123-525: Prestwich ( / ˈ p r ɛ s t w ɪ tʃ / PREST -witch ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury , Greater Manchester , England, three miles (five kilometres) north of Manchester , three miles (five kilometres) north of Salford and five miles (eight kilometres) south of Bury . Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham , centred around
246-532: A Jacobin , to the point where he was forced to publicly declare that he was not a Republican and "detested their principles". Eventually, in late September 1798, he raised the Holkham Yeoman Cavalry, commanding it as a Major, to defend against any invasion. This unit was dissolved in 1802 with the Peace of Amiens , but after war broke out again a year later more volunteer regiments were formed. Coke
369-451: A 30,000-acre estate at the age of 22. Soon after his father's death, Harbord and other senior Whigs visited Coke and asked him to stand for Norfolk in his father's stead. Coke was not enthusiastic, not seeing himself as a politician and hoping to enjoy his new estates and wealth, but after his visitors pointed out a Tory might otherwise replace him "my blood chilled all over me from my head to my foot, and I came forward". On 12 April he issued
492-520: A Knight of the Shire, Coke had the right to appear in court dressed "in his boots" as opposed to in formal court dress; this he did, appearing in front of George III dressed in leather breeches, boots and spurs. Eventually, the king began negotiations with the American colonies and accepted the resignation of Lord North – an action which would, eventually, lead to Coke leaving Parliament. A new government
615-527: A Sixth Form centre offering vocational courses from 2011 but the centre was closed down in 2017, so for both A-level and vocational studies the nearest tertiary education providers are both in Bury, Holy Cross College and Bury College . The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade I listed building and was at the centre of the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham that extended beyond
738-490: A chain ferry leading to a "snug thatched cottage"; there is no evidence this proposal was ever approved. Most of the work was completed by 1810, and from then on Coke's attention turned to hunting game. The estate was explicitly designed with that in mind, and game books note between 1,300 and 2,500 partridges were killed most years. In 1822, Elizabeth, Coke's daughter, recorded that 800 birds were shot in one day. Jane Dutton, Coke's wife, gave birth to their first child in 1777,
861-533: A close friend of Charles James Fox , and joined his Eton schoolmate William Windham in his support of the American colonists during the American Revolutionary War . As a supporter of Fox, Coke was one of the MPs who lost their seats in the 1784 general election , and he returned to Norfolk to work on farming, hunting, and the maintenance and expansion of Holkham Hall , his ancestral home. Coke
984-457: A daughter named Jane. Two more daughters followed; Anne Margaret in 1779, and Elizabeth in 1795, before Jane's death in 1800. Jane was married to Charles Nevison Howard, Viscount Andover, on 21 June 1796, but on 11 January 1800 Andover died in a shooting accident on the Holkham estate. Jane remarried to Henry Digby in 1806, and they had 11 children. As a landlord, Coke was a firm believer in
1107-468: A haven for wildlife, there are still remnants of the area's industrial past. Philips Park has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and Prestwich Clough as a Site of Biological Importance (SBI) due to the important contribution they make to the wildlife heritage of Greater Manchester . The Irwell Sculpture Trail , the Irwell Valley Way and a National Cycle Route all pass through
1230-521: A hundred years ago". Coke's big improvements came in two areas; grasses and husbandry. He pioneered the use of cocksfoot and lucerne as grass and feed respectively, with the result that by 1793 he was claiming to have 2,400 sheep in Holkham, as opposed to the 700 kept when he inherited the estates. The husbandry involved the milking comparisons of various types of cow, along with the first planting of Scottish turnips, which are "a good table vegetable being more palatable and nutritious and not so watery as
1353-477: A long train of neighbours, tenants and yeomen, Coke was eventually buried at the family mausoleum in Tittleshall on 11 July. Immediately after Coke's death, a committee formed to create a monument to him; over a thousand subscribers contributed £5,000. The eventual Coke Monument, found in the grounds of Holkham Hall, was designed by William Donthorne and finally completed in 1851. Wilhelmina Stirling wrote
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#17327981939541476-761: A manifesto to the Norfolk electorate, soon returning to campaign, and after being unanimously nominated on 27 April he was elected in May. Little is known of Coke's early career in Parliament; he spoke relatively infrequently, and the parliamentary session was dissolved soon after his election. During that summer, however, he struck up a relationship with Charles James Fox , a soon-to-be famous Whig politician noted for his outspoken and flamboyant lifestyle. Coke later recounted that "When I first went into Parliament I attached myself to Fox and clung to him through life. I lived in
1599-514: A mob in 1815. With the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo , the wars in Europe ended, and the troops returned home. As a result, the nation underwent dramatic shifts due to rising unemployment as the economy shifted and the government began to pay off its debts incurred during 20 years of war. Agricultural prices slumped, and Coke became active in opposing tax increases which would impact on
