Bolton, lies ten miles north west of the city of Manchester on the edge of the west side of the Pennines. One time known as Bolton le Moors, the introduction of civil registration led to the classification of areas called Great Bolton and Little Bolton. In truth they are all Bolton! To add to the confusion, the neighbouring parish of Deane is also considered to be part of the Town of Bolton.
A stone circle nearby (Turton Heights) suggests settlement and religon in earlier times and it is considered likely that a church was built in Bolton prior to 1068.
Click here for more on St Peters Parish Church, in Bolton. This link also considers whether the three family groups were, indeed, related.
Bolton received a Royal Charter in 1251 to hold a market at Churchgate and a public house, called the Man and Scythe, still operates from that time! On 16th July 1331 King Edward III of England granted letters to John Kempe, 'a weaver of woolen clothes' and others, from Flanders. Conditions in Flanders had degenerated from discontentment to punishment and exile. This threatened the supplies to England, resulting in King Edward III permitting the immigrants to work and trade freely under the King's protection. Naturally The English weavers, of course, were not happy!
By the 1500
Click here for the AA family tree
Click here for the HH family tree
Click here for the PP family tree