charles Roeder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/73032|title=Roeder, Charles (1848-1911)|last=Wright|first=John|year=2004|work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=15 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Connor|first=Mary T.|title=The First place: A history of Kersal|publisher=Connor|year=2003|page=3|chapter=1|isbn=0-9546564-0-7}}</ref> The [[Roman road]] from [[Manchester]] ([[Mamucium]]) to [[Ribchester]] ([[Bremetennacum]]) roughly followed the line of the [[A56 road]] (Bury new Road)<ref name="old maps" /><ref name="Mamucium">{{cite web|url=http://www.roman-britain.org/places/mamucium.htm|title=MAMVCIVM Minor Romano-British Settlement Manchester, Greater Manchester|last=Anon|year=2005|work=Roman Britain|publisher=roman-britain.org|accessdate=13 September 2009}}</ref> which is just to the east of Kersal Moor. There was a [[Roman camp]] at Rainsough just to the west,<ref>{{cite web |title=Archaeological sites and monuments |publisher=Metropolitan Borough of Bury |url=http://www.bury.gov.uk/Environment/LandAndPremises/Conservation/ArchaeologicalSitesAndMonuments/AffetsideCross.htm |accessdate=11 April 2008}}</ref> and some have speculated that there may have been a second camp to the east, in the area known as Castle Hill,<ref>{{cite web |last=Higson |first=John |title=PRESTWICH, Lancashire (Gtr Manchester), ENGLAND:History |url=http://www.angelfire.com/ab4/LocalHistory/history/index.html |accessdate=24 April 2008}}</ref> making a defensive line across the moor to protect the north of Mamucium.<ref name="Mamucium"/>
[[Flint]] [[scraper (archaeology)|scrapers]], knives and other materials associated with [[neolithic]] humans were discovered on the moor in the late 19th and early 20th century by local antiquarians such as Charles Roeder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/73032|title=Roeder, Charles (1848–1911)|last=Wright|first=John|year=2004|work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=15 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Connor|first=Mary T.|title=The First place: A history of Kersal|publisher=Connor|year=2003|page=3|chapter=1|isbn=0-9546564-0-7}}</ref> The [[Roman road]] from [[Manchester]] ([[Mamucium]]) to [[Ribchester]] ([[Bremetennacum]]) roughly followed the line of the [[A56 road]] (Bury New Road)<ref name="old maps" /><ref name="Mamucium">{{cite web|url=http://www.roman-britain.org/places/mamucium.htm|title=MAMVCIVM Minor Romano-British Settlement Manchester, Greater Manchester|last=Anon|year=2005|work=Roman Britain|publisher=roman-britain.org|access-date=13 September 2009}}</ref> which is just to the east of Kersal Moor. There was a [[Roman camp]] at Rainsough just to the west,<ref>{{cite web |title=Archaeological sites and monuments |publisher=Metropolitan Borough of Bury |url=http://www.bury.gov.uk/Environment/LandAndPremises/Conservation/ArchaeologicalSitesAndMonuments/AffetsideCross.htm |access-date=11 April 2008}}</ref> and some have speculated that there may have been a second camp to the east, in the area known as Castle Hill,<ref>{{cite web |last=Higson |first=John |title=PRESTWICH, Lancashire (Gtr Manchester), ENGLAND:History |url=https://www.angelfire.com/ab4/LocalHistory/history/index.html |access-date=24 April 2008}}</ref> making a defensive line across the moor to protect the north of Mamucium.<ref name="Mamucium"/>


The 18th-century historian [[John Whitaker (historian)|John Whitaker]] said of the moor:
The 18th century historian [[John Whitaker (historian)|John Whitaker]] said of the moor:


<blockquote>
<blockquote>
The moor of Kersal was in the time of the Romans, perhaps in that of the Britons before them, and for many ages after both, a thicket of oaks and a pasture for hogs; and the little knolls, that so remarkably diversify the plain, and are annually covered with mingled crowds rising in ranks over ranks to the top, were once the occasional seats of the herdsmen that superintended these droves into the woods.<ref name="Axon">{{cite book|last=Armitage|first=Janet|title=Bygone Lancashire|editor=Ernest Axon|publisher=SR Publishers Ltd.|date=1971|orig-year=first published 1892|series=County History Reprints|pages=31–50|chapter=Kersal Moor|isbn=0-85409-721-X}}</ref>
''"The moor of Kersal was in the time of the Romans, perhaps in that of the Britons before them, and for many ages after both, a thicket of oaks and a pasture for hogs; and the little knolls, that so remarkably diversify the plain, and are annually covered with mingled crowds rising in ranks over ranks to the top, were once the occasional seats of the herdsmen that superintended these droves into the woods."''<ref name="Axon">{{cite book|last=Armitage|first=Janet|title=Bygone Lancashire|editor=Ernest Axon|publisher=SR Publishers Ltd.|date=1971|orig-year=first published 1892|series=County History Reprints|pages=31–50|chapter=Kersal Moor|isbn=0-85409-721-X}}</ref>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


Line 44: Line 44:


===Sport on the moor===
===Sport on the moor===
[[File:Kersal Moor Race Course.jpg|thumb|The Manchester Racecourse on Kersal Moor]]
[[File:Kersal Moor Race Course.jpg|thumb|Manchester Racecourse on Kersal Moor]]
The first Manchester Racecourse was sited on the moor. The earliest record of horse-racing is contained in the following notice in the ''[[London Gazette]]'' of 2–5 May 1687:
The first Manchester racecourse was sited on the moor. The earliest record of horse-racing is contained in the following notice in the ''[[London Gazette]]'' of 2–5 May 1687:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
On Carsall Moore near Manchester in Lancashire on the 18th instant, a 20£. plate will be run for to carry ten stone, and ride three heats, four miles each heat. And the next day another plate of 40£. will be run for at the same moore, riding the same heats and carrying the same weight. The horses marks are to be given in four days before to Mr. William Swarbrick at the Kings Arms in Manchester.<ref name="townships" /> </blockquote>
On Carsall Moore near Manchester in Lancashire on the 18th instant, a 20£. plate will be run for to carry ten stone and ride three heats, four miles each heat. And the next day another plate of 40£. will be run for at the same moore, riding the same heats and carrying the same weight. The horses marks are to be given in four days before to Mr. William Swarbrick at the King's Arms in Manchester.<ref name="townships" /> </blockquote>
The racecourse is shown on the map of 1848<ref name="old maps" /> as a roughly oval-shaped course extending around the west, north and east of the moor, crossing Moor Lane and carrying on around the ground that is now the home of [[Salford City F.C.]], roughly following the line of what is now Nevile Road. [[John Byrom]] (1692–1763), the owner of Kersal Cell, was greatly opposed to the racing and wrote a pamphlet against it, but the racing continued for fifteen years until, probably through Dr Byrom's influence, they were stopped in 1746, the year of the [[Jacobite rising]]. After this there is known to have been at least one race in 1750;<ref>{{cite book |title=Manchester in holiday dress |last=Proctor |first=Richard Wright |authorlink= |year=1866 |publisher=Abel Heywood and Son |location=Manchester |isbn= |page=153 |pages= |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pRUHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA153&dq=Kersal+moor&hl=en&sa=X&ei=awVWT4-tC4jM0QXjz7nJCQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Kersal%20moor&f=false |accessdate=6 March 2012}}</ref> regular fixtures recommenced in 1759, and were then held every year until 1846, when they were transferred to the New Barns racecourse.<ref name="Axon"/> Racing carried on there until the new [[Manchester Racecourse|Castle Irwell]] Racecourse was built, just across the river from the moor, in [[Broughton, Greater Manchester|Lower Broughton]] in 1847.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kersal Dale Video |publisher=Salford City Council |date=2007-06-27 |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks/parksinsalford/countryparks/thecliff/kersaldalevideo.htm |accessdate=24 April 2008}}</ref> Today part of the course can still be seen as a wide, well-worn path stretching from east to west along the northern side of the moor.<ref>{{cite book|last=Played in Manchester|first=Simon|author2=Inglis|publisher=English Heritage|date=2004|pages=38|isbn=1873592787}}</ref>
The racecourse is shown on the map of 1848<ref name="old maps" /> as a roughly oval-shaped course extending around the west, north and east of the moor, crossing Moor Lane and carrying on around the ground that is now the home of [[Salford City F.C.]], roughly following the line of what is now Nevile Road. [[John Byrom]] (1692–1763), the owner of Kersal Cell, was greatly opposed to the racing and wrote a pamphlet against it, but the racing continued for fifteen years until, probably through Dr Byrom's influence, they were stopped in 1746, the year of the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Jacobite rising]]. After this there is known to have been at least one race in 1750;<ref>{{cite book |title=Manchester in holiday dress |last=Proctor |first=Richard Wright |year=1866 |publisher=Abel Heywood and Son |location=Manchester |page=153 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pRUHAAAAQAAJ&q=Kersal+moor&pg=PA153 |access-date=6 March 2012}}</ref> regular fixtures recommenced in 1759, and were then held every year until 1846, when they were transferred to the New Barns racecourse.<ref name="Axon"/> Racing carried on there until the new [[Manchester Racecourse|Castle Irwell]] Racecourse was built, just across the river from the moor, in [[Broughton, Greater Manchester|Lower Broughton]] in 1847.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kersal Dale Video |publisher=Salford City Council |date=2007-06-27 |url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks/parksinsalford/countryparks/thecliff/kersaldalevideo.htm |access-date=24 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527192108/http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks/parksinsalford/countryparks/thecliff/kersaldalevideo.htm |archive-date=27 May 2008 }}</ref> Today part of the course can still be seen as a wide, well-worn path stretching from east to west along the northern side of the moor.<ref>{{cite book|title=Played in Manchester: The Architectural Heritage of a City at Play|first1=Simon|last1=Inglis|publisher=English Heritage|date=2004|page=38|isbn=1-873592-78-7}}</ref>
[[Image:Heather and gorse.JPG|thumb|right|Heather and gorse]]
[[Image:Heather and gorse.JPG|thumb|right|Heather and gorse]]
During the 18th century the moor was also used for nude male races, allowing females to study the form before choosing their mates. Indeed in 1796 Roger Aytoun, known as "Spanking Roger" (who was later a hero of the siege of Gibraltar) acquired Hough Hall in [[Moston, Greater Manchester|Moston]] through marriage to the widowed Barbara Minshull, after such a race.<ref>[http://www.kersalflats.co.uk/history2.html History of Kersal] 2007-10-27</ref>
During the 18th century the moor was also used for nude male races, allowing females to study the form before choosing their mates. Indeed, in 1796 [[Roger Aytoun]], known as "Spanking Roger" (who was later a hero of the siege of Gibraltar) acquired Hough Hall in [[Moston, Greater Manchester|Moston]] through marriage to the widowed Barbara Minshull, after such a race.<ref>[http://www.kersalflats.co.uk/history2.html History of Kersal] 2007-10-27</ref>


