A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



about 1696." In 1717 John Clarkson and Richard 

 Richardson, as * papists,' registered estates here. 44 



Ambrewood inclosure award may be seen at 

 Preston. 



The Established Church has two places of worship 

 in the township ; Christ Church, consecrated in 

 1864, the district assigned being the whole town- 

 ship j 46 and St. Mary's, Lower Ince, consecrated 

 I887- 47 The patronage of both is vested in Simeon's 

 trustees. 



The Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1866; 

 the Primitive Methodist one in 1885. The Con- 

 gregationalists also have a place of worship. 



The adherents of the ancient religion found assist- 

 ance in the constancy of the families of Gerard and 

 Ince. The chapel at New Hall was built in 1760 ; 

 this was closed in 1818. There was a private chapel 

 at Westwood House, and in 1873 the church of 

 St. William was opened. Twenty years later the 

 Church of the Holy Family at Platt Bridge was 

 added. 48 



HINDLEY 



Hindele, 1212 ; Hindelegh, 1260 (common) ; 

 Hindeley, 1292. 



Hindley lies in the centre of the great Lancashire 

 coalfield, and consists of a level-surfaced country 

 dotted over with collieries and black pit-banks. 

 A close network of tramways and railways covers 

 the face of a singularly dreary stretch of country, 

 where the pastures are scanty and blackened. Fre- 

 quent pools of water lie between the collieries, in- 

 dicating subsidences of the earth caused by mining. 

 What trees remain standing appear as dead stumps, 

 with leafless branches reflected weirdly in the ' flashes' 

 of water. In the more favoured parts of the town- 

 ship, wheat, oats, and potatoes manage to find an 

 existence. There is some pasturage also. The area 

 is 2,610^ acres, 1 and the population in 1901 was 

 23,504. 



The ancient road from Manchester to Wigan goes 

 west-north-west through the township. The town of 

 Hindley lies to the north of this road. At this point 

 is a cross road leading north-eastward from Platt 

 Bridge and Lowe Green to Westhoughton, having 

 a branch north to Aspull. Through the town, 

 adjacent to this cross road, runs a brook known here 

 as the Borden. Near the eastern boundary is the 



village of Hindley Green ; from this a road leads 

 south to Leigh. The London and North-Western 

 Company's Manchester and Wigan Railway passes 

 through the township from east to west, with stations 

 at Hindley Green and Platt Bridge. The Lancashire 

 and Yorkshire Company's line from Wigan to Man- 

 chester also crosses the northern corner, where there 

 is a station ; and the two companies' joint railway 

 runs north through the western part of the township, 

 being there joined by a connecting line from the 

 North-Western main line. The Great Central Rail- 

 way's line to Wigan crosses the western end, and has 

 a station called Hindley and Platt Bridge. 



There were formerly two * burning wells ' here, one 

 in Derby Lane, the other near Dog Pool, now called 

 Grange Brook. 2 



The great business is coal-mining ; there is also an 

 iron foundry, and cotton manufacturing is carried on 

 extensively. The first factory is said to have been 

 erected near the end of the i8th century by Richard 

 Battersby at Lowe mill, formerly a water corn-mill. 

 A little later hand-loom weaving was one of the chief 

 industries, each cottage having a weaving shop at- 

 tached. 3 



The Local Government Act of 1 8 5 8 was adopted 

 by the township in l867. 4 Under the Act of 1894 

 an urban district council of fifteen members has been 

 constituted. New council offices were opened in 

 1904. 



A fair is held on the first Thursday in August. 



A sundial, dated 1699, formerly stood at Castle 

 Hill. 5 



HINDLET was no doubt one of the 

 M4NOR fifteen berewicks of the royal manor of 

 Newton before the Conquest. 6 After the 

 Conquest it continued to form part of the fee of 

 Makerfield, 7 and in 1212 one part was held in thegn- 

 age, in conjunction with Ashton, by Thomas de Burn- 

 hull. 8 The remainder was held by local families. 



Swain son of Leofwin held the Burnhull share, 

 and gave it to a certain Gospatric in free marriage ; 

 in 1 2 1 2 Roger the son of Gospatric held this portion 

 of Thomas de Burnhull. Two oxgangs were at the 

 same time held by Adam de Hindley 'of ancient 

 feoffment,' i.e. by a title going back to the time of 

 Henry I at least. Another half plough-land was held 

 by Richard de Hindley, son of Robert ; portions of 

 this had been given to the Hospitallers and to Cocker- 

 sand Abbey. Some portion was perhaps still held in 

 demesne. 9 



44 Local Glean. Lanes, and Ches. i, 

 209-14. He states that the Browns 

 had the Cockersand lands. 



45 Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 125, 152. 



46 Bridgeman, Wigan Ch. 787 ; a dis- 

 trict had been assigned in 1862 ; Land. 

 Gax. 4 Nov. 



47 Bridgeman, loc. cit. 



48 Liverpool Catb. Ann. 1901. 



1 2,612, including 30 of inland water; 

 Census Rep. of 1901. 



2 Leyland, Hindley, 7. Baines quotes 

 an account from the Life of Lord Guild- 

 ford, of a visit to the burning well in 

 1676 ; Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 555. 



8 Leyland, op. cit. 96, 104. An inter- 

 esting account is given, pp. 105-8, of the 

 former customs of the place ; the pace- 

 eggers and their drama, the Eastertide 

 lifting, maypole on the green, rush-bear- 

 ing, &c. 



4 Land. Gax. 2 July 1867. 



8 Land, and Ches. Antiq. Notes, i, 165. 



6 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 286. The ancient 

 assessment appears to have been a plough- 

 land or a plough-land and a half. 



7 See e.g. Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), 

 i, 138; ii, 99; ibid. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 105. 



8 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 74. He had half a 

 plough-land in Hindley. 



9 Ibid. 75. The Hospitallers' holding 

 is named in the Plac. de Quo War. (Rec. 

 Com.), 375 ; see also Lanes, and Cbes. 

 Hist, and Gen. Notes, i, 35. In the 

 rental of their lands compiled about 1540, 

 the following particulars are given : John 

 Atherton, a messuage, it. 4</., and a close 

 2s. $d. ; Robert Lee, a messuage, 6d. ; 

 Jonathan (?) Bate for Crockholcs, 6d. ; 

 Peter Langton, a messuage, 6d. ; Gilbert 



106 



Hindley, a messuage, 6d. ; 6s. in all ; 

 Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84. John Leigh of 

 Westhoughton in 1619 held lands for- 

 merly belonging to the Hospitallers by a 

 rent of 6d. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 133. 



The Cockersand Chart. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 

 642-51, contains particulars of the grants 

 made to this abbey. Robert de Hindley 

 gave 6 acres, partly in Twiss Car by Lanu- 

 lache and partly by Aspenhead, with pas- 

 ture for as many animals as the man 

 might have who held the land from the 

 canons ; he also gave an acre on the 

 northern side of Bickershaw. Richard 

 his son confirmed these charters, and gave 

 further parcels in Berlets-housted and 

 Osbern meadow, and a third with his 

 body. Adam de Hindley also was a 

 benefactor, 10 acres and a messuage on 

 the north of Stony street, 4 at Ferny- 



