WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



WIGAN 



Haigh Dame Dorothy Bradshagh about 1775 erected 

 a building called the Receptacle, being an almshouse 

 for twenty poor persons ; luo there were also a poor's 

 stock and some minor charities, most of which have 

 been lost. 101 Hindley has linen or flannel charities 

 and one or two others. 102 



For the Billinge townships the principal foun- 

 dation is that of John Eddleston, who in 1672 

 bequeathed his house and lands here for charitable 



uses ; 103 there were several other benefactions. 104 At 

 Winstanley are two charities founded by James and 

 William Bankes, with incomes of about 20 and iy, 

 used to provide cloth and blankets. 1 " 5 In Orrell, 

 out of a number of gifts, about 6 a year is still dis- 

 tributed in doles of calico. 106 Pimbo Lane House 

 and other tenements in Upholland were given by 

 Henry Bispham in 1720 and 1728 for the benefit 

 of that and neighbouring townships ; 107 there are 



100 The Receptacle in 1828 contained 

 ten dwellings, each having a sitting-room 

 and pantry below and a chamber above, 

 with a little garden attached. The town- 

 ships of Haigh, Wigan, Aspull, and 

 Blackrod were to benefit. The donor's 

 charitable bequest of 3,000 was void by 

 the Statutes of Mortmain, but the Earl 

 and Countess of Balcarres decided to give 

 effect to her charitable designs. The in- 

 come in 1828 was about no, of which 

 80 was given to the almspeople, 10 to 

 the chaplain, and 12 on an average to 

 the apothecary. 



In 1899 the annual income was found 

 to be 139. Some of the rules as that 

 against the use of Bohea or green teas 

 are now inapplicable ; but preference is 

 still given to Haigh people who have 

 worked in the mines ; applicants must be 

 over fifty, and adherents of the Established 

 Church. 



101 Ellen Kindsley charged an estate in 

 Whittington Lane with i a year, which 

 was usually distributed with other chari- 

 ties. Ralph Greaves in 1696 gave 20 

 for apprenticing children or for the poor ; 

 James Monk 20 in 1723 for cloth or 

 apprenticing; William Higham in 1729 

 a similar sum for linen or woollen ; and 

 Sir Roger and Lady Bradshagh in 1767 

 each gave 20 to augment the fund ; it 

 appears to have been lost before 1828 by 

 the practical bankruptcy of the person to 

 whom it had been lent. A poor's stock 

 of 68 51. existed in 1744, but no infor- 

 mation could be obtained in 1828. James 

 Grimshaw in 1822 left 40 for the poor. 



For Kindsley's charity in 1899 the rent- 

 charge of i on Hilton Farm was found 

 to be paid by the Wigan Coal and Iron 

 Company ; the money is distributed in 

 doles of flannel. All the other charities 

 have been lost. 



102 Frances Dukinfield in 1662 left 

 four closes in Mobberley for the minister 

 of Hindley Chapel, ' So as he should be 

 elected or approved by the trustees for the 

 time being, by any two or more godly 

 ministers, and by the greater number of 

 the householders and masters of families 

 in Hindley,' and for other charitable pur- 

 poses ; in 1828 4 was given for the poor 

 of Hindley and Abram from this source, 

 being 2 8x. for the former and i izs. 

 for the latter, and laid out in linen cloth. 

 Randle and Mary Collier also left 60 for 

 linen cloth and a further 10 ; and Ed- 

 ward Green and Robert Cooper 30 for 

 the poor ; all was in practice used for 

 gifts of linen. 



In 1899 it was found that 7 ioj. was 

 paid out of land at Mobberley in respect 

 of the Dukinfield charity ; under a 

 scheme sanctioned in 1890 2 los. was 

 paid to the vicar of All Saints', Hindley, 

 i to the grammar school, i 12*. to 

 the trustees of the Abram United Chari- 

 ties, leaving 2 81. for distribution in 

 Hindley. The other charities have a 

 capital of i 51 consols, the interest being 

 spent on flannel, which is distributed on 

 New Year's Day. 



Richard Mather in 1852 conveyed cer- 

 tain lands to trustees for the use of a 

 school and for bread for the poor ; but 

 the school has been given up, and a new 

 scheme was in 1899 being prepared. 

 Thomas Winnard in 1860 left 40 for 

 the benefit of the poor attending St. 

 Peter's, Hindley. The public park and 

 the library are also noticed. 



los The estate consisted of a house and 

 about 14 acres of land, part of the Black- 

 leyhurst estate, on which was a quarry 

 called Grindlestone Delph ; it was sub- 

 ject to a fee-farm rent of 20*. to John 

 Blackburn and his heirs (to Sir William 

 Gerard in 1828 by purchase). The use 

 was for the maintenance of ' a pious and 

 orthodox minister" for Billinge chapel, 

 for the school, and the relief of the poor. 

 In practice the house and land were 

 occupied by the incumbent of the chapel, 

 and the profits of the quarry, let for 50 

 a year in 1828, to the schools and the 

 poor of the two townships of Billinge. 

 The gross income in 1899 was 98, out 

 of which i ground rent was paid to 

 Lord Gerard. The beacon on the hill 

 stands on this property. As the quarry is 

 becoming exhausted the trustees have 

 ceased to distribute the income from it, 

 but 10 a year has been given to the poor. 



