Misplaced Pages

#837162

59-410: The rushcart ceremony (derived from Rogationtide ) is an English tradition where parishioners process around their parish once a year, bearing rushes . They would end up at the parish church and place the rushes on the floor of the church, to replace worn-out rushes. In modern times the ceremony is practised only in parts of northern England including Lancashire and Cumbria. According to John Cutting,

118-419: A Gorton resident and a neighbour of Hindley. The third victim, Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, was also from Gorton. The Industrial Revolution brought work and industry to Gorton in the form of locomotive factories, including that of Beyer, Peacock & Company . Today these sites continue to employ workers in a variety of fields, from local private businesses to national companies, including

177-528: A battle between the Saxons and Danes nearby. This has been dismissed by historians as "popular fancy". The name Gorton means "dirty farmstead", perhaps taking its name from the Gore Brook, or dirty brook, which still runs through the township today. The brook may have acquired that name because of the dirty appearance of its water, perhaps caused by discolouration due to peat or iron deposits. Gorton

236-502: A multimillion-pound redevelopment of the Gorton District Shopping Centre. The small market and retail area were demolished and work started in late 2007 to construct a new market hall and Tesco Extra hypermarket on the site. In July 2008, the new Manchester Gorton Market Hall was opened to the public. The construction of the new hypermarket and neighbouring petrol station continued, and in late October 2008,

295-477: A painting by Alexander Wilson of an event at Long Millgate, Manchester. They now appear to be confined to the north west of England. At least 5 rushbearing ceremonies still occur in Cumbria where girls dressed in green process around the town. The Rushcart grew into a festival held on the annual wakes week or mill holidays . There would be music, dancing and other entertainments. Each village would try to outdo

354-430: A private company. An early success was the world's first successful type of steam condensing locomotives for underground railways, of which 148 were built. In the 20th century, the company designed and manufactured more than 1,000 powerful articulated locomotives called Garratts . By the time the company wound up in 1966, it had built nearly 8,000 steam and diesel locomotives. The former municipal borough of Manchester

413-446: A sweet confusion Of brilliant colours, richest dyes, Like wings of moths and butterflies- Waving white kerchiefs in the air, And crossing here, re-crossing there, And up and down, and everywhere: Springing, bounding, gaily skipping, Deftly, briskly, no one tripping: All young fellows, blithe and hearty, Thirty couples in the party ...  — From The Village Festival by Droylsden poet Elijah Ridings. The coming of

472-531: A way to assist crop yields, with a notable number of the celebrations taking place in 1543 when there were prolonged rains. During the reign of King Edward VI , the Crown having taken much of the Church 's holdings within the country, liturgical ceremonies were not officially condoned or recognized as an official part of worship. However, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the celebrations were explicitly mentioned in

531-591: A year. The zoo was the third-largest in the UK, and the exhibition hall held concerts from a range of national and international artists, such as Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones . After 141 years, the zoo closed in 1977, with the rest of the site finally cleared for redevelopment in 1982. Myra Hindley , convicted of taking part in the Moors Murders in 1966, grew up in Gorton. She and Ian Brady lived there at

590-562: Is Afzal Khan . Following Boundary changes to take effect following the July 4th 2024 General Election, the area will be covered under the Gorton and Denton constituency. Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1854 and is an amateur orchestra. The folk comedy group Gorton Tank were based in Gorton and were popular in the Manchester area. The painter Michael Gutteridge was born in Gorton. The Gorton Morris Men were responsible for reviving

649-474: Is an area of Manchester in Greater Manchester , England. It is to the southeast of Manchester city centre . The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw . A major landmark is Gorton Monastery , a 19th-century High Victorian Gothic former Franciscan friary. According to local folklore, Gorton derives its name from Gore Town, due to

SECTION 10

#1732783293838

708-719: Is celebrated on the 5th Sunday after Easter (also known as the 6th Sunday of Easter) in the Anglican tradition. This day is also known in the Lutheran tradition as Rogate Sunday. The Christian major rogation replaced a pagan Roman procession known as Robigalia , at which a dog was sacrificed to propitiate Robigus, the deity of agricultural disease. The practitioners observing Robigalia asked Robigus for protection of their crops from wheat rust . The minor Rogation days were introduced around AD 470 by Mamertus , bishop of Vienne , and eventually adopted elsewhere. Their observance

