St Katharine Church, Blackrod

Image: © Rude Health Taken: 4 Feb 2012

St Katharine Church, Blackrod, 161 metres, a P48 hill. The Parish Church of St. Katharine stands in a prominent position in the village of Blackrod and can be seen from many miles around. The first history of the church is lost in obscurity and the date of the birth of the original church is unknown. It goes back further than any known authentic records. There is evidence of settlement in the area since before Roman Britain. Blackrod stands on an ancient Roman road, an important route from London to the North, and it is widely believed that a Roman Fort was built here. Situated on high ground with a good view of surrounding countryside, it would have been in an ideal position. Frieslanders who came as mercenaries with the Roman army settled in Blackrod giving it the Friesian name Blech-rode meaning cold and barren land. The village became an important stop for travellers in medieval times and later merchants came regularly from Manchester to supply yarn to the local handloom weavers. It was once a major coal mining centre with at least seven pits in the village and over a thousand miners living and working locally. The earliest records of mining date from the 1500s. The highest recorded population of the 1800s was in 1881, when there were 4,234 people in Blackrod. In 1992 there were approximately 7,000 residents.

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