Little Bolton was a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

of the civil and

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Bolton le Moors in the

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

hundred of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England, and later a separate

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

. 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. In 1891 the parish had a population of 44,307.

Governance

Historically, Little Bolton formed part of the

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

, a judicial division of southwest Lancashire. It was one of the townships that made up the ancient

of Bolton le Moors. Under provisions of the

Poor Relief Act 1662 The Poor Relief Act 1662 ( 14 Cha. 2. c. 12) was an act of the Cavalier Parliament of England. It was ''an Act for the Better Relief of the Poor of this Kingdom'' and is also known as the Settlement Act or the Settlement and Removal Act. The ...

, townships replaced

civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishe ...

as the main units of local administration in Lancashire. Little Bolton became one of the eighteen autonomous townships of the civil parish of Bolton le Moors. The township appointed overseers of the poor who administered

poor relief In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

to those in need and Highway surveyors who maintained the roads, all of which was funded by levying a rate from the inhabitants of the township. In 1792, the first of the Bolton Improvement Acts (32 Geo. 3. c. 71) was passed by Parliament which established the Little Bolton Police Commissioners (or Trustees) who took responsibility for improving the township. St George's Church, the township's first place of worship, was completed in 1796, and Little Bolton Town Hall was built in 1826. The Little Bolton Improvement Act 1830 (11 Geo. 4 & 1 Will. 4. c. xlvi) converted the trustees into an elected

corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

. Under the

Municipal Corporations Act 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 ( 5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76), sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales. The le ...

, the

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

of Bolton was established in 1838 as a

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

, which comprised most of Little Bolton, the whole of Great Bolton, and the Haulgh area of the township of Tonge with Haulgh. The northern detached parts of Little Bolton were included in the area of Astley Bridge Local Board of Health in 1864. In 1866, Little Bolton became a civil parish. Although part of the Municipal Borough of Bolton from 1838, Little Bolton was used for the censuses until the civil parish was abolished on 30 September 1895 and merged with Bolton. For recording births, marriages, and deaths, Little Bolton continued as a sub-district of the Bolton

registration district A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of ...

until 1947.

Demography

References

{{coord, 53.5898, -2.4307, display=title Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester Local government in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton History of Bolton

Governance

Demography

See also

References