The moor has also been used for a number of other sporting activities. In the 18th and early 19th century [[archery]] was still practised as a village sport, and the archers of [[Broughton, Greater Manchester|Broughton]], [[Cheetham, Manchester|Cheetham]] and [[Prestwich]] were renowned countrywide. The Broughton archers practised their sport on Kersal Moor and in 1793 the Manchester writer, James Ogden, composed a poem in praise of them, which begins:
The moor has also been used for a number of other sporting activities. In the 18th and early 19th century [[archery]] was still practised as a village sport, and the archers of [[Broughton, Greater Manchester|Broughton]], [[Cheetham, Manchester|Cheetham]] and [[Prestwich]] were renowned countrywide. The Broughton archers practised their sport on Kersal Moor and in 1793 the Manchester writer, James Ogden, composed a poem in praise of them, which begins:
{{quote|The Broughton Archers, and the bowmen good<br />Of Lancashire, keep up the former name<br />Their sires acquir'd, for skill in archery ...}}
{{blockquote|The Broughton Archers, and the bowmen good<br />Of Lancashire, keep up the former name<br />Their sires acquir'd, for skill in archery&nbsp;...}}


and ends with:
and ends with:


{{quote|... Near Kersal Moor the Broughton archers fix<br />
{{blockquote|...&nbsp;Near Kersal Moor the Broughton archers fix<br />
Their targets pierced with many a well aimed shot.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" />}}
Their targets pierced with many a well aimed shot.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" />}}


By 1830, however, archery had become the sport of gentlemen and an exclusive club called "The Broughton Archers" was formed, the membership of which included some of the most influential men in the town. They originally met at a [[public house]] nicknamed "Hard backed Nan's" on the site of Bishopscourt where the [[Bishop of Manchester]] now resides, but after Bury New Road was built and the site became too public, they moved to the Turf Tavern on Kersal Moor.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham">{{cite book |last=Dobkin |first=Monty |title=Broughton and Cheetham Hill in Regency and Victorian Times |publisher=Neil Richardson |year=1999 |location=Radcliffe |page=63 |isbn=1-85216-131-0}}</ref>
By 1830, however, archery had become the sport of gentlemen and an exclusive club called the "Broughton Archers" was formed, the membership of which included some of the most influential men in the town. They originally met at a [[public house]] nicknamed "Hard Backed Nan's" on the site of Bishopscourt where the [[Bishop of Manchester]] now resides, but after Bury New Road was built and the site became too public, they moved to the Turf Tavern on Kersal Moor.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham">{{cite book |last=Dobkin |first=Monty |title=Broughton and Cheetham Hill in Regency and Victorian Times |publisher=Neil Richardson |year=1999 |location=Radcliffe |page=63 |isbn=1-85216-131-0}}</ref>
In 1818 a [[golf course]] was founded on the moor for the Manchester Golf Club, a group of Manchester businessmen, some of whom had emigrated from Scotland.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" /> This was only the second course to be built outside Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Golf: Early golf organisations |publisher=Athens Golf Club |work=Tradition |date=2007-08-12 |url=http://www.athensgolfclub.com/en/golf_history.htm |accessdate=23 April 2008}}</ref> The course at that time consisted of only five holes and had no fairways or greens as the players had to share the ground with other users. The club was very exclusive and by 1825 a club house had been built on Singleton Road. By 1869 the course had increased to nine holes and the club continued playing on the moor until 1862<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" /> when a new course was built a few hundred yards away at Kersal Vale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/kersaldalevideo.htm|title=Kersal Vale Video|last=Anon|work=Salford City Council - The Cliff/ Kersal Vale|publisher=Salford City Council|accessdate=17 March 2010}}</ref>
In 1818 a [[golf course]] was founded on the moor for the Manchester Golf Club, a group of Manchester businessmen, some of whom had emigrated from Scotland.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" /> This was only the second course to be built outside Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of Golf: Early golf organisations |publisher=Athens Golf Club |work=Tradition |date=2007-08-12 |url=http://www.athensgolfclub.com/en/golf_history.htm |access-date=23 April 2008}}</ref> The course at that time consisted of only five holes and had no fairways or greens as the players had to share the ground with other users. The club was very exclusive and by 1825 a club house had been built on Singleton Road. By 1869 the course had increased to nine holes and the club continued playing on the moor until 1862<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" /> when a new course was built a few hundred yards away at Kersal Vale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salford.gov.uk/kersaldalevideo.htm|title=Kersal Vale Video|last=Anon|work=Salford City Council The Cliff/ Kersal Vale|publisher=Salford City Council|access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref>


The archery ground became Kersal Cricket Ground in 1847 and in 1881 the Northern Tennis Tournament was staged there. In 1919 the ground became the Home of Manchester's oldest rugby club, [[Manchester Football Club]]. When Manchester F.C. moved in 1968 they were replaced briefly by Langworthy Juniors and then [[Salford City Football Club]], who still lease the ground today.<ref>{{cite book|last=Inglis|first=Simon|title=Played in Manchester|publisher=English Heritage|date=2004|pages=37|isbn=1873592787}}</ref>
The archery ground became Kersal Cricket Ground in 1847 and in 1881 the Northern Tennis Tournament was staged there. In 1919 the ground became the home of Manchester's oldest rugby club, [[Manchester Rugby Club|Manchester Football Club]]. When Manchester F.C. moved in 1968 they were replaced briefly by Langworthy Juniors and then [[Salford City F.C.]], who still lease the ground today.<ref>{{cite book|last=Inglis|first=Simon|title=Played in Manchester|publisher=English Heritage|date=2004|page=37|isbn=1-873592-78-7}}</ref>


===Public gatherings and military use===
===Public gatherings and military use===


As one of the largest open spaces close to Manchester, the moor has a history of use for army manoeuvres and large public gatherings. In his book ''[[The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844]]'', [[Friedrich Engels]] referred to it as the ''Mons Sacer'' of Manchester.<ref>{{cite book|last=Engels|first=Friedrich|coauthors=translated by William Otto Henderson, W.H Chaloner|title=The Condition of the Working Class in England|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=1958|edition=Illustrated|chapter=56|isbn=978-0-8047-0633-9|url=http://books.google.com/?id=hDKsAAAAIAAJ|accessdate=6 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan|first=Tim|author2=Pile, Steve |title=Social Change|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2003|edition=Illustrated|page=40|chapter=Readings 1.1 Friedrich Engels "The great towns" 1845|isbn=978-0-631-23312-1|url=http://books.google.com/?id=UWbYXI9a158C&pg=PA40&dq=Lower+broughton|accessdate=4 June 2009}}</ref> This was a reference to the hill to which the [[plebs]] (common citizens) of [[Rome]] withdrew ''en masse'' in 494 BC as an act of civil protest.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ovid|coauthors=translated by Anthony James Boyle, Roger D. Woodard|title=Fasti|publisher=Penguin|year=2000|edition=Illustrated|series=Penguin Classics|isbn=978-0-14-044690-6|url=http://books.google.com/?id=QlS3xbzhplcC}}</ref>
As one of the largest open spaces close to Manchester, the moor has a history of use for army manoeuvres and large public gatherings. In his book ''[[The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844]]'', [[Friedrich Engels]] referred to it as the ''Mons Sacer'' of Manchester.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Engels|first1=Friedrich|translator-first1=William Otto|translator-last1=Henderson|translator-first2=W.H.|translator-last2= Chaloner|title=The Condition of the Working Class in England|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=1958|edition=Illustrated|chapter=56|isbn=978-0-8047-0633-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hDKsAAAAIAAJ|access-date=6 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Jordan|first1=Tim|last2=Pile|first2=Steve |title=Social Change|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2003|edition=Illustrated|page=40|chapter=Readings 1.1 Friedrich Engels "The great towns" 1845|isbn=978-0-631-23312-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UWbYXI9a158C&q=Lower+broughton&pg=PA40|access-date=4 June 2009}}</ref> This was a reference to the hill to which the [[plebs]] (common citizens) of Rome withdrew ''en masse'' in 494 BC as an act of civil protest.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ovid|translator-first1=Anthony James|translator-last1= Boyle|translator-first2= Roger D.|translator-last2=Woodard|title=Fasti|publisher=Penguin|year=2000|edition=Illustrated|series=Penguin Classics|isbn=978-0-14-044690-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QlS3xbzhplcC}}</ref>


