Hart Common
Encyclopedia
Hart Common is a village located on the outskirts of Westhoughton
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
, Greater Manchester
, England
.
Historically
part of Lancashire
, it lies mainly along the A58
road. The name is believed to have derived from the area being a common spot for deers many years ago (as the male Red Deer is known as a "hart
"). The village is best known for its large golf course, and for being the home of Westhoughton Rangers Football Club.
, and many men in the district found work in the mines. Previous to this, the area of Hart Common was mainly agricultural. There was a shortage of labour when the pit first opened and many of the Irish harvesters, instead of going home at the end of the season found work in the pits. This was during the Franco-Prussian War in the mid 1870s and the miners were able to earn £1 per day. However, when the war ended the price of coal had fallen to 6s. per ton and Mr Hewlett called for drastic reductions in their wages. These were strenuously opposed by the miners and a strike ensued. It was then some people arrived and settled in Hart Common - the villagers said they had "arrived at Crows Nest Siding under a tar sheet", they were said to have a strange 'lingo'. The villagers did not take kindly to the newcomers, and for many years afterwards the remark "Thi fayther cum fr' under't tar sheet" was enough to start a fight.
. The pits were sunk in 1874–9, and closed 1913 and 1931. There is a plaque on the front number 552 Wigan Road (the Saplings Day Nursery) which reads "IN MEMORIAM.. ..THE NAMES HERE RECORDED ARE OF THOSE MEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR AUGUST 1914 TO NOVEMBER 1918 AS WELL AS THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO OBTAINED MILITARY DISTINCTIONS IN THE WAR.. ..1&2 HEWLETT PITS KILLED.." which is then followed by a group of names of those killed, and a further list of men who received military honours.
Westhoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Bolton, but covers a far larger area which includes Blackrod, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley and Westhoughton, and a suburban and rural element from the West Pennine...
, 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
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...
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 lies mainly along the A58
A58 road
The A58 is a major road in northern England that runs between Prescot, Merseyside and Wetherby, West Yorkshire.It runs north east from Prescot on the outskirts of Liverpool via St Helens, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Westhoughton, Bolton, Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Littleborough then over the...
road. The name is believed to have derived from the area being a common spot for deers many years ago (as the male Red Deer is known as a "hart
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
"). The village is best known for its large golf course, and for being the home of Westhoughton Rangers Football Club.
History
In the 1870s the Hewlett coal pits were sunk in the south-west of WesthoughtonWesthoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, and many men in the district found work in the mines. Previous to this, the area of Hart Common was mainly agricultural. There was a shortage of labour when the pit first opened and many of the Irish harvesters, instead of going home at the end of the season found work in the pits. This was during the Franco-Prussian War in the mid 1870s and the miners were able to earn £1 per day. However, when the war ended the price of coal had fallen to 6s. per ton and Mr Hewlett called for drastic reductions in their wages. These were strenuously opposed by the miners and a strike ensued. It was then some people arrived and settled in Hart Common - the villagers said they had "arrived at Crows Nest Siding under a tar sheet", they were said to have a strange 'lingo'. The villagers did not take kindly to the newcomers, and for many years afterwards the remark "Thi fayther cum fr' under't tar sheet" was enough to start a fight.
Mining And The War
Once a small colliery village, Hart Common was home to rows of miners cottages along Wigan Road, and the Hewlett Pits, owned by Wigan Coal and Iron CompanyWigan 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...
. The pits were sunk in 1874–9, and closed 1913 and 1931. There is a plaque on the front number 552 Wigan Road (the Saplings Day Nursery) which reads "IN MEMORIAM.. ..THE NAMES HERE RECORDED ARE OF THOSE MEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR AUGUST 1914 TO NOVEMBER 1918 AS WELL AS THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO OBTAINED MILITARY DISTINCTIONS IN THE WAR.. ..1&2 HEWLETT PITS KILLED.." which is then followed by a group of names of those killed, and a further list of men who received military honours.