Walking Down Memory Lane ( Horwich In Pictures )
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Horwich (pronounced /ˈhɒrɪtʃ/, "Horrich") is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England.[1][2] It is 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of Chorley, 5.8 miles (9.3 km) northwest of Bolton and 20 miles (32 km) northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the south and west. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, Horwich had a population of 19,312.[3]
Historically a part of Lancashire, Horwich emerged in the Middle Ages as a hunting chase and streams flowing from the moors were harnessed to provide power for bleachworks and other industry at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The textile industry became a major employer and after 1884 the construction of the railway works caused the population of the town to increase dramatically. The old industries have closed and regeneration has been led by out of town developments, particularly at Middlebrook, which, since 1997 has been the base of Bolton Wanderers football club, who play at the Reebok Stadium, having relocated from Burnden Park near Bolton
The name Horwich derives from the Old English har wice, meaning the "(place at) the grey wych-elm" and in 1221 was recorded as Horewic.[4] The name was recorded as Harewych in 1277 and Horewyche in 1327.[5]
In the Middle Ages Horwich originated as a hunting chase for the Barons of Manchester. It was held by Albert de Greslet between 1086 and 1100.[6] In 1249 Henry III granted Thomas Greslet free warren over the his lands in "Horewich". The barons appointed foresters and offenders were brought before the court baron or court leet for punishment.[7] In 1277 Robert Greslet, seventh Baron[8] prosecuted Martin de Rumworth for carrying off deer in Horwich Chase.
A description of Horwich in 1322 stated, " The wood of Horwich contains a circuit of sixteen leagues, and is yearly worth in pannage, aeries of eagles, herons and goshawks, in honey, millstones, and iron mines, in charcoal-burning, and the like issues, 60s.; of which the vesture in oaks, elms, and wholly covered with such, 160 marks."[5]
In 1598 a number of Horwich men were presented at the court leet for tithing and in 1621 the court leet recorded "paid for hue and crye that came from Horwich after the man who made an escape forth of ye stocks for stealing certain lynen cloth 8d."[5] By the 17th century the amount of woodland in the Horwich forest was reduced by house building and for fuel.[9][10] Horwich Moor was enclosed between 1815 and 1818 and race meetings were held between 1837 and 1847.[5]
The old Manor of Horwich became the property of the Andertons of Lostock Hall, Lostock, who purchased it in 1599 from Nicholas and Elizabeth Mosley. These lands were confiscated by the Crown in 1715 after the Battle of Preston. They were later leased to the Blundells whose coat of arms is displayed above the door at the Blundell Arms on Chorley Old Road.
The Pilkington family were farmers who became gentry, Richard Pilkington was owner of rights of the Horwich Manor.[11] William Pilkington (1765–1831) became a physician and apothecary in St Helens and his sons Richard (1795–1869) and William (1800–1872) were the founders of Pilkington Glass.[12]
Industrial RevolutionHorwich made yarn was mentioned in records from the reign of Henry III.[5] In the 1770s brothers, John and Joseph Ridgway, land agents to the Blundells moved their bleaching works from Bolton to Wallsuches.[9][10] Their works was the oldest and one of the few stone-built mills in the Bolton borough.[13] The firm was one of the earliest users of chemical bleaching using chlorine.[14] In 1798 the firm installed a Boulton and Watt steam engine.[15]
Horwich Vale Printworks was started in 1799 by the River Douglas and did machine and handblock printing.[15] Stone was quarried locally, there were several small collieries on Winter Hill and a firebrick and tile works in the town.[5] In 1896 the Montcliffe Colliery on the south slopes of the moors above Horwich was owned by Adam, Mason and Son and managed by Joseph Crankshaw and Joseph Kenwright. It employed 26 men underground and 7 surface workers getting coal and fireclay from the Mountain coal seam.[16] Crankshaws pipeworks used locally mined fireclay and had had several beehive kilns at their works at Tiger's Clough.[17] There were cotton mills belonging to W. & W. Bennett and Peter Gaskell.[18]
Ridgways provided land for the early 19th century Club Houses, a grid pattern development of streets of stone built cottages south of Church street. Some had basements for hand loom weaving. In 1851 the occupants were crofters, stovers and bleachers.[15] In 1881 Horwich's population was 3,761 with around 900 houses, and had remained stable for fifty years. A rapid increase in population over the next ten years was caused by the arrival of the railway works and W.T Taylor's cotton mill. In the late 19th century, brick terraced houses, in streets named after famous engineers, were built near to Horwich Works on both sides of Chorley New Road on company land.[15] By 1891 Horwich was transformed into a town of 12,850 people.[9][10]
In 1937 the de Havilland Aircraft Company built a factory which supplied aircraft to Cobham's Flying Circus and manufactured propellers. The company was taken over by Hawker Siddeley and subsequently British Aerospace, BAe, but is now closed.[19]