In 1789 and 1790 there had been a spate of highway and house robberies. Gangs of armed men had entered houses in the middle of the night and taken away all they could carry. Armed patrols were placed around the neighbourhood to little effect until, at last, a man named James Macnamara was arrested with three others for burglary at the Dog and Partridge Inn on Stretford Road. Macnamara was tried at [[Lancaster Castle|Lancaster Assizes]] and sentenced to be hanged on Kersal Moor as a warning to other criminals. A large number of people came to watch the. execution but, as Joseph Aston said in his ''Metrical Records of Manchester'' "no one could suppose that the example had any use&nbsp;... as several persons had their pockets picked within sight of the gallows and the following night a house was broken into and robbed in Manchester".<ref name="Axon"/>
In 1789 and 1790 there had been a spate of highway and house robberies. Gangs of armed men had entered houses in the middle of the night and taken away all they could carry. Armed patrols were placed around the neighbourhood to little effect until, at last, a man named James Macnamara was arrested with three others for burglary at the Dog and Partridge Inn on Stretford Road. Macnamara was tried at [[Lancaster Castle|Lancaster Assizes]] and sentenced to be hanged on Kersal Moor as a warning to other criminals. A large number of people came to watch the execution but, as Joseph Aston said in his ''Metrical Records of Manchester'' "no one could suppose that the example had any use&nbsp;... as several persons had their pockets picked within sight of the gallows and the following night a house was broken into and robbed in Manchester".<ref name="Axon"/>


The [[Stockport]], [[Bolton]], and [[Rochdale]] Volunteers were reviewed on Kersal Moor on 25 August 1797<ref name="Annals">{{cite book|title=The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885|editor=William A.E. Axon|year=1885|page=124|accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref> and in June 1812, 30,000 troops from the [[Wiltshire Regiment|Wiltshire]], [[Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry|Buckinghamshire]], [[Royal Ulster Rifles|Louth]] and [[Gordon Highlanders|Stirling regiments]] were camped there ready for action to suppress the [[Luddites]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885|editor=William E.A. Axon|publisher=John Heywood, Deansgate and Ridgefield|location=Manchester|year=1886|page=143|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/annalsofmanchest00axon/annalsofmanchest00axon_djvu.txt|accessdate=16 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Peacock |first=Douglas |title=Luddites: War against the machines&nbsp;– page 2 |work=Cotton Times |date=2007-08-12 |url=http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/luddo02.htm |accessdate=23 April 2008}}</ref> In 1818 a protest meeting was held on the moor by [[coal miners]] to publicise their case for better pay, because of the dangers they faced at work.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" />
The [[Stockport]], [[Bolton]] and [[Rochdale]] Volunteers were reviewed on Kersal Moor on 25 August 1797<ref name="Annals">{{cite book|title=The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885|url=https://archive.org/details/annalsmancheste01axongoog|editor=William A.E. Axon|year=1885|page=[https://archive.org/details/annalsmancheste01axongoog/page/n148 124]}}</ref> and in June 1812, 30,000 troops from the [[Wiltshire Regiment|Wiltshire]], [[Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry|Buckinghamshire]], [[Royal Ulster Rifles|Louth]] and [[Gordon Highlanders|Stirling regiments]] were camped there ready for action to suppress the [[Luddites]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885|editor=William E.A. Axon|publisher=John Heywood, Deansgate and Ridgefield|location=Manchester|year=1886|page=143|url=https://archive.org/stream/annalsofmanchest00axon/annalsofmanchest00axon_djvu.txt|access-date=16 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Peacock |first=Douglas |title=Luddites: War against the machines&nbsp;– page 2 |work=Cotton Times |date=2007-08-12 |url=http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/luddo02.htm |access-date=23 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725065634/http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/luddo02.htm |archive-date=25 July 2008 }}</ref> In 1818 a protest meeting was held on the moor by [[coal miner]]s to publicise their case for better pay, because of the dangers they faced at work.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" />


A duel was fought on the moor in July 1804 between Mr. Jones and Mr. Shakspere Philips. Mr. Jones fired at Mr. Philips without effect and Mr. Philips then fired his pistol in the air, upon which the seconds interfered, the two man shook hands, and honour was satisfied. Two weeks later, two other men who had been quarrelling in the newspapers met on the moor to gain satisfaction. However, the magistrates had been informed and the men were arrested before the duel could take place.<ref name="Axon"/>
A duel was fought on the moor in July 1804 between Mr. Jones and Mr. Shakspere Philips. Mr. Jones fired at Mr. Philips without effect and Mr. Philips then fired his pistol in the air, upon which the seconds interfered, the two man shook hands and honour was satisfied. Two weeks later, two other men who had been quarrelling in the newspapers met on the moor to gain satisfaction. However, the magistrates had been informed and the men were arrested before the duel could take place.<ref name="Axon"/>


On 12 April 1831 the [[King's Royal Rifle Corps|60th Rifle Corps]] had carried out an [[Military exercise|exercise]] on the Moor under the command of Lieutenant P.S. Fitzgerald, and a detachment of 74 men were returning to their barracks in Salford by way of [[Broughton, Greater Manchester|Lower Broughton]] and [[Pendleton, Greater Manchester|Pendleton]]. As the men were crossing the [[Broughton Suspension Bridge]], built four years earlier by Fitzgeralds's father, they felt it begin to vibrate in time with their footsteps, and before they had reached the other side the bridge collapsed. Although no one was killed twenty men were injured, six of them seriously.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fall of the Broughton suspension bridge, near Manchester|last=Anon|date=16 April 1831|work=The Manchester Guardian|publisher=The Manchester Guardian|accessdate=2009-05-31}}</ref> It was this incident that caused the British Military to issue the order for soldiers to "break step" when crossing a bridge.<ref>{{cite book|last=Braun|first=Martin|title=Differential Equations and Their Applications: An Introduction to Applied Mathematics|year=1993|edition=4|page=175|url=http://books.google.com/?id=USWV3PP3b08C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Differential+Equations+and+Their+Applications:+An+Introduction+to+Applied+Mathematics#PPA175,M1|isbn=0-387-97894-1|accessdate=30 May 2009|publisher=Springer-Verlag|location=New York}}</ref>
On 12 April 1831 the [[King's Royal Rifle Corps|60th Rifle Corps]] had carried out an [[Military exercise|exercise]] on the moor under the command of Lieutenant P.S. Fitzgerald, and a detachment of 74 men were returning to their barracks in Salford by way of [[Broughton, Greater Manchester|Lower Broughton]] and [[Pendleton, Greater Manchester|Pendleton]]. As the men were crossing the [[Broughton Suspension Bridge]], built four years earlier by Fitzgeralds's father, they felt it begin to vibrate in time with their footsteps, and before they had reached the other side the bridge collapsed. Although no one was killed twenty men were injured, six of them seriously.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fall of the Broughton Suspension Bridge, near Manchester|last=Anon|date=16 April 1831|work=The Manchester Guardian|publisher=The Manchester Guardian}}</ref> It was this incident that caused the British Military to issue the order for soldiers to "break step" when crossing a bridge.<ref>{{cite book|last=Braun|first=Martin|title=Differential Equations and Their Applications: An Introduction to Applied Mathematics|year=1993|edition=4|page=175|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USWV3PP3b08C&q=Differential+Equations+and+Their+Applications:+An+Introduction+to+Applied+Mathematics|isbn=0-387-97894-1|access-date=30 May 2009|publisher=Springer-Verlag|location=New York}}</ref>

In 1848, the moor was used as an encampment for the [[East Norfolk Regiment]] as part of an increased military presence in [[Lancashire]] brought about by the unrest caused by Chartist agitation.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" />


The largest of a series of [[Chartism|Chartist]] meetings was held on the moor on 24 September 1838. The meeting, which was planned as a show of strength and to elect delegates for the Chartist national convention, attracted speakers from all over the country and a massive crowd, which was estimated at 30,000 by the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]'' and 300,000 by the ''Morning Advertiser''.
The largest of a series of [[Chartism|Chartist]] meetings was held on the moor on 24 September 1838. The meeting, which was planned as a show of strength and to elect delegates for the Chartist national convention, attracted speakers from all over the country and a massive crowd, which was estimated at 30,000 by the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]'' and 300,000 by the ''Morning Advertiser''.
Line 81: Line 83:
Monday night, half-past six o'clock.
Monday night, half-past six o'clock.


