Bradshaw is a village of the

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...

of South Turton in the

Metropolitan Borough of Bolton The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton ( ) is a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, named after its largest town, Bolton, but covering a larger area which includes Blackrod, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley, Westhoughton, and part of ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. It gives its name to the larger Bradshaw

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

, which includes Harwood. within the Historic County of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, Bradshaw lies on the southern edge of the

West Pennine Moors The West Pennine Moors is an area of the Pennines covering approximately of moorland and Reservoir (water), reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The West Pennine Moors are separa ...

History

Toponymy

The

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper na ...

of Bradshaw is derived from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

adjective ''Brad'' from which our modern word ''broad'' is evolved, and the Old English word ''sceaga'' – anglicised to ''shaw'' – a

copse Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a tree stump, stump, which in many species encourages new Shoot (botany), shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest ...

. The two elements together mean a ''broad copse''. In early deeds and documents of the 13th Century the name is spelt Bradeshaye and later Bradshaigh.

The Manor of Bradshaw

Henry Bradshaw held land in the area in 1235, and the Bradshaws were an important Lancashire family in the late 1500s and early 1600s, especially during the movement against the King before the Civil War. John Bradshaw died in 1542 holding the Manor of Bradshaw. In 1694 the Lordship of the Manor of Bradshaw was sold by another John Bradshaw to Henry Bradshaw of Marple Hall. The estate later descended to the Isherwood family.

Governance

Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire,Bradshaw was from the 12th Century until 1974 a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

and

chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...

of the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

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

in the

Salford Hundred The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions (a hundred) of the historic county of Lancashire in Northern England. Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (the suffix ''-shire'' mea ...

. In 1837, Bradshaw joined with other townships and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es in the area to form the Bolton

Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...

and took joint responsibility for the administration and funding of the

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

and building a

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

. In 1866, Bradshaw was given the status of a

in its own right. In 1894, Bradshaw became part of the Bolton Rural District which took responsibility over matters such as planning, council housing, and playgrounds and cemeteries. The Rural District was dissolved in 1898 and its civil parishes were incorporated into various local authorities. As a result, on 30 September 1898 Bradshaw parish was abolished and merged with Turton and became part of the

Turton Urban District Turton Urban District was, from 1873 to 1974, a local government district centred on the historical area of Turton in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. History Background Turton was a township and chapelry of the civil and e ...

. In 1891 the parish had a population of 647. Under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, Turton Urban District was abolished on 1 April 1974 and was divided between two local authorities. The northern part, North Turton, became part of the borough of

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

(which changed to Blackburn with Darwen in 1997) in Lancashire, and the southern part, South Turton (including Bradshaw), became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester.

Landmarks

Bradshaw War Memorial is located within the grounds of St Maxentius' Churchyard. It commemorates the residents of Bradshaw who were killed in the First and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

s. The inscription on one of the panels of the memorial reads: ''To The Glory Of God And In Memory Of The Men Of Bradshaw Who Died For Their Country In The Great War 1914–1918.'' On the base there is a further inscription for the Second World War: ''Also In Loving Remembrance Of The Men Of This Parish Who Gave Their Lives In The War Of 1939–1945.'' Other panels and the base has the names of all those killed in the two world wars. The churchyard also contains seven war graves, six from the First World War and one from the Second World War.

Education

Bradshaw has two schools: St Maxentius C.of E. Primary School, New Heys Way, and Canon Slade School, Bradshaw Brow.

Religious sites

Bradshaw is famous for its "tower without a church and a church without a tower". This refers to St. Maxentius's Church in Bradshaw. This church was originally one of the earliest chapels of ease for Bolton Parish Church. The 16th-century tower is all that is left of the original chapel of ease. The present 1872 church building is near, but separate from the tower.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Virtual Drive around BradshawGENUKI - Bradshaw
Areas of Greater Manchester Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton West Pennine Moors