1722-733: A number of Youth Training Schemes. Holy Cross College was formerly Bury Convent Grammar School. It was a direct grant Catholic girls' school founded in 1878 by the Daughters of the Cross , a congregation of religious from Liège . In 2007 it was named 7th in the country. Bury is also home to one of the UK's oldest Islamic seminaries, Darul Uloom Bury , which was established in 1979 and located in Holcombe . As of February 2004, Bury has 5 Grade I, 8 Grade II*, and 228 Grade II listed buildings. Bury
1845-602: A peerage, which he refused primarily to focus on abolishing Britain's involvement in the Atlantic slave trade , which was accomplished roughly a year after Fox's death on 13 September 1806. Fox's death made Parliament lose some of its appeal to Coke, as they had been close friends. His attendance in the next two years was very limited, and the next occasion of note was his support of the Corn Laws , which were highly unpopular in Norfolk and led to him being physically attacked by
1968-465: A personal insult, and as a result, disliked Coke until his death. Coke also brought up the issue of the hunting game. During the late 18th century a series of laws were passed protecting a landowner's right to hunt, and giving severe penalties to poachers. On 27 February Coke, an enthusiastic hunter, suggested in Parliament that these laws be relaxed; "Combinations had been formed in the Country against
2091-602: A result of his uncle's work on Holkham Hall, with the interest alone being £4,000 a year. He had some difficulties dealing with the people employed before he inherited the estates, and when the steward Ralph Cauldwell, appointed by Coke's uncle, retired in 1782, Coke failed to replace him until 1816. This replacement was Francis Blaikie , a Scottish man who had previously been employed as estate steward for Lord Chesterfield. Blaikie paid close attention to where farms were doing badly or could do better, but often struggled to deal with Coke. Coke lacked financial sense in matters other than
2214-482: A resurgence in late Victorian times. Mass was celebrated in 1889 for the first time since the Reformation . The present Catholic church, dedicated to Our Lady of Grace , was opened in 1931 and consecrated in 1956. There are two Methodist churches, Heaton Park Methodist Church and Prestwich Methodist Church. There are cemeteries at the parish church and St Margaret's. The Congregational Church on Bailey Street
2337-530: A school in Wandsworth run by French settlers. In 1765 he was sent to Eton College , where he was joined by William Windham , a close friend in his later life. Coke was apparently happy at Eton, and was excellent at field sports; on one occasion 70 snipes he had killed were found in his room, and on another, he narrowly avoided being punished for shooting a pheasant in Windsor Great Park . He
2460-497: A short illness, Coke died on 30 June 1842, and was succeeded as Earl by his son Thomas. Coke's main legacy was as an agricultural reformer, not as a politician; he has historically been credited with sparking the British Agricultural Revolution through the reforms he made to farming on his estates. Later historians have questioned this, however, noting that the developments credited to him are most likely
2583-482: A substantial Norfolk estate, including Holkham Hall , a "Palladian masterpiece". Margaret studiously avoided the rest of the family, vowing to outlive Wenman simply to ensure that he did not inherit the estate. In the event she died in 1775, one year before Wenman, who thereby inherited. Few records exist of Thomas Coke's early years, although it is known that he was educated in Longford, Derbyshire , before going to
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#17327981939542706-569: A suburb of Manchester. Prestwich, together with Whitefield and Radcliffe, is part of the marginal Bury South Parliamentary constituency , which has been represented by MP Christian Wakeford since 2019. Wakeford stood as a Conservative and gained the seat from the Labour Party by 402 votes, which at the time made it one of the most marginal seats in the country. However, he defected to Labour in January 2022. On Bury Council , Prestwich
2829-491: A wealthy, estate-owning family; one of his first memories was "being held up to a window to watch a fox being cornered and killed by hounds". Little is known of Coke's father; Wenman is described as a shy person who "saw little company and lived much out of the world; his habits were those of a country gentleman, bending his mind to agriculture, moderately addicted to field sports and more than either, to reading in which he passed many hours; firm in his principles which were those of
2952-458: Is a large Jewish community in Prestwich which, together with neighbouring Whitefield , Broughton and Crumpsall , makes up the second largest Jewish community in the UK outside London. Prestwich is possibly of Old English origin, derived from preost and wic , which translates to the priest's farm. Another possible derivation is priest's retreat. Wic was a place-name element derived from
3075-612: Is at Whitefield with over 200 spaces. The metrolink line was originally a train line, with Prestwich station first built by Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1879. Bury New Road is the main road through the centre of the town. Buses on the road operate between Prestwich and central Manchester and Bury, with high frequency services operated by Go North West Local bus routes link the village to northern areas of Salford including Pendlebury , Swinton , Monton and Eccles . The Lancashire Way and The Witch Way express services link Prestwich to Manchester, Burnley and Pendle . The road