The morning was a lowering one but, notwithstanding this, crowds of persons began to assemble in the streets shortly after daybreak and many processions from the country had arrived by nine o’clock. The various trades of Manchester assembled in Smithfield, and previous to their marching to Kersal Moor, presented a formidable appearance in respect to numbers. The Moor is nearly four miles distant from Manchester, and the ground fixed for the meeting is that upon which the Manchester Races take place. The hustings were erected near the Stand-House and in such a position that they were surrounded by an amphitheatre of at least fifteen acres, every person on any portion of the ground being enabled to see all that passed. All along the roads to Manchester the footpaths were thronged to excess, and in the area before the old Collegiate Church, which overlooked the procession, there were many thousands of females assembled. By twelve o’clock one half of the ground was occupied, and the immense multitude even at that time presented a truly awful appearance. Before one o’clock however the ground was completely occupied and the meeting then was certainly the largest that has ever taken place in the British Empire. – not less than 300,000 people could have been present. As the various speakers arrived upon the hustings they were loudly cheered... - <small> ''Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (Dublin, Ireland)''</small> <ref>{{cite news|last=Anon|date=28 September 1838|work=Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser |accessdate=18 February 2010|location=Dublin}}</ref>}}
The morning was a lowering one but, notwithstanding this, crowds of persons began to assemble in the streets shortly after daybreak and many processions from the country had arrived by nine o'clock. The various trades of Manchester assembled in Smithfield, and previous to their marching to Kersal Moor, presented a formidable appearance in respect to numbers. The moor is nearly four miles distant from Manchester, and the ground fixed for the meeting is that upon which the Manchester Races take place. The hustings were erected near the Stand-House and in such a position that they were surrounded by an amphitheatre of at least fifteen acres, every person on any portion of the ground being enabled to see all that passed. All along the roads to Manchester the footpaths were thronged to excess, and in the area before the old Collegiate Church, which overlooked the procession, there were many thousands of females assembled. By twelve o'clock one half of the ground was occupied, and the immense multitude even at that time presented a truly awful appearance. Before one o'clock however the ground was completely occupied and the meeting then was certainly the largest that has ever taken place in the British Empire. – not less than 300,000 people could have been present. As the various speakers arrived upon the hustings they were loudly cheered&nbsp;... <small> ''Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (Dublin, Ireland)''</small> <ref>{{cite news|last=Anon|date=28 September 1838|title=Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser|location=Dublin}}</ref>}}
The Chartists were active for the next eight months but the poor attendance at a second meeting, held on the moor at the same time as a racing fixture on 25 May 1839, signalled the end of the movement. Although the movement was not successful initially, most of the Chartists' demands were eventually met by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bloy |first=Marjorie |title=A Web of English History: Manchester Chartism |url=http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/chartism/manchar.htm |accessdate=6 April 2008}}</ref>
The Chartists were active for the next eight months but the poor attendance at a second meeting, held on the moor at the same time as a racing fixture on 25 May 1839, signalled the end of the movement. Although the movement was not successful initially, most of the Chartists' demands were eventually met by [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bloy |first=Marjorie |title=A Web of English History: Manchester Chartism |url=http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/chartism/manchar.htm |access-date=6 April 2008}}</ref>

In 1848, the moor was used as an encampment for the [[East Norfolk Regiment]] as part of an increased military presence in [[Lancashire]] brought about by the unrest caused by Chartist agitation.<ref name="Broughton & Cheetham" />


===Other pursuits===
===Other pursuits===
[[File:Euclemensia woodiella.jpg|thumb|right|An engraving of the Manchester Tinea ''Euclemensia woodiella'' by [[John Curtis (entomologist)|John Curtis]] in [[British Entomology]] (1830)]]
[[File:Euclemensia woodiella.jpg|thumb|right|An engraving of the Manchester Tinea ''Euclemensia woodiella'' by [[John Curtis (entomologist)|John Curtis]] in [[British Entomology]] (1830)]]
As a relatively rural environment in an increasingly urbanised area, Kersal Moor was also used for more peaceful pursuits. During the 18th and 19th century it was much frequented by amateur naturalists and botanists. One of the botanists was Richard Buxton who went on to write ''A Botanical Guide to Manchester''.<ref name="Axon"/> In 1829 an amateur [[insect collector]] named Robert Cribb collected a series of about fifty small yellow and brown [[moth]]s from a rotting [[alder]] on the moor. These turned out to be a previously unknown species of moth, but they were mistakenly attributed to a friend of Cribb's, the collector R. Wood, who had asked an expert to identify them. The moths were classified as ''Pancalia woodiella'' (today ''[[Euclemensia woodiella]]'') in Wood's honour.
As a relatively rural environment in an increasingly urbanised area, Kersal Moor was also used for more peaceful pursuits. During the 18th and 19th centuries it was much frequented by amateur naturalists and botanists. One of the botanists was Richard Buxton who went on to write ''A Botanical Guide to Manchester''.<ref name="Axon"/> In 1829 an amateur [[insect collector]] named Robert Cribb collected a series of about fifty small yellow and brown [[moth]]s from a rotting [[alder]] on the moor. These turned out to be a previously unknown species of moth, but they were mistakenly attributed to a friend of Cribb's, the collector R. Wood, who had asked an expert to identify them. The moths were classified as ''Pancalia woodiella'' (today ''[[Euclemensia woodiella]]'') in Wood's honour.
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
The only specimen I have seen of this beautiful Moth, which is larger than the others, is a female; it was taken on Kersall-moor the middle of last June by Mr. R. Wood, of Manchester, to whom I have the pleasure of dedicating it;—a most zealous and successful naturalist, to whose liberality I am indebted for many valuable insects. - <small>[[John Curtis (entomologist)|John Curtis]] writing in [[British Entomology]] 1830</small> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3042.gif|title=Panacalia Woodiella: The Manchester Tinea|last=Curtis|first=John|year=1830|work=British Entomology|accessdate=2009-09-20}} see also http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3041.gif</ref>
The only specimen I have seen of this beautiful Moth, which is larger than the others, is a female; it was taken on Kersall-moor the middle of last June by Mr. R. Wood, of Manchester, to whom I have the pleasure of dedicating it;—a most zealous and successful naturalist, to whose liberality I am indebted for many valuable insects. <small>[[John Curtis (entomologist)|John Curtis]] writing in [[British Entomology]] 1830</small> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3042.gif|title=Panacalia Woodiella: The Manchester Tinea|last=Curtis|first=John|year=1830|work=British Entomology|access-date=2009-09-20|archive-date=6 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606070741/http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3042.gif|url-status=dead}} see also http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3041.gif {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606070814/http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3041.gif |date=6 June 2011 }}</ref>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
Enraged by this, and by accusations of fraudulently passing off foreign moths as British, Cribb gave up collecting and left the rest of the specimens with his landlady as security for a debt. Here the stories from Manchester University<ref>{{cite journal |title=Museum home to "Manchester Moth" |journal=UniLife |volume=3 |issue=10 |pages=4 |publisher=The University of Manchester |location=Manchester |date=2006-07-03 |url=http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/unilife/volume3-issue10.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=28 February 2008}}</ref> and The Australian Museum, Victoria<ref>{{cite web |title=The John Curtis British Insects Collection |url=http://museumvictoria.com.au/history/insects2.html |accessdate=24 January 2008}}</ref> differ as to whether it was Cribb's pub landlady or the landlady of his lodgings, but either way the result was the same. The debt was not paid on time and when Cribb went back for the moths, which he had already sold to another collector, his landlady had burnt them. Subsequent efforts by other collectors to find more of the moths were unsuccessful, and the three specimens left in existence are thought to be the only representatives of an [[extinct]] species.
Enraged by this, and by accusations of fraudulently passing off foreign moths as British, Cribb gave up collecting and left the rest of the specimens with his landlady as security for a debt. Here the stories from Manchester University<ref>{{cite journal |title=Museum home to "Manchester Moth" |journal=UniLife |volume=3 |issue=10 |pages=4 |publisher=The University of Manchester |location=Manchester |date=2006-07-03 |url=http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/unilife/volume3-issue10.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20070418050001/http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/unilife/volume3-issue10.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2007 |access-date=28 February 2008 }}</ref> and The Australian Museum, Victoria<ref>{{cite web |title=The John Curtis British Insects Collection |url=http://museumsvictoria.com.au/history/insects2.html |access-date=24 January 2008}}</ref> differ as to whether it was Cribb's pub landlady or the landlady of his lodgings, but either way the result was the same. The debt was not paid on time and when Cribb went back for the moths, which he had already sold to another collector, his landlady had burnt them. Subsequent efforts by other collectors to find more of the moths were unsuccessful, and the three specimens left in existence are thought to be the only representatives of an [[extinct]] species.


