England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Horwich Holy Trinity

The Parish

The chapelry of Horwich, a portion of the wider parish of Deane, lies in south central Lancashire about 4 miles northwest of the large industrial town of Bolton. Horwich sits on the A673 road which connects Bolton with Chorley. For most of its existence Horwich was a chapel of ease to Deane conducting baptisms and burials only following the introduction of Hardwicke's Act, it was licensed for marriages for only a short period of this transcript's coverage. At the start of this transcript period Horwich was a small farming village sitting at the base of Winter Hill. With the coming of the industrial revolution cotton mills, bleaching & printing works grew the population steadily. Today Horwich is a small town with modern developments close by, the Bolton to Preston railway line passes to the south and following a similar route the modern M61 motorway. Horwich is drained eastwards by the River Douglas which joins, in turn the irwell & Mersey to reach the Irish Sea through the port of Liverpool. Horwich has a wide range of heights, the western suburbs being at 100 metres whilst the higher reaches attain 170, land rises steeply eastwards to top out on the Pennine outlier of Winter Hill at 456 metres. The chapelry's extent covered a substantial portion of the northern part of Deane, covering a little over 3,200 acres it was typical of an upland area and the population grew from a few hundred to almost 3,800 by the end of this transcript period.

The Church

Whilst a church was undoubtedly here back to medieval times (it is believed that the present church is the third), the present church was built in 1831 and sits on the northern side of the B6226 which runs over a shoulder of the hill into northern Bolton. A typical big town church in a Gothic style it has a 4-bay nave and a shallower chancel augmented by an imposing western tower. Large to accommodate its large congregation it is an impressive statement by the town burghers. Whilst the B6226 is a busy road it has numerous parking bays along the southern side allowing an extended visit. The main entrance, at the western end of the site, has an arch of the local red sandstone forming a pseudo-lychgate. There are a few trees within the churchyard which do somewhat limit the angles available for the photographer.