3198-627: Is at the heart of the largest public art scheme in the UK – the Irwell Sculpture Trail . Works in the borough include Ulrich Ruckriem 's sculpture in Radcliffe, on the site of the former Outwood Colliery . Ruckreim is one of Germany's most eminent artists, best known for his monumental stone sculptures. His work at Outwood is one of his largest stone settings to date. Edward Allington 's Tilted Vase sits in Market Place in
3321-623: Is characterised by carboniferous coal measures of the Manchester Coalfield and sandstone appertaining to the Carboniferous Westphalian C geological age. This is overlain with quaternary glacial drift comprising sand, gravel and boulder clay . The 2021 census estimated the population of Prestwich at 31,500. Around 20% of the population of Prestwich is Jewish , and the area, along with neighbouring Whitefield , Broughton and Crumpsall , makes up
3444-621: Is covered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Anglican Diocese of Manchester . There are four Grade I listed churches in Bury. The Church of All Saints , at Stand in Whitefield , was built in 1826. The Parish Church of St Mary, Radcliffe , is a 14th-century church with a 15th-century tower. The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich , is a 15th-century church. The current Church of St Mary
3567-440: Is improving. The council is on target to reach its Decent Homes target by 2010. The assessment concluded that the council has improved the way it uses its resources to deliver its plans, improving how it manages its finances and service performance and strengthening arrangements to make sure that it achieves good value for money. There are 60 primary schools, 13 secondary schools, 3 special schools and 2 Pupil Referral Units in
3690-546: Is located near Prestwich Metrolink station. It is one of the oldest clubs in the Manchester area, and was the first multi-sports club in the UK to achieve Clubmark or equivalent accreditations in all its official sporting sections. The club has cricket , crown green bowling , tennis and football facilities and a clubhouse. Golf is played at Prestwich Golf Club, and crown green bowling in St. Mary's Park. Both are also found at
3813-655: Is served by four tram stations on the Manchester Metrolink line from Manchester to Bury, at Besses o' th' Barn on the Whitefield border to the north, Prestwich in the centre of the village, Heaton Park in the centre-east and Bowker Vale on the Blackley border to the south-east. There are a number of parking spaces at the Besses and Prestwich, stops, however, the nearest dedicated park-and-ride station
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3936-423: Is served by three wards, St Mary's, covering the western half of the town, Holyrood covering the north-east, and Sedgeley to the south. In previous years, they have been represented by all three major political parties, but since the 2023 local elections , all nine seats across the three wards are held by Labour. Historically, Prestwich was the ecclesiastical centre of Prestwich-cum-Oldham an ancient parish in
4059-462: Is the Arts and Crafts Movement oak carved reredos , choir stalls , rood screen , panelling, pulpit, bishop's chair and altar rails by Arthur Simpson of Kendal , widely believed to be the finest collection of his ecclesiastical work. Other Anglican churches in the area include churches dedicated to St Gabriel (built 1933–4, St Hilda (1903–04) and St George (1915). The Roman Catholic Church had
4182-542: The Economic History Review , states that "many of the innovations he is supposed to have introduced should be attributed to his predecessors in Norfolk"; however that "is not to deny the substantial contribution of Coke himself to the advance of farming technique in England". Coke was re-elected to Parliament in 1790 , at a time of great political trouble. The French Revolution a year earlier had torn
4305-472: The Grade I listed Church of St Mary the Virgin . In recent times, it has grown in popularity as a commuter town of Manchester, being consistenly named one of the best places to live in the UK by The Sunday Times , and has been nicknamed the 'new Didsbury ' in comparison with the affluent suburb in the south of the city. The oldest part of Prestwich, around Bury New Road, is known as Prestwich Village. There
4428-666: The Great Reform Act 1832 , although he only spoke on the subject once, and chose its passage on 4 June 1832 as the appropriate moment to retire as an MP. As the "greatest commoner in England", Coke finally accepted a peerage in July 1837 (having been offered one six times before), becoming the Earl of Leicester. He took no pleasure in attending the House of Lords, however, describing it as "the hospital for incurables". Coke remained in
4551-618: The Salford Hundred of Lancashire . A Prestwich Poor Law Union was established in 1850, and later merged with the Manchester one in 1915 before being abolished in 1930. In 1867 the Prestwich Local Board of Health was established which, as a result of the Local Government Act 1894 , became Prestwich Urban District , to which parts of Great and Little Heaton townships were added. In 1903, Heaton Park
4674-485: The 1720s and 1730s, in a design which quickly became seen as old-fashioned. Coke had the lake massively expanded, shifting a total of 36,000 cubic yards of earth, and employed the gardener John Sandys from 1781. Sandys created several large pieces of woodland, planting over 7,000 trees on 22 acres near the Eastern Lodge, another ten acres near the lake, and four acres of marshland. In 1784 a further woodland expansion
4797-588: The Borough. Overall, Bury was ranked 23rd of the all local education authorities in SATs performance and 3rd in Greater Manchester in 2006. In 2007, Bury LEA was ranked 45th out of 148 in the country – and 3rd in Greater Manchester – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including maths and English (47.8% compared with the national average of 45.8%). The schools of
