Darcy Lever
Encyclopedia
Darcy Lever is a township within the Metropoliton Borough of Bolton
in Greater Manchester
, England. Historically part of Lancashire
, the village lies on the B6209 (Radcliffe Road), between Bolton and Little Lever
. Its history dates to the time of William the Conqueror when it was part of the Salford Hundred
given to Roger of Poitou for services rendered at the Battle of Hastings
.
of Lever. In 1509 it became Darcye Lever, the distinguishing affix coming from possession by the D'Arcy family.
Darcy Lever dates to the Norman Conquest
when it was part of the Salford Hundred. This area was given to Roger of Poitou for services rendered at the Battle of Hastings. In the 12th century it was owned by Albert Greslet, the 1st Baron
of Manchester
. The manor
of Little Lever has, from early times, been split into Little Lever and Darcy Lever.
The manor formed part of the barony of Manchester and was assessed as four oxgang
s of land. From an early time it was held in moieties
. Albert Grelley the younger in the time of Henry II
gave one moiety to Alexander son of Uvieth at a rent of ½ mark and a hawk or 12d. The tenant's name is not recorded in 1212 but in 1227 Adam de Radcliffe was required to perform suit at Robert Grelley's court in Manchester fortnightly instead of monthly. A little earlier Eugenia, widow of William de Radcliffe, demanded from the same Adam de Radcliffe, her dower of four oxgangs in Little Lever. so the Radcliffes probably held Little Lever between 1212 and 1221. The next lord is Leising de Lever who had part of Great Lever. Possibly descended from him was Adam de Lever who was living in 1246, ancestor of the Levers of Little Lever, who held a share of the manor until the beginning of the 17th century.
In the Lever of Great Lever are charters referring to the Lever family. Adam de Lever and his son Ellis attested a grant; no. 45. Ellis son of Adam de Lever granted to William his son and his heirs a portion of his land in Little Lever. The bounds began at 'the Langcestre' (alias Hanycestre) where Denebrook fell into the great water called Lever (alias Letoce); ascended the brook to a ditch dividing Little Lever and Breightmet
as far as the Menesshaw; went down to the Tonge water, and down this to the first division. These boundaries are those of the present township of Darcy Lever. The grant included the homage of Richard del Snape, who paid 13d. rent, and other services; and the land was held of the chief lords of the fee by a rent of 4s., paid at the four terms, and by such other services as Ellis had rendered for the whole manor of Little Lever
Nothing relating to the Lever family descent was recorded as to the second moiety
of the manor, from 1310 to 1448, when Henry Lever the elder, Giles, and Henry the younger, a son of Giles, held it on a lease for life of Alice, widow of Sir Robert Tempest. Despite the absence of satisfactory evidence of the family descent some facts can be stated; that in 1320 William de Radcliffe and William de Lever held [Darcy Lever] by homage, service, and suit to the court of Manchester and that they paid 4d sake fee for the lands being [Darcy Lever] held by Ellis de Lever. They also paid 6s 8d in rent and 12d in lieu of the hawk. In 1331 a settlement of a moiety of the manor was made by Ellis de Lever in favour of his son and his issue by Agnes his wife. The documents show that the Radcliffes were responsible for the whole rent but it also appears that the [Darcy Lever] half of the manor had been granted away, but to whom is not known.
In 1473, John Lever held half of the manor by the twentieth part of a knight’s fee, a rent of 3s 4d and a sake fee of 2d, while Sir Richard Tempest held the other moiety, the Levers [Darcy Lever]. The records do not show how Sir Richard came in to possession of the lands but one can assume it was Sir Richards wife (married 1407) Dame Alice Tempest’s inheritance. In 1509, Dousabella , daughter and heir of Sir Richard married Sir Thomas Darcy who was created Baron D’Arcy
and gave his name to the part of the manor he inherited by marriage. D’Arcy opposed the Dissolution of the Monasteries
by Henry VIII and was attained taking part in the Pilgrimage of Grace
in 1536, he was beheaded
on 30 June 1537.