767-717: Is now the Lowry in Salford Quays . But when the show rolled out of town, he remained in London. He married Josephine, an American horse trainer who had just given birth to their first child, Bessie and together they settled in Darwen , before moving to Gorton. His name was changed to George Edward Williams, after registering with the British immigration authorities to enable him to find work. Williams ended up as an elephant keeper at

826-594: Is still observed in some areas. The reform of the Liturgical Calendar for Roman Catholics in 1969 delegated the establishment of Rogation Days, along with Ember Days , to the episcopal conferences . Their observance in the Latin Church subsequently declined, but the observance has revived somewhat since Pope John Paul II allowed Rogation days as a permitted, but not mandated, observance. For those Catholics who continue to celebrate Mass according to

885-466: The Belle Vue Zoo . He died on 28 July 1929 from pneumonia aged fifty-two. He was buried in Gorton's cemetery. The world-famous Belle Vue Zoological Gardens , comprising a zoo, gardens, amusement park, exhibition complex and speedway stadium, was opened in 1836 in Gorton and became one of the leading attractions in the UK. The site spanned 165 acres of land and attracted over two million visitors

944-764: The Docklands Light Railway in London was driven along a short stretch of track to demonstrate the light rail / tram configuration then being planned for Manchester. Soon after the demonstration, the Fallowfield line was dismantled; it has since been converted by Sustrans into a shared use path – the Fallowfield Loop – which runs from Fairfield to St Werburgh's Road tram stop in Chorlton-cum-Hardy . A company that became renowned for its locomotives, exported world-wide,

1003-594: The Episcopal Church , and in Anglican Provinces around the world. Although early Rogation celebrations were associated with rural life, agriculture and fishing, the Book of Common Prayer in many jurisdictions has been expanded to include propers for commerce and industry and the stewardship of creation, as well as a fruitful season, and rubrics were added for their use. Gorton Gorton

1062-954: The General Roman Calendar of 1960 or earlier, the Rogation Days are still kept, unless a higher ranking feast would occur on the day. The new, Protestant version of the Rogation days became such a fixture in Church life that the tradition was carried over to the English churches across the British Empire, including to the Americas by British colonists in Bermuda, Jamaica , Barbados , Virginia and South Carolina . Rogation days continue as an optional observance in

1121-560: The Hope Valley line and Glossop line stop at Gorton. Services are operated by Northern , with trains to Manchester Piccadilly , Glossop , Hadfield and Rose Hill Marple . Until 1970, passenger services on the Great Central Railway passed through the station. Gorton station is mentioned in the 1964 song Slow Train by Flanders & Swann , where it was referred to as Openshaw . Another railway station in

1180-687: The Manchester Gorton parliamentary constituency , comprising Gorton North, Gorton South, Fallowfield, Longsight, Levenshulme, Rusholme and Whalley Range wards. Since boundary reviews in 2018 the Gorton area is covered within a single electoral ward – Gorton and Abbey Hey . Father of the House and Britain's longest serving backbench MP, Sir Gerald Kaufman , represented the Gorton area (Ardwick followed by Manchester Gorton) for 47 years until his death in February 2017. Manchester Gorton's current MP

1239-442: The royal reformation , allowing them to resume as public processions. Rogation processions continued in the post-Reformation Church of England much as they had before, and Anglican priests were encouraged to bring their congregations together for inter-parish processions. At specific intervals, clerics were to remind their congregations to be thankful for their harvests. Psalms 103 and 104 were sung, and people were reminded of

SECTION 20

#1732783293838

1298-486: The 13th and 15th centuries show that the dragon was eventually moved to the rear of the procession on the vigil of the Ascension, with the lion taking the place at the front. Illustrations of the procession from the early 16th century show that the arrangements had been changed yet again, this time also showing bearers of reliquaries and incense . During the reign of King Henry VIII , Rogation processions were used as

1357-536: The Crosse or Gang Week, and such like." The Rogation Day ceremonies are thought to have arrived in the British Isles in the 7th century. The oldest known Sarum text regarding Rogation Days is dated from around 1173 to 1220. In it, celebrations in the south of England are described, in which processions were led by members of the congregation carrying banners which represented various biblical characters. At

1416-569: The Didsbury rushcarts of 1882 and 1911, the last occasion. (If the dates are genuine Burton is either mistaken or it was discontinued for some years and then revived.) In the nearby township of Chorlton cum Hardy, the ceremony took place on the eve of the last Sunday in July though very little is known about how long it continued to be observed. An account of the Fallowfield Rushcart was given by Annie C. Williamson in her book about

