Turton, Lancashire
Turton is a historical area in the
The area of the former township is now divided between two local authorities. North Turton is part of the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, and South Turton is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, both in Lancashire. Although no longer used as an administrative area, the name of Turton is still used as an historical area.
Etymology
Turton means "
The Scandinavian etymology would seem to fit, considering that there are other place-names in the area of this origin.
History
Early history
Between Chapeltown and Egerton are the remains of prehistoric stone circles on moorland at Cheetham Close which date back to the Bronze Age. These stone circles are the earliest evidence for settlers in the Turton area. One of the circles was 15 metres (51 ft) in diameter and some of the stones were several feet in height.[3][4] In the 19th century there were many uninvited visitors to the site which caused the local farmer, a tenant of Turton Tower, to break it up in 1871 using his team of carthorses and sledge hammers. Before this happened, antiquarian, Gilbert French, had made sketches, maps and plans and written a detailed description which is now in Bolton Reference Library.
To the south are the remains of another circle, slightly larger in circumference, which is thought to have been a livestock enclosure.[2]
Turton Tower
Turton Tower in
Turton Tower was inherited in 1420 by the Orrell family.
The tower was sold in 1835 to
In October 1903 the tower was bought by
After local government re-organisation in 1974, Turton was split and the tower became part of the new Borough of Blackburn, and was administered by Lancashire County Museums Service. Following changes to the Lancashire County Museum Service, the tower was taken over by Blackburn with Darwen Council.[5]
The Summerhouse east of Turton Tower, a grade II* listed building, is on the heritage at risk register.[6]
Industry
Cotton mills, printworks, bleachworks, an iron foundry, and a paper mill were important industries in Turton after the Industrial Revolution. The Black Rock Mill complex, a site owned by Whitecroft Limited (previously the Bleachers' Association Limited), was last operated in the 1950s as a bleach and print works.[7] Horrobin Mill Bleachworks, one of the oldest bleachworks in the Bolton area, ceased trading in 1937 after 150 years activity.[8]
Governance
Until the 19th century Turton was a
In 1837 Turton joined with other townships in the area to form the
In 1866 the township became a civil parish. In 1894 the civil parish became Turton Urban District, and the urban district was greatly enlarged in 1898 by the addition of several more parishes.[1] The urban district was abolished in 1974, and its former area was divided between two local authorities. North Turton is part of the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, and South Turton is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.
Geography
The Turton township covered an area of 4,614 acres (18.67 km2) and extended in a north and north-west direction for nearly 5 miles (8 km). The central part of the township is occupied by high moorland, Turton Heights at 1,100 feet (335 m) and Turton Moor at 1,280 feet (390 m). The Bradshaw Brook which formed the northern and eastern boundaries, was dammed to form two reservoirs for the Bolton Waterworks.[1][10]
The main road from Bolton divided at the southern end of the township to pass each side of the central hill, the eastern branch through Turton village to Edgworth and Darwen, and the western branch through Egerton, over Charters Moss at 916 feet (279 m) to Blackburn.[1]
Demography
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Source(s): (a) Local population statistics.[11] (b) Turton Ch/CP: Total Population.[12] (c) Four Bolton Directories.[13] |
Religion
Turton had two
The first chapel of ease at
The second chapel of ease was at Walmsley, which was the old village name for Egerton. It is not known when Walmsley Chapel was built, but the Diocesan Church Calendar stated that it existed in the year 1500 and the first documentary evidence appears to be in the "Inventories of Church Goods 1552". The chapel was rebuilt in 1771 and demolished in 1839. The present Christ Church, Walmsley, Egerton, was consecrated in 1840.[2]
A mission church at Toppings opened in 1897, and services were held in the school at Eagley Bridge. The Wesleyan Methodists had chapels at Turton, Egerton, and Toppings and there were Congregational chapels at Turton and Egerton where the old Nonconformist chapel of 1713 became Unitarian. The
Sport
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Farrer, William; Brownbill, J, eds. (1911), "Turton", Victoria County History. A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, British History Online, pp. 273–281, retrieved 24 August 2010
- ^ ISBN 0-86360-003-4).
- ^ Cheethams Close, megalithix.wordpress.com, retrieved 24 August 2010
- ^ The Bronze Age Complex on Cheethams Close (pdf), manchester.ac.uk, retrieved 24 August 2010
- ^ Peter Laws, G.E. A Guide to Turton Tower, Beric Tempest & Co. Ltd., St. Ives, Cornwall.
- ^ English Heritage At Risk
- ISBN 978-1-904974-11-6.
- ISBN 978-1-904974-14-7.
- ^ Workhouse, workhouses.org.uk, archived from the original on 5 June 2011, retrieved 24 August 2010
- ^ Turton map, genuki.org.uk, retrieved 24 August 2010
- ^ Tatton, Pauline. Local population statistics 1801–1986. Bolton: Bolton Central Library Archives.
- ^ Vision of Britain – Turton Ch/CP: Total Population. Vision of Britain. URL accessed 13 January 2016.
- ISBN 0-9506257-3-6.
- ^ St. Anne's Church, Chapeltown
- ISBN 0-300-09617-8attribution tentative.
- ^ Turton Football Club