A Cotton Famine Reimagination - Summer 2024

Join Andy and OutdoorLads for a satisfying Sunday stroll along the Cotton Famine Road.

We will be following the route where the unemployed cotton workers and slaves transported cotton during the panic of 1861 - 1865.

From Rochdale, we will take a relatively straight path on the cotton famine road, reaching the peak before dropping down into Rossendale village via the Pennine Bridleway, where we will stop for lunch and refreshments before making our way back via the tops of Lee Quarry in Bacup.

Mainly all good quality path.  (457m/1500ft elevation). 10 miles approx.

In order to facilitate a deeper understanding of what it was like to live in this area, there shall be some short breaks in order to reflect on the literary works of author Edwin Waugh, 1817 - 1890, including, "Home-Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk During the Cotton Famine". The readings will give OutdoorLads members a deeper understanding of what it was like for the people who lived in this area at the time and how their lives were impacted by the cotton famine; industrial revolution; slavery, and poverty. 

Please bring suitable clothing for the weather at this time of year. It can get cold and windy up on the top of Rooley Moor if the weather is inclement. This includes decent footwear/walking shoes please.

You may also wish to bring your camera/binoculars to capture pictures from this amazing area.

The Cotton Panic 1861 - 1865

The Lancashire Cotton Famine, also known as the Cotton Famine or the Cotton Panic (1861–65), was a depression in the textile industry of North West England, brought about by overproduction in a time of contracting world markets. It coincided with the interruption of baled cotton imports caused by the American Civil War and speculators buying up new stock for storage in the shipping warehouses.

The boom years of 1859 and 1860 had produced more woven cotton than could be sold and a cutback in production was needed. The situation was exacerbated by an overabundance of raw cotton held in the warehouses and dockyards of the ports and the market was flooded with finished goods, causing the price to collapse, while at the same time the demand for raw cotton fell. The price for raw cotton increased by several hundred percent due to blockade and lack of imports. The inaccessibility of raw cotton and the difficult trading conditions caused a change in the social circumstances of the Lancashire region's extensive cotton mill workforce. Factory owners no longer bought large quantities of raw cotton to process and large parts of Lancashire and the surrounding areas' workers became unemployed and went from being the most prosperous workers in Britain to the most impoverished.

Local relief committees were set up and appealed for money locally and nationally. There were two major funds, the Manchester Central Committee and the Mansion House Committee of the Lord Mayor of London. The poorest applied for relief under the Poor Laws, through the Poor Law Unions. Local relief committees experimented with soup kitchens and direct aid. In 1862, sewing classes and industrial classes were organised by local churches and attendance merited a Poor Law payment. After the Public Works (Manufacturing Districts) Act 1864 was passed, local authorities were empowered to borrow money for approved public works. They commissioned the rebuilding of sewerage systems, cleaning rivers, landscaping parks and surfacing roads. In 1864, cotton imports were restored, the mills were put back into production but some towns had diversified and many thousands of operatives had emigrated.

Well-behaved, socialised and under-control dogs are welcome on this event.

Dogs must be kept on a lead whenever this is signposted and whenever we are in the vicinity of livestock, and at the event leader's request. It's a good idea to check what the route may be like with the event leader before booking to find out more about the potential suitability of the walk for dogs.

All photos taken by the event leader

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