In 1557, Thurstan Tyldesley of Tyldesley
took possession of Darcy Lever, together with several other manors and lands. Five years later the Darcy Lever estate was mortgaged by Tyldesley to Richard Chisnall and Thurstan Baron. In 1566 land was sold by Tyldesly to Oliver Chisnall and Thomas Lassell. Darcy Lever is mentioned as is Great Lever. By 1581, there was a large parcel of messuage
s and lands in Darcy Lever, Lawrence Fogg and Thomas Heyton are named as plaintiffs. Fogg died in 1605 and the land passed to his son Richard. Heyton died on May 3, 1587 and his heir was John Chisnall who was the son of Thomas, the brother of Richard Chisnall mentioned above. The manor remained in the Chisnall family until 1635 when Edward Chisnall died. At the time of his death he was receiving a rent of £5 15s. In 1601 the above mentioned Lawrence Fogg and his new partner Robert Lever purchased lands from Chisnall. For this they were summoned to Manchester to do their suit and service.
During the time the Chisnalls held Darcy Lever, Ralph Byrom held twelve messuages, half a water mill and fulling mill. Richard Fogg in 1612, purchased land from Ralph’s son Adam Byron. When Fogg died in September 1630, the holding had increased to twenty messuages, a water mill and moiety of two fulling mills along with other land in Darcy Lever In 1632 the mesne tenure had changed and Ellis Crompton after two post mortem inquisitions about John Crompton (his father), held Darcy Lever directly. By 1665, the Bradshaws had taken a considerable parcel of land for their estate. It is not sure how John Bradshaw (died 1662 ) and his wife, the daughter of Robert Lever, (who had purchased some land from Chisnall) came about the land but it can be assumed that Levers daughter had inherited them and thus they passed to her husband John Bradshaw. However the land came to them, the family estate grew and today they continue to hold large parts of the Bolton area. At this time, 1666, Robert Lever had eight hearths liable to tax, James Bradshaw and John Crompton had seven each and Lawrence Fogg six. The rest of the township was made up of 12 more heaths.
The land-tax return of 1786 shows that James Bradshaw and John Peploe Birch were the chief proprietors of Darcy Lever, between them they paid about half the land tax for Darcy Lever. In 1797 the area had changed hands again and Robert Andrews paid more than a third of the tax with John Fletcher and Benjamin Rawson (who owned the chemical works at Nob End
) making up another third between them.
. It was located on the high ground that slopes down to Blackshaw Brook, which flowed past the south side of the house near the junction with the River Tonge
. The hall was demolished in 1951
, Little Lever; The Earl of Bradford had a coal mine at Great Lever and the Darcy Lever Coal Company and others had mines at Darcy Lever. Darcy Lever had little industry other than the coal mining. Many inhabitants not involved in coal mining found employment on the Manchester Bolton and Bury canal or in the textile mills of Bolton and Farnworth
. Today, that situation still exists with most of the working population commuting out of Darcy Lever to work in Bolton, Manchester and other nearby towns.
Darcy Lever was not worked for coal as much as nearby Little Lever due to the fact it lay further off the Irwell Valley fault which had uplifted the coal measures
making them easier to work. There were several collieries in Darcy Lever, the Darcy Lever Pit, Davenport Pit, Snow Hill Pit, Victoria Pit, Top o’th’Meadows Colliery, Fogg Pit and Stonehill Colliery. At Stonehill, which belonged to Roscow and Ward, 18 miners were suffocated and less than a month later the Fogg Pit owned by Andrew Knowles and Sons
, near the Bolton and Bury Canal, was the scene of an explosion which killed 10 miners.
in the Salford hundred in the historic county of Lancashire and in 1837 became part of the Bolton Poor Law Union
. In 1898 Darcy Lever was incorporated into the County Borough of Bolton
following the Bolton, Turton, and Westhoughton Extension Act of 1898.
covers an area of 481 hectares. It is home to approximately 6,000 males and 6,000 females, living in approximately 5,000 households.
pitches and borders both Moses Gate Country Park
and Leverhulme Park
. Darcy Lever also has the steepest public highway in Bolton, Gorses Steps. Through the village and park run the remains of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal and the Bolton-Bury/Radcliffe railway line, which had a station which was open between 1848 and 1951. The history and development of Darcy Lever as with its neighbour Little Lever is linked to three families, the Levers, the Cromptons and the Fletchers.
, Lever Bridge, Darcy Lever. St Stephen was founded in 1844 and has a graveyard. The Wesleyan Methodist was opened for services in 1848 and the present chapel was built in 1850. There was a secession between 1882 and 1885
acquired the line and finally before British Rail, the post-grouping company was the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
. The station opened on 20 November 1848. It was on the Bury– section of the Liverpool & Bury Railway, which opened on the same day.