Towards the end of the 19th century a Mr. Cosmo Melvill contributed an article to the ''Journal of Botany'' in which he gave a list of more than 240 plants and flowers, not including mosses, that he had found on the moor.<ref name="Axon"/>
Towards the end of the 19th century, a Mr. Cosmo Melvill contributed an article to the ''Journal of Botany'' in which he gave a list of more than 240 plants and flowers, not including mosses, that he had found on the moor.<ref name="Axon"/>
[[Image:Manchester from Kersal Moor William Wylde (1857).jpg|thumb|right|''A view of Manchester from Kersal Moor'', by William Wyld in 1852.]]
[[Image:Manchester from Kersal Moor William Wylde (1857).jpg|thumb|right|''A view of Manchester from Kersal Moor'', by William Wyld in 1852.]]


Shortly after 6pm on 10 September 1848 the "celebrated aeronaut" [[George Gale (aeronaut)|George Gale]] ascended in a hot air balloon from Pomona Gardens in [[Hulme]]. After discharging a number of fireworks from a height of over 1000 feet, Lieutenant Gale drifted in various directions and made abortive attempts to land in a number of locations. Eventually, at about 10pm, the balloon descended safely in the farm yard of Mr Josiah Taylor on Kersal Moor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/bncn/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528tx%252CNone%252C11%2529Kersal%2BMoor%2524&contentSet=LTO&sort=DateAscend&tabID=T012&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=BNCN&retrieveFormat=MULTIPAGE_DOCUMENT&searchId=R1&currentPosition=608&userGroupName=salcal2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28tx%2CNone%2C11%29Kersal+Moor%24&inPS=true&searchType=BasicSearchForm&displaySubject=&&docId=&docLevel=FASCIMILE&workId=&relevancePageBatch=BC3206373819&contentSet=BNCN&callistoContentSet=BNCN&docPage=article&hilite=y|title=Lieut Gale's Balloon Ascent (subscription required)|last=Anon|date=12 September 1849|work=[[Manchester Times]] |accessdate=23 March 2010|location=Manchester, England}}</ref>
Shortly after 6:00 pm on 10 September 1848, the "celebrated aeronaut" [[George Gale (aeronaut)|George Gale]] ascended in a hot air balloon from Pomona Gardens in [[Hulme]]. After discharging a number of fireworks from a height of over 1,000 feet, Lieutenant Gale drifted in various directions and made abortive attempts to land in a number of locations. Eventually, at about 10:00 pm, the balloon descended safely in the farmyard of Mr Josiah Taylor on Kersal Moor.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://find.galegroup.com/bncn/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528tx%252CNone%252C11%2529Kersal%2BMoor%2524&contentSet=LTO&sort=DateAscend&tabID=T012&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=BNCN&retrieveFormat=MULTIPAGE_DOCUMENT&searchId=R1&currentPosition=608&userGroupName=salcal2&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28tx%2CNone%2C11%29Kersal+Moor%24&inPS=true&searchType=BasicSearchForm&displaySubject=&&docId=&docLevel=FASCIMILE&workId=&relevancePageBatch=BC3206373819&contentSet=BNCN&callistoContentSet=BNCN&docPage=article&hilite=y|title=Lieut Gale's Balloon Ascent (subscription required)|last=Anon|date=12 September 1849|work=[[Manchester Times]] |access-date=23 March 2010|location=Manchester, England}}</ref>


In 1852, [[Queen Victoria]] commissioned a painting by the artist [[William Wyld]] which became ''A view of Manchester from Kersal Moor'' (pictured). The painting, which depicts the moor as a beautiful pastoral scene overlooking Castle Irwell racecourse and the industrial landscape of Manchester, is now in the [[Royal Collection]] where it is listed as ''Manchester from Higher Broughton''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Royal Collection: Royal Palaces, Residences and Art Collection |url=http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/object.asp?maker=WYLDWILLIAM&object=920223&row=1 |accessdate=6 April 2008}}</ref> A steel line engraving of the painting by the engraver Edward Goodall was also commissioned.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edward Goodall 1795-1870 |url=http://www.goodallartists.ca/images/manchester-from-kersal-moor-wyld-.jpg |format=JPG |accessdate=6 April 2008}}</ref>
In 1852, [[Queen Victoria]] commissioned a painting by the artist [[William Wyld]] which became ''A view of Manchester from Kersal Moor'' (pictured). The painting, which depicts the moor as a beautiful pastoral scene overlooking [[Manchester Racecourse|Castle Irwell racecourse]] and the industrial landscape of Manchester, is now in the [[Royal Collection]], where it is listed as ''Manchester from Higher Broughton''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Royal Collection: Royal Palaces, Residences and Art Collection |url=http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/object.asp?maker=WYLDWILLIAM&object=920223&row=1 |access-date=6 April 2008}}</ref> A steel line engraving of the painting by the engraver Edward Goodall was also commissioned.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edward Goodall 1795–1870 |url=http://www.goodallartists.ca/images/manchester-from-kersal-moor-wyld-.jpg |format=JPG |access-date=6 April 2008}}</ref>


==Literary references==
==Literary references==
Line 106: Line 106:
The English radical and writer [[Samuel Bamford]] mentions Kersal Moor in his book ''Passages in the Life of a Radical (1840–1844)'' when he advises one of his friends to make his way from [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]] to [[Bolton]] via Kersal Moor to avoid the authorities:
The English radical and writer [[Samuel Bamford]] mentions Kersal Moor in his book ''Passages in the Life of a Radical (1840–1844)'' when he advises one of his friends to make his way from [[Middleton, Greater Manchester|Middleton]] to [[Bolton]] via Kersal Moor to avoid the authorities:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
Healey I advised to go to his brother at Bolton, and get some money, and keep out of sight entirely, until something further was known. His best way would be to avoid Manchester, and go over Kersal moor and Agecroft bridge; and as I had a relation in that quarter who wished to see me, I would keep him company as far as Agecroft.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bamford |first=Samuel |authorlink=Samuel Bamford |title=Passages in the life of a radical|chapter=XII|publisher=T. Fisher Unwin |year=1841 |location=London |url=http://domain1041943.sites.fasthosts.com/bamford/c_radical_(8).htm#XII}}</ref>
Healey I advised to go to his brother at Bolton, and get some money, and keep out of sight entirely, until something further was known. His best way would be to avoid Manchester, and go over Kersal moor and Agecroft bridge; and as I had a relation in that quarter who wished to see me, I would keep him company as far as Agecroft.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bamford |first=Samuel |author-link=Samuel Bamford |title=Passages in the life of a radical |chapter=XII |publisher=T. Fisher Unwin |year=1841 |location=London |url=http://domain1041943.sites.fasthosts.com/bamford/c_radical_(8).htm#XII |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211002908/http://domain1041943.sites.fasthosts.com/bamford/c_radical_(8).htm#XII |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-02-11 }}</ref>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


Line 113: Line 113:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
He knew him to be not over-scrupulous. He had seen him at Knott Mill Fair and Dirt Fair (so called from its being held in muddy November), or at Kersal Moor Races, with more money to spend in pop, nuts, and gingerbread, shows and merry-go-rounds, flying boats and flying boxes, [[fighting cocks]] and fighting men, than he could possibly have saved out of the sum his father allowed him for pocket-money, even if he had been of the saving
He knew him to be not over-scrupulous. He had seen him at Knott Mill Fair and Dirt Fair (so called from its being held in muddy November), or at Kersal Moor Races, with more money to spend in pop, nuts, and gingerbread, shows and merry-go-rounds, flying boats and flying boxes, [[fighting cocks]] and fighting men, than he could possibly have saved out of the sum his father allowed him for pocket-money, even if he had been of the saving
kind; and, coupling all these things together, Jabez was far from satisfied.<ref>{{cite book | last =Linnaeus Banks | first =G | authorlink = Isabella Banks | title = The Manchester Man | publisher = EJ Morten | year =1874 | location = Manchester| page = 73| url = http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/banks-manchester.pdf|format=PDF| isbn = 978-0-85972-054-0 }}</ref>
kind; and, coupling all these things together, Jabez was far from satisfied.<ref>{{cite book | last = Linnaeus Banks | first = G | author-link = Isabella Banks | title = The Manchester Man | publisher = EJ Morten | year = 1874 | location = Manchester | page = 73 | url = http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/banks-manchester.pdf | isbn = 978-0-85972-054-0 | access-date = 19 May 2008 | archive-date = 30 September 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210535/http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/banks-manchester.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


Line 131: Line 131:
That met the view Eight hundred years ago,<br />
That met the view Eight hundred years ago,<br />
Where Clunian Monks there with their God did dwell,<br />
Where Clunian Monks there with their God did dwell,<br />
Within the precincts of its holy cell.<ref>{{cite book|last=Connell|first=Philip|title=Poaching on Parnassus|publisher=John Heywood|year=1865|page=29|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/poachingonparnas00conn/poachingonparnas00conn_djvu.txt |accessdate=11 September 2009}}</ref> <br />
Within the precincts of its holy cell.<ref>{{cite book|last=Connell|first=Philip|title=Poaching on Parnassus|publisher=John Heywood|year=1865|page=29|url=https://archive.org/stream/poachingonparnas00conn/poachingonparnas00conn_djvu.txt |access-date=11 September 2009}}</ref> <br />
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


