The name Rochdale resonates with a certain industrial grit and northern spirit today, but peel back the layers of time, and we find ourselves in a vastly different landscape. During the tumultuous reign of King John of England, around the turn of the 13th century, the area we know as Rochdale may have been referred to by a different, more ancient name: Recedham. It was a time when England was grappling with internal strife and external threats, and even seemingly distant locales like Recedham were not immune to the echoes of these larger historical currents. One of the most disruptive forces of the age was the persistent threat of Danish incursions. While the era of widespread Viking raids had largely passed, pockets of Danish influence and raiding parties still posed a danger, particularly to coastal and strategically important areas. Historical accounts suggest that Recedham, nestled within the broader region of Northumbria, found itself within the reach of these incursions during ...