1475-518: The Gorton area, Hyde Road , was opened in 1882 on the Fallowfield Loop railway line until the route closed to passengers in 1958. The station had a brief revival in 1987, when it played a role in the early development of the Manchester Metrolink system. A temporary station called Debdale Park was constructed on the station site to host a public exhibition of Project Light Rail, in which a DLR P86 stock light rail vehicle on loan from

1534-854: The Mount Olivet Apostolic Church (originally the Anglican church of Our Lady of Mercy and St Thomas of Canterbury) on Mount Road, which was built by Walter Tapper in 1927. Gorton Heritage Trail is a public trail with 20 sites of interest. The trail is partly semi-rural, largely located within the Gore Brook Valley Conservation Area, and highlights various local landmarks, including ecological and topographical sites, and grade-listed monuments and buildings. The trail starts in Sunny Brow Park, and leads northwards to Debdale Park , following

1593-473: The area is beginning to attract more trendy, urban buyers. Belle Vue is a locality within Gorton, as are West Gorton, which was included in the City of Manchester in 1890, whereas the remainder of Gorton wasn't until 1909, thanks largely to the work of councillor Joseph Henry Williamson, then Chairman of Gorton Urban District Council , and Abbey Hey , mostly a residential district, but also well known locally as

1652-648: The base of a valley and Gore Brook that runs through Gorton, flowing west to the river Mersey. Much of this area contains the Gore Brook Valley Conservation Area . Ryder Brow is served by Ryder Brow railway station . Gorton also has several allotments and parks which are supported through the Gorton Horticultural Society . Gorton is home to Gorton Monastery , a Franciscan , 19th century High Victorian Gothic friary. This has been renovated and secularised: it

1711-406: The celebrations before their repression: Dearest, bury me Under that Holy-oak, or Gospel Tree Where (though thou see'st not) thou may'st think upon Me, when you yearly go'st Procession. In London, Rogation Days, just like Easter or Hocktide , were times when begging was "legitimate" for the period of celebration. Though not widely celebrated in the modern Church of England , the holiday

1770-606: The curses the Bible ascribed to those who violated agricultural boundaries. The processions were not mandatory, but were at the discretion of the local minister, and were also ascribed more importance when a public right of way needed to be protected from agricultural or other expansion. The marches would follow prescribed routes, with York and Coventry being unique in their following royal entries . On other routes, altars were erected at certain locations where antiphons were sung. Any Roman Catholic imagery or icons were banned from

1829-468: The earliest record of rushbearing is 1385 at Tavistock . The custom of strewing cut vegetation on the floors of churches began at an earlier date: the plants commonly used were hay, straw or rushes and together with strewing herbs they improved the comfort for those using the church. Before the Reformation churches served for many secular as well as religious purposes and seating was not usual until

Rushcart - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-409: The early years of the 16th century. Renewal of the floor covering was usually carried out before major festivals such as Easter and the patronal festival. Since these were among the few times in the year available for merrymaking ceremonies grew up and were handed down by tradition. As towns grew in size, the places where rushes still grew were further and further from the church itself. Also changes in

1947-522: The football club later in the decade. The first recorded football game was played in November 1880. A Blackfoot Sioux chief named Charging Thunder came to Salford aged 26 as part of Buffalo Bill 's Wild West Show in 1903. Like many Lakota tribesmen, Charging Thunder was an exceptional horseman and performed thrilling stunts in Buffalo Bill 's show in front of huge crowds, on the site of what

2006-413: The head of the procession was the dragon, representing Pontius Pilate , which would be followed by a lion, representing Christ . After this there would be images of saints carried by the rest of the congregation. Many torches were present at each procession, weighing between 42 lb (19 kg) and 27 lbs (12 kg), which were bought by the church and parishioners jointly. Sarum texts from

2065-407: The lack of piety at such events. While it was officially ordered that the entire congregation attend, bishops began urging their priests to invite only older and more pious men. This, they believed, would stop the drunken revelry. Royal Injunctions concerning the practice were reinterpreted to restrict and regulate participants of the festivities. Robert Herrick penned a piece to capture the mood of