In 1876 the [[Lancashire dialect and accent|Lancashire dialect]] poet and songwriter [[Edwin Waugh]] moved from his Manchester home to Kersal Moor for the "fresher air". Waugh's early life was spent in [[Rochdale]] and although he worked in Manchester he yearned for the moors he remembered from his youth. He wrote the following poem about Kersal Moor
In 1876 the [[Lancashire dialect and accent|Lancashire dialect]] poet and songwriter [[Edwin Waugh]] moved from his Manchester home to Kersal Moor for the "fresher air". Waugh's early life was spent in [[Rochdale]] and although he worked in Manchester he yearned for the moors he remembered from his youth. He wrote the following poem about Kersal Moor


{{quote|
{{blockquote|
Kersal Moor
Kersal Moor


Line 153: Line 153:
And croon at night<br />
And croon at night<br />
In the pale moonlight<br />
In the pale moonlight<br />
While mountain breezes blow.<ref name="Searle">{{cite book|last=Searle|first=Alice|title=A celebration of Kersal Moor|publisher=UNity publishing project|isbn=0-9561691-1-2}}</ref>}}
While mountain breezes blow.<ref name="Searle">{{cite book|last=Searle|first=Alice|title=A celebration of Kersal Moor|year=2009|publisher=UNity publishing project|isbn=978-0-9561691-1-2}}</ref>}}


As his health declined, Waugh moved to the seaside town of [[New Brighton, Merseyside|New Brighton]]. On his death in 1890, his body was brought back to be buried in the graveyard of St. Paul's Church, on the edge of the moorland he loved so well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edwin Waugh |work=Minor Victorian poets and Authors |publisher=gerald-massey.org.uk |url=http://gerald-massey.org.uk/waugh/index.htm |accessdate=30 April 2008}}</ref>
As his health declined, Waugh moved to the seaside town of [[New Brighton, Merseyside|New Brighton]]. On his death in 1890, his body was brought back to be buried in the graveyard of St. Paul's Church, on the edge of the moorland he loved so well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edwin Waugh |work=Minor Victorian poets and Authors |publisher=gerald-massey.org.uk |url=http://gerald-massey.org.uk/waugh/index.htm |access-date=30 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412055618/http://gerald-massey.org.uk/waugh/index.htm |archive-date=12 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


{{quote|...Oh lay me down in moorland ground,<br />
{{blockquote|...Oh lay me down in moorland ground,<br />
And make it my last bed,<br />
And make it my last bed,<br />
With the heathery wilderness around,<br />
With the heathery wilderness around,<br />
Line 164: Line 164:
And green moss o'er me creep;<br />
And green moss o'er me creep;<br />
And the sweet wild mountain breezes sing,<br />
And the sweet wild mountain breezes sing,<br />
Above my slumbers deep. - <small>from The Moorland Breeze, Edwin Waugh (1889)</small><ref>{{cite book|last=waugh|first=Edwin|title=Poems and Songs|publisher=W.E. Clegg|location=Oldham|year=1889|edition=2|page=4|url=http://gerald-massey.org.uk/waugh/b_poems_ii.htm|accessdate=21 September 2009}}</ref>}}
Above my slumbers deep. <small>from The Moorland Breeze, Edwin Waugh (1889)</small><ref>{{cite book|last=waugh|first=Edwin|title=Poems and Songs|publisher=W.E. Clegg|location=Oldham|year=1889|edition=2|page=4|url=http://gerald-massey.org.uk/waugh/b_poems_ii.htm|access-date=21 September 2009}}</ref>}}


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 171: Line 171:
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Commons category|Kersal Moor}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{cite web|url= http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=kersal&ID=1554|title= Kersal Moor|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England}}
*{{cite web|url= http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=kersal&ID=1554|title= Kersal Moor|series= Local Nature Reserves|publisher= Natural England|access-date= 24 July 2013|archive-date= 4 March 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060930/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=0&N=kersal&ID=1554|url-status= dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=REF_CODE%3D%271123042%27 |title=Map of Kersal Moor|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England}}
*{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=REF_CODE%3D%271123042%27 |title=Map of Kersal Moor|series=Local Nature Reserves|publisher=Natural England}}



Latest revision as of 12:22, 6 October 2024

Kersal Moor
Kersal Moor, August 2007
Highest point
Elevation30 ft (9.1 m) to 75 feet (23 m)
Coordinates53°30′55″N 2°16′35″W / 53.51528°N 2.27639°W / 53.51528; -2.27639
Geography
Kersal Moor is located in Greater Manchester
Kersal Moor
Kersal Moor
Location of Kersal Moor in Greater Manchester
LocationKersal, Greater Manchester, England
OS gridSD816021

Kersal Moor is a recreation area in Kersal, Greater Manchester, England which consists of eight hectares of moorland[1] bounded by Moor Lane, Heathlands Road, St. Paul's Churchyard and Singleton Brook.

Kersal Moor, first called Karsey or Carsall Moor,[2] originally covered a much larger area, running down to the River Irwell.[3] Evidence of activity during the Neolithic period has been discovered and the area was used by the Romans. It was the site of the first Manchester Racecourse and the second golf course to be built outside Scotland. It has been extensively used for other sporting pursuits, military manoeuvres and public gatherings such as the Great Chartist Meeting of 1838, prompting the political theorist Friedrich Engels to dub it "the Mons Sacer of Manchester".

With the increasing industrialisation and urbanisation of Manchester and Salford during the 18th and 19th centuries, the moor became one of the remaining areas of natural landscape of interest to amateur naturalists, one of whom collected the only known specimens of the now extinct moth species Euclemensia woodiella. It is now a Site of Biological Importance[4] and in 2007 was designated as a Local Nature Reserve by English Nature.[5]

Geography

[edit]
The sandhills on the north of the moor

Kersal Moor is one of the many fluvioglacial ridges that formed along the Irwell Valley during the melting of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age.[6] Typically for this type of landform, the subsoil is composed of sand mixed with coarse gravel. The 19th century botanist Richard Buxton described this as "Mr. E.W. Binney's drift deposit no.2 ... a deposit of sharp forest sand, parted with layers of gravel composed of Azoic, Palaeozoic and Triassic rocks, well rounded, parted with layers of fine sand, and having every appearance of a regular deposit by water."[nb 1][7] This deposit is overlaid with a thin topsoil supporting a range of mosses, heathers, grasses, ferns,[8] common broom, gorse and some trees, which are predominantly oak with some rowan, cherry and other broadleaved species. The land to the south is elevated, rising to a high point towards the south-west. From this elevated position there are views across Manchester to the Derbyshire hills in the south, to the Pennines in the north east and across the Irwell Valley and Salford in the west. The land falls away to the north, ending with two drumlin-shaped hills on the northern edge, which were probably formed by sediment from the meltwater of the receding glaciers, in a process known as sedimentary fluting. The moor is criss-crossed with footpaths, many of which cut through to the sand and gravel below. Singleton Brook, to the north of the moor, denotes the boundary between Salford and Prestwich.

History

[edit]

Flint scrapers, knives and other materials associated with neolithic humans were discovered on the moor in the late 19th and early 20th century by local antiquarians such as Charles Roeder.[9][10] The Roman road from Manchester (Mamucium) to Ribchester (Bremetennacum) roughly followed the line of the A56 road (Bury New Road)[3][11] which is just to the east of Kersal Moor. There was a Roman camp at Rainsough just to the west,[12] and some have speculated that there may have been a second camp to the east, in the area known as Castle Hill,[13] making a defensive line across the moor to protect the north of Mamucium.[11]

The 18th century historian John Whitaker said of the moor:

"The moor of Kersal was in the time of the Romans, perhaps in that of the Britons before them, and for many ages after both, a thicket of oaks and a pasture for hogs; and the little knolls, that so remarkably diversify the plain, and are annually covered with mingled crowds rising in ranks over ranks to the top, were once the occasional seats of the herdsmen that superintended these droves into the woods."[14]

However, the last of these trees were burnt around 1880.[14]

Sport on the moor

[edit]
Manchester Racecourse on Kersal Moor

The first Manchester racecourse was sited on the moor. The earliest record of horse-racing is contained in the following notice in the London Gazette of 2–5 May 1687:

On Carsall Moore near Manchester in Lancashire on the 18th instant, a 20£. plate will be run for to carry ten stone and ride three heats, four miles each heat. And the next day another plate of 40£. will be run for at the same moore, riding the same heats and carrying the same weight. The horses marks are to be given in four days before to Mr. William Swarbrick at the King's Arms in Manchester.[2]

The racecourse is shown on the map of 1848[3] as a roughly oval-shaped course extending around the west, north and east of the moor, crossing Moor Lane and carrying on around the ground that is now the home of Salford City F.C., roughly following the line of what is now Nevile Road. John Byrom (1692–1763), the owner of Kersal Cell, was greatly opposed to the racing and wrote a pamphlet against it, but the racing continued for fifteen years until, probably through Dr Byrom's influence, they were stopped in 1746, the year of the Jacobite rising. After this there is known to have been at least one race in 1750;[15] regular fixtures recommenced in 1759, and were then held every year until 1846, when they were transferred to the New Barns racecourse.[14] Racing carried on there until the new Castle Irwell Racecourse was built, just across the river from the moor, in Lower Broughton in 1847.[16] Today part of the course can still be seen as a wide, well-worn path stretching from east to west along the northern side of the moor.[17]

