A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



erected in the township. For the Established Church 

 St. Peter's was built in 1 84O, 61 followed by St. Paul is 

 in 1848 ; 61 in 1874 and 1875 respectively St. Luke s 

 and St. Thomas's M were added. The patronage is in 

 the hands of trustees, except in the case of St. Paul s, 

 to which Colonel R. H. Ainsworth presents. 

 is a chapel at Smithills, 65 and a Wesleyan chapel at 



Delph Hill. , . , 



The Roman Catholic church of St. Joseph, which 

 originated in 1881, was opened in 1900." 



WESTHOUGHTON 



Westhalghton, 1292, and usually ; Westhalton, 

 1302 ; the Wat is often omitted. Westhaughton 

 and Westhoughton, xvi cent. 



This township, the largest in the parish, has an 

 area of 4,341 acres, 1 having an average breadth of 

 over 2 miles from north-east to south-west, and an 

 extreme length of nearly 3$ miles from north- 

 west to south-east. The highest ground is that 

 along the north-eastern border, over 480 ft. being 

 reached in one place ; the surface slopes generally 

 downwards to the south-west, the lowest point, about 

 120 ft., being in the extreme southerly corner. 

 Borsdane Brook separates it from Aspull ; another brook 

 divides it from Hindley, and joins a stream rising on 

 the northern edge of Westhoughton and flowing south 

 through Leigh to Glazebrook. 



The road from Manchester to Chorley goes through 

 the northern side of the township, passing the hamlets 

 of Chequerbent, Wingates, and Fourgates. West- 

 houghton village is near the centre of the township, 

 on the crooked road from Wigan, through Hindley 

 and Hart Common, to Bolton. From the village 

 roads go north to Wingates, east to Chequerbent, and 

 south to Daisy Hill and Leigh ; there are numerous 

 cross roads. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 

 has several lines ; the main line from Liverpool to 

 Manchester crosses the township north-easterly, with 

 a station, called Westhoughton, to the north of the 

 village ; a branch runs north to join the Bolton and 

 Preston line, and has stations called Dicconson Lane 

 and Hilton House ; a second branch runs east to 

 Pendleton, and has a station at Daisy Hill. The 

 London and North-Western Company's Kenyon and 

 Bolton line crosses the eastern corner of the town- 

 ship, with a station called Chequerbent. 

 The population in 1901 was 13,339. 

 Agriculture is still one of the principal industries 



of the township ; the soil is clay, and oats and pota- 

 toes are the chief products. Cotton and other goods 

 are manufactured, and there are coal mines. Bobbin, 

 spindle, and shuttle making, and nail manufacturing 

 were engaged in in 1825. A once flourishing trade 

 is now extinct. 



It appears to have been at Westhoughton that 

 Adam Banastre and others made their confederacy in 

 October 1315.* 



A battle was fought on the common in 1642 be- 

 tween Lord Derby's forces and the Parliamentary 

 levies ; 3 and Prince Rupert is stated to have mustered 

 his troops there prior to the attack on Bolton in 1 644. 

 A token was issued at Daisy Hillock in 1652.* 

 The hearths liable to the tax in 1 666 numbered 

 98. The largest house was that of William Worth- 

 ington, having six hearths ; Ralph Brown and William 

 Leigh had five each. 5 



A local board was formed in 1872.' In 1894 an 

 urban district council was formed, having twelve 

 members elected by four wards. In 1898 part of 

 Over Hulton was added, Hulton ward returning 

 three members to the council. Mr. Carnegie has 

 given a library building. 



Westhoughton gives its name to one of the Parlia- 

 mentary divisions of South-east Lancashire. 



Peter Dodd's Well was regarded as an indicator of 

 the weather. 7 



It is difficult to trace the early descent 

 M4NOR of WESTHOUGHTON. The whole 

 township seems to have been held of the 

 lords of Manchester, chiefly by the Barton family, 8 

 but partly by the Pendleburys. The latter also held 

 lands in the Barton portion. About the middle of 

 the 1 3th century Sir Gilbert de Barton granted to 

 Henry de Sefton, clerk, and his heirs or assigns the 

 whole lordship of Westhoughton, with escheats, ward- 

 ships, &c. ; the homages of Roger de Pendlebury and 

 others ; escheats and liberties of the tenement of 

 Thomas the Small ; with all liberties of the lordship 

 in pastures, woods, and plain, sor-hawks and deer, 

 waters and pools, ways and paths, mill pools, and 

 others. Further, he granted that Henry and his 

 successors should be quit of all suit of the court at 

 Barton as well for Westhoughton as for Aspull. 9 



Henry de Sefton quickly bestowed the lordship 

 upon the abbot and canons of Cockersand, who had 

 already come into possession of a considerable estate 

 in the township by a series of grants beginning about 

 1 200. Beside the lordship he granted them the 

 third part of the vill, which he must have held in 



persuasions of no avail, proceeded to trial, 

 and there being no recantation, con- 

 demned him. There was a pathetic scene 

 in the Lady Chapel of the cathedral, the 

 old bishop pausing at times in reading 

 the sentence in hopes of signs of yielding, 

 and the people praying the accused to give 

 way. Marsh, however, remained steadfast, 

 and was burned at Boughton accordingly. 



81 For endowment see Land. Gaz. 

 % Aug. 1873. 



M Ibid. 24 July 1874, and 1 1 Aug. 



1876, for endowments. 



M Ibid. 31 Oct. 1876, district ; 16 Nov. 



1877, ii June 1880, and n Nov. 1881, 

 endowments. There is a mission chapel, 

 St. Margaret's. 



M Ibid, i July 1879, district ; 25 Mar. 

 1 88 1, endowment. 



65 The above-quoted will of John 

 Barton, 1514 shows that he had a chapel 

 there. 



66 Kelly, Engl. Catb. Millions, 199. 



1 4,344, including 14 of inland water, 

 according to the census of 1901. 



8 Coram Rege R. 254, m. 52 ; the place 

 is called Haulton, near Blackrod. 



8 Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc.), 125; 

 the Parliament's men were beaten through 

 their magazine exploding. 



4 Lanes, and Cbes. Antiq. Soc. v, 93 ; 

 the initials H. D. M. may indicate Henry 

 Molyneux. 



* Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lanes. 

 'Nether Hulton,' with 103 hearths, was 

 probably part of it, for Nathaniel Moly- 

 ncux's house was there, with six hearths. 



6 Land. Gax. 24 Sept. 1872. 



20 



7 Local N. and Q. (Mane h. Guardian), 

 no. 791. 



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

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 54. 



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

 690 ; the consideration named for this 

 grant is three marks of silver given me 

 in my great need,' but no doubt there had 

 been previous loans or assistance. 



Thomas the Small, whose share is men- 

 tioned specially, afterwards killed a certain 

 Thomas de Byron ; he was outlawed, and 

 his lands were taken into the king's hands, 

 the abbot making fine and recovering the 

 lands. In 1292 his son John claimed them 

 from the abbot, who called Richard [de 

 Ince] son of Henry de Sefton to warrant 

 him, and John was non-suited ; Assize R. 

 408, m. 26 d. 





