Bolton-le-Moors

Bolton le Moors
Population
• 1801	29,826
• 1881	124,763
History
• Origin	14th century
Status	Civil parish (until 1866) Ecclesiastical parish

Bolton le Moors (also known as Bolton le Moors St Peter) was a civil parish and ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It was administered from St Peter's Church, Bolton in the township of Great Bolton.

Bolton le Moors was originally a part of the ancient parish of Eccles, but in the 14th century it became a parish in its own right. The parish corresponded roughly to what is now the town of Bolton and some surrounding areas. As with many large parishes in the north of England, it was divided into townships in 1662 to make administration easier. Some of the townships had chapels and were known as chapelries.

For civil purposes, these townships and chapelries were largely autonomous, although for ecclesiastical purposes they came under the authority of the vicar of Bolton. In 1866, the civil parish of Bolton le Moors was abolished and the townships became civil parishes in their own right. These townships, later civil parishes, were used for the censuses until 1891, after which most were absorbed into the County Borough of Bolton or became urban districts. Anglezarke and Rivington became part of the Chorley Rural District.

The ecclesiastical parish still continues, although now only covers a small area of Bolton town centre. It is one of a number of Church of England parishes in the Diocese of Manchester. The parish church is St Peter's Church, Bolton and was rebuilt between 1866 and 1871. The current vicar is the Reverend Matthew Thompson, MA (Cantab), BA, M.Phil who took up the appointment in September 2008.

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