This map illustrates the basic areas of local government from the end of the 16th to the middle of the 19th centuries. It does not show the hundreds which were a relic of mediaeval times. Hundred boundaries changed over the years, but in latter days the parishes of Leigh, Wigan (except Aspull), Winwick and Warrington were in West Derby Hundred, while Deane, Eccles, Flixton and Wigan (Aspull only) were in Salford Hundred.

Poor Law Unions 1837-1930

This pair of maps shows the Poor Law Unions introduced in this area in 1837. They shared their boundaries with the Superintendent Registrar's Districts also introduced in 1837. The maps also show, within Leigh SRD only, the Registrar's sub-districts.

The top map shows the situation down to 1845. In that year the township of Golborne was abolished and absorbed by Lowton, and the townships of Kenyon and Culcheth amalgamated as "Newchurch Kenyon". Both these new entities were placed in Leigh PLU.

The township mergers turned out to be temporary and so have not been shown on either map (Golborne became independent again in 1850, Culcheth and Kenyon were separated again in 1866) but the change of PLU was permanent and so is shown on the lower map. The lower map also records the creation of Barton upon Irwell PLU and SRD in 1849, although this is outside our area of interest.

Development of Civil Administration 1835-1889

This map shows the efforts made in the 19th century to modernize the system of local government, especially in the rapidly expanding urban areas which were now developing. The earliest civic authorities were the Boroughs, which were corporations created by individual charter. Some (like Wigan, the only one on this map) were ancient but their status was standardized by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, which also created new ones.

The next stage was the Local Government Act of 1858 which gave urban townships (or Civil Parishes as they were increasingly being called) the power voluntarily to set up Local Boards to provide for civic improvement, particularly in public health but in practice in a wide range of other fields. The Local Board Districts took the same names as the underlying Civil Parishes so these names have not been repeated on the map. I have given the date of creation for Local Board Districts where I know it; if anyone can advise me of the others I would be very grateful.

Finally the Public Health Acts of 1872 and 1875 made the system compulsory and extended it to rural areas. Most existing Local Board Districts just became Urban Sanitary Districts under the act but there were some amalgamations (including Leigh) and many new Civil Parishes were taken into the system. (The old term "Local Board District" continued in common use, even for those created in 1875 or after). Rural Sanitary Districts were formed on the basis of one for the non-urban part of each Poor Law Union.

Civil Admin changes 1889-1900

The Local Government Acts of 1888 and 1894 introduced a system which was destined to last in virtually unchanged form until 1974. The 1888 act introduced "Administrative Counties" and "County Boroughs". The former were the old counties (with a few of the larger ones subdivided) but lost several large towns which became County Boroughs totally independent of the counties surrounding them.

The 1894 act introduced Urban and Rural Districts in place of the earlier Local Boards and Sanitary Districts. They were mainly converted on a one-for-one basis but a few new ones were created. Their responsibilities were standardized whereas those of their predecessors had varied.

Leigh became an Urban District under this legislation but within a few years applied for a charter as a Municipal Borough which was granted in 1899