Mottram in Longdendale

In 1795, John Aikin described Mottram as follows: In the 18th century the River Etherow was known as the Mersey. The River Tame has been a border from the earliest times between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia. Mottram came to prominence as a transport hub. It lies on two pack horse routes used to carry salt from Cheshire to South Yorkshire over the Pennines and carry lime for soil improvement from Chapel-en-le-Frith. It was on the stagecoach route between Manchester and Sheffield. Before the Industrial Revolution, Mottram and Ashton-under-Lyne had been the most significant towns in the area. The manor and manorial court house were in Mottram, but other towns eclipsed…