Bolton was first given its market charted in 1251 by King Henry III of England to hold a market in Churchgate. The Earl of Derby, William de Ferrers gave Bolton its charter to be a borough and market town in 1253. Flemmis weavers chose to settle in the area in 1337 and introduced the area to wool cloth manufacturing. In the 17th Century, running away from the Huguenot persecutions, more weaver came to the area. This second set of weavers were weaving fustian which is a material that is rough and made of a mixture of cotton and linen. In 1373 the town became involved in the digging or sea coal. The plague of 1623 devastated Bolton as it did many English towns.
Bolton supported Parliament as well as the Puritans during the English Civil War. The town had a parliamentary garrison located there that had with stood two unsuccessful attacks until May of 1644. At this time Prince Rupert's army attacked for a third time with troops from the Earl of Derby. This attack left 1,500 dead and 700 were taken prisoner while the town was plundered, it was dubbed the Bolton Massacre. Later in the Civil War, Lord Derby was tried and executed at Chester for being a traitor and for his part of the Bolton Massacre. This was after he had attempted to escape because his appeal to be pardoned was turned down but was recaptured.
He was executed in October of 1651 outside Ye Olde Man and Scythe Inn in Bolton. In the 19th Century the textile industry was brought to Bolton by Richard Arkwright and Samuel Crompton who were inventors. This lead to the towns rapid growth. The spinning mule was invented by Crompton in 1770, which revolutionized the industry of cotton spinning. He added to Arkwright's design and made a device that would produce higher quality yarns. A canal was constructed in 1791, the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal to transport the textiles and also the growing coal exportation. The coal industry then added to the town's growth. Then the railway came to town from 1828 to 1831. By1896 the town had over eight active mines.
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