To the east of the station, the valley of the River Tonge is crossed by Darcy Lever viaduct, which is 86 feet (26.2 m) high. It comprises a wrought iron structure of eight spans, standing on stone piers and abutments and dating from 1848. Two spans are 54 ft (16.5 m) long, and six are 84 ft (25.6 m) long. Each consists of six lattice girders: two 14 feet (4.3 m), which also form the parapets, flanking four which are 10 feet (3 m) deep. This viaduct, together with a shorter one of similar construction on the same line (over the River Croal
at Burnden
) was claimed by the Bolton Chronicle (18 November 1848) to be "the first of their kind in England". The station closed on 29 October 1951. The structure was finally designated non-operational in 1983, some thirteen years after the line closed.
, the River Tonge
and four roads. On the Bolton arm these were Hall Lane Aqueduct, Fogg's Aqueduct and the larger Damside Aqueduct. The Damside Aqueduct was demolished in June 1965 for a road and river crossing at Darcy Lever.
Many bridges were constructed along the length of the canal, most were small allowing access to farmland, although many are wide enough for a horse and cart. In places where the canal crossed important thoroughfares, such as Water Street in Radcliffe
, Radcliffe Road in Darcy Lever and Agecroft
Road in Salford
, larger bridges were constructed.
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
in 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. Historically 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...
, the village lies on the B6209 (Radcliffe Road), between Bolton and Little Lever
Little Lever
Little Lever is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is southeast of Bolton, west of Radcliffe, and west-southwest of Bury....
. Its history dates to the time of William the Conqueror when it was part of the Salford Hundred
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
given to Roger of Poitou for services rendered at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
.
Toponymy
Lever was recorded as Parua Lefre in 1212, from the Latin, parva meaning little and laefre, which is derived from the Old English meaning 'place where the rushes grow'. The name was recorded in several ways, whilst the spellings differ the pronunciation was similar to 'lever' – Lethre 1221; Leuere 1278; Leuir 1282; Leuer 1291 and Leyver 1550. Initially, Lever was the name for the hamlets comprising the manorManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Lever. In 1509 it became Darcye Lever, the distinguishing affix coming from possession by the D'Arcy family.
Manor
NOTE : Until 1509 the area called Darcy Lever today was part of the Manor of Little Lever. In the text, where the name is given in italicized text with square brackets, it refers to the area of Darcy Lever before it gained that name.Darcy Lever dates to the Norman Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
when it was part of the Salford Hundred. This area was given to Roger of Poitou for services rendered at the Battle of Hastings. In the 12th century it was owned by Albert Greslet, the 1st Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Little Lever has, from early times, been split into Little Lever and Darcy Lever.
The manor formed part of the barony of Manchester and was assessed as four oxgang
Oxgang
An oxgang or bovate is an old land measurement formerly used in Scotland and England. It averaged around 20 English acres, but was based on land fertility and cultivation, and so could be as low as 15.Skene in Celtic Scotland says:...
s of land. From an early time it was held in moieties
Moiety
Moiety may refer to:* Moiety , a part or functional group of a molecule* Moiety , either of two groups into which a society is divided* An Australian Aboriginal kinship group* Native Hawaiian realm ruled by a Mo'i or Ali'i...
. Albert Grelley the younger in the time of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
gave one moiety to Alexander son of Uvieth at a rent of ½ mark and a hawk or 12d. The tenant's name is not recorded in 1212 but in 1227 Adam de Radcliffe was required to perform suit at Robert Grelley's court in Manchester fortnightly instead of monthly. A little earlier Eugenia, widow of William de Radcliffe, demanded from the same Adam de Radcliffe, her dower of four oxgangs in Little Lever. so the Radcliffes probably held Little Lever between 1212 and 1221. The next lord is Leising de Lever who had part of Great Lever. Possibly descended from him was Adam de Lever who was living in 1246, ancestor of the Levers of Little Lever, who held a share of the manor until the beginning of the 17th century.
