Table of Contents
What does the name Oldham mean?
habitational name from the place in Lancashire, so named from Middle English ald, old ‘old’ + holm ‘island’, ‘dry land in a fen’, ‘promontory’. topographic name from Old English (e)ald ‘old’ + hamm ‘water meadow’, ‘low-lying land by a river’.
What is Oldham named after?
It is named for the Oldham family, who lived in Werneth Hall during the Middle Ages. Oldham was the centre for an agricultural district with a woolen industry until the 19th century, when it became a major cotton-spinning and weaving town.
What’s Oldham famous for?
Starting out with the most obvious point – or, at the very least, the most prominent – Oldham is famed for having taken full advantage of the cotton trade explosion in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century. Before this, Oldham was experiencing some success in the form of local cloth and textile production.
How common is the last name Oldham?
In the United States, the name Oldham is the 2,400th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name.
Why is the owl the symbol of Oldham?
Prior to 1894, the town council made use of the arms of the Oldham family. The arms were blazoned as: Sable a chevron Or between three owls argent on a chief of the second as many roses gules. The owls suggest that the family, like the town, called itself ‘Owdham’, and adopted the birds in allusion to its name.
Where did the name Oldham originate?
Oldham is however known to be a derivative of Aldehulme, undoubtedly an Old Norse name. It is believed to be derived from the Old English ald combined with the Old Norse holmi or holmr, meaning “promontory or outcrop”, possibly describing the town’s hilltop position.
What kind of name is Oldham?
Oldham Surname Name Meaning, Origin, History, & Etymology First, Oldham is likely a habitational name for a person who came from a place so named in Lancashire, deriving from the Middle English word ald or old (meaning old), and holm (meaning island, promontory).
Is Oldham poor?
Oldham currently has four areas within the borough which are among the top 1% of the nation’s most deprived areas. The majority of these areas are centred in and around the town centre, particularly within the wards of St Mary’s, Coldhurst and Alexandra.
How many mills were there in Oldham?
At its peak, there were over 360 mills, operating night and day. Oldham was hit hard by the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1861–1865, when supplies of raw cotton from the United States were cut off.
What nationality is the surname Oldham?
English
Oldham (surname)
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Meaning | “old lands” |
| Other names |
How many mills are there in Oldham?
The borough’s history and its landscape is dominated by the impact of the hundreds of mills that were constructed in Oldham which made it arguably the most thriving cotton town in the world. In total, more than 400 mills have existed in the borough.
Is Greater Manchester a county?
Greater Manchester, metropolitan county in northwestern England. In 1986 the metropolitan county lost its administrative powers, and its constituent boroughs became autonomous administrative units, or unitary authorities. Greater Manchester is now a geographic and ceremonial county without administrative authority.