Haigh, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Haigh is a village
and civil parish
of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
in Greater Manchester
, England. Historically
a part of Lancashire
, it is located next to the village of Aspull. The western boundary is the River Douglas
which separates the township from Wigan
. To the north a small brook running into the Douglas divides it from Blackrod
. At the 2001 census it had a population of 594.
was part of the Marsey fee. Hugh de Haigh, probably Hugh le Norreys paid 3 marks in 1193–4 for having the king's good will. Richard de Orrell granted land in Haigh to Cockersand Abbey
in 1220. In 1282 Hugh le Norreys was lord of Haigh. His daughter Mabel married William Bradshagh and in 1298 they inherited the manors of Haigh and Blackrod from Mabel's father. Bradshagh took part in Adam Banastre's rebellion in 1315 for which he was outlawed and by 1317 his manors were confiscated by the crown and granted to Peter de Limesey. William was presumed dead and Mabel remarried, but he returned in 1324 and killed Mabel's new husband. Sir William was killed at Winwick in August 1333. As penance, a legend states that Mabel walked barefoot from Wigan to Haigh every week for the rest of her life. The legend was made into a novel by Sir Walter Scott
, and remembered at Mab's Cross
in Wigan Lane. In 1336 and 1337 Mabel Bradshaigh arranged for the succession of the manors to her husband's nephews; Haigh to William, son of John de Bradshagh, and Blackrod to Roger, son of Richard. In 1338 she founded a chantry
in Wigan Church. She held the manor until 1346.
Early in 1365 Roger de Bradshagh of Westleigh claimed the manor from William de Bradshagh and Sir Henry de Trafford. Thomas de Bradshagh took part in the Rising of the North
of 1403 and was present at the Battle of Shrewsbury
and was later pardoned by Henry IV
. Edward Bradshaigh (d. 1652), a Carmelite friar – known as Elias à Jesu – was the fourth son of Roger Bradshaigh. Three brothers were Jesuits, and one brother a secular priest. Sir Roger Bradshaigh
MP, was created Bradshaigh of Haigh in 1679. Sir Roger Bradshaigh , the third Baronet, MP for Wigan for over 50 years, was Father of the House
in the House of Commons from 1738 to 1747. Over time the name has been variously recorded as Bradshagh, Bradshaghe and Bradshaw. The Bradshaigh variant dates from about 1518.
On June 1, 1780 Elizabeth Dalrymple, great niece of Sir Roger and heiress of Haigh as a result of the failure of the male line in her maternal family (Bradshaigh), married Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres. In 1787 the Earls of Crawford (after 1848, the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres) moved their seat to Haigh Hall
for several generations. A manor house
had stood on the Haigh estate since the Middle Ages
. The present hall was built between 1827 and 1840 on the site of the ancient manor house, by Alexander's son the 7th Earl Balcarres
who designed and supervised its construction whilst living in a cottage in the grounds. James, the 9th Earl
, a bibliophile, established a an extensive library at the hall. David, the 11th Earl
sold the hall and grounds to Wigan Corporation in 1947 for £18,000 and moved back to the family's original home in Balcarres.
on his estate which could be worked and carved. It was an excellent fuel, easily lit, burned with a bright flame and left virtually no ash. It was widely used for domestic lighting in the early 19th century before the incandescent gas mantle
was available but lost favour when coal gas
made it obsolete. The cannel coal was mined from Tudor times but by the mid 1600's the mines were wet and started flooding. To remedy this, between 1653 and 1670, Sir Roger Bradshaw built a sough
or adit
, the Great Haigh Sough
which ran for about a mile under his estate. It still drains water from the ancient workings. The Bradshaws successors, the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres, founded the Wigan Coal and Iron Company
in 1865. Collieries in Haigh belonging the Wigan Coal and Iron Company in 1896 were the Alexandra, Bawkhouse, Bridge, Lindsay and Meadow Pits.
