Golborne

The name Golborne derives from the Old English golde and burna, and means "stream where marsh marigolds grow". The earliest settlements in the present-day town were on banks of the Millingford Brook, hence its name being derived from a water course where calendula grew.[3] Golborne has been recorded in ancient documents as Goldeburn in 1187, Goldburc in 1201, Goseburn and Goldburn in 1212 and Golburne in 1242. Golborne and Gowborne were 16th-century spellings.[4]

A settlement at Golborne has existed since at least the time of the Domesday book. The manor was held in two moieties, half by the Lords of Lowton, and the half by the Golbornes up to the reign of Henry III, and later by various families including the Fleetwoods and Leghs.

The old Manor of Golborne stood to the north side of the village, giving its name to a public house on Church Street (now demolished). The manor and its lands extended as far as St Luke's Church in Lowton, and also gives its name to Manor Avenue and Manor Court.

The Venerable Bede wrote in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum of a well near Golborne sacred to St. Oswald's memory.[5] This well had been suggested as the site where Penda, the pagan king of Mercia, slew the Christian King Oswald, later St Oswald, in the Battle of Maserfield, in 642. It is more generally accepted though that the site of that battle was some considerable distance to the southwest, near Oswestry.

Holcroft Hall, now a farm, was the home of Colonel Blood, who, during the reign of Charles II, attempted to steal the Crown Jewels. King Charles was amused by Blood's audacity and pardoned him. Blood married Maria Holcroft of Holcroft Hall at Newhurch Church against the will of her father.

In 1648 the Battle of Red Gap was fought by the old road south from Golborne (probably the Red Bank area of Newton le Willows) during the 2nd Civil War. The Scots on the side of Charles I had advanced into England. Oliver Cromwell, leader of the Roundhead Army intercepted the Scots at Preston and, in a series of running battles between Preston, Wigan and Warrington, of which Red Gap was one, he defeated the Scots even though his army was outnumbered by ten to one.

A local legend speaks of a knight who slayed a dragon and was granted land and a manor, supposedly Goulbourne. There is a tumulus in fields near the golf known as Castle Hill where tradition says Alfred buried his treasure, but it has never been found. Castle Hill is also said to be haunted by a White Lady, who drifts in front of oncoming traffic.

Boundary sign on Wigan Road (A573)

The former village grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution as the mining industry expanded. On 18 March 1979 there was a methane explosion at the town's colliery caused by an electrical spark, which took the lives of ten miners.[6] Of the eleven present, only one survived. The colliery closed in 1989. The location of the former colliery is known locally as the 'Bonk' which is now the largest park in Golborne. Its name originates from the migration of Welsh miners to North West coal mines: 'Bonk' derives from the Welsh: banc 1. bank n.m. (banciau) mound n.m. (bencydd) bank n.m. (bencydd) hillock n.m. (bencydd)[7] ('a' to 'o' mutation[8]) – the spoil heap of the colliery. The closure of the colliery led to the loss of employment for a large proportion of Golborne's population as well as people from nearby towns and villages such as Abram, Lowton and Ashton-in-Makerfield. Unemployment problems have been mostly eradicated in recent years with the development of different industries which has brought in new jobs, further aided by the creation of Stone Cross Industrial Park and Golborne Enterprise Park.

There is a campaign to reopen the town's main line railway station – Golborne South.[9] As part of Greater Manchester's Transport Initiative Fund package, a station at Golborne would be reinstated, probably on the site of the original station off the A573 in the centre of town.[10] Golborne's branch line station – Golborne North – was closed in 1952. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham commented that “Golborne has a rock solid case for a station. It is now becoming quite clear. It has been sent to the Government for sign off. I prioritised it as mayor because of the very poor transport connectivity in that area – and if Metrolink isn’t coming anytime soon to the Wigan borough then it has to be the case to improve rail connectivity.”