In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Leigh like this:
Leigh.-- market town and par. (ry. stations West Leigh, and Leigh and Bedford), SW. Lancashire, 21 miles NE. of Liverpool, 16 miles NW. of Manchester, and 193 miles NW. of London by rail - par., 13,792 ac., pop. 46,959; town, pop. 21,734; 2 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-day, Saturday. The town is situated on the Wigan and Leigh branch of the Leeds and Liverpool and Bridgwater Canals, and has an extensive trade in its mfrs. of cotton and silk; the minor industries being glass-working, ironfounding, malting, and brewing. Coal mines are in the vicinity.
Leigh through time
Leigh is now part of Wigan district. Click here for graphs and data of how Wigan has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Leigh itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Leigh, in Wigan and Lancashire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/639
Date accessed: 16th April 2024
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