1 history
1.1 manor
1.2 coal
1.3 haigh foundry
history
haigh derived old english haga, hedge , means enclosure . township variously recorded hage in 1193, hagh in 1298, , haghe, ha , haw in 16th century.
manor
between 1220 , 1230 manor part of marsey fee. hugh de haigh, hugh le norreys paid 3 marks in 1193–4 having king s will. richard de orrell granted land in haigh cockersand abbey in 1220. in 1282 hugh le norreys lord of haigh. daughter mabel married william bradshagh , in 1298 inherited manors of haigh , blackrod mabel s father. bradshagh took part in adam banastre s rebellion in 1315 outlawed , 1317 manors confiscated crown , granted peter de limesey. william presumed dead , mabel remarried, returned in 1324 , killed mabel s new husband. sir william killed @ winwick in august 1333. penance, legend states mabel walked barefoot wigan haigh every week rest of life. legend made novel sir walter scott, , remembered mab s cross in wigan lane. in 1336 , 1337 mabel bradshaigh arranged succession of manors husband s nephews; haigh william, son of john de bradshagh, , blackrod roger, son of richard. in 1338 founded chantry in wigan church. held manor until 1346.
early in 1365 roger de bradshagh of westleigh claimed manor william de bradshagh , sir henry de trafford. thomas de bradshagh took part in rising of north of 1403 , present @ battle of shrewsbury , later pardoned henry iv. edward bradshaigh (d. 1652), carmelite friar – known elias à jesu – fourth son of roger bradshaigh. 3 brothers jesuits, , 1 brother secular priest. sir roger bradshaigh mp, created baronet in 1679 (see bradshaigh baronets). sir roger bradshaigh, third baronet, mp wigan on 50 years, father of house in house of commons 1738 1747. on time name has been variously recorded bradshagh, bradshaghe , bradshaw. bradshaigh variant dates 1518.
haigh hall
on 1 june 1780 elizabeth dalrymple, great niece of fourth baronet , heiress of haigh result of failure of male line in maternal family (bradshaigh), married alexander lindsay, 6th earl of balcarres. in 1787 earls of crawford (after 1848, earls of crawford , balcarres) moved seat haigh hall several generations. manor house had stood on haigh estate since middle ages. present hall built between 1827 , 1840 on site of ancient manor house, alexander s son 7th earl balcarres designed , supervised construction whilst living in cottage in grounds. james, 9th earl, bibliophile, established extensive library @ hall. david, 11th earl sold hall , grounds wigan corporation in 1947 £18,000 , moved family s original home in balcarres.
coal
in 1540 john leland reported sir roger bradshaigh had discovered seam of cannel coal on estate burnt or carved hand or machine ornaments. excellent fuel, lit, burned bright flame , left virtually no ash. used domestic lighting in 19th century before incandescent gas mantle available lost favour when coal gas made obsolete. cannel coal mined tudor times mid-1600s mines wet , started flooding. remedy this, between 1653 , 1670, sir roger bradshaw built sough or adit, great haigh sough ran mile under estate. still drains water ancient workings. bradshaws successors, earls of crawford , balcarres, founded wigan coal , iron company in 1865. collieries in haigh belonging wigan coal , iron company in 1896 alexandra, bawkhouse, bridge, lindsay , meadow pits.
the central workshops balcarres collieries in haigh , aspull built on north bank of canal between 1839 , 1841. forge, smithy, joinery , fitting shops powered steam engine. site became sawmill wigan coal , iron company s pits , kirkless iron , steel works. georgian office block survives.
haigh foundry
haigh foundry opened in steep-sided douglas valley in 1788 6th earl, brother , mr corbett iron founder wigan. iron works producing pig iron , castings. brock mill forge, of earlier origins, acquired. 1808, firm manufactured winding engines , pumps mining industry. in 1812, built lancashire s first locomotive , 2 more 1816. in 1835 e. evans , t.c. ryley took 21-year lease. built 0-4-0 , 2-2-0 locomotives, subcontracted edward bury. in 1837, ajax supplied leicester , swannington railway, followed hector, 0-6-0. in 1838 2 broad gauge locomotives built great western railway. 4 saddle tank locomotives designed daniel gooch built south devon railway. long boiler locomotives built jones , potts , 3 locomotives built t.r.crampton. in 1855 2 0-8-0 locomotives built use in crimean war, hauling guns inclines steep 1 in 10. on 100 locomotives built before lease expired in 1856.
in 1848, haigh produced beam engine of 100 inch bore 12 feet stroke, possibly largest in world @ time. during same decade, supplied massive swing bridges albert dock, liverpool , hull docks - both extant in 2011. new lease signed birley & thompson concentrated on mining machinery, mill engines , large iron fabrications. until 1860, castings had carted hill out of valley , records exist of @ least 48 horses being hired farmers move single casting. railway built re-routed few years later. foundry lease given in 1884 , works closed in 1885. several of haigh s engineers left form engine building companies - walker brothers, ince forge , worsley mesnes ironworks ltd.
much of site, exception of brock mill forge, intact in 2011 , route of mineral railway, including 4 bridges, little changed. foundry has been demolished site used manufacturing. cast iron gateposts remain , 4 storey building , chimney river douglas. foundry drawing office on wingates road in building large windows , stone floor supported cast iron columns.
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