2124-468: The location of Wright Robinson College . The area south of the former Roman road, Hyde Road , and between Belle Vue and Reddish is a historic area in which various ancient tools and weapons have been unearthed from various historic battles that took place there. Many local placenames allude to this history, including Winning Hill, also known as Ryder Brow, a locality within Gorton that contains many topographical features, including Bottom o’ th’ Brow at

2183-492: The manufacturing headquarters of Iceland . A number of retail and recreation sites are also a source of local employment for many in the area, such as the TV and film production studio, Space Studios , which employs up to 300 people. Less than 3 miles from the centre of Manchester, Gorton is also made up of many tertiary sector workers who commute into the city. The popular television series Shameless , which aired on Channel 4 ,

2242-414: The new Tesco Extra store opened its doors for trading. Further retail outlets were developed near this site along Hyde Road, including Subway , Coral and Age UK . Regeneration works are continuing to make Gorton "an even better place to live and work". This includes the demolition of all former tower blocks and construction of new homes and parks. House prices in the area are rising as a result of this as

2301-408: The others by building a bigger or more elaborate structure with the front covered by a sheet decorated with tinsel and artificial flowers and hung with polished copper, brass and silver household items. Behold the rush-cart, and the throng Of lads and lasses pass along: Now, view the nimble morris-dancers, The blithe, fantastic, antic prancers, Bedeck'd in gaudiest profusion, With ribbons in

2360-582: The processions. The then Archdeacon of Essex, Grindal of London , besought the church explicitly to label the tradition as a perambulation of the parish boundaries ( beating the bounds ), further to distance it from the Catholic liturgy. In the book Second Tome of Homelys , a volume containing officially sanctioned homilies of the Elizabethan church, it was made clear that the English Rogation

2419-515: The railways led to a decline in interest in Rushcarts as the local population were able to travel further afield for their annual break. The Rushcarts eventually died out in the early 20th century. There is a curious similarity between this festival and the Hindu festival of the chariot of Jagannath . France and Woodall in their A New History of Didsbury give the text of an anonymous account of

Rushcart - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-478: The reverse course of Gore Brook. There are a number of grade-listed buildings in Gorton, most notably Gorton Monastery . Other listed buildings and monuments include: Gorton was home to the world-famous Belle Vue Zoological Gardens from 1836 until its closure in the 1980s. At its peak, Belle Vue attracted more than two million visitors a year. The area is served by several railway stations including Gorton , Ashburys , Belle Vue and Ryder Brow . Trains on

2537-412: The rogation litany and its associated Mass, regardless of what colour is worn at the ordinary liturgies of the day. A common feature of Rogation days in former times was the ceremony of beating the bounds , in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys , would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. This

2596-500: The rushcart ceremony in Gorton. Manchester City F.C. were founded as St. Mark's (West Gorton) in 1880. Abbey Hey F.C. club is in Gorton. "Bouncing Billy Barker" was a local man who specialised in jumping feats. The current Britbowl champions (as of 2023), are the Manchester Titans , which are based in Gorton. John Higson (1825–1871), a Gorton antiquarian, wrote about mid-nineteenth-century supernatural beliefs in what

2655-449: The rushcart perhaps of the 1860s and entries in the churchwardens' accounts for 1733 and 1808 among other statements recorded by local people. It is uncertain when the rushbearing was ended in Didsbury, certainly not before 1870. The associated rowdyism was not thought desirable by the more sober parishioners of the time according to Alfred Burton in his Rushbearing . However Fletcher Moss's Fifty Years of Public Work includes photographs of

2714-454: The time of the first three Moors murders , before moving to Hattersley in 1964 when Hindley's family home was included in a local demolition programme. Brady and Hindley committed two further murders after moving from Gorton, before they were finally arrested in October 1965. Their first victim, Pauline Reade (who died in July 1963 aged 16, but whose body was not found for 24 years), was

2773-641: The township (1888). It was part of the Fallowfield Wakes celebrations and often included Robin Hood and Maid Marian seated on a pile of rushes heaped upon a farm cart. The cart was accompanied by the sound of pipes, penny whistles, clogs being used to beat time on the ground, and the shouts of the people. The Gorton rushbearing ceremony was relaunched by the Gorton Morrismen in 1980 having last been celebrated in 1874. It ceased again in 1997 but

