Royton

Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, 1.7mi north-northwest of Oldham, 3.2mi south-southeast of Rochdale and 7.6mi northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a part of Lancashire, Royton and its surroundings have provided evidence of ancient British, Roman and Viking activity in the area. During the Middle Ages, Royton formed a small township centred on Royton Hall, a manor house owned by a long succession of dignitaries which included the Byrons and Radcliffes. A settlement expanded outwards from the hall which, by as late as 1780, "contained only a few straggling and mean-built cottages". Farming was the main industry of this rural area, with locals supplementing their incomes by hand-loom woollen weaving in the domestic system.