Farnworth, Halshaw Moor

Extracts from a book entitled

“The Story of Halshaw Moor Chapel”

“ A History of A Century Of Work”

By Harold A Barnes, M.A.

Published in 1908 in by J Whatmore, Printers, Bookbinders, Farnworth

The Chapel Chronology and Harold Barnes recollections.

1483 Adam Prestall owned land in Farnworth adjoining that of John Hulton
and Richard Seddon.
1788 Apr 20 John Wesley preached at Bolton Moor Chapel
1788 May 20 James Topp and family moved from Breightmet to Farnworth
1788 Jun 2 Robert Tongs first wife Jane died
1788 Jul 29 Robert Tong, landlord married Jane Barnes.
1790 Apl 7 Lady Huntingdon’s Chapel at Tyldesley opened
1790 May 18 Robert Kenyon moved to Wigan.
1791 Mar 8 John Isherwood married Thos Mather’s daughter
1791 Mar 22 I, (Harold Barnes?) killed adder in our garden.
1791 Jul 31 The Bishop of Chester consecrated St Matthew’s Little Lever.
1791 Nov 7 Dorning Rasbotham died a Birch House.
1792 May 16 Joseph Crompton of the Paper Mills died.
1792 Aug 4 Charles Chetham fell into the Green Wheel and died.
1792 Nov 7 Stand Lane Independent Chapel opened.
1793 Mar 20 Bury Independent Chapel opened.
1793 Oct 5 Prestolee Aqueduct Bridge opened.
1794 May 4 Rev Noah Blackburn died.
1794 May 7 Thomas Young was found drowned in a pit at Dixon Green
1794 Dec 22 Joseph Knott was drowned by falling off a bridge of Mr Rawson

1808 Feb 2 Mr Roger Holland of Birch House hired the Old Grammar School at
the bottom of Dixon Green for a Sunday School
1808 April Holland’s Sunday School moved to Dial Post, where he founded
Holland’s School (at present Site 2005).
1808 June 24 First Sod cut in Withington Croft, called at that time Withington Chapel. First stone was laid by Robert Topp Senior (ShopKeeper), of Clammerclough.
Subscribers to cost of Chapel
James Heywood (on whose Land it was built)
James Jackson, of Stonehill, now the home of Tom Nuttall
Joshua Cross
Dennis Grundy, of Bury.
Thomas & Samuel Grundy
Benjamin Rawson
John Partington (shopkeeper near Bird I th Hand)
John Johnson
Mr Woodcock
A Friend?
Robert Topp
R Bullough
Thomas Hulme
J. Davenport
H. Cross
J & A Crompton