2832-459: The way churches were furnished such as box pews and in the 19th century more effective heating in churches made the ceremonies redundant. The ceremonies either lapsed, or became longer and larger. The earliest depictions of rushcarts are in Rush-Bearing (1891) by Burton. One illustration shows morris dancers and a rushcart at Failsworth Pole, near Manchester, about 1820. Another, from 1821, is

2891-483: Was also known in the northern parts of England as 'Gang-day' or 'gan week', after the old English name for going or walking. This was also a feature of the original Roman festival, when revellers would walk to a grove five miles from the city to perform their rites. Thomas Johnson (1633), speaking of the birch tree, mentions another name: Cross-week: "It serveth well to the decking up of houses and banquetting-rooms, for places of pleasure, and for beautifying of streets in

2950-406: Was created in 1838 and elevated to a city in 1853. Part of Gorton township was included in the city in 1890. The remaining part of the township became an Urban District of the administrative county of Lancashire in 1894. A small part of the urban district was transferred to the city of Manchester in 1901 and the remaining area was fully incorporated into Manchester in 1909. Gorton forms part of

3009-509: Was established at Gorton on the southern side of the railway line, in 1854. The proprietors, Charles Beyer , Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson , incorporated in 1902 as Beyer, Peacock & Company . Richard Peacock had previously been the chief engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway 's locomotive works nearby at Openshaw (north of the railway line), and had seen an opportunity for locomotive manufacture by

SECTION 50

#1732783293838

3068-431: Was formed with the aim of binding the local community and to combat a form of gang warfare called scuttling that existed in the 1870s. The rector's daughter, Anna Connell, is widely credited as the founder, although churchwarden William Beastow is believed to be the person who played the main part in creating sporting activities for the parish. In 1875, St Mark's Cricket Club are known to have played and this evolved into

3127-485: Was formerly a township and chapelry in the ancient parish of Manchester in the Salford hundred of Lancashire . In 1866 Gorton became a separate civil parish , from 1894 to 1909 Gorton was an urban district , on 1 October 1910 the parish was abolished and merged with South Manchester . In 1901 the parish had a population of 26,564. Manchester City F.C. was founded as St Mark's (West Gorton) in 1880. The club

3186-605: Was mainly filmed in West Gorton. The parade of shops used for filming in the initial series was built on the site of St Mark's Church, Clowes Street, the birthplace of Manchester City F.C. The area has since been demolished and redeveloped with various new social and private housing, new Medical Centre, retail and commercial spaces, as well as the "Space Project" , a large-scale television and film production studio with six sound and prop stages used to film various BBC and ITV productions. In 2006, Manchester City Council started

3245-655: Was ordered by the Council of Orleans in 511, and though the practice was spreading in Gaul during the 7th century, it was not officially adopted into the Roman rite until the reign of Pope Leo III (died 816). The faithful typically observed the Rogation days by fasting and abstinence in preparation to celebrate the Ascension , and farmers often had their crops blessed by a priest at this time. Violet vestments are worn at

3304-649: Was previously derelict after the friars moved out. The parish left by the Friars came under the care of the Diocese of Salford . St Francis of Assisi RC Church on Textile Street, Gorton, and Sacred Heart Church, Levenshulme Road, Gorton, now form part of the R.C. Parish of Sacred Heart and St. Francis. Other churches in Gorton which were designed by notable architects include the Brookfield Unitarian Church on Hyde Road , built by Richard Peacock and

3363-479: Was resurrected "one last time" in 2009 to celebrate the 100th year of Gorton becoming a part of Manchester. The Whitworth rushcart ceremony was relaunched by the Whitworth Community in 1975 having last been celebrated in the mid-1800s. It is one of the last remaining ongoing rushcart celebrations in the UK and is coming up to its 50th year since relaunching. Rogation days Rogation Sunday

3422-452: Was then still a rural community. He detailed a series of local boggarts including: Nell Parlour Boggart ('rough and hairy, with eyes as big as saucers'); Gorton Field Boggart; Green Stile Boggart; and Ho' Lane Boggart (which appeared in the form of 'a dog, hare, rabbit, or other small animal'). There was also a Boggart House (a haunted house). Fairy rings and fairy pipes (tiny early modern pipes) were frequently found, according to Higson, in

3481-399: Was to remember town and other communal boundaries in a social and historical context, with extra emphasis on the stability gained from lawful boundary lines. For years after Rogation Days were recognized, the manner in which they were observed in reality was very different from the official decree. Even before religious sensibilities turned towards the puritanical , there were concerns about

#837162