Hide

Billinge

hide
Hide

"BILLINGE, a village, two townships, and a chapelry in Wigan parish, Lancashire. The village stands 2 miles S of Orrel r. station, and 4½ SW by W of Wigan; and has a post office under Wigan. The townships are called Billinge-Chapel-End and Billinge-Higher-End. Acres of B.-Chapel-End, 1,129. Real-property, £11,309; of which £7,580 are in mines. Pop., 2,015. Houses, 389. Acres of B.-Higher-End, 1,549. Real property, £5,616; of which £2,000 are in mines, and £641 in quarries. Pop., 1,051. Houses, 204. Billinge Hill here is 633 feet high; has a beacon on the top; and commands a view on one side to Ingleborough, on another to the Welsh mountains. Some of the inhabitants are employed in cotton-mills. The chapelry consists of the two townships; and is a p. curacy in the diocese of Chester. Value, £403.* Patron, the Rector of Wigan. The church is good. There are a Roman Catholic chapel, a national school, and charities £117."

John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

Hide
topup

Archives & Libraries

Local studies information is held at Ormskirk and Skelmersdale libraries.

topup

Census

topup

Church Records

The registers of the parish church, St Aidan, containing Baptisms 1696-1812, Marr 1699-1810 and Burials 1699-1812 have been published by the Lancashire Parish Register Society in volume 123 of their publications.

A marriage index for 1813-1826 and for 1830-1836 (from BTs) is available from the LFH&HS.

topup

Civil Registration

The Register Office covering the Billinge area is Wigan and Leigh.

topup

Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Billinge which are provided by:

topup

Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"BILLINGE, a parish in the hundred of West Derby, in the county palatine of Lancaster, 5 miles to the S.W. of Wigan, its post town, and 4 miles N. of St. Helen's. It comprises the township of Billings Chapel-End and the hamlet of Winstanley. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, of Winstanley. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, existed here in the time of Elizabeth, but this was pulled down in 1717, and the present one was erected on the site. There is a parochial school, with residence for the master and mistress. The Roman Catholics have a chapel and schools here. Winstanley Hall, the seat of Meyrich Banker, Esq., is a fine old mansion, erected in the 16th century. Billings Hill is a lofty eminence near the termination of the Yorkshire range, rising to the height of 593 feet, and commanding a very wide prospect, which includes the Ingleborough mountain in Yorkshire, and parts of Cumberland, Cheshire, and Wales."

"BILLINGE HIGHER END, a township in the parish of Wigan, and hundred of West Derby, in the county palatine of Lancaster, close to Billings Chapel-End. Here are some cotton-mills, employing a small number of persons, and some stone-quarries. This township shares with Billings Chapel-End the benefit of charitable endowments producing about £117 per annum. Bispham Hall, in this township, is an ancient residence, belonging to the Holts of Bispham, but now in the occupation of V. H. Brancker, Esq."

topup

Historical Geography

In 1835 Billinge was a township in the parish of Wigan.

topup

Maps

image

View maps of Billinge and places within its boundaries.

View a map of the boundaries of this town/parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SD521009 (Lat/Lon: 53.502584, -2.723392), Billinge which are provided by:

topup

Probate Records

For probate purposes prior to 1858, Billinge was in the Archdeaconry of Chester, in the Diocese of Chester. The original Lancashire wills for the Archdeaconry of Chester are held at the Lancashire Record Office.

You can also see Family History Societies covering the nearby area, plotted on a map. This facility is being developed, and is awaiting societies to enter information about the places they cover.