Rochdale

Rochdale, town, administrative centre of Rochdale borough, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, north-western England, on the River Roch. Its manufactured products include textiles, machinery, and electric equipment. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Rochdale was one of the largest textile-manufacturing towns in England. In 1844 the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, the first modern association of the cooperative movement, was founded there. The politician John Bright was born in the town in 1811. Population (1994 estimate) 207,100.