The central workshops for Balcarres' collieries in Haigh and Aspull were built on the north bank of the canal between 1839 and 1841. The forge, smithy, joinery and fitting shops were powered by a steam engine. The site became the sawmill for the Wigan Coal and Iron Company's pits and Kirkless Iron and Steel Works. The Georgian office block survives.
was opened in the steep-sided Douglas valley in 1788 by the 6th earl, his brother and Mr Corbett an iron founder from Wigan. It was an iron works producing pig iron
and castings. Brock Mill Forge, of even earlier origins, was acquired. From 1808, the firm manufactured winding engine
s and pumps for the mining industry. In 1812, it built Lancashire's first locomotive and two more by 1816. In 1835 E. Evans and T.C. Ryley took a 21-year lease. They built 0-4-0
and 2-2-0
locomotives, subcontracted from Edward Bury
. In 1837, Ajax was supplied to the Leicester and Swannington Railway
, followed by Hector, an 0-6-0
. In 1838 two broad gauge locomotives were built for the Great Western Railway
. Four saddle tank locomotives designed by Daniel Gooch
were built for the South Devon Railway
. Long boiler locomotives were built for Jones and Potts and three locomotives were built for T.R.Crampton
. In 1855 two 0-8-0
locomotives were built for use in the Crimean War
, hauling guns up inclines as steep as 1 in 10. Over 100 locomotives were built before the lease expired in 1856.
In 1848, Haigh produced a beam engine
of 100 inch bore by 12 feet stroke, possibly the largest in the world at that time.
During the same decade, it supplied massive swing bridges for Albert Dock, Liverpool and Hull Docks - both extant in 2011. A new lease was signed by Birley & Thompson who concentrated on mining machinery, mill engines and large iron fabrications.
Until 1860, castings had to be carted up the hill out of the valley and records exist of at least 48 horses being hired from farmers to move a single casting. A railway was built but was re-routed a few years later. The foundry lease was given up in 1884 and the works closed in 1885. Several of Haigh's engineers left to form engine building companies - Walker Brothers, Ince Forge and Worsley Mesnes Ironworks Ltd.
Much of the site, with the exception of Brock Mill Forge, was intact in 2011 and the route of the mineral railway, including four bridges, is little changed. The foundry has been demolished but the site is used for manufacturing. The cast iron gateposts remain and a four storey building and chimney by the River Douglas
. The foundry drawing office was on Wingates Road in a building with large windows and a stone floor supported by cast iron
columns.
in the Hundred of West Derby
. It was part of the Wigan Poor Law Union
which after 1837 took responsibility for the administration and funding of the Poor Law
in that area. Haigh was part of the Wigan Rural Sanitary District until 1894 and Wigan Rural District from 1894 until 1974.
and a small brook, a tributary of the Douglas, divides it from Blackrod in the north. The township which covers 2198 acres is on ground that rises towards the east and north. The village, about 2½ miles northeast of Wigan
, is near the Aspull boundary at about 520 ft (158.5 m) above sea level. Haigh Hall Country Park occupies 250 acres of woods and parkland on south-western slopes. To the east are Winter Hill
and the West Pennine Moors
.
Roads lead north to Blackrod, west to Standish
, and south to Wigan and Aspull. The Lancaster Canal
portion of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
crosses the western part of the township near the River Douglas
. Haigh's underlying rocks are the sandstone
s and shale
s of the Middle Coal Measures
of the Lancashire Coalfield
and coal and cannel were extensively mined.
, the civil parish
of Haigh had a population of 594.
near Wigan Top Lock. In 1810 the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company was allowed to use the Lancaster Canal south of Johnson’s Hillock and the two joined in 1816. The canal passed through the Haigh estate and a Packet House for goods, mail and passengers was built near the Wigan Road entrance.
The Springs Branch Railway which ran from Ince Moss to Haigh and Aspull opened in 1838. There was a station at Red Rock
which opened in 1869 on the and Lancashire Union Railway. A waiting room was maintained for the occupants of Haigh Hall from 1870 until they left in 1946. The station was closed in 1949.
ing. The damaged brickwork was repaired and a broken and missing sail replaced.
built as a chapel of ease
to Wigan All Saints. The architect was Thomas Rickman
and it was consecrated in 1833. In 1838 the parish of Haigh and Aspull was formed. The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was founded as a mission in 1853 and the church opened in 1858.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, it is located next to the village of Aspull. The western boundary is the River Douglas
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
which separates the township from Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and 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...
. To the north a small brook running into the Douglas divides it from Blackrod
Blackrod
Blackrod is a settlement and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north-northeast of Wigan and west of Bolton and, according to the United Kingdom Census 2001, has a population of 5,300....
. At the 2001 census it had a population of 594.
