Aspull

Aspull
Lancashire
Aspull Clock
Location
Grid reference:	SD611082
Location:	53°34’12"N, 2°35’10"W
Data
Population:	4,977
Post town:	Wigan
Postcode:	WN2
Dialling code:	01942
Local Government
Council:	Wigan
Parliamentary constituency:	Wigan

Aspull is a village in Lancashire. Though in the south of the county and close to its industrial conurbations, Aspull and nearby Haigh are surrounded by greenbelt and agricultural land. The village is separated from Westhoughton, on its southeast side, by a brook running through Borsdane Wood.

The ground rises from south to north, reaching 400 feet, and has views towards Winter Hill and the West Pennine Moors. It has a population of 4,977.

Aspull was once a centre of mining and textile manufacture, though little evidence of this can be seen in the village today. Haigh Country Park estate lies to the west.

Churches

St Elizabeth's Church was built in 1882 by Mr. Roger Leigh. The patronage is vested in trustees.

There are two Methodist chapels.

In 1858 the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was built.

History

Early history

The earliest notice of Aspull is that contained in the survey of 1212, when, as one plough-land, it formed part of the Childwall fee held by Richard son of Robert de Lathom, under the lord of Manchester. The fee was a composite one of 6½ plough-lands (of which Aspull formed one), held chiefly by Richard de Lathom, and partly by Roger de Samlesbury and Alexander de Harwood.

In 1302 Richard de Ince, as son and heir of Henry de Sefton, and Adam de Hindley, were found to hold Aspull, as the eighth part of a knight's fee, directly of Thomas Grelley. From this time the lordship has been held with the adjacent Ince by the families of Ince and Gerard in succession; until Aspull was sold to the Earl of Crawford and Earl of Balcarres|Balcarres, lord of Haigh.

Hindley Hall, in Aspull, the residence of the Hindleys, became the property of James, a younger son of Robert Dukinfield of Cheshire. In the 18th century it was acquired by the Leighs of Whitley Hall, Wigan, and Sir Robert Holt Leigh lived here till his death in 1843. His estates then passed for life to his cousin Thomas Pemberton, who took the name of Leigh, and made Hindley Hall his residence; he was raised to the peerage as Baron Kingsdown in 1858.

The hearth tax roll of 1666 shows that 135 hearths were charged. The most considerable houses were those of Richard Green, nine hearths; Peter Orrell and James Dukinfield, eight each; Major Rigby and Thomas Molyneux, seven each; and Edward Gleast, six.

Coal

Cannel coal was found in Aspull. There were several large collieries dating back to the 18th century, also malt kilns and a cotton mill. In 1896 the Crawford, Kirkless, Moor and Woodshaw Pits in the township belonging the Wigan Coal and Iron Company employed over 1,000 workers. Aspull's long history of mining left a legacy of old mineshafts, water drainage tunnels (soughs) and abandoned mine workings.

The Great Haigh Sough in Haigh Country Park discharged iron rich minewater into the Yellow Brook, discolouring the brook and River Douglas downstream with ochre deposits. In 2004 the Coal Authority provided a passive treatment plant in a scheme costing £750,000. Work was undertaken by Ascot Environmental who built a pumping station, pipelines, settlement lagoons, reedbeds and landscaped the site. The scheme has improved the water quality removing the discolouration and allowed fish to populate the brook.

The coal-mining tradition lives on in the name of the "Collier's Arms" pub on Wigan Road, which has a date plaque of 1700 [1].

Sport

• Football:
  • Aspull Juniors
  • Aspull F.C.
• Rugby union: Aspull RFC

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Aspull)

• Information on Aspull  from GENUKI
• Wigan World
• Aspull RFC
• All about Aspull
• Aspull Civic Hall
• Haigh Country Park

References

• A History of the County of Lancaster - Volume 4 pp 118–22: Townships: Aspull (Victoria County History)