Sharples | |
---|---|
Township / Civil parish | |
History | |
• Created | Middle Ages |
• Abolished | 1898 |
Status | Township (until 1866) Civil parish (1866–1898) |
Sharples, a suburb of Bolton, was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, England. It lay 2+1⁄2 miles north of Bolton. [1] [2] It contained the smaller settlements of Banktop, Sweet-Loves, High-Houses, Gale, Folds, Belmont, Piccadilly, Water-Meetings, Old Houses and part of Astley Bridge.
Sharples was recorded in documents as Charples in 1212, Sharples and Scharples in 1292 [1] and the manor was part of the Barony or Lordship of Manchester in the Middle Ages and was separated and then further divided into shares by subinfeudation. Sharples was the name of a local family who lived at Sharples Hall, the Lawson family owned the Hall at the time that the manor became partitioned after the death of Dr John Sharples Lawson who died in 1816. [3] [4] The next family to live and own the hall were the Rothwells. [5]
Sharples contained forty-three hearths liable to the hearth tax in 1666. During the Industrial Revolution coal was mined on a small scale and cotton mills, calico print-works, extensive bleach-works were built in Belmont and Astley Bridge. [4]
Malcolm Howe of Chelsea, a native of Sharples and published historian, with expertise in heraldry, had purchased manorial rights through an intermediary acting on behalf of the descendants of the owner as an historic relic to preserve its existence and keep the rights within the borough, at a cost of £15,000 in 2006. At the same time designing a heraldic badge for Sharples. In the same year he gifted the rights to Bolton Council whilst retaining rights to continue the use of the title of Lord of Sharples. [6] [7] [8]
Historically, Sharples formed part of the Hundred of Salford, a judicial division of southwest Lancashire, whilst administered from St Peter's Church, at Great Bolton. [9] Under provisions of the Poor Relief Act 1662, townships replaced parishes as the main units of local administration in Lancashire. [10] Sharples became one of the eighteen autonomous townships of the parish of Bolton le Moors. [1] In 1837, Sharples became part of the Bolton Poor Law Union, which took over the responsibility for the administration and funding of the Poor Law in that area. [11]
In 1864 Lower Sharples and part of Little Bolton became Astley Bridge Local Board of Health and in 1894 Astley Bridge Urban District before being merged in Bolton County Borough in 1898. Upper Sharples became Belmont civil parish in the Bolton Rural District from 1894 to 1898 when it became part of Turton Urban District and in 1974 became part of Blackburn District in Lancashire. [12]
The township, on ground rising to the north of Bolton, had an area of 3920 acres divided into two portions. [4] Upper Sharples on the slopes of Winter Hill and Whimberry Hill contained the districts of Hordern, Belmont, and the hamlet of Bromiley and a reservoir built by Bolton Waterworks formed the boundary between Sharples and Longworth. Lower Sharples was separated from the upper portion by a detached portion of Little Bolton. Astley Bridge is in Lower Sharples. [1] The old road over the West Pennine Moors from Bolton to Preston via Astley Bridge and Withnell, now the A675 passed through the township for five miles. Much of the land is high moorland.
The main secondary school serving the area is Sharples School, located on Hill Cot Road.
St Peter's church in Belmont was built in 1850.
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and villages that form the wider borough, of which Bolton is the administrative centre. The town is also within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.
Boothstown is a suburban village in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. Boothstown forms part of the Boothstown and Ellenbrook ward, which had a population at the 2011 Census of 9,599. The village is within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, west of the City of Salford, bordered to the north by the East Lancashire Road A580 and to the south by the Bridgewater Canal. Historically, it was a hamlet partly in Worsley township in the parish of Eccles, and partly in Tyldesley in the parish of Leigh.
Atherton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England and historically part of Lancashire. The town, including Hindsford, Howe Bridge and Hag Fold, is 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Bolton, 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Wigan, and 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Manchester. From the 17th century, for about 300 years, Atherton was known as Chowbent, which was frequently shortened to Bent, the town's old nickname. During the Industrial Revolution, the town was a key part of the Manchester Coalfield.
Belmont is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of North Turton, in the unitary authority area of Blackburn with Darwen, in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is close to Darwen and has around 500 inhabitants.
Blackrod is a town and civil parish situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Nestled in the historic County of Lancashire, Blackrod is positioned 3.9 miles (6.3 km) northeast of Wigan and 6.6 miles (10.6 km) west of Bolton. According to the United Kingdom Census of 2021, the town has a population of 5,345.
Turton Urban District was, from 1873 to 1974, a local government district centred on the historical area of Turton in the administrative county of Lancashire, England.
Harwood is a suburb to the north-northeast of Bolton, Greater Manchester, bordering Bury in North West England. Harwood is also part of the historic county of Lancashire.
Halliwell is predominantly a residential area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It gives its name to an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 13,929. Halliwell lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north west of Bolton town centre and is bounded by Tonge Moor to the east and Heaton to the south west. Smithills Hall to the north is within the ancient township. It lies on the lower south facing slopes of the West Pennine Moors.
Bolton le Moors was a large civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in hundred of Salford in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It was administered from St Peter's Church, Bolton in the township of Great Bolton.
Heaton is mostly a residential district of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It lies about 2 miles (3 km) north west of Bolton town centre. It is bounded by Deane to the south, Markland Hill to the west, and Smithills and Halliwell to the north.
Blue Bus was a large independent bus company serving Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
Turton is a historical area in the North West of England. It is divided between the ceremonial counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The Turton area is located north of Bolton and south of Blackburn. The area historically formed a township in the ancient parish of Bolton le Moors. The principal village in the township is now known as Chapeltown.
Bolton was, from 1838 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England conterminate with the town of Bolton.
Great Bolton was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, England. Despite its name, Great Bolton had a smaller acreage than its northern neighbour Little Bolton from which it was separated by the River Croal.
Little Bolton was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, England. Besides the main part of Little Bolton, it had three detached parts which were separated by areas of Lower Sharples and Higher Sharples. Despite its name, Little Bolton had a larger acreage than its southern neighbour Great Bolton, from which it was separated by the River Croal.
Tonge with Haulgh was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, England.
Quarlton was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Hundred of Salford, Lancashire, England. It lay 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) north east of Bolton.
Longworth was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, England.
Smithills is a mainly residential suburb of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is 3.1 miles (5 km) northwest of Bolton, 14.5 miles (23 km) south of Blackburn and 11.9 miles (19 km) northwest of Manchester. Smithills lies on the lower south facing slopes of the West Pennine Moors.