Wigan

Wigan is a large town in the north-west of England, which between 1974 and 1986 formed part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. Although traditionally lying in the historic and geographic county of Lancashire. It is the biggest town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, with a population of around 300,000. The nearest major town is Bolton, and it is roughly equidistant to Preston, Liverpool and Manchester.

History

Origins

The first people reported to have settled in the Wigan area were the Brigantes. The Romans took over ?Chochion?, as it was then known, in around 79 AD during one of many wars with the Celts and renamed the settlement ?Coccium?. The Romans left some time in the 5th century.

Related Topics:
Brigantes - Romans - Wars - Celts

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By the time of the Middle Ages, Wigan had become a constituent manor of the Barony of Makerfield, and received its Royal Charter from King Henry III in 1246 when it was made into a Borough in its own right. Its new status as a Royal Borough is reflected in the insignia of the town Coat of Arms.

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The earliest incorporation of the Town is actually mentioned in the report of the Norry King of Arms in 1613, that "The Towne and Bourrough of Wiggin was antiently incorporated by the most noble Kinge, Kinge Hen, the first, in the first year of his raygne," i.e. the year 1100. If so, this would make the borough the oldest in Lancashire, and one of the oldest in the country.

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How the town got its name is mysterious, although we know that it was named after 1086 (it is not mentioned in the Doomsday Book). Some suggest the name is old Welsh Gwigan, meaning settlement whilst others attribute the name to Saxon English or Viking.

Related Topics:
Doomsday Book - Welsh - Saxon - Viking

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Industry

Wigan was once important for coal mining and cotton textile production. The Leeds-Liverpool canal was used extensively to transport local produce. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power looms to the Wigan cotton mills. These mills swiftly became infamous for their dangerous and unbearable conditions, low pay and use of child labour. After the 1914-18 war there was a boom followed by a slump from which Wigan's textile industry did not recover. The last working cotton mill, the May mill, closed in 1980.

Related Topics:
Coal - Mining - Cotton - Textile - Canal - Looms - Child labour - May mill

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The novel Rose by Martin Cruz Smith is centered around the Victorian era coal mining in Wigan.

Related Topics:
Martin Cruz Smith - Victorian era

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Wigan Pier

Wigan is probably most famous for its pier, once an important loading/unloading building for the mills and collieries, now a popular local museum and nightclub. Wigan Pier is certainly most famous for its connection to George Orwell and his novel The Road to Wigan Pier.

Related Topics:
Pier - Museum - George Orwell - The Road to Wigan Pier

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The town has a complex relationship with this association. Sometimes embracing it, the Orwellian link has provided the area with a modest tourist base over the years. However, most regard the insinuation that Wigan is in fact no better now than it was as the Victorian era slum with objection and frank hostility. A recent TV documentary about Orwell visited Wigan, and made the facile comparison to less-affluent areas such as Platt Bridge, commenting that not much had changed (see chav or scally). This was met with widespread local disapproval.

Related Topics:
Platt Bridge - Chav - Scally

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