OLD COCK INN, public house at Mills Hill, Tonge, near Middleton Lancashire

[RuslanPashayev]

Dear Friends,
please let me know if anyone has info on OLD COCK INN, public house at Mills Hill, Tonge, near Middleton, Lancashire.That pub existed in the 19 century, the earliest mention dated back to 1840's. I would highly appreciate help on that.
Thanks.
Kind regards,
Ruslan

[Barbara.H]

It may be even older than that.
An early advert in the "Manchester Mercury and Harrops General Advertiser" 18 April 1797, begins
"To be sold by auction - at the house of Mrs Elizabeth Hyde, known by the Sign of the Cock, at Tonge, near Chadderton ..."
followed by a list of local properties for sale. [from the old newspaper archive on Lancashire Libraries website]

And in Pigot & Deans directory for 1828-1829, under 'Middleton etc'
Old Cock, Edw. Hyde, Tonge Lane
[from University of Leicester Historical Directories site]  http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16445coll4

  Barbara

[RuslanPashayev]

Dear Barbara, thanks appreciate AMAZING info...yes Hyde Family owned it. Whats known on the Old Cock Inn??? Were the owners somehow connected with organizers of local Wakes??? What was the name for it?? Tonge Wakes??? Or Middleton Wakes???

[Barbara.H]

Found this in archive.org, a memoir by Samuel Bamford the Lancashire author. If he wrote this around 1850, his memories will be of the first half of the 19th century.

https://archive.org/details/bamfordspassages01bamfuoft

It says the Middleton Wakes originated as a rushbearing ceremony to celebrate the anniversary of Middleton parish church (St Leonards), and that Tonge was one of the hamlets that sent rush carts to the Middleton ceremony.

It's an interesting question, who organised the Wakes. I suppose as it started out based around the church, the parish elders would oversee the rushbearing ceremony, but the more secular festivities that followed, it was probably down to whoever was enterprising enough to get things moving. Certainly a pub landlord/landlady would be in a good position to organise entertainments as they were a social hub anyway.

[RuslanPashayev]

Bamford's book is a great one, thanks, has some really cool info.
so Middleton Wakes...was it in July? yeah activities and fun contests were sponsored by local publicans.