Wigan

Coordinates: 53°32′41″N 2°37′54″W / 53.5448°N 2.6318°W / 53.5448; -2.6318

Wigan /ˈwɪɡən/ is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, 7.9 miles (13 km) south-west of Bolton, 10 miles (16 km) north of Warrington and 16 miles (25.7 km) west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total population of 97,000 in 2011, whilst the wider borough has a population of 318,100.Historically in Lancashire, Wigan during classical antiquity was in the territory of the Brigantes, an ancient Celtic tribe that ruled much of northern England. The Brigantes were subjugated in the Roman conquest of Britain during the 1st century, and it is asserted that the Roman settlement of Coccium was established where Wigan lies. Wigan is believed to have been incorporated as a borough in 1246 following the issue of a charter by King Henry III of England. At the end of the Middle Ages it was one of four boroughs in Lancashire possessing Royal charters; the others were Lancaster, Liverpool, and Preston.

Wigan (fabric)

Wigan is a cotton material coated with latex rubber. Its name is derived from Wigan, the name of a town in Greater Manchester, England.

References

Wigan (UK Parliament constituency)

Wigan is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Lisa Nandy, a member of the Labour Party.

History

Wigan was one of the important places called upon to send a representative (a 'burgess') to the Model Parliament of 1295 and to another in January 1307, however was not summoned during the remainder of the medieval period to send its representative to Westminster, instead waiting until Henry VIII's grant of two members to the town which is believed to have already been incorporated as a borough in 1246 following the issue of a charter by Henry III. After the end of the Middle Ages, in the Tudor period, Wigan was one of four boroughs in Lancashire possessing Royal Charters; the others were Lancaster, Liverpool and Preston.

The seat saw a reduction of the number of its members under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 which imposed single-member constituencies nationwide.

The death of Roger Stott in office in 1999 made him the fourth Wigan MP in the twentieth century to die in office (uniquely for a constituency in the United Kingdom): (the others being John Parkinson, Ronald Williams and William Foster).