Heather and gorse

During the 18th century the moor was also used for nude male races, allowing females to study the form before choosing their mates. Indeed, in 1796 Roger Aytoun, known as "Spanking Roger" (who was later a hero of the siege of Gibraltar) acquired Hough Hall in Moston through marriage to the widowed Barbara Minshull, after such a race.[18]

The moor has also been used for a number of other sporting activities. In the 18th and early 19th century archery was still practised as a village sport, and the archers of Broughton, Cheetham and Prestwich were renowned countrywide. The Broughton archers practised their sport on Kersal Moor and in 1793 the Manchester writer, James Ogden, composed a poem in praise of them, which begins:

The Broughton Archers, and the bowmen good
Of Lancashire, keep up the former name
Their sires acquir'd, for skill in archery ...

and ends with:

... Near Kersal Moor the Broughton archers fix
Their targets pierced with many a well aimed shot.[19]

By 1830, however, archery had become the sport of gentlemen and an exclusive club called the "Broughton Archers" was formed, the membership of which included some of the most influential men in the town. They originally met at a public house nicknamed "Hard Backed Nan's" on the site of Bishopscourt where the Bishop of Manchester now resides, but after Bury New Road was built and the site became too public, they moved to the Turf Tavern on Kersal Moor.[19] In 1818 a golf course was founded on the moor for the Manchester Golf Club, a group of Manchester businessmen, some of whom had emigrated from Scotland.[19] This was only the second course to be built outside Scotland.[20] The course at that time consisted of only five holes and had no fairways or greens as the players had to share the ground with other users. The club was very exclusive and by 1825 a club house had been built on Singleton Road. By 1869 the course had increased to nine holes and the club continued playing on the moor until 1862[19] when a new course was built a few hundred yards away at Kersal Vale.[21]

The archery ground became Kersal Cricket Ground in 1847 and in 1881 the Northern Tennis Tournament was staged there. In 1919 the ground became the home of Manchester's oldest rugby club, Manchester Football Club. When Manchester F.C. moved in 1968 they were replaced briefly by Langworthy Juniors and then Salford City F.C., who still lease the ground today.[22]

Public gatherings and military use

[edit]

As one of the largest open spaces close to Manchester, the moor has a history of use for army manoeuvres and large public gatherings. In his book The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, Friedrich Engels referred to it as the Mons Sacer of Manchester.[23][24] This was a reference to the hill to which the plebs (common citizens) of Rome withdrew en masse in 494 BC as an act of civil protest.[25]

In 1789 and 1790 there had been a spate of highway and house robberies. Gangs of armed men had entered houses in the middle of the night and taken away all they could carry. Armed patrols were placed around the neighbourhood to little effect until, at last, a man named James Macnamara was arrested with three others for burglary at the Dog and Partridge Inn on Stretford Road. Macnamara was tried at Lancaster Assizes and sentenced to be hanged on Kersal Moor as a warning to other criminals. A large number of people came to watch the execution but, as Joseph Aston said in his Metrical Records of Manchester "no one could suppose that the example had any use ... as several persons had their pockets picked within sight of the gallows and the following night a house was broken into and robbed in Manchester".[14]

The Stockport, Bolton and Rochdale Volunteers were reviewed on Kersal Moor on 25 August 1797[26] and in June 1812, 30,000 troops from the Wiltshire, Buckinghamshire, Louth and Stirling regiments were camped there ready for action to suppress the Luddites.[27][28] In 1818 a protest meeting was held on the moor by coal miners to publicise their case for better pay, because of the dangers they faced at work.[19]

A duel was fought on the moor in July 1804 between Mr. Jones and Mr. Shakspere Philips. Mr. Jones fired at Mr. Philips without effect and Mr. Philips then fired his pistol in the air, upon which the seconds interfered, the two man shook hands and honour was satisfied. Two weeks later, two other men who had been quarrelling in the newspapers met on the moor to gain satisfaction. However, the magistrates had been informed and the men were arrested before the duel could take place.[14]

On 12 April 1831 the 60th Rifle Corps had carried out an exercise on the moor under the command of Lieutenant P.S. Fitzgerald, and a detachment of 74 men were returning to their barracks in Salford by way of Lower Broughton and Pendleton. As the men were crossing the Broughton Suspension Bridge, built four years earlier by Fitzgeralds's father, they felt it begin to vibrate in time with their footsteps, and before they had reached the other side the bridge collapsed. Although no one was killed twenty men were injured, six of them seriously.[29] It was this incident that caused the British Military to issue the order for soldiers to "break step" when crossing a bridge.[30]

In 1848, the moor was used as an encampment for the East Norfolk Regiment as part of an increased military presence in Lancashire brought about by the unrest caused by Chartist agitation.[19]

The largest of a series of Chartist meetings was held on the moor on 24 September 1838. The meeting, which was planned as a show of strength and to elect delegates for the Chartist national convention, attracted speakers from all over the country and a massive crowd, which was estimated at 30,000 by the Manchester Guardian and 300,000 by the Morning Advertiser.

THE GREAT MEETING OF THE RADICALS OF LANCASHIRE (abridged from the Morning Advertiser)

Monday night, half-past six o'clock.

The morning was a lowering one but, notwithstanding this, crowds of persons began to assemble in the streets shortly after daybreak and many processions from the country had arrived by nine o'clock. The various trades of Manchester assembled in Smithfield, and previous to their marching to Kersal Moor, presented a formidable appearance in respect to numbers. The moor is nearly four miles distant from Manchester, and the ground fixed for the meeting is that upon which the Manchester Races take place. The hustings were erected near the Stand-House and in such a position that they were surrounded by an amphitheatre of at least fifteen acres, every person on any portion of the ground being enabled to see all that passed. All along the roads to Manchester the footpaths were thronged to excess, and in the area before the old Collegiate Church, which overlooked the procession, there were many thousands of females assembled. By twelve o'clock one half of the ground was occupied, and the immense multitude even at that time presented a truly awful appearance. Before one o'clock however the ground was completely occupied and the meeting then was certainly the largest that has ever taken place in the British Empire. – not less than 300,000 people could have been present. As the various speakers arrived upon the hustings they were loudly cheered ... – Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (Dublin, Ireland) [31]

The Chartists were active for the next eight months but the poor attendance at a second meeting, held on the moor at the same time as a racing fixture on 25 May 1839, signalled the end of the movement. Although the movement was not successful initially, most of the Chartists' demands were eventually met by Parliament.[32]

Other pursuits

[edit]
An engraving of the Manchester Tinea Euclemensia woodiella by John Curtis in British Entomology (1830)

As a relatively rural environment in an increasingly urbanised area, Kersal Moor was also used for more peaceful pursuits. During the 18th and 19th centuries it was much frequented by amateur naturalists and botanists. One of the botanists was Richard Buxton who went on to write A Botanical Guide to Manchester.[14] In 1829 an amateur insect collector named Robert Cribb collected a series of about fifty small yellow and brown moths from a rotting alder on the moor. These turned out to be a previously unknown species of moth, but they were mistakenly attributed to a friend of Cribb's, the collector R. Wood, who had asked an expert to identify them. The moths were classified as Pancalia woodiella (today Euclemensia woodiella) in Wood's honour.

The only specimen I have seen of this beautiful Moth, which is larger than the others, is a female; it was taken on Kersall-moor the middle of last June by Mr. R. Wood, of Manchester, to whom I have the pleasure of dedicating it;—a most zealous and successful naturalist, to whose liberality I am indebted for many valuable insects. – John Curtis writing in British Entomology 1830 [33]

Enraged by this, and by accusations of fraudulently passing off foreign moths as British, Cribb gave up collecting and left the rest of the specimens with his landlady as security for a debt. Here the stories from Manchester University[34] and The Australian Museum, Victoria[35] differ as to whether it was Cribb's pub landlady or the landlady of his lodgings, but either way the result was the same. The debt was not paid on time and when Cribb went back for the moths, which he had already sold to another collector, his landlady had burnt them. Subsequent efforts by other collectors to find more of the moths were unsuccessful, and the three specimens left in existence are thought to be the only representatives of an extinct species.

Towards the end of the 19th century, a Mr. Cosmo Melvill contributed an article to the Journal of Botany in which he gave a list of more than 240 plants and flowers, not including mosses, that he had found on the moor.[14]

A view of Manchester from Kersal Moor, by William Wyld in 1852.

