Editing Coppull (section)

==History==
It is possible that a [[Roman road]] between [[Wigan]] and [[Walton-le-Dale]] passed over Coppull Moor according to the Chorley and District Historical and Archaeological Society after excavating a site there in 1959 and 1985.<ref>{{citation|title= Roman Roads|url= http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/historichighways/roman2.asp|publisher= Lancashire County Council|access-date= 26 September 2012|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070208214553/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/historichighways/roman2.asp|archive-date= 8 February 2007|df= dmy-all}}</ref>

The settlement has an [[Anglo Saxon]] name describing its topography derived from the [[Old English]] ''copp'' a hill top and ''hyll'' a hill.{{sfn|Mills|1998|p=96|ps=}} The township was variously recorded as Cophull and Cophulle in 1277, Copphull in 1351, Copthull in 1374 and Coppull from 1444.<ref name=vch>{{citation |editor1=William Farrer |editor2=J Brownbill |title=Coppull |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53104 |work=A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6 |series=[[Victoria County History]] |publisher=British History Online |pages=224–229 |year=1911 |access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref>

The township was originally held by the lords of [[Worthington, Greater Manchester|Worthington]] until the [[Manorialism|manor]] of Coppull was granted to a family of that name under them. Richard of Coppull granted land to [[Burscough Priory]]. In the reign of [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]], Sir Thomas Stanley bought the manor and it descended with the Stanley property at [[Lathom]] until 1600 when William, Earl of Derby sold it to Edward Rigby of [[Duxbury, Massachusetts|Duxbury]]. In 1755 the owners were named Livesey and John Hodson of Ellerbeck bought it in 1820.<ref name=vch/> The Worthingtons were [[recusant]]s who kept the old faith, Roman Catholicism. Thomas Worthington became a priest at the [[English College, Douai]] and was sent to the [[Tower of London|Tower]] in 1584.<ref name=vch/>

Chisnall was held by a family of that name. Roger and John de Chisnall are mentioned in 1277 and 1292. Roger de Chisnall settled land and property on Roger and his brothers Robert, John and Thomas in 1347. John Chisnall, when he died in 1525, held land and property in Coppull and Worthington of the Earl of Derby. Richard Worthington was a [[Wigan (UK Parliament constituency)|Member of Parliament for Wigan]] between 1688 and 1689 and sat for [[Preston (UK Parliament constituency)|Preston]] as a [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]] in 1690. Blainscough belonged to the Worthingtons who lived there until after the Civil War.<ref name=vch/>

===Industrial Revolution===
A water mill at Birkacre was leased by [[Richard Arkwright]] for cotton spinning in 1778 but was set on fire by [[Luddites|machine wreckers]] in 1779.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.lancashirepioneers.com/arkwright/biog.asp |archive-url= https://archive.today/20121208225228/http://www.lancashirepioneers.com/arkwright/biog.asp |url-status= dead |archive-date= 8 December 2012 |title= Richard Arkwright - Biography |publisher= Lancashire County Council |access-date= 26 September 2010 }}</ref> The mill was rebuilt and used for calico printing, dyeing and bleaching. Water power was replaced by steam. Birkacre Colliery<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.dmm.org.uk/company/b1071.htm|title=Birkacre Colliery Co. Ltd|publisher=Durham Mining Museum | access-date= 26 September 2012}}</ref> opened in 1880 to supply the works which employed more than 800 people in 1883. The works and colliery closed in the 1930s and many of the buildings demolished in the 1960s.<ref>{{citation  |url= http://www.chorley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1706  |title= Yarrow Valley - a history  |publisher= Chorley Council  |access-date= 26 September 2010  |url-status= dead  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071020201748/http://www.chorley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1706  |archive-date= 20 October 2007  |df= dmy-all  }}</ref>

The [[North Union Railway]] between Wigan and Preston opened in 1838. Coppull Colliery was owned by John Hargreaves. On 20 May 1852 was an explosion of [[firedamp]], found to be caused by a lighted candle, 90 men suffering from [[chokedamp]] or burns escaped but 36 men and boys died.<ref>{{citation |title=Coppull, Lancashire. 20th. May, 1852. |url=http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/cms/document/1850_54.pdf |page=23 |publisher=cmhrc.co.uk |access-date=26 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613010419/http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/cms/document/1850_54.pdf |archive-date=13 June 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref> The colliery was renamed Hic Bibi Colliery{{efn|"Hic Bibi", Latin for "here drink I" was the name given to a well from which [[Oliver Cromwell]] was supposed to have drunk on a lane that now carries the name.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.chorley.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=4220&p=0|title=   Welcome To Hic Bibi Local Nature Reserve|publisher= Chorley Council|access-date=26 September 2010}}</ref>}} in the 1860s. It had several owners and after it closed in the 1880s, [[fireclay]] was used at a brickworks started and operated by the Ellerbeck Collieries Company until it closed in 1959. [[Chisnall Hall Colliery]] on Coppull Moor was owned by Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Company in 1896  when it employed 135 underground and 48 surface workers.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mhn/1896-80.htm |title=North and East Lancashire's Mining Industry in 1896 |publisher=projects.exeter.ac.uk |access-date=26 September 2012 |archive-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813213337/http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mhn/1896-80.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> After 1850 Coppull grew rapidly, many rows of houses were built to house coal miners and factory workers. There were several collieries and deep shafts were sunk for the John Pit, Springfield Pit, Blainscough, Hic Bibi, Darlingtons, [[Ellerbeck Colliery]], Birkacre and Pearsons mines. Mineral lines carried coal tubs to the main railway.

Two large red brick [[cotton mill|spinning mills]], [[Coppull Mill]] in 1906, and [[Mavis Mill, Coppull|Mavis Mill]] were built in the early 20th century. Coppull Mill has been converted for other uses and is a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE |num= 1362173 |desc=Coppul Ring Mill |access-date= 26 September 2012  |mode=cs2}}</ref>
The last surviving collieries were Chisnall Hall and Ellerbeck.<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/maps/lnw_map4.html |title= North Western Division Map 89 |publisher= cmhrc |access-date= 26 September 2010 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100424084350/http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/maps/lnw_map4.html |archive-date= 24 April 2010 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>