Cummersdale Mills village

Cummersdale Mills or the bottom village as it was known was eventually demolished in the 1970's. The village began as a small hamlet of houses situated beside the Corn Mill and the Fulling Mill, which were both owned by the Bishop and mentioned in the Bishop's registerin 1268. The few dwellings that were there, housed the workers in these early enterprises. It was at the beginning of the Industrial revolution that it turned from a hamlet into a village. John, Richard and George Ferguson started their dye-works in 1782, and a little later the Cotton mill was built by Forster's who also built the Print-works in 1801. It was this increase in industry that necessitated the building of workers houses. One row of back-to-back houses were built joining the existing houses.