History
Haigh is derived from the Old English haga, a hedge and means "the enclosure". The township was variously recorded as Hage in 1193, Hagh in 1298, and Haghe, Ha and Haw in the 16th century.Manor
Between 1220 and 1230 the manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
was part of the Marsey fee. Hugh de Haigh, probably Hugh le Norreys paid 3 marks in 1193–4 for having the king's good will. Richard de Orrell granted land in Haigh to Cockersand Abbey
Cockersand Abbey
Cockersand Abbey is a former abbey near Cockerham in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. It was founded before 1184 as the Hospital of St Mary on the marsh belonging to Leicester Abbey. It was refounded as a Premonstratensian priory and subsequently elevated to an abbey in 1192...
in 1220. In 1282 Hugh le Norreys was lord of Haigh. His daughter Mabel married William Bradshagh and in 1298 they inherited the manors of Haigh and Blackrod from Mabel's father. Bradshagh took part in Adam Banastre's rebellion in 1315 for which he was outlawed and by 1317 his manors were confiscated by the crown and granted to Peter de Limesey. William was presumed dead and Mabel remarried, but he returned in 1324 and killed Mabel's new husband. Sir William was killed at Winwick in August 1333. As penance, a legend states that Mabel walked barefoot from Wigan to Haigh every week for the rest of her life. The legend was made into a novel by Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
, and remembered at Mab's Cross
Mab's Cross
Mab's Cross, in Wigan, Greater Manchester, is a stone cross probably dating from the 13th century . The remains of the cross are a one metre square dressed gritstone block high on top of a stone plinth and are protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade II* listed building...
in Wigan Lane. In 1336 and 1337 Mabel Bradshaigh arranged for the succession of the manors to her husband's nephews; Haigh to William, son of John de Bradshagh, and Blackrod to Roger, son of Richard. In 1338 she founded a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
in Wigan Church. She held the manor until 1346.
Early in 1365 Roger de Bradshagh of Westleigh claimed the manor from William de Bradshagh and Sir Henry de Trafford. Thomas de Bradshagh took part in the Rising of the North
Rising of the North
The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls or Northern Rebellion, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.-Background:When Elizabeth I succeeded her...
of 1403 and was present at the Battle of Shrewsbury
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland....
and was later pardoned by Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. Edward Bradshaigh (d. 1652), a Carmelite friar – known as Elias à Jesu – was the fourth son of Roger Bradshaigh. Three brothers were Jesuits, and one brother a secular priest. Sir Roger Bradshaigh
Sir Roger Bradshaigh, 1st Baronet
Sir Roger Bradshaigh, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679....
MP, was created Bradshaigh of Haigh in 1679. Sir Roger Bradshaigh , the third Baronet, MP for Wigan for over 50 years, was Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
in the House of Commons from 1738 to 1747. Over time the name has been variously recorded as Bradshagh, Bradshaghe and Bradshaw. The Bradshaigh variant dates from about 1518.
On June 1, 1780 Elizabeth Dalrymple, great niece of Sir Roger and heiress of Haigh as a result of the failure of the male line in her maternal family (Bradshaigh), married Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres. In 1787 the Earls of Crawford (after 1848, the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres) moved their seat to Haigh Hall
Haigh Hall
Haigh Hall is a historic country house in Haigh, Greater Manchester, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. The hall, built between 1827 and 1840 by James Lindsay, 7th Earl of Balcarres, replaced an ancient manor house and was his family's home...
for several generations. A manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
had stood on the Haigh estate since the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The present hall was built between 1827 and 1840 on the site of the ancient manor house, by Alexander's son the 7th Earl Balcarres
James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford
James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford and 7th Earl of Balcarres was an Earl in the Scottish peerage.James Lindsay was born on 24 April 1783 at Balcarres, Fife to Alexander Lindsay, 23rd Earl of Crawford and inherited the title of 7th Earl of Balcarres on his father's death in 1825...
who designed and supervised its construction whilst living in a cottage in the grounds. James, the 9th Earl
James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford
James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres was a British astronomer, politician, bibliophile and philatelist. A member of the Royal Society, Crawford was elected president of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1878. He was a prominent Freemason.-Family:The Earl was the...
, a bibliophile, established a an extensive library at the hall. David, the 11th Earl
David Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford
David Alexander Robert Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford and 11th Earl of Balcarres, KT, GBE , known as Lord Balniel from 1913 to 1940, was a British Unionist politician....
sold the hall and grounds to Wigan Corporation in 1947 for £18,000 and moved back to the family's original home in Balcarres.
