A History of Bolton

Bolton was given to Roger de Pitou after the Norman invasion of Britain by William the Conqueror in 1067.

Roger’s family the Montgomery’s held the town until 1200 when it passed to the Earl of Derby by marriage.

The name Bolton comes from the coat of arms which shows an arrow or “bolt” through a crown, this may stem back to the part that archers from Bolton are thought to have played at the battle of Flodden Field in 1513.

The Crown itself represents a wooden stockade which surrounded a Saxon village  known as a “Tun” or “Ton” hence the word Bolton.

In 1251 William  de Ferrers was given a Royal Charter from Henry III for a Market and Fair in the town.
In 1253 Bolton was granted another Charter making it a free borough and also a market town.

1337 flemish émigré weavers settled in Bolton and introduced spinning and weaving and of course clogs.

Bolton sided with the Parliamentarians during the Civil war and was involved in a number of terrible skirmishes and attacks. These were led by James Stanley the Earl of Derby and Prince Rupert. Bolton finally fell to the royalists in 1644 after which the only massacre of the civil war was perpetrated.

After the war the Earl of Derby was tried and sentenced for the massacre he was imprisoned at the Ye old Man & Scythe Pub before his execution on Churchgate in 1651.
Bolton was known as “Bolton le moors” up until the 19th century.

The parish church of St Peters is in fact still known as “St Peters Bolton le Moors”.
Before 1830 the town was run by 2 authorities Great Bolton and Little Bolton.

The town was separated by the river Croal hence the two authorities.

By 1911 Bolton employed 15,000 men and 21,000 women in the Cotton and Weaving industry.

1929 Bolton had 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dyeing works.
However the business began to decline and by the 1980,s only around 2,500 men and women were employed in this industry.

The current Bolton is made up of eight small towns these are Farnworth, Kearsley, Blackrod, Little Lever, Westhoughton, South Turton and Bolton.

With the best of intention all of the above information is true, correct and given in good faith, however, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions contained within the above.

Equally we recommend that should you need or want to find out more you should conduct more detailed independant research.