Roose is mainly used to refer to the 19th century settlement of Roose Cottages, which consists of two main streets of terraced housing—North and South Row. These were built when the area was developing as an important mining centre, with newly opened mines in Stank and Yarlside. Many were originally inhabited by Cornish tin miners that were recruited to the area. In the 1881 Census the majority of the population had birthplaces in Cornwall (70%). The Cottages were built by the owners of the mines, the Haematite Mining Company, between 1876 and 1878.