Coal
In 1540 John Leland reported that Sir Roger Bradshaigh had discovered a seam of cannel coalCannel coal
Cannel coal, also known as candle coal, is a type of coal, also classified as terrestrial type oil shale, with a large amount of hydrogen, which burns easily with a bright light and leaves little ash....
on his estate which could be worked and carved. It was an excellent fuel, easily lit, burned with a bright flame and left virtually no ash. It was widely used for domestic lighting in the early 19th century before the incandescent gas mantle
Gas mantle
An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating bright white light when heated by a flame. The name refers to its original heat source, existing gas lights, which filled the streets of Europe and North America in the late 19th century, mantle referring to the...
was available but lost favour when coal gas
Coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
made it obsolete. The cannel coal was mined from Tudor times but by the mid 1600's the mines were wet and started flooding. To remedy this, between 1653 and 1670, Sir Roger Bradshaw built a sough
Sough
A sough is an underground channel for draining water out of a mine. Its ability to drain a mine depends on the bottom of the mine being higher than a neighbouring valley...
or adit
Adit
An adit is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, and ventilated.-Construction:...
, the Great Haigh Sough
Great Haigh Sough
The Great Haigh Sough is a tunnel or adit driven under Sir Roger Bradshaigh's estate in Haigh, then in the historic county of Lancashire. Coal had been dug on the estate since Tudor times. The sough drained Bradshaigh's coal pits, which produced coal and cannel, and extended the life of the shallow...
which ran for about a mile under his estate. It still drains water from the ancient workings. The Bradshaws successors, the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres, founded the Wigan Coal and Iron Company
Wigan Coal and Iron Company
The Wigan Coal and Iron Company was formed when collieries on the Wigan Coalfield owned by John Lancaster were acquired by Lord Lindsay, the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, owner of the Haigh Colliery in 1865...
in 1865. Collieries in Haigh belonging the Wigan Coal and Iron Company in 1896 were the Alexandra, Bawkhouse, Bridge, Lindsay and Meadow Pits.
The central workshops for Balcarres' collieries in Haigh and Aspull were built on the north bank of the canal between 1839 and 1841. The forge, smithy, joinery and fitting shops were powered by a steam engine. The site became the sawmill for the Wigan Coal and Iron Company's pits and Kirkless Iron and Steel Works. The Georgian office block survives.
Haigh Foundry
Haigh FoundryHaigh Foundry
The Haigh Foundry was leased in 1835 by E.Evans and T.C.Ryley in Haigh, Lancashire. It had initially been established in the Douglas Valley, in Haigh, circa 1790 by Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres and his brother Robert as an ironworks and foundry...
was opened in the steep-sided Douglas valley in 1788 by the 6th earl, his brother and Mr Corbett an iron founder from Wigan. It was an iron works producing pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
and castings. Brock Mill Forge, of even earlier origins, was acquired. From 1808, the firm manufactured winding engine
Winding engine
A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also traditionally referred to as winding engines.Most proper...
s and pumps for the mining industry. In 1812, it built Lancashire's first locomotive and two more by 1816. In 1835 E. Evans and T.C. Ryley took a 21-year lease. They built 0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
and 2-2-0
2-2-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and no trailing wheels...
locomotives, subcontracted from Edward Bury
Edward Bury
Edward Bury was an English locomotive manufacturer.Edward Bury was born in Salford, Lancashire, the son of a timber merchant, and was educated at Chester. By 1823 he was a partner in Gregson & Bury's steam sawmill at Toxteth Park, Liverpool, but in 1826 he set himself up as an iron-founder and...
. In 1837, Ajax was supplied to the Leicester and Swannington Railway
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was one of England's first railways, being opened on 17 July 1832 to bring coal from collieries in west Leicestershire to Leicester.-Overview:...
, followed by Hector, an 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
. In 1838 two broad gauge locomotives were built for the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. Four saddle tank locomotives designed by Daniel Gooch
Daniel Gooch
Sir Daniel Gooch, 1st Baronet was an English railway and transatlantic cable engineer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1885...
were built for the South Devon Railway
South Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
. Long boiler locomotives were built for Jones and Potts and three locomotives were built for T.R.Crampton
Crampton locomotive
A Crampton locomotive is a type of steam locomotive designed by Thomas Russell Crampton and built by various firms from 1846. The main British builders were Tulk and Ley and Robert Stephenson and Company....
. In 1855 two 0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotives were built for use in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, hauling guns up inclines as steep as 1 in 10. Over 100 locomotives were built before the lease expired in 1856.
In 1848, Haigh produced a beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
of 100 inch bore by 12 feet stroke, possibly the largest in the world at that time.
During the same decade, it supplied massive swing bridges for Albert Dock, Liverpool and Hull Docks - both extant in 2011. A new lease was signed by Birley & Thompson who concentrated on mining machinery, mill engines and large iron fabrications.