In the Lever of Great Lever are charters referring to the Lever family. Adam de Lever and his son Ellis attested a grant; no. 45. Ellis son of Adam de Lever granted to William his son and his heirs a portion of his land in Little Lever. The bounds began at 'the Langcestre' (alias Hanycestre) where Denebrook fell into the great water called Lever (alias Letoce); ascended the brook to a ditch dividing Little Lever and Breightmet
Breightmet
Breightmet is a neighbourhood of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, it lies 2 miles north east of Bolton and 4 miles north-west of Bury...
as far as the Menesshaw; went down to the Tonge water, and down this to the first division. These boundaries are those of the present township of Darcy Lever. The grant included the homage of Richard del Snape, who paid 13d. rent, and other services; and the land was held of the chief lords of the fee by a rent of 4s., paid at the four terms, and by such other services as Ellis had rendered for the whole manor of Little Lever
Nothing relating to the Lever family descent was recorded as to the second moiety
Moiety
Moiety may refer to:* Moiety , a part or functional group of a molecule* Moiety , either of two groups into which a society is divided* An Australian Aboriginal kinship group* Native Hawaiian realm ruled by a Mo'i or Ali'i...
of the manor, from 1310 to 1448, when Henry Lever the elder, Giles, and Henry the younger, a son of Giles, held it on a lease for life of Alice, widow of Sir Robert Tempest. Despite the absence of satisfactory evidence of the family descent some facts can be stated; that in 1320 William de Radcliffe and William de Lever held [Darcy Lever] by homage, service, and suit to the court of Manchester and that they paid 4d sake fee for the lands being [Darcy Lever] held by Ellis de Lever. They also paid 6s 8d in rent and 12d in lieu of the hawk. In 1331 a settlement of a moiety of the manor was made by Ellis de Lever in favour of his son and his issue by Agnes his wife. The documents show that the Radcliffes were responsible for the whole rent but it also appears that the [Darcy Lever] half of the manor had been granted away, but to whom is not known.
In 1473, John Lever held half of the manor by the twentieth part of a knight’s fee, a rent of 3s 4d and a sake fee of 2d, while Sir Richard Tempest held the other moiety, the Levers [Darcy Lever]. The records do not show how Sir Richard came in to possession of the lands but one can assume it was Sir Richards wife (married 1407) Dame Alice Tempest’s inheritance. In 1509, Dousabella , daughter and heir of Sir Richard married Sir Thomas Darcy who was created Baron D’Arcy
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy
Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy de Darcy , was an English statesman and rebel leader, who was executed for his part in an English rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace.-Origins:...
and gave his name to the part of the manor he inherited by marriage. D’Arcy opposed the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
by Henry VIII and was attained taking part in the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
in 1536, he was beheaded
Beheaded
Beheaded is a Death metal band from Malta. They were formed in 1991, by singer Marcel Scalpello, guitarist David Bugeja, and drummer Chris Brincat...
on 30 June 1537.
In 1557, Thurstan Tyldesley of Tyldesley
Tyldesley
Tyldesley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, east-southeast of Wigan and west-northwest of the city of Manchester...
took possession of Darcy Lever, together with several other manors and lands. Five years later the Darcy Lever estate was mortgaged by Tyldesley to Richard Chisnall and Thurstan Baron. In 1566 land was sold by Tyldesly to Oliver Chisnall and Thomas Lassell. Darcy Lever is mentioned as is Great Lever. By 1581, there was a large parcel of messuage
Messuage
In law, the term messuage equates to a dwelling-house and includes outbuildings, orchard, curtilage or court-yard and garden. At one time messuage supposedly had a more extensive meaning than that conveyed by the words house or site, but such distinction no longer survives.A capital messuage is the...
s and lands in Darcy Lever, Lawrence Fogg and Thomas Heyton are named as plaintiffs. Fogg died in 1605 and the land passed to his son Richard. Heyton died on May 3, 1587 and his heir was John Chisnall who was the son of Thomas, the brother of Richard Chisnall mentioned above. The manor remained in the Chisnall family until 1635 when Edward Chisnall died. At the time of his death he was receiving a rent of £5 15s. In 1601 the above mentioned Lawrence Fogg and his new partner Robert Lever purchased lands from Chisnall. For this they were summoned to Manchester to do their suit and service.