104 William Bankes in 1775 left 20 

 to each of the Billinges, and in 1828 iSs. 

 was paid yearly out of the estate of Mey- 

 rick Bankes. For Chapel End from the 

 same estate was paid 2 izs. a year for 

 bread for the poor, which was distributed 

 every other Sunday ; in 1786 there was a 

 poor's stock of 23 51., the accumulation 

 of numerous small gifts, producing in 

 1828 231. 4^. from the overseer's accounts 

 and expended in linen and woollen cloth ; 

 57 resulting from the sale of William 

 Birchall's estates, and supposed to have 

 arisen from a gift of 40 by Ok ill, 

 was in 1799 used to purchase a cottage, 

 the rent of which was also spent in linen 

 for the poor. The cottage in 1899 pro- 

 duced a net income of 4 3*. 6d., distri- 

 buted by the vicar in money and cloth- 

 ing ; and iBs. was paid to the overseers 

 by Mrs. Bankes of Winstanley, and dis- 

 tributed in doles of calico or flannel. 

 Nothing is now known of the other 

 ancient funds. Elizabeth Comber in 1 896 

 left 100 for the provision of coals and 

 food for the poor at Christmas. 



For Higher End the Digmoor estate in 

 Upholland in 1828 produced 10 a year, 

 which was added to other charities and 

 spent in linen and cloth. The net income 

 is now 13 ioi. ; this is added to the 

 township's share of the Eddleston and 

 other charities, and distributed in doles of 

 calico. 



106 The Rev. James Bankes, rector of 

 Bury, in 1742 gave 40 for linen cloth 

 for the poor; William Bankes in 1775 

 gave 50 j Robert Bankes in 1747, 

 100 ; Frances Bankes in 1764, 50 ; 

 Catherine Bankes in 1766, 20 ; and 

 there were smaller sums, the total being 

 402 1 01., yielding in 1828 19 iu., 



67 



which was laid out in linen for the poor. 

 William Bankes in 1798 left 400 for 

 blankets ; this yielded about 19 in 1828, 

 and was spent according to the benefac- 

 tor's wishes. On account of the former 

 set of charities 19 8j. 6d. is now 

 paid by Mrs. Bankes at Winstanley : the 

 overseers distribute it in cloth. Wil- 

 liam Bankes' benefaction is represented 

 by 600 consols ; the income is distri- 

 buted in blankets, and ' it is supposed 

 that every cottager in the township re- 

 ceived a blanket every alternate year.' 



106 Jane Leigh in 1707 gave 10 to 

 the poor, William Naylor 8, and Peter 

 Parr 4 ; Anne Sandford in 1746 gave 

 25 ; in 1828 the agent or trustee of 

 Sir Robert Holt Leigh and Meyrick 

 Bankes paid i and i 7*. as interest on 

 these sums. Out of the poor rates 5*. 

 was paid as ' Widow Naylor's Charity.' 

 One Holt in 1723 left land called Cross- 

 brook, which brought in a rent of 2 ioj. 

 These sums were all placed together and 

 distributed on St. Thomas's Day to poor 

 persons in sums of is. or is. 6d. James 

 Thomason in 1786 left 200, of which 

 100 had been lost ; the 5 interest on 

 the other half was distributed to the poor 

 on 25 July. 



In 1899 it was found that i is paid 

 yearly by Mr. Roger Leigh, and i js. by 

 Mrs. Bankes, on account of the Leigh, 

 Naylor, and Parr, and Sandford gifts ; 

 Thomason's charity has an income of 

 3 175. 4</. The whole sum is given in 

 doles of calico. Holt's charity has failed ; 

 the land called Crossbrook was owned 

 by the late Colonel Blundell. 



lu ' In 1720 he surrendered a messuage 

 and tenement with right of turbary on 

 Upholland Moss, and land called Moss 

 Close, to trustees for the townships of 

 Upholland, Orrell, Billinge, and Pember- 

 ton, also Rainford and Windle, the yearly 

 profits to be spent in apprenticing chil- 

 dren ; it was let for 70 a year in 1828. 

 Part of the income was used for repairs 

 and legal expenses, and the rest divided 

 among the townships named and used as 

 intended. In 1728 by his will he gave 

 Pimbo Lane House and another tenement 

 called Sefton's Estate to provide woollen 

 garments and oat bread for the poor of 

 Pemberton, Orrell, Upholland, Billinge, 

 Winstanley, Windle, and Eccleston. The 

 gross income in 1828 was 117 io. a 

 year, but owing to heavy expenses in 

 buildings only about 50 was used for the 

 charity, of which 20 was spent on wool- 

 len cloth and 30 on oatmeal loaves. 



The income of the charity has greatly 

 increased, owing to the development of 

 coal mines on the lands, and now amounts 

 to about 250, the estate consisting of 

 lands and 2,120 consols, chiefly the 

 products of mining leases. The charity is 

 supposed to be regulated by a scheme 

 giving larger powers, authorized in 1891 ; 

 but no practical change has been made in 

 the distribution of the income, the three- 

 fold system of apprenticing, clothing, and 

 bread doles being continued . 



