OLDHAM, municipal, county, and parliamentary borough, Lancashire, England, 7 m. N.E. of Manchester, on the L.M.S. and L.N.E. railways and the Oldham canal. Pop. (1931) 140,309. The principal railway station is called Mumps, but there are several others. The town lies high, near the source of the small river Medlock. Its growth as a manufacturing centre gives it a wholly modern appearance. The oldest church dates from the later i8th century. The principal buildings and institutions include the town-hall, with tetrastyle portico, the reference library, art gallery and museum, the Union street baths, and the county court. The Lyceum contains schools of art and science, and an observa tory; the largely-endowed blue-coat school was founded in 18o8 by Thomas Henshaw. The Alexandra park, opened in 1865, stands on a picturesquely undulating and terraced site. Oldham is one of the most important centres of the cotton manufactures. The principal manufactures are fustians, velvets, cords, shirtings, sheetings and nankeens. There are also large foundries, mill and
cotton machinery works and engineering works of various kinds. Oldham, incorporated in 1849, became a county borough in 1888. The parliamentary borough has returned two members since 1832.
A Roman road, of which traces are still left, passes through the township. It is not mentioned in Domesday; but in the reign of Henry III. Alwardus de Aldholme is referred to as holding land in Vernet (Werneth). A daughter of this Alwardus con veyed Werneth hall and its manor to the Cudworths, a branch of the Yorkshire family, with whom it remained till the i8th century. From the Oldhams was descended Hugh Oldham, who died bishop of Exeter in 1519. It appears that linens were manufactured in Oldham as early as 163o. Watermills were introduced in 177o, and with the adoption of Arkwright's inventions the cotton indus try grew with great rapidity.