4920-620: The Catholic women teachers' training college Sedgley Park he devised and directed two big-cast projects for the Manchester Youth Theatre : Big Basil and Glum Victoria and the Lad with Specs . The National Archives holds records relating to the college. By 1912 the population had increased to 12,800, and from the 1930s onwards the remaining fields were developed and by 1961 the population reached 31,000 and Prestwich had become
5043-697: The French Consul and the Duke of Sussex . The Board of Agriculture was formed in 1793, with Coke sitting as one of the 30 "ordinary members" as a leading agriculturalist; he was made the Vice-President in 1805. The Board published a series of county reports for most of the United Kingdom, describing new farming measures being undertaken in various parts of the country. Coke has been described as "the real hero of Norfolk agriculture", despite
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5166-572: The Latin vicus, place. Its most common meaning is dairy-farm. The township was variously recorded as Prestwich in 1194, Prestwic in 1202 and Prestewic in 1203. Bury New Road roughly follows the line of a Roman road connecting forts at Mamucium ( Manchester ) and Bremetennacum ( Ribchester ). It is possible that a Roman fort or encampment was built at "Castle Hill", near the Salford border, mirroring an encampment on Rainsough Hill equidistant from
5289-623: The Norfolk variety". His prime area of experimentation was on the selective breeding for sheep. The most common sheep in the area was the Norfolk Horn , which was long-legged and slow to mature. Coke became a promoter of the English Leicester , a breed noted as fast-maturing and excellent when fed turnips. Coke cross-bred the two, with the resulting sheep being highly tame and superior to the pure Norfolk breed. Coke also bred cattle and used oxen for ploughing rather than horses, being
5412-543: The Park and Hurst Clough were the homes of most of the interesting plants. Many other noted local botanists had studied the area including Leo Grindon and Thomas Rogers. In 1906 nine acres (3.6 hectares) of land were given to the Prestwich Urban District Council by William Gardner, a further thirteen acres (5.3 hectares) were purchased and the "sylvan and beautiful" Prestwich Clough was opened to
5535-790: The Radcliffe and Egerton families and wear a red rose (for Lancashire ) and a cogwheel (for industry). The motto 'Forward in Unity' sits on a scroll under the shield. At the 2021 UK census , the Metropolitan Borough of Bury had a total population of 193,846. The population density is 1,815/km (4,700/sq mi). When the Census was taken there were 74,335 households in Bury with an average of 2.4 persons in each one. In more detail, 39.4% of households were married couples living together, 28.9% were one-person households, 8.7% were co-habiting couples and 10.7% were lone parents. Of all
5658-685: The Roman road. John Booker B.A., 19th century author and curate of the parish church, considered these were agrarian camps built to protect cattle kept in the woods of Broughton and Kersal . The camp was "just to the right of the old road to Bury, immediately beyond Singleton Brook, on the first field in the Parish of Prestwich, which was formerly known as Lowcaster". Roman coins have been found off Bury New Road, near Prestwich Golf Course and some in Prestwich Clough . A hoard of 65 silver coins from
5781-419: The United Kingdom, significantly lower than the national average of 9.2%. The largest minority group was recorded as Asian, at 4% of the population. The historical population table details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the Metropolitan Borough of Bury has only existed since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from
5904-552: The Virgin, Bury , was built in 1876 by J. S. Crowther. Of the nine Grade II* listed buildings in Bury, two are churches: Christ Church , Walshaw and the Presbyterian Chapel in Ainsworth . There are around 6 Mosques in Bury including one of the oldest Islamic seminaries in the United Kingdom, Darul Uloom Bury , which was established in 1979 in Holcombe . The original Jewish immigrant community in Manchester
6027-538: The Whig party in half, with Coke and Fox in the isolated minority who supported the revolutionaries as their acts became more brutal. With the declaration of war in 1793, an impact was finally felt in Britain with a rise in agricultural prices and rent. It also led to the establishment of local yeomanry forces to defend the country, something Coke opposed. This reduced his popularity in Norfolk and led to suspicions he might be
6150-487: The agricultural interest", arguing against a new land tax and introducing a bill to shorten the shooting season, allowing for the production of more corn. Coke was again returned to Parliament in 1796 , despite an anti-war and anti-government address to the electorate which was condemned as arrogant and dictatorial, but found on his return that the Foxites had agreed to withdraw from Parliamentary activity. After Parliament
6273-420: The agricultural, on one occasion selling all his land near Manchester. It wasn't until 20 years later that Blaikie became aware of this, after receiving a query from the new owners about the mineral rights. Blaikie travelled to Manchester to meet the solicitor who had handled the sale, finding not only poorly drafted conveyances but that all the sold land had been rich in coal. In the early 18th century, farmland
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#17327981939546396-591: The area compete annually in the Bury Schools Athletics Championships. The borough has two colleges of further education . Bury College , which was originally Bury Technical College. In 1974, it merged with Radcliffe Technical College to form the Bury Metropolitan College of Further Education and, in 1987, it was renamed Bury College following its merger with Peel Sixth Form College, Stand Sixth Form College and