1809 Whit-Sunday Although Chapel not completed opened for worship. It seated about 250.
1809 July. Pulpit was supplied by Mr George Kirkpatrick of Manchester.
1813 January Call to Mr Dyson by the following to be Pastor by
John Almond, Alice Almond, Robert Bradshaw, Esther Bradshaw
John Birch, Betty Birch, Betty Bowcock, James Boyd, Elizabeth
Boyd, Elizabeth Boyd jun. James Rothwell Barnes, William
Crookshank, William Collins, Joshua Cross, Ellen Cross, Sarah
Cross, Ann Cross, John Cross, John Davenport, Esther Edge,
John Green, Alice Green, Peter Greenhalgh, John Holker,
Susan Howarth, Martha Hill, James Jackson, John Johnson,
Ann Johnson, Joshua Johnson, John Johnson Jun, Robert Lord,
Thomas Lord, Joseph Lord, John Partington, James Smethurst,
Richard Smethurst, Joseph Topp, Robert Topp, Hugh Topp,
Nathaniel Topp, Hannah Topp, Martha Topp, Richard Titley,
Mary Titley, Jane Tong, Richard Walkden, William Walkden,
Betty Walker, James Watson.
Mr Dyson stipend depended on pew rents, in 1819 rents equalled
£62 9s 0d.
1815 Sunday school established.
1816 Chapel House built for a manse.
1823 Aug 5 John Tong drowned himself
1824 Jan 1 Alice young drowned
1824 Mar 4 A stone was laid at St Johns Church Kearsley
1824 Apr 16 Our Chapel (Halshaw Moor) was robbed again of seventeen books
1824 Jul 18 Mary wife of William Watson was drowned in a pit.
1824 Oct 5 John Fawsett and family removed to Bolton. Musician wrote
Paradise and innumerable Hymn Tunes.
1826 May 22 Horrid murder at Joseph Bloor’s house
1826 Jun 11 Robert Kirkman of Lever was drowned
1826 Jul 1 Ralf Grundy’s daughter drowned herself.
1826 Sep 8 The New Church at Stand was consecrated.
1826 Sep 9 St John Kearsley consecrated.
1826 Dec 1 Ralph Crompton of Ringley drowned in the river.
1827 Jan 21 Body of Ralph Crompton found at Warrington.
1827 Jul 5 A man called T Walker drowned.
1827 Aug 6 Ringley Chapel consecrated
1828 Oct 12 A man’s body was found above Livesey’s weir.
1829 Sep 16 Richard Nelson, carter, of Farnworth drowned.
1830 Apl 12 Henry Gorton moved from Rawson’s Arms to Blackhorse.
1830 Sep 24 Wesleyan Chapel at Dial Post opened.
1830 Dec 26 New Jerusalem Temple at Stonehill opened.
1831 Feb 1 Man and horse belonging to Ed. Grundy drowned.
1831 Feb 2 George Grundy of Shoretop, his brother was drowned.
1831 Nov 21 Stanley Holts son was drowned.
1832 Apl 22 Henry Moses was interred at Bolton.
1832 May 3 Ben Halliwell of Kearsley killed his wife.
1833 May 21 Great fire at J. and T. Compton’s Farnworth
1833 Dec 31 Strong wind blew Mr Barnes high chimney down.
1834 May Here is a list of people invited to attend services at Whit Sunday
FROM BOLTON
William Haslam, Newport Terrace. William Badger,
Bradford Place. William Leigh, chair maker. William Birrington,
Benjamin Hick, Iron founders. Gregson, Tobacconist. Ellis Wood.
F.d. Jones. J.T. Cover. J.T. Brodie. J. Burdon. J. Myerscough.
Jos. Ainsworth. Jos Nivin. T. Scholes, draper. R.Hulme. T.Hulme
Mrs Holland. T. Pullen. T.Glover, solicitor. T.Bell, Little Bolton.
T Blinkhorn. T. Walker, Bradford House. Peter Martin. Peter Haddock.
Peter Green. Jas. Haigh, cotton spinner. Thos Greson. Jas Gregson.
Jas Ferguson, the Bank. James Lever, Bank Street. W. Cole Iron-
Founder. W.Harwood. W Harwood, upolsterer. Henry Maconn, Tailor.
FROM STAND Jas Richardson, Lower Lilly Hill. Jas Walker, Park Hill.
Thos Cross, Whitefield. John Boyd, John Coward, Stand Lane.
James Richardson, Lilly Hill. Edward Richardson, Lilly Hill. Robert
Taylor, Stand Lane. Adam Kay, Water Lane. Samuel Holt, Chapel.
John Prestwich, Higher Lane. Jos Aspinall, Jos Barrow, Stand Lane.
FROM WORSLEY AND PENDLETON
T. Kay, Shopkeeper. Jonathon Dorning. Peter Dorning. John Scholes,
Shopkeeper. John Hall. John Smith. Jas Barratt. R. Arrowsmith, Astley.
Hy. Arrowsmith, Astley. J. Dalziel Shopkeeper. Richard Crompton,
Shopkeeper. Dr Dorning, Boothstown.
FROM KEARSLEY, RINGLEY ETC.
J. Seddon. J. Roberts, Calico Printer. Isaac Grundy, Calico Printer. Wm
Grundy. Dr Bell. Elizabeth Whittaker. J. &. R. Crompton. P. Ditchfield.
Timothy Crompton. Jas Greenwood. Jos Wright. Wm Partington.
R. Dawson. John Cross. Giles Gee. Giles Heywood. Richard Rudyard,
Prestolee. Thos Webster, Worsley, Richard Clark jun. Pendlebury, N. Baker.
FROM FARNWORTH
John Edge. Wm Hill. T.B. Crompton. Mrs J. Crompton. Mrs Ridout.
Walter Harrison. H.L. Dorning. Dr Anderton. James Warburton.
J. Robinson. Wm Crompton. Joshua Hindley. Samuel Siddall.
Farnworth Bridge. Robert Entwistle. John Tonge
Moses Gate. John Shaw. Samuel Bennett. Thos Crompton. John Ridyard,
Walkden. Wm Peat, Halliwell. Brook House, John Ashton. Jas Hulme.
Hy. Haworth. Jos Lord. Wm. Staton. Wm. Vickers. E. Barnes. William
Lawton. Edward Parkinson. James Haworth. Jas Lawton. Jas Hindley.
John Green. Jas Tonge. John Tonge. Samuel Bennett. Samuel Bennett Jun.
Jas Ridyard, James Lindsey. Hy. Gibson. Edward Grundy. J.B. Pointon.
Rd. Owen. Wm Owen. Edward Hibbert. Jos Pennington.

