Person:John Halstead (3)

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Title: Burnley's Historic Halls and Houses - Past and Present

ROWLEY HALL

Although Burnley was never the venue for any decisive or major engagement during the civil war of 1642, there were minor clashes in the area between the forces of King Charles I and Cromwell. Patrols and detachments of both sides were in the town at different times, and although Oliver Cromwell himself is reported to have passed through the area, there is no firm evidence that he ever visited Burnley. John Halstead of Rowley Hall lent support to the Parliamentary side through his allegiance with the Shuttleworth's of Gawthorpe. In this he agreed, along with other local family heads, to supply men and arms. Nevertheless, John, unwittingly and certainly unwillingly, supported the King's cause when, following a skirmish at Haggate in 1644 between the forces of Prince Rupert and the Parliamentarians, when losses were incurred on both sides, the Cavaliers removed "five beasts" from his Swinden field and stole a horse from Rowley.

On another occasion he was also relieved of 10 oxen and two other beasts and "the plunder of my house at their pleasure which I know not how to value. John Halstead built Rowley Hall in 1593 and it took the place of an old farmhouse. In the mid-16th century there was an estate of about 17 acres, but a hundred years later there were over 70 acres of farmland. Rowley is situated at the extreme north-west of the town [Burnley] about one and a half miles out of the township. It consisted of a two-storied stone built house, with mullioned windows and balled gables. The front faces south and it has a projecting gabled porch. There are some stone shields on which are the initials of John Halsted and his wife Mary (formerly Sellars), with the date September 27th, 1593. Over the years large additions have been made, and it has been considerably enlarged and modernised, but the south gables still retain their own mullioned windows. Another interesting feature about Rowley is that the roadway from Netherwood to Brownside bridge originally passed in front of the house and this road was in use until about 1800. Leslie Chapple 'Romantic Old Houses and Their Tales'