6519-462: The area was represented by six other boroughs and districts: In 2006, facing a budget shortfall of over £10 million, Bury Metropolitan Council decided to sell its painting by L. S. Lowry called "A Riverbank" . The work, which depicts the River Irwell and cost £175 in 1951, was expected to fetch between £500,000 and £800,000. Between the announcement and the sale at Christie's , the council
6642-611: The average turnout to vote was 34.3%, varying locally from 45% in North Manor ward to only 25% in Bury East. The borough falls under the Greater Manchester Combined Authority , and is represented by the council leader, Eamonn O'Brien . The entirety of the borough is unparished . The coat of arms contains symbols representing the six constituent towns, with the design based on the arms of
6765-699: The borough. The Metropolitan Borough of Bury has five twin towns, in China, France, Germany and the United States. Two of these were originally twinned with a place within the Metropolitan Borough prior to its creation in 1974. The following individuals and groups have received the Freedom of the Borough of Bury. Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh creation) Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (6 May 1754 – 30 June 1842), known as Coke of Norfolk or Coke of Holkham ,
6888-583: The campaign had so far resulted only in "disappointment, shame and dishonour", and that "peace and reconciliation with America" was the only option. Windham, Coke and their supporters then withdrew to a nearby pub, where they drafted a petition to the king from "the Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the County of Norfolk". This was presented to Parliament by Coke on 17 February 1778, signed by 5,400 people from Norfolk. George III took this as
7011-521: The centre of Ramsbottom and has become a distinctive feature of interest. There are six local nature reserves (LNRs) in the borough: At the 2021 UK census, 48.8% of people in Bury stated they were Christian . 29.4% of people stated they had no religion, 9.9% following the Muslim and 5.5% the Jewish faiths. The Jewish community in Prestwich and Whitefield is the second largest in the country. Bury
7134-536: The closest bond of friendship with him." The period was one of economic stability and political calm under Lord North , which ended due to the American Revolution and resulting American Revolutionary War . Coke was noted for his support of the American colonists; as a strong supporter of the 1688 Glorious Revolution and the resulting Bill of Rights 1689 , he felt that the support of the espoused principles of justice and tolerance in Britain and overseas
7257-440: The council was awarded 'three star' status, similar to 47% of all local authorities. The council was said to be improving well in children's services, particularly in social care. The Audit Commission also noted that resident satisfaction was rising, reflecting improvements in the quality of the environment and services generally. Ten parks have achieved green flag status, recycling levels are above average and street cleanliness
7380-516: The council was named as Councillor Bob Bibby. At the 2008 local elections , the Conservatives won three more seats and took overall control of the council. In 2010, the Conservatives lost overall control with the new council having 23 Conservative, 20 Labour and 8 Liberal Democrat councillors. The Audit Commission reported in 2006 that Bury Council continues to make good and sustained progress in improving services for local people. Overall
7503-413: The council. In 1986, the Labour Party gained control and continued in power, at first with an overall Labour majority and subsequently through a Labour executive running the council in a state of no overall control , until 2007. The May elections in 2007 saw the Conservative Party become the largest group on the council and the Conservative Group took control of the council and its executive. The leader of
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#17327981939547626-430: The country" by restricting freedom of speech and the press, suggesting that the government needed to be removed. Returning to Parliament in 1818, he argued against the Royal Households Bill and introduced a Game Law Amendment Bill, which was defeated. Following the Peterloo Massacre and the government's introduction of a Seditious Meetings Prevention Bill, Coke accused the government of being "most strongly implicated in
7749-404: The daughter of a baronet for his son, but with the intercession of Wenman's friend Harbord Harbord , he finally consented to their marriage, which was solemnized on 5 October 1775. The new couple lived in Godwick Manor , their peace disturbed in 1776 when Wenman's health began to fail. He finally died on 10 April after "a constipation which medicine could not remove", leaving Coke in charge of
7872-573: The early hours of 30 June 1842 at the age of 88; his last words were reported to be "well, perhaps I have talked too much". The body lay in state for two days, with the funeral procession finally setting out on 7 July. It travelled through King's Lynn , where black flags of mourning were flown and thousands came to pay their respects. On the final leg of the journey, with a funeral procession two miles in length led by 150 Holkham tenants on horseback and followed by several hundreds of private carriages, 200 gentlemen on horseback, riding two abreast, and lastly,