1837 Chapel lengthened and offices added. 3 new Deacons John Johnson, Thomas Crompton and Thomas Barnes.
1838 First marriage at chapel between George Redford and Sarah
Duckworth.
1839 A building in New Bury purchased from the Methodist New
Connection, opened as a Sunday school.
1848 Two cottages purchased in Little Lever to serve as place of worship.
1849 Little Lever Chapel opened by Dr Raffles.
1850 July The New Chapel called Farnworth Congregational opened by the
Rev. John Angel James.
1854 Dixon Green School established, it took the place of New Bury
School, which was sold to the Wesleyans.
1855 Rev. Joseph Dyson retired, replaced by Rev.G.D.Macgregor.
1868 Stone laying of Francis Street School Chapel.
1869 Francis Street School Chapel opened by Robert Thomas of Bala.
1873 Queen Street Mission inaugurated.


Background Historical notes

In 1311 the land around Farnworth Hall, down Hall Lane, the Hultons, not the Hultons of Little Hulton, held Moses gate.
In 1604 it belonged to Humphrey de Ferneth and his Kinsman Robtus de Halsall, who possibly gave his name to Halshaw Moor.
In 1509 and before there was a Roman Catholic Chapel on the site of Farnworth Hall; and certain land at Prestolee belonged to the Oratory. Great Lever Church now stands in Priest Croft Wood; a name that indicates Church land.
In 1555 Farnworth was a hamlet in the Parish of Barton upon Irwell, five miles away.
In 1603 Farnworth Hall was built, Incorporated in Farnworth Hall was a Catholic Chapel.
In 1641 Birch Hall was built.
In 1651 James Stanley Earl of Derby was executed in Bolton. It was reputed as a fugitive he hid the cellar of Seddon Farm, for a long time there was a portrait of James Stanley there which has since been destroyed.
In 1680 there was only one Gentleman’s seat, and Dorning Rasbotham says it must have been at Farnworth Hall, which then belonged to Lord Semple.
The old road from Manchester to Bolton is said to have entered Farnworth at Mabel Brow, the hollow on the Farnworth side of Kearsley House: it went over Halshaw Moor to the School House of 1780. This school was situated where the Park Gates now stand, at the bottom of Dixon Green and up what is now Plodder Lane, turning off to the right and up to what is now Plodder Lane Station. At that point we strike the very road itself, in front of the Workhouse to the top of Great Lever and down Rishton Lane to Moor Lane where it entered Bolton.
Nathaniel Topp was Overseer of the Poor for Kearsley 1750, he was a tanner. With pits at Holloway Gutter.