Bolton le Moors (also known as Bolton le Moors St Peter) 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.

Bolton le Moors
Population
 • 180129,826
 • 1881124,763
History
 • Origin14th century
StatusCivil parish (until 1866)
Ecclesiastical parish

History

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Bolton le Moors was originally a part of the ancient parish of Eccles. In the 14th century it became a parish in its own right.[1] It resembled what is now the town of Bolton and some outskirts. As with many large parishes in the north of England, it was split into townships in 1662 for easier civic administration.[2] Some of the townships had chapels and were known as chapelries.[3]

For civil purposes, these townships and chapelries were largely autonomous. For ecclesiastical purposes they were presided by and gave an overall precept to the vicar of Bolton. In 1866, the young civil parish (civil parishes in England were set up for almost all parishes from the 1840s to 1860s) was ended; the townships became civil parishes in their own right.[4] These townships, later civil parishes, were used for the censuses until 1891, after which most were absorbed into the County Borough of Bolton or became urban districts. Anglezarke and Rivington became part of the Chorley Rural District.

Anglican parish

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The residual ecclesiastical parish exists, being east-central Bolton town centre and a joined-on zone south-west.[5][6] It is one of the Church of England parishes in the Diocese of Manchester.[7][8] The parish church is St Peter's Church, Bolton and was rebuilt between 1866 and 1871.

The Reverend Matthew Thompson served from 2008 to 2017.[9][10]

Notable residents

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Demography

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Total population of the Parish of Bolton le Moors
Year 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881
Population 29,826 39,721 50,197 63,034 73,298 86,660 96,266 110,818 122,248
Sources: Pauline Tatton. Local population statistics 1801-1986. Bolton Central Library Archives.
"A vision of Britain through time". Retrieved 15 March 2009.
Total population of each of the townships in the Parish of Bolton le Moors
Township Year and Population
1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Anglezarke 162 181 215 168 164 179 134 195 99 92
Blackrod 1,623 2,111 2,436 2,591 2,615 2,509 2,911 3,800 4,234 4,021
Bradshaw 380 582 713 773 827 853 792 870 755 647
Breightmet 734 852 963 1,026 1,309 1,500 1,562 1,500 1,525 1,720
Darcy Lever 589 792 956 1,119 1,700 2,091 2,071 2,048 1,994 1,979
Edgworth 1,003 1,302 1,729 2,168 1,697 1,230 1,350 1,675 1,862 1,861
Entwistle 447 571 677 701 555 486 422 339 341 - - - -
Great Bolton 12,549 17,070 22,037 28,299 33,449 39,923 43,435 45,313 45,694 47,067
Harwood 1,281 1,430 1,809 2,011 1,996 2,057 2,055 1,976 1,811 1,564
Little Bolton 4,867 7,099 9,258 12,896 15,707 19,888 24,942 35,013 41,937 44,307
Little Lever 1,276 1,586 1,854 2,231 2,580 3,511 3,890 4,204 4,413 5,168
Longworth 249 226 238 179 149 152 154 113 106 102
Lostock 509 540 576 606 625 620 580 670 782 891
Quarlton 238 295 320 376 370 361 253 264 271 251
Rivington 519 526 583 537 471 412 369 531 330 373
Sharples 873 1,374 2,065 2,589 2,880 3,904 3,294 3,315 3,710 6,981
Tonge with Haulgh 1,158 1,402 1,678 2,201 2,627 2,826 3,539 4,050 6,731 10,735
Turton 1,369 1,782 2,090 2,563 3,577 4,158 4,513 4,942 5,653 11,808
Sources: Pauline Tatton. Local population statistics 1801-1986. Bolton Central Library Archives.
"A vision of Britain through time". Retrieved 15 March 2009.

References

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  1. ^ The parish of Bolton-le-Moors. British History Online. Retrieved on 15 March 2009.
  2. ^ Local Authority Records: Townships And Civil Parishes Archived 2008-05-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 15 March 2009.
  3. ^ Map of Bolton ancient parishes. Retrieved on 15 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Bolton le Moors AP/CP". A vision of Britain through time. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  5. ^ "A Church Near You".
  6. ^ Bolton-le-Moors: St Peter (Parish Map). Retrieved on 15 March 2009.
  7. ^ Bolton Parish Church. (Official website). Retrieved on 15 March 2009.
  8. ^ Diocese of Manchester: Churches Archived 2009-06-14 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 15 March 2009.
  9. ^ Thomas, Cherry (4 May 2008). "Vicar relishing new role at Bolton Parish". The Bolton News. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  10. ^ Parish Magazine: June 2008 Archived 2008-11-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 15 March 2009.