Until 1860, castings had to be carted up the hill out of the valley and records exist of at least 48 horses being hired from farmers to move a single casting. A railway was built but was re-routed a few years later. The foundry lease was given up in 1884 and the works closed in 1885. Several of Haigh's engineers left to form engine building companies - Walker Brothers, Ince Forge and Worsley Mesnes Ironworks Ltd.
Much of the site, with the exception of Brock Mill Forge, was intact in 2011 and the route of the mineral railway, including four bridges, is little changed. The foundry has been demolished but the site is used for manufacturing. The cast iron gateposts remain and a four storey building and chimney by the River Douglas
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
. The foundry drawing office was on Wingates Road in a building with large windows and a stone floor supported by cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns.
Governance
Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Haigh was a township in the ecclesiastical parish of WiganWigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and 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...
in the Hundred of West Derby
West Derby (hundred)
The hundred of West Derby was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was sometimes known as West Derbyshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of West Derby .It covered the southwest of Lancashire, containing the ancient...
. It was part of the Wigan Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
which after 1837 took responsibility for the administration and funding of the Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
in that area. Haigh was part of the Wigan Rural Sanitary District until 1894 and Wigan Rural District from 1894 until 1974.
Geography
Haigh's western boundary is the River DouglasRiver Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
and a small brook, a tributary of the Douglas, divides it from Blackrod in the north. The township which covers 2198 acres is on ground that rises towards the east and north. The village, about 2½ miles northeast of Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and 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...
, is near the Aspull boundary at about 520 ft (158.5 m) above sea level. Haigh Hall Country Park occupies 250 acres of woods and parkland on south-western slopes. To the east are Winter Hill
Winter Hill (Lancashire)
Winter Hill is a hill on the border of the boroughs of Chorley, Blackburn with Darwen and Bolton, in North West England. It is located on Rivington Moor, Chorley and is high...
and the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
.
Roads lead north to Blackrod, west to Standish
Standish, Greater Manchester
Standish is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is located on the A49 road between the towns of Chorley and Wigan, a short distance from Junction 27 of the M6 motorway....
, and south to Wigan and Aspull. The Lancaster Canal
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in the north of England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria...
portion of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
crosses the western part of the township near the River Douglas
River Douglas
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland, is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England...
. Haigh's underlying rocks are the sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s and shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s of the Middle Coal Measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
of the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
and coal and cannel were extensively mined.
Demography
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Haigh had a population of 594.
Transport
Henry Eastman was the engineer for part of the Lancaster Canal to Haigh which was completed in 1799. This is the section where the canal joined the western arm of the Leeds and Liverpool CanalLeeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
near Wigan Top Lock. In 1810 the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company was allowed to use the Lancaster Canal south of Johnson’s Hillock and the two joined in 1816. The canal passed through the Haigh estate and a Packet House for goods, mail and passengers was built near the Wigan Road entrance.
The Springs Branch Railway which ran from Ince Moss to Haigh and Aspull opened in 1838. There was a station at Red Rock
Red Rock railway station
Red Rock railway station was between Standish and Haigh originally in Lancashire now within Greater Manchester, England. The station was on the Lancashire Union Railway line that ran from Blackburn via Chorley to Wigan before eventually joining the St Helens Railway.The former down waiting room at...
which opened in 1869 on the and Lancashire Union Railway. A waiting room was maintained for the occupants of Haigh Hall from 1870 until they left in 1946. The station was closed in 1949.
Landmarks
Haigh Windmill, the only remaining windmill in Greater Manchester, was built in 1845 and supplied well water to John Sumner & Company's Haigh Brewery which, until the 1950s, was situated behind the Balcarres Arms public house. The disused windmill was restored in 2011 in a £60,000 scheme made possible by Heritage Lottery FundHeritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
ing. The damaged brickwork was repaired and a broken and missing sail replaced.
Religion
St David's Church is a Commissioners' churchCommissioners' church
A Commissioners' church is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Act of 1818 and 1824. They have been given a number of titles, including Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches and Million Act churches...
built as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to Wigan All Saints. The architect was Thomas Rickman
Thomas Rickman
Thomas Rickman , was an English architect who was a major figure in the Gothic Revival.He was born at Maidenhead, Berkshire, into a large Quaker family, and avoided the medical career envisaged for him by his father, a grocer and druggist; he went into business for himself and married his first...
and it was consecrated in 1833. In 1838 the parish of Haigh and Aspull was formed. The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was founded as a mission in 1853 and the church opened in 1858.