Waymarker 1 of 100
Stage 1: Affetside to Little Lever
GR SD 7547 1368
The Pack Horse Inn, Affetside
Welcome to the start of the Rotary Way Bolton! You are stood at the first way-marker for the route. Have a lovely walk and don’t forget to look out for the rest of the way markers. Scan them with your smartphone for interesting information.
Image Credit: John Timperley 2013 via Flickr
Where you are stood... The Pack Horse Inn, Affetside
Built in 1442, over the years, this Watling Street pub has developed its local legend, mainly due to a human skull dating back hundreds of years, which is encased at the bar.
The skull is thought to belong to an old regular at the pub, George Whowell, a headsman who executed James Stanley in 1651.
When the civil war divided the country from 1642 to 1651, there were two main sides, the Royalists and Parliamentary supporters. King Charles I, who was feeling threatened at the time, found his northern stronghold in York was besieged, and Parliamentarians had allied with Scotland to create a new army.
In a bid to get back on top, the King’s nephew, Prince Rupert, arrived in Shrewsbury preparing to relieve York and secure the north. Rupert began his “York March”, heading through Lancashire to gather reinforcements and secure the county for Royalist troops heading back from Ireland.
Along the way, local magnate James Stanley, the 7th Earl of Derby, joined, just in time for the Bolton Massacre on May 28, 1644.
They stormed a Parliamentarian outpost in Stockport, bypassed Manchester, and advanced to Bolton. It was here that Royalist soldiers murdered, stole, and ravaged the town, unchecked by Rupert or the Earl of Derby.
Given free reign by the duo, they are suspected to have killed around 1,600 of Bolton’s defenders and inhabitants. Residents were slaughtered during and after the fighting, residents which included the family of George Whowell.
Leaving Bolton a bloodied mess, they continued until the Royalists lost control of the north, Rupert escaped south and Bolton was recaptured.
In 1651, the Earl of Derby was captured in Cheshire and court-martialled before being sentenced to execution. He was taken back to Bolton, the place where the bloody massacre had taken place and executed outside Ye Olde Man and Scythe in the town centre.
Found guilty of assisting the Royalists, the Earl placed his head on the chopping block, passing coins to the executioner for a swift clean cut.
Those coins were passed on to George Whowell. The man, whose family perished in the massacre, was fittingly called to be the Earl’s executioner.
It was reported that he kissed his axe and brought it down on the neck of the Earl.
Thought to have been a local at the Pack Horse, Whowell lived on his family farm and to this day, no one quite knows how his skull ended up at the pub.
Many are said to have moved the skull in the past and been met with mysterious happenings, meaning it has become an unmovable part of the pub and a permanent resident of Affetside.
Article credit: Harriet.Heywood@newsquest.co.uk
Image credit: Google Maps, Inset: Public
Halloween: Bolton executioners skull remains in The Pack Horse pub, Affetside | The Bolton News
Did you know Rotary... has planted over 2000 trees in Bolton?
It has taken Bolton Lever Rotary Club six years to reach this milestone. The club began this project back in 2015 and over that time have planted trees in several areas of Bolton including Captain’s Clough, Moss Bank Park and Doffcocker Lodge.
The Mayor, Cllr Linda Thomas and her team showed a keen interest in the project and felt that our work would have a lasting legacy for the Bolton area. She told us that Bolton Council is also committed to planting many more trees across the borough.
Woodland areas help to clean the air, prevent flooding and protect against climate change with the added benefit of providing spaces for people to enjoy, promoting both physical and mental well-being. The Woodland Trust supplies packs of native tree species such as hawthorn, blackthorn, rowan, crab apple, hazel, dog rose to community groups. Planting these increases the biodiversity by creating homes for many types of plant, insects, birds and other wildlife. We have worked closely with Tree and Asset Officer for Bolton Council, Andy Grundy, who has allocated planting sites and said “Woodland enrichment planting would provide for a new generation of trees and shrubs to maintain the woodland environment for both wildlife and people.”
Club President Aruna Mene said “Our members love making a practical difference in the community and are also keen to interest a new generation in protecting the environment”.
Chair of Astley Bridge Junior Football club Paul Robinson said that the club hopes to further develop the area off Stapleton Avenue in a sustainable way as a community resource. He feels it is important to offer their young members opportunities to learn about wildlife and the environment as well as honing their football skills.
Rotary International have recently made ‘Supporting the Environment’ a new area of focus, aiming to conserve and protect the natural world. Bolton Lever Rotary Club members look forward to continuing this, and other projects, which improve the environment for our Bolton community and would love to hear from other groups or individuals with the same aims.
If you’d like to find out more about the club’s activities you can find them on facebook.com/BoltonLever or www.boltonrotary.org.uk
Article credit: Rotarian Dr Richard Cooper, Rotary Bolton Lever
Image credit: Rotarian Pat Rothwell
Rotary in Bolton started in 1922 with Rotary Club of Bolton, which has now amalgamated with Rotary Club of Bolton Le Moors to create Rotary Bolton with Le Moors.
In the past 100 years, Rotary in Bolton has grown significantly, with now six clubs and over 150 members volunteering their time and expertise for the good of the local and international community.
Rotary Bolton Lever
Rotary Bolton Daybreak
Rotary Horwich
Rotary Turton
Rotary Bolton with Le Moors