During the time the Chisnalls held Darcy Lever, Ralph Byrom held twelve messuages, half a water mill and fulling mill. Richard Fogg in 1612, purchased land from Ralph’s son Adam Byron. When Fogg died in September 1630, the holding had increased to twenty messuages, a water mill and moiety of two fulling mills along with other land in Darcy Lever In 1632 the mesne tenure had changed and Ellis Crompton after two post mortem inquisitions about John Crompton (his father), held Darcy Lever directly. By 1665, the Bradshaws had taken a considerable parcel of land for their estate. It is not sure how John Bradshaw (died 1662 ) and his wife, the daughter of Robert Lever, (who had purchased some land from Chisnall) came about the land but it can be assumed that Levers daughter had inherited them and thus they passed to her husband John Bradshaw. However the land came to them, the family estate grew and today they continue to hold large parts of the Bolton area. At this time, 1666, Robert Lever had eight hearths liable to tax, James Bradshaw and John Crompton had seven each and Lawrence Fogg six. The rest of the township was made up of 12 more heaths.
The land-tax return of 1786 shows that James Bradshaw and John Peploe Birch were the chief proprietors of Darcy Lever, between them they paid about half the land tax for Darcy Lever. In 1797 the area had changed hands again and Robert Andrews paid more than a third of the tax with John Fletcher and Benjamin Rawson (who owned the chemical works at Nob End
Nob End
Nob End is the site of a former waste tip, and now a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Kearsley, Bolton, England.Standing at the confluence of the River Irwell and River Croal it was used around 1850-70 as a tip for alkaline waste from the production of sodium carbonate by the Leblanc...
) making up another third between them.
Darcy Lever Hall
Darcy Lever Hall was owned byJames Crompton in 1598 and he partially rebuilt it in 1604. In 1641 Robert and Elizabeth Lever moved in to the hall, the date was inscribed with the initials RLE on the stone head of the inner door and on the porch beam. The hall had two storeys with gable attics constructed with a timber frame with plaster fill and a grey slate roof in the Tudor styleTudor architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
. It was located on the high ground that slopes down to Blackshaw Brook, which flowed past the south side of the house near the junction with the River Tonge
River Tonge
The River Tonge is a short river flowing close to Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England.The Tonge is formed at the Meeting of the Waters, where Astley Brook, flowing from the Smithills area in the west, meets the southerly-flowing Eagley Brook...
. The hall was demolished in 1951
Industry
The growth of the textile industry around Darcy Lever was assisted by the availability of coal. By 1896 John Fletcher owned coal mines at LadyshoreLadyshore Colliery
Ladyshore Colliery, originally named Back o' th Barn, was situated on the Irwell Valley fault on the Manchester Coalfield in Little Lever, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Founded by Thomas Fletcher Senior, the colliery opened in the 1830s and mined several types of coal...
, Little Lever; The Earl of Bradford had a coal mine at Great Lever and the Darcy Lever Coal Company and others had mines at Darcy Lever. Darcy Lever had little industry other than the coal mining. Many inhabitants not involved in coal mining found employment on the Manchester Bolton and Bury canal or in the textile mills of Bolton and Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
. Today, that situation still exists with most of the working population commuting out of Darcy Lever to work in Bolton, Manchester and other nearby towns.
Darcy Lever was not worked for coal as much as nearby Little Lever due to the fact it lay further off the Irwell Valley fault which had uplifted the coal measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
making them easier to work. There were several collieries in Darcy Lever, the Darcy Lever Pit, Davenport Pit, Snow Hill Pit, Victoria Pit, Top o’th’Meadows Colliery, Fogg Pit and Stonehill Colliery. At Stonehill, which belonged to Roscow and Ward, 18 miners were suffocated and less than a month later the Fogg Pit owned by Andrew Knowles and Sons
Andrew Knowles and Sons
Andrew Knowles and Sons was a coal mining company that operated in and around Clifton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire. England....
, near the Bolton and Bury Canal, was the scene of an explosion which killed 10 miners.
Governance
Darcy Lever was a township or civil parish in the ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le MoorsBolton le Moors
Bolton le Moors was a civil parish and ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford in the historic county of Lancashire, England...
in the Salford hundred in the historic county of Lancashire and in 1837 became part of the Bolton Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
. In 1898 Darcy Lever was incorporated into the County Borough of Bolton
County Borough of Bolton
Bolton was, from 1838 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England, conterminate with the town of Bolton.-History:Bolton was created a free borough in 1253 when William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby granted a charter. However the borough did not develop into a self-governing...
following the Bolton, Turton, and Westhoughton Extension Act of 1898.
Demographics
The census of 1821 showed Darcy Lever had a population of 956, by 1871 this had grown to 2,071 people living in 404 houses. In 1901 the population was enumerated with Great Lever. In the 2001 census the populations of Little Lever and Darcy Lever are not separated and given as a total resident population of around 12,000 people andcovers an area of 481 hectares. It is home to approximately 6,000 males and 6,000 females, living in approximately 5,000 households.