7995-402: The east of the River Irwell and is bounded on the north by Whitefield, on the east by Heaton Park , to the west by the Prestwich Forest Park and the Irwell Valley ( Agecroft and Clifton ) and to the south by the City of Salford . The two main north–south roads passing from central Manchester to Bury, Bury New Road ( A56 ) and Bury Old Road, traverse the district. The geology of the area
8118-436: The estate itself, incorporating farms around the House as their leases ended, and by 1800 the estate covered 3,500 acres. Samuel Wyatt was also employed from 1799 to 1805 to build new lodges at the entrance of the extended estate, and until 1806 also worked on a new kitchen garden; this covered six acres. Humphry Repton was employed to extend the lake yet again, and proposed building a boathouse and fishing pavilion, as well as
8241-420: The estate, but they failed to get on. Anne and Coke's marriage was met with bemusement, and described as "absurd", but despite opposition took place on 26 February. Soon after the wedding, Anne became pregnant, and their son Thomas was born on 22 December. In 1831, Coke's personal friend Earl Grey became Prime Minister; as a result, Coke's appearances in Parliament became more regular. He expressed delight at
8364-562: The events in Manchester", saying that the meeting would have been peaceful had it not been "interfered with by the officious agents of authority". The 1820s saw Coke speak far less; firstly, because of the continued Tory domination of Parliament, and secondly because of his remarriage. In 1822, at the age of 68 and after 21 years as a widower, he married Anne Keppel, the daughter of Lord Albemarle , and Coke's 18-year-old godchild. Anne had initially been brought to Holkham to partner with his nephew William, who due to Coke's lack of sons would inherit
8487-401: The execution of these laws and some lives had been lost". Before any motion could be brought (it was not until 1827 that the laws were revised), the situation in America came up again. On 22 February, Henry Seymour Conway brought a motion asking the King to "listen to the humble prayer and advice of his faithful Commons, that the war on the continent of North America may no longer be pursued for
8610-451: The fact that his land was so poor one critic is said to have remarked that "the thin sandy soil must be ploughed by rabbits yoked to a pocket knife". However, academics and writers dispute his importance. 19th and early 20th century historians held him to be the crucial figure of the British Agricultural Revolution , crediting him with inventing four-crop rotation . Naomi Riches describes this as an "error", and R. A. C. Parker , writing in
8733-425: The farmers. In February 1816 he spoke out against income and malt tax, and in March attacked the property tax as "utterly at variance with civil liberty". An opponent of government excess in a time of unemployment and high taxation, he also voted against the army estimates and opposed the Civil List in May. With a County Meeting on 5 April 1817, Coke spoke on the King's intent on "overturning democracy and enslaving
8856-435: The first to use them harnessed rather than yoked and winning a prize for his oxen in 1837. Through sheep shearings, competitions and his contacts within the nobility, Coke soon spread his new ideas and breeds. Initially small events of local farmers, the shearings soon became 200-person formal dinners, rising to 300 people in 1821 and 700 soon after, with even the American ambassador Richard Rush attending in 1819, along with
8979-411: The households 75.11% lived in houses they owned, with or without a mortgage, significantly higher than the national average of 68.07%. Of people aged 16–74 in Bury 42.93% were economically active in 2001, higher than the national average of 40.81%. 29.2% of this age group (16–74) had no academic qualifications , slightly higher than 28.9% in all of England. 5.8% of Bury's residents were born outside
9102-416: The impractical purpose of reducing the inhabitants of that country to obedience by force". While the motion failed, it was again brought on 27 February, and passed. With this, Conway moved that "An humble address be presented to His Majesty"; George III replied that he would see them on 3 March at St James's Palace . It was then that "the most important and symbolic act of Coke's political career" occurred. As
9225-478: The manor as the right of his wife. Roger de Langley was a minor and ward of the Duke of Lancaster in 1372 when Robert de Holland and a troop of armed men took possession of the manor by force and retained it until 1389. The Langleys regained the manor after 1403. After Sir Robert Langley's death in 1561 the manor passed to his daughter Margaret, who married John Reddish. Their granddaughter Sarah married Clement Coke and
9348-548: The manor descended in the Coke family, until 1777, when Thomas William Coke, Coke of Norfolk , a leader in the agricultural revolution sold the land in Prestwich to increase his Norfolk estates. The manor was acquired by Peter Drinkwater of Irwell House in 1794 and it descended to his son Thomas who died in 1861. Irwell House and Drinkwater Park was sold to Salford Corporation and Prestwich Council. In 1561 other lands went to Sir Robert's other daughters. Polefield, on higher ground to
9471-497: The marriage of the Young Pretender to Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern ; Louise apparently fell in love with Coke, preferring the similarly aged Englishman to her 52-year-old alcoholic husband. By the time Coke returned to Britain, plans were already under way for him to enter Parliament. When an election was called in 1774 , Weman stood for the seat of Norfolk , with his son asked to stand in his place for Derby. Coke
9594-451: The nearby Heaton Park, where the bowling greens were built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games . The Prestwich and Whitefield Guide and The Bury Times are sold in the locality. The Jewish Telegraph is produced and printed in Prestwich. The Longfield Centre civic hall, which previously had one of the largest sprung floor ballrooms in the north-west of England, was permanently closed in 2021. There are several private members' clubs in