Shortly after 6:00 pm on 10 September 1848, the "celebrated aeronaut" George Gale ascended in a hot air balloon from Pomona Gardens in Hulme. After discharging a number of fireworks from a height of over 1,000 feet, Lieutenant Gale drifted in various directions and made abortive attempts to land in a number of locations. Eventually, at about 10:00 pm, the balloon descended safely in the farmyard of Mr Josiah Taylor on Kersal Moor.[36]

In 1852, Queen Victoria commissioned a painting by the artist William Wyld which became A view of Manchester from Kersal Moor (pictured). The painting, which depicts the moor as a beautiful pastoral scene overlooking Castle Irwell racecourse and the industrial landscape of Manchester, is now in the Royal Collection, where it is listed as Manchester from Higher Broughton.[37] A steel line engraving of the painting by the engraver Edward Goodall was also commissioned.[38]

Literary references

[edit]

The English radical and writer Samuel Bamford mentions Kersal Moor in his book Passages in the Life of a Radical (1840–1844) when he advises one of his friends to make his way from Middleton to Bolton via Kersal Moor to avoid the authorities:

Healey I advised to go to his brother at Bolton, and get some money, and keep out of sight entirely, until something further was known. His best way would be to avoid Manchester, and go over Kersal moor and Agecroft bridge; and as I had a relation in that quarter who wished to see me, I would keep him company as far as Agecroft.[39]

The races on the moor were mentioned in the 19th-century novel The Manchester Man by Mrs. G Linnaeus Banks (1874). The hero of the story, Jabez Clegg, meets a street boy named Kit Townley, of whom Mrs. Banks says:

He knew him to be not over-scrupulous. He had seen him at Knott Mill Fair and Dirt Fair (so called from its being held in muddy November), or at Kersal Moor Races, with more money to spend in pop, nuts, and gingerbread, shows and merry-go-rounds, flying boats and flying boxes, fighting cocks and fighting men, than he could possibly have saved out of the sum his father allowed him for pocket-money, even if he had been of the saving kind; and, coupling all these things together, Jabez was far from satisfied.[40]

It is also mentioned in a collection of poems by Philip Connell called "Poaching on Parnassus" published in 1865.

Lines to Mr. Isaac Holden by Philip Connell on his Drawing of the Prestwich Lunatic Asylum:

And Southward at due distance the huge hive,
Of busy Manchester is all alive,
Its towering chimnies, domes and steeples rise,
In strange confusion thro' the hazy skies;
There Broughton glimmers in the evening sun;
Here Cheetham Hill o'ertops the vapours dun;
There Kersal Moor the same bleak front doth shew,
That met the view Eight hundred years ago,
Where Clunian Monks there with their God did dwell,
Within the precincts of its holy cell.[41]

In 1876 the Lancashire dialect poet and songwriter Edwin Waugh moved from his Manchester home to Kersal Moor for the "fresher air". Waugh's early life was spent in Rochdale and although he worked in Manchester he yearned for the moors he remembered from his youth. He wrote the following poem about Kersal Moor

Kersal Moor

Sweet falls the blackbird's evening song,
in Kersal's poised dell;
But the skylarks trill makes the dewdrops thrill,
In the bonny heather;
Wild and free
Wild and free
Where the moorland breezes blow.

Oft have I roved you craggy steeps,
Where the tinkling moorland rills,
Sing all day long their low sweet song,
To the lonely listening hills;
And croon at night
In the pale moonlight

While mountain breezes blow.[42]

As his health declined, Waugh moved to the seaside town of New Brighton. On his death in 1890, his body was brought back to be buried in the graveyard of St. Paul's Church, on the edge of the moorland he loved so well.[43]

...Oh lay me down in moorland ground,

And make it my last bed,
With the heathery wilderness around,
And the bonny lark o'erhead:
Let fern and ling around me cling,
And green moss o'er me creep;
And the sweet wild mountain breezes sing,

Above my slumbers deep. – from The Moorland Breeze, Edwin Waugh (1889)[44]

Notes

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  1. ^ Edward William Binney FRS FGS was a founder member of the Manchester Geological Society see:Swindells, Thomas (August 2008). "E.W. Binney FRS. FGS.". Manchester Streets and Manchester Men. Bastian Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-554-72373-0. Retrieved 11 September 2009.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Anon (September 2004). "Kersal Moor — proposed LNR". Natural England — Special sites. Natural England. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  2. ^ a b Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (editors) (1911). 'Townships: Broughton', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4, pp. 217–222. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41408. Date accessed: 20 February 2008
  3. ^ a b c 1848 - LANCASHIRE AND FURNESS 1:10,560. old-maps.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  4. ^ "Sites of Biological importance". Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Salford City Council Supplementary planning Document: Nature Conservation and Biodiversity: Adopted 19 July 2006" (PDF). Salford City Council. 19 July 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2007.
  6. ^ Hindle, P.(1998) (21 August 2003). "Exploring Greater Manchester — a fieldwork guide: The fluvioglacial gravel ridges of Salford and flooding on the River Irwell" (PDF). Manchester Geographical Society. Retrieved 11 December 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Buxton, Richard (1849). "2". A botanical guide to the flowering plants, ferns, mosses, and algæ, found indigenous within sixteen miles of Manchester: with some information as to their agricultural, medicinal and other uses. Manchester: Longman and Co. pp. xviii.
  8. ^ Anon (2006). "Local Nature Reserves". Special sites. Natural England. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
  9. ^ Wright, John (2004). "Roeder, Charles (1848–1911)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  10. ^ Connor, Mary T. (2003). "1". The First place: A history of Kersal. Connor. p. 3. ISBN 0-9546564-0-7.
  11. ^ a b Anon (2005). "MAMVCIVM Minor Romano-British Settlement Manchester, Greater Manchester". Roman Britain. roman-britain.org. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  12. ^ "Archaeological sites and monuments". Metropolitan Borough of Bury. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  13. ^ Higson, John. "PRESTWICH, Lancashire (Gtr Manchester), ENGLAND:History". Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Armitage, Janet (1971) [first published 1892]. "Kersal Moor". In Ernest Axon (ed.). Bygone Lancashire. County History Reprints. SR Publishers Ltd. pp. 31–50. ISBN 0-85409-721-X.
  15. ^ Proctor, Richard Wright (1866). Manchester in holiday dress. Manchester: Abel Heywood and Son. p. 153. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  16. ^ "Kersal Dale Video". Salford City Council. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  17. ^ Inglis, Simon (2004). Played in Manchester: The Architectural Heritage of a City at Play. English Heritage. p. 38. ISBN 1-873592-78-7.
  18. ^ History of Kersal 2007-10-27
  19. ^ a b c d e f Dobkin, Monty (1999). Broughton and Cheetham Hill in Regency and Victorian Times. Radcliffe: Neil Richardson. p. 63. ISBN 1-85216-131-0.
  20. ^ "A Brief History of Golf: Early golf organisations". Tradition. Athens Golf Club. 12 August 2007. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  21. ^ Anon. "Kersal Vale Video". Salford City Council – The Cliff/ Kersal Vale. Salford City Council. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  22. ^ Inglis, Simon (2004). Played in Manchester. English Heritage. p. 37. ISBN 1-873592-78-7.
  23. ^ Engels, Friedrich (1958). "56". The Condition of the Working Class in England. Translated by Henderson, William Otto; Chaloner, W.H. (Illustrated ed.). Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-0633-9. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  24. ^ Jordan, Tim; Pile, Steve (2003). "Readings 1.1 Friedrich Engels "The great towns" 1845". Social Change (Illustrated ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-631-23312-1. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  25. ^ Ovid (2000). Fasti. Penguin Classics. Translated by Boyle, Anthony James; Woodard, Roger D. (Illustrated ed.). Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-044690-6.
  26. ^ William A.E. Axon, ed. (1885). The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885. p. 124.
  27. ^ William E.A. Axon, ed. (1886). The annals of Manchester: a chronological record from the earliest times to the end of 1885. Manchester: John Heywood, Deansgate and Ridgefield. p. 143. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  28. ^ Peacock, Douglas (12 August 2007). "Luddites: War against the machines – page 2". Cotton Times. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  29. ^ Anon (16 April 1831). "Fall of the Broughton Suspension Bridge, near Manchester". The Manchester Guardian. The Manchester Guardian.
  30. ^ Braun, Martin (1993). Differential Equations and Their Applications: An Introduction to Applied Mathematics (4 ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 175. ISBN 0-387-97894-1. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  31. ^ Anon (28 September 1838). "Freeman's Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser". Dublin.
  32. ^ Bloy, Marjorie. "A Web of English History: Manchester Chartism". Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  33. ^ Curtis, John (1830). "Panacalia Woodiella: The Manchester Tinea". British Entomology. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2009. see also http://delta-intkey.com/britin/images/text3041.gif Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ "Museum home to "Manchester Moth"" (PDF). UniLife. 3 (10). Manchester: The University of Manchester: 4. 3 July 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  35. ^ "The John Curtis British Insects Collection". Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  36. ^ Anon (12 September 1849). "Lieut Gale's Balloon Ascent (subscription required)". Manchester Times. Manchester, England. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  37. ^ "The Royal Collection: Royal Palaces, Residences and Art Collection". Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  38. ^ "Edward Goodall 1795–1870" (JPG). Retrieved 6 April 2008.
  39. ^ Bamford, Samuel (1841). "XII". Passages in the life of a radical. London: T. Fisher Unwin. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009.
  40. ^ Linnaeus Banks, G (1874). The Manchester Man (PDF). Manchester: EJ Morten. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-85972-054-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  41. ^ Connell, Philip (1865). Poaching on Parnassus. John Heywood. p. 29. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  42. ^ Searle, Alice (2009). A celebration of Kersal Moor. UNity publishing project. ISBN 978-0-9561691-1-2.
  43. ^ "Edwin Waugh". Minor Victorian poets and Authors. gerald-massey.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  44. ^ waugh, Edwin (1889). Poems and Songs (2 ed.). Oldham: W.E. Clegg. p. 4. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
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Panorama of Kersal Moor in August 2007, taken from the southwest. The distinctive double spire of St Paul's Church can be seen to the right.