WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



England, four Roman Catholic, 1 and thirty-six 

 Nonconformist. 



Wesley preached in the district in the year 1 748 

 (at Shakerley), 1749, 1751-2, and in 1774 'at a 

 preaching-house just built at Chowbent, which was 

 lately a den of lions, but they are all now quiet 

 as lambs.' He preached here again in 1776 and 

 1781.* The chapel was probably Harrison Fold 

 Chapel, built by the Presbyterians, ultimately be- 

 coming Unitarian, and now made into cottages.* 

 A Sunday-school was opened in 1784 in a small 

 house at Green Lane End. The first chapel was 

 erected in Chapel Street, Bedford, in 1793, being 

 included in the Bolton circuit until 1805, when the 

 Leigh Wesleyan circuit was founded. It was rebuilt 

 in 1873. In Pennington the first Wesleyan chapel 

 was built in 1815 in King Street, and was known as 

 Leigh Chapel. A new chapel, also situate in King 

 Street, but not upon the site of the old building, was 

 opened in 1871, when the old chapel became the 

 Sunday-school, which has also been recently rebuilt. 

 In Westleigh the first chapel was erected in Wigan 

 Lane in 1850 ; the present chapel in 1878, at the 

 cost of James Hayes. There are also a mission 

 chapel at Butts, in Bedford, a Welsh Wesleyan chapel 

 in Orchard Lane, Pennington, and a chapel at Glaze- 

 bury, built in 1865. 



The Baptists commenced to hold services in Pen- 

 nington about 1 866. A school chapel was erected 

 in Church Street about 1876 ; a larger building has 

 since been opened. They have also a small school 

 chapel in Smallbrook Lane, Westleigh. 



The Independent connexion had its origin in 1805 

 through the efforts of the Rev. William Roby of 

 Manchester, who in that year began to hold frequent 

 services in a cottage in what was known as ' The 

 Walk'; 4 the first chapel was opened in 1814. In 

 1877 a new Congregational chapel was erected. 



The Primitive Methodist cause commenced in 

 1834, with a school chapel in Bradshawgate. A new 

 chapel was erected in 1869. This was purchased by 

 the Corporation in 1903 for improvement purposes, 

 and the present commodious chapel was opened in 

 Windermere road in 1904. 



The Methodist chapel in Cook Street was erected 

 in 1887 by unattached Methodists, belonging to no 

 particular denomination, who seceded from the 

 Primitive Methodists. 



The Independent Methodist connexion opened a 

 preaching station in King Street, Pennington, about 

 1876, a school chapel in the Avenue in 1878, and a 

 larger one in 1890. They have also a mission chapel 

 in Westleigh. 



The Methodist Free Church commenced in 1 866 

 with a school chapel at Plank Lane. The existing 

 church in Wigan Road, Westleigh, dates from 1882. 

 There are other chapels at Plank Lane and Hindley 

 Green. 



The Welsh Presbyterians have a small chapel in 

 Ulleswater Street. 



The Unitarian connexion began in 1888 ; a new 

 chapel in Twist Lane, Westleigh, was opened in 

 1898. 



The Meeting House of the Society of Friends in 



LEIGH 



Twist Lane was erected in 1872-3, on the site of an 

 earlier building. 5 



The Salvation Army has barracks in Brown Street. 



There is a Spiritualistic chapel in Market Buildings. 



In 1614 James Starkie of Pennington, tailor, be- 

 queathed 40.1. to the vicar, Mr. Lowe, for a free 

 grammar school ' which I pray God may be in good 

 tyme att Leigh,' or in default for hiring a preacher.' 

 Probably the school was founded shortly after. 7 



The principal ancient endowments 

 CHARITIES of the grammar school are a rent- 

 charge of 5 a year on two closes 

 called Black Fields in Pennington, given in 1655 by 

 John Ranicars of Atherton, and a rent-charge of 6 a 

 year on a moiety of the corn-tithes of Pennington, be- 

 queathed in 1 68 1 by Richard Bradshaw of Pennington. 

 James Wright in 1679, Randell Wright in 1686, and 

 Henry Bolton in 1723 bequeathed small sums, the 

 interest of which should be paid to the schoolmaster 

 to teach seven poor children from Pennington free. 8 

 In 1624 Henry Travice bequeathed a rent-charge of 

 jlo a year on lands in Croston for distributing 5/. 

 yearly on Thursday in Passion Week amongst forty 

 poor people of the parish. 9 In 1701 John Sale of 

 Westleigh, cooper, gave \oo to provide white bread 

 for distribution amongst the poor resorting to church 

 on every Lord's Day. In 1682 Richard Hilton gave 

 26 acres of land in Bedford to provide for the preach- 

 ing of a sermon yearly on St. Stephen's Day, the 

 residue of the yearly rents to be distributed amongst 

 forty poor persons who should come to hear the said 

 sermon. 10 In 1777 the then vicar and ten other 

 persons were empowered to erect out of moneys col- 

 lected by public subscription (and the year following 

 did so erect) a north gallery in the parish church, and 

 an organ loft and organ, and to sell or let the pews 

 to those requiring them, employing the income in 

 payment of the organist's salary and keeping the 

 gallery and organ in repair. In 1900 this fund con- 

 sisted of a capital sum of 994. n In 1823 Rachel 

 Prescott of Bedford bequeathed 1,200, the interest 

 of which was to be paid yearly to aged poor of the 

 parish of the established religion, who had received no 

 parish relief. 1 * There are also other charities of more 

 recent creation. 



WESTLEIGH 



Westeley, 1237; Westlegh, 1238; Westlay in Legh, 

 1292. 



This township, occupying the north-westerly part of 

 the parish, contains 1,882^ statute acres, and is much 

 occupied by cotton factories and iron works, which 

 have largely displaced agriculture and have destroyed 

 almost all the former natural beauties of the place. 

 The surface of the ground rises in undulations from 

 75 feet above the Ordnance datum on the south to a 

 height exceeding 150 feet on the north and north- 

 west. Westleigh Brook traverses the township from 

 north to south and presently unites with Hey or Pen- 

 nington Brook, flowing from the west, which appears 

 to have been at one time the southern boundary of 

 the township but now flows in a more southerly 

 course through Lowton and Pennington. The Wigan 



1 See under Bedford, Pennington, and 

 Westleigh. " Wesley, Journal. 



Ex inform. Mr. John Gerrard. 

 Pink, Leigh Congregationalism (1880). 

 * Ex inform. Mr. F. Standing. 



Will at Chester. 



^ Pink, Leigh Grammar School (1898). 



8 End.Char. (Lanes.), 1901, 86-! ; 1,22. 

 These produced a gross yearly income of 

 37 in 1900. 



421 



Gross yearly income 



11 Ibid. 30. ' 

 Ibid. 33. 