9717-456: The north of Prestwich, became a separate estate, with Polefield Hall coming in the 19th century to the Earls of Wilton . In the hearth tax of 1666 there were 97 hearths in the township, the rector's house was the largest with ten. In the 17th and 18th centuries local government was based on the parish structure. The lord of the manor administered land tenure and inheritance , but law and order
9840-463: The now-closed Longfield Suite, local library and NHS drop-in centre, is due to be "regenerated" with £100m worth of development work starting in 2024. According to the Sunday Times, the area is an "interesting mix of old and new", with various more upmarket bars and restaurants alongside traditional venues. Many of the local pubs are run by Joseph Holt , and the brewery's first cask ale festival
9963-436: The old County Borough of Bury . The shield is divided diagonally by interweaving alluding to the textile industry . On the shield are a bee (representing industry) and papyrus (papermaking) from Bury; a ram's head and a bullock's head represent Ramsbottom and Tottington respectively. The silver field represents Whitefield, whilst the shield is supported with figures from the crests of Radcliffe and Prestwich. These represent
10086-403: The old Whig; amiable in his disposition mild in his manners, he was beloved of his friends". The family's prospects improved significantly in 1759 when Coke was five, when his great-uncle, Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester , died. The cause of Thomas's death is not certain, although there are chances it was a duel, but the result was that upon the death of Thomas's wife Margaret, Wenman inherited
10209-522: The outbreak of the War, the split became finalised; Fox refused to accept that Britain need be involved in the conflict, as did Coke. In Parliament, Coke spoke out against the conflict, debating the motion to raise money for the war through a new tax in April 1794, and supporting Wilberforce's anti-war motion on 24 March 1795. He felt more comfortable with local matters, however, and his main concerns "were those of
10332-721: The park. The "Friends of Prestwich Forest Park" and the BTCV co-ordinate volunteer activities and events such as the Prestwich Clough Centenary Celebrations. The renovated Philips Park Barn which has become a major environmental education and countryside centre for the borough and is used by a number of local groups . Prestwich has four secondary schools: The Heys School , St Monica's High School , Parrenthorn High School and Manchester Mesivta School . Two of these are faith schools, with St Monica's being Catholic and Mesivta Jewish. St Monica's featured
10455-432: The prime of life after his retirement; records show him killing 24 deer with 25 shots at the age of 79, and having another child three years later. A portrait painted of him which appears to be of a man 20 years younger, is according to Stirling "no flattering likeness", but instead completely accurate. After a short and painful illness while visiting his estate (and childhood home) at Longford Hall, Derbyshire , Coke died in
10578-428: The public as a place of recreation. Prestwich Forest Park consists of 200 hectares (500 acres) of land on the western side of Prestwich incorporating, Philips Park , Prestwich Clough, Mere Clough, Waterdale Meadow and Drinkwater Park . Much of the area of the park was industrialised during the 18th and 19th centuries but has been reclaimed with extensive woodlands, reservoirs and grasslands. While this area has become
10701-475: The railway in 1881 encouraged affluent merchants from Manchester to build villas and move to the town. Prestwich Hospital was built as an asylum in 1851 and by 1900 it had grown into the largest asylum in Europe. Sedgley Park Teacher Training College was established in Prestwich after the Faithful Companions of Jesus bought a house to accommodate it in 1903. When Mike Leigh was a lecturer at
10824-399: The rectory, was appointed. The foundation stone of St Margaret's Church was laid near Heaton Park in 1849. Founded as a chapel of ease to the parish church, it became a parish church in its own right in 1885. The church was built as a Commissioners' Church to a design by Travis & Mangnall at a cost of £2,000 and was extended in 1863, 1871, 1884, 1888 and 1899. A feature of the church
10947-562: The reign of King Stephen was found in the Sedgley Park area in 1972. The Prestwich manor emerged in the Middle Ages and in 1212 was assessed as four oxgang of land held by Adam de Prestwich whose father, Robert held it in 1193. The lord of the manor held the advowson for the church. Another Adam de Prestwich settled the manors of Prestwich, Alkrington and Pendlebury on his son John in 1297 but remarried and in 1313 settled
11070-451: The required five per cent of voters needed to trigger a mayoral vote. The proposal to have an elected mayor was rejected. The Metropolitan Borough of Bury currently consists of two parliamentary constituencies: The borough has 17 wards, each represented by 3 councillors to form a council of 51 members. As of 2020, there were 148,595 electors, with an average of 2,914 per councillor. At the 2023 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election
11193-441: The right and moral obligation of a landowner to improve the quality of life of those living on his estates. The roles of landlord and tenant were clearly set out by the late 18th century; the landlord was to provide fields, roads and buildings, while the tenant would provide the seed, implements and manual labour. Coke's estate included 54 farms when he inherited it, with excellent farm output. There were, however, significant debts as