General
The village has a church, a primary school, a newsagent, a general store and four public houses, the Lever Bridge Inn, the Volunteer (formerly the Artillery & Volunteer), the Farmer's Arms and the Lever's Arms. The village also features two cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pitches and borders both Moses Gate Country Park
Moses Gate Country Park
Moses Gate Country Park also known as Crompton Lodges is a 300 hectare site situated at Moses Gate in the Croal Irwell Valley 5 km south of Bolton town centre on the A6053 road which connects Farnworth to Little Lever.-Description:The park runs from the A6053 to Nob End along the banks of...
and Leverhulme Park
Leverhulme Park
Leverhulme Park is the largest park in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It was donated to the people of Bolton by, and named after, the late Lord Leverhulme. The park is bounded by the Breightmet, Darcy Lever, the Haulgh, and Tonge Fold. Since its earlier days as simply a park, Leverhulme...
. Darcy Lever also has the steepest public highway in Bolton, Gorses Steps. Through the village and park run the remains of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal and the Bolton-Bury/Radcliffe railway line, which had a station which was open between 1848 and 1951. The history and development of Darcy Lever as with its neighbour Little Lever is linked to three families, the Levers, the Cromptons and the Fletchers.
Religion
There are two churches in Darcy Lever, Banker St Wesleyan Methodist and St Stephen and All Martyrs Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, Lever Bridge, Darcy Lever. St Stephen was founded in 1844 and has a graveyard. The Wesleyan Methodist was opened for services in 1848 and the present chapel was built in 1850. There was a secession between 1882 and 1885
Railway
The original company operating the line was the Liverpool & Bury Railway, pre-grouping the Lancashire and Yorkshire RailwayLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
acquired the line and finally before British Rail, the post-grouping company was the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
. The station opened on 20 November 1848. It was on the Bury– section of the Liverpool & Bury Railway, which opened on the same day.
To the east of the station, the valley of the River Tonge is crossed by Darcy Lever viaduct, which is 86 feet (26.2 m) high. It comprises a wrought iron structure of eight spans, standing on stone piers and abutments and dating from 1848. Two spans are 54 ft (16.5 m) long, and six are 84 ft (25.6 m) long. Each consists of six lattice girders: two 14 feet (4.3 m), which also form the parapets, flanking four which are 10 feet (3 m) deep. This viaduct, together with a shorter one of similar construction on the same line (over the River Croal
River Croal
The River Croal is a river located in Greater Manchester, England. It is a tributary of the River Irwell.Rising at the confluence of Middle Brook and Deane Church Brook, it flows eastwards through Bolton, collecting Gilnow Brook and the larger River Tonge at Darcy Lever...
at Burnden
Burnden
Burnden is a district in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located about southeast of Bolton town centre and the same distance north of Great Lever....
) was claimed by the Bolton Chronicle (18 November 1848) to be "the first of their kind in England". The station closed on 29 October 1951. The structure was finally designated non-operational in 1983, some thirteen years after the line closed.
Canals
Six aqueducts were required to allow the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal to cross the River IrwellRiver Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
, the River Tonge
River Tonge
The River Tonge is a short river flowing close to Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England.The Tonge is formed at the Meeting of the Waters, where Astley Brook, flowing from the Smithills area in the west, meets the southerly-flowing Eagley Brook...
and four roads. On the Bolton arm these were Hall Lane Aqueduct, Fogg's Aqueduct and the larger Damside Aqueduct. The Damside Aqueduct was demolished in June 1965 for a road and river crossing at Darcy Lever.
Many bridges were constructed along the length of the canal, most were small allowing access to farmland, although many are wide enough for a horse and cart. In places where the canal crossed important thoroughfares, such as Water Street in Radcliffe
Radcliffe
- Places :England* Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, England** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town* Radcliffe, Northumberland, England* Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, EnglandUnited States* Radcliffe, Iowa, USA...
, Radcliffe Road in Darcy Lever and Agecroft
Agecroft
Agecroft may refer to several places near Salford, England:* Agecroft Hall, a Tudor estate near Pendlebury, Salford exported and rebuilt on the James River in Virginia, United States* Agecroft Bridge railway station, closed in 1861...
Road in Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, larger bridges were constructed.