Tyldesley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tyldesley | |
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  Tyldesley shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 34,022 (2001 Census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Wigan |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Manchester |
| Postcode district | M29 |
| Dial code | 01942 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | Worsley |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Tyldesley (pronounced "tilds-lee") is a town and component area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, north-west England. It is situated seven miles south-east of Wigan and has a population of 34,022 (2001 census), up from 30,606 in 1991.
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[edit] Etymology
Tyldesley means "Tilwald's wood or clearing", from Old English personal name Tilwald / Tīlwald and leăh "wood, clearing". The name was recorded as Tildesleiha circa 1210. link here The name Tyldesley is pronounced like "Tildslee". Locally it is also known as "Bongs" with the nearby town of Atherton known as "Bent".
[edit] History
In 1947 two urns containing about 600 Roman bronze coins, minted between AD 259 and AD 273, were found near the route of the ancient Roman road in the town.
Local legend recounts that in 1596, ‘by the malicious action of a conjurer’, named Edmund Hartley, two children of Nicholas and Anne Starkie, and some of the servants were, ‘possessed with devils’. Hartley was hanged for witchcraft at Lancaster Castle. At first he denied his guilt, but after he was strung up and the rope broke, he confessed. On being strung up again the rope held and he died. Two ministers of religion were brought to Cleworth, who, ‘after two days of fasting and preaching were able to exorcise the unfortunate victims’.
[edit] Early history
Remains of a Roman road run through the area, which served the camps at what are now Wigan and Manchester.
[edit] Industrial Revolution
Tyldesley grew to prominence, like many of its neighbours, through the coal and cotton industries. Land reclamation and new housing developments have changed the face of its outlying areas, but the centre still retains the atmosphere of a bustling market town[citation needed]with a refurbished market square. The steep terraces branching off the main streets give the town a distinctive character.
Opposite the market is an old church known as Top Chapel. This was built in 1789 for the Countess of Huntingdon’s sect which had broken away from the Church of England.
Tyldesley became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, with an elected urban district council. It initially covered the ancient parish of Tyldesley cum Shakerley. The parish of Astley was added in 1933 from the disbanded Leigh Rural District. The urban district was abolished in 1974 with the area becoming part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester.
Edward Entwistle, who was the driver of the first 'inter-city', steam powered, scheduled passenger train in the world, was born in Tyldesley in 1815. He drove the passenger service on the Liverpool to Manchester line.
