Rockliffe House situated  at Wesley Place,  Bacup was home to the Maden family built in 1866  by John  Maden cotton spinner and manufacturer, on land once known as Raw Cliffe. John Maden started off life as a humble handloom weaver, born at Bent in the hamlet of Heald. At the age of twenty he married Miss Alice Ackroyd  and this meant that little humble hand loom cottage at Bent could no longer support two families and so John went off to work for Mr Ormerod at Waterbarn Mill, as a woollen weaver.

 

 He was fond of telling the story of how he saved his first £5.00 encouraged always by his wife. In order to do this thy had put away 2s 6d each week the effort compelling many sacrifices. The possession of such a large amount caused him many a sleepless night for fear that thieves might break into his house and carry the money away with them, and so he hit upon the idea of putting the money into the bank. On the first Saturday he could spare , he marched over Rooley Moor to Rochdale and there deposited the five pounds into Fentons Bank. He often was heard to remark that the proudest moment of his life was when he became possessed of a bank book.  John and Alice had like many of  the day a large family Henry being the only so to survive, his brothers John and Phillip dying as babies. There were also three daughters Elizabeth who married Frank Hodson, Mary Ann who married George Maxwell, and Alice Jane who married Joshua Mellor and whose son Robert became the Meller of the firm Kidd, Meller and Fletcher, solicitors.

 

Sometime prior to 1837 he had gone into partnership with Mr Joshua Hoyle father of Edward Hoyle, Daniel Baron and Richard Bridge  at Midge hole mill   in Todmorden Road. At this time looms could be bought for about £1.00 each. The business prospered and when the mill became too small they built Throstle Mill in 1837. Living at Oak House which had been built in front of Throstle Mill on the main road the house had been built with a side door that led into he warehouse and it's said John often went into the mill at night to examine the quality of the cotton being produced.  He later leased Lee Mill from Mr Holt and by the late 1850's had purchased Throstle mill from his once partners and built Springholme Mill.  After John Holt refused to provide land for a new church to be built at Wesley Place John gave the land and also defrayed almost half of the building costs. John Maden died on January 7th 1869  after a  long and lingering illness, and he was interred in the family vault in the Wesleyan Chapel at Mount Pleasant. His wife Alice being interred in August of the same year after her death on the August 30th of the same month.

 

Henry  born in 1829  carried on the business his father had built up and at the age of 50 he married his housekeeper Martha Darlington on 3rd July 1878 in the parish church ay Bettwys- y- Coed.  Henry and Martha had no children that survived infancy Henry however did have an illegitimate son John Henry Kay, whose name was changed by deed poll in 1885 to John Henry Maden. Prior to this he lived in Salford with his mother being educated at Manchester Grammar school and after leaving school took up a position as salesman in his fathers family business. After his name was changed John cane to live in Bacup taking a great interest in the welfare of the town and its people. By 1890  Henrys health had begun to cause great concern to family and friends. Suffering from throat complications and later Brights disease.

 

He spent much of  his time at apartments in North Shore Blackpool  it was whilst he was staying here that he was asked by the Blackpool Liberals to become their candidate but he declined on account of his health. Although a County Councillor  and Magistrate Henry had always refused  to sit on the local board, school board or town council. Henry died on September 21 1890 at his residence in Blackpool,  and such love and respect did the people of Bacup have for him on the day of his funeral the whole town put on mourning, shops were closed and mills ceased to work throughout the town. Laid to rest at Mount Pleasant in the family vault he was placed alongside  his mother and father as well as his very much loved wife  Martha who had died a short time before him.

 

 

 In April 1891 John Henry married his cousin Miss Alice  Meller  in the seaside town of Southport on their return home to Bacup, cannon was fired at intervals and at night there was a torchlightt procession with bonfires and fireworks in every direction. The happy couple were also serenaded by the various local bands who went to Rockliffe House to do the honours. Shortly after his marriage the death of the Duke of Devonshire caused a vacancy in the Rossendale Division which was then represented in the house of commons by the Dukes son the Marquis of Hartington. Mr Maden was adopted and his name put forward as the most suitable of candidates and when the day of election came Mr Maden was returned by a majority of 1,244 votes over his opponent Sir Thomas Brooks.