Things you didn't know about... Bolton

Britain's first evening paper was launched in Bolton
In 1867 the Bolton Evening News first appeared—price, one ha'penny, which is 0.2 pence in new money. The paper continues today as the Bolton News.

Dampness made Bolton's fortune
Not only the great rainfall that powered the original textile mills, but also the dampness of the atmosphere that later allowed cotton to be spun here, ensuring that the yarn did not break during its treatment.

No one knows the origin of the name Bolton
There are lots of theories obviously, but the question has yet to be settled. One explanation is that the name comes from the Old English "bothltun", meaning "village with buildings".

The Shakers originated in Bolton
Although Manchester is usually given as the birthplace of the religious movement known as the "Shaking Quakers", it was here in Bolton that James and Jane Wardley first set up with Mother Ann Lee. Eventually, after Manchester, nine of them moved to New York in 1774. The Shakers had 200,000 followers at their peak, but there are now only a handful left.

Mass Observation made a large study of Bolton
The great social research initiative made a study here entitled "Bolton Working Class Life". You can study the findings of this detailed anthropological survey at the Mass Observation Archive at Sussex University in Brighton.

In 1644 there was a notorious massacre in Bolton
Some 1,600 of Bolton's townspeople—Parliamentarians—were slaughtered by troops under Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Known as the "Mad Cavalier", Rupert always went into battle with his pet poodle Boye, who was believed to have supernatural powers.

Bolton is "the friendliest place in Britain"
Bolton is by no means the wealthiest place in Britain but, according to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the town comes first in Britain for civic happiness—by a large margin. Which just goes to show something.

Which Bolton?
Bolton is a common place name, with eight others in Yorkshire alone!

The Bolton body-snatcher
In 1830 a James Holme was arrested and pleaded guilty to the crime. He was found to have connections to Edinburgh, where the famous body snatchers and murderers Burke and Hare provided dissection material for Doctor Knox. Holme was caught because he got drunk... and left a stolen body in the pub!

Bolton has a radical feminist past
Bolton women activists have included Bertha Agnew, Elisabeth Ashmore, Florence Blincoe, Dr Mary Bousted, Alice Collinge... and that's just the A to Cs.