11316-434: The same manors on Thomas de Prestwich, his son by second wife. Thomas de Prestwich had daughters, Margaret who became a nun at Seaton Priory in 1360, but left the convent to marry Robert de Holland, and Agnes who married John de Radcliffe but died childless in 1362. Thomas de Prestwich granted his manors to Richard de Radcliffe for life and after that the manor was held by Richard de Langley. In 1371 Robert de Holland claimed
11439-607: The second largest Jewish community in the UK outside London. The community is particularly concentrated around the Sedgley Park area in the South of Prestwich, which has several synagogues, as well as Jewish businesses, specialist shops and delicatessens along King's Road, Bury New Road and Bury Old Road. Prestwich CP/Tn The high street of Prestwich is centred around the Longfield Centre. The centre, which includes
11562-527: The town of Bury but also includes the other towns of Ramsbottom , Tottington , Radcliffe , Whitefield and Prestwich . Bury bounds the Lancashire districts of Rossendale and Blackburn with Darwen to the north. With a population of 194,606 in 2022, it is the smallest borough in Greater Manchester. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, which covers 99 square kilometres (38 sq mi),
11685-476: The town, including Prestwich Church Institute, the Carlton Club, and two political clubs - Prestwich Conservative Club and Prestwich Liberal Club. Bibliography Metropolitan Borough of Bury The Metropolitan Borough of Bury is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is north of Manchester , to the east of Bolton and west of Rochdale . The borough is centred around
11808-477: The towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the borough. In 1971 34,980 people living in Bury were employed in manufacturing. By 2001 this had fallen to 13,690 – a decrease of 61%. During the same period the numbers of people employed in service industries increased from 34,200 to 54,227, a gain of 58.5%. Between 1974 and 1986, the Conservative Party controlled
11931-526: The township boundaries. It is known that it had a rector by 1200. Parts of the present building date from around 1500, although extensions were made at the end of the 19th century. For a time in the 19th century, the church was referred to as St Bartholomew 's. The church wakes were traditionally held around St Bartholomew's Day. The living of Prestwich was suspended by the Diocese of Manchester in 2002. A priest-in-charge, The Revd. Bryan Hackett, residing in
12054-464: The work of other individuals; nevertheless, he has still been described as "the real hero of Norfolk agriculture". Coke was born on 6 May 1754 in London, to Wenman Coke (originally Wenman Roberts) and Elizabeth Chamberlayne. The Cokes were a landowning family of Derbyshire , originally from Norfolk , Wenman representing Derby as one of its two Members of Parliament , and as such Coke was born into
12177-608: Was Holkham House, a "temple to the arts" built by Coke's great uncle. Knowing that he did not have the same understanding of classical architecture and art, Coke mainly left it alone, instead focusing on the park and gardens. A 2023 reappraisal of his contribution to the art collection discusses his addition of portraits by Thomas Gainsborough , Joshua Reynolds , Ramsay Richard Reinagle , George Hayter , Chester Harding , and John Opie . He also added sculpture by Joseph Nollekens , Richard Westmacott , Thomas Banks , and Francis Leggatt Chantrey . The grounds had been laid out during
12300-406: Was a British politician and agricultural reformer. Born to Wenman Coke , Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby , and his wife Elizabeth, Coke was educated at several schools, including Eton College , before undertaking a Grand Tour of Europe. He returned to Britain and married. When his father died he inherited a 30,000-acre Norfolk estate. Returned to Parliament in 1776 for Norfolk , Coke became
12423-532: Was accused of "selling off the family silver". The authority, which had the painting on display at Bury Art Museum , said it was putting its people before a picture. The painting raised £1.25 million for the authority on 17 November 2006 at the auction in London , costing the bidder £1,408,000 including commission. Consequently, the council's membership of the Museums Association was cancelled and it
12546-529: Was added to the City of Manchester, and in 1933, part of the urban district west of the Irwell was added to Swinton and Pendlebury Urban District. Prestwich became a municipal borough in 1939, with the council based at Prestwich Town Hall . Under the Local Government Act 1972 it became an unparished area in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in Greater Manchester, taking effect on 1 April 1974. Prestwich lies to
12669-544: Was again returned to Parliament in 1790 , sitting continuously until 1832, and he primarily spoke on matters of local interest, such as the Corn Laws . His second focus was on civil liberties, and he spoke out against the government's response to the Peterloo Massacre and similar events. Described as the "greatest commoner in England", he chose the passage of the Great Reform Act 1832 as the moment to retire, later being made Earl of Leicester in July 1837. After
12792-473: Was based in the inner city. As in other cities the community gradually moved outward geographically and upward economically from its roots establishing itself in the more leafy suburbs of Crumpsall and Broughton Park as well as the town of Prestwich . Later, a second migration of young families in the mid-1960s sought pastures even further away from these traditional areas settling in Whitefield , Sunny Bank and Unsworth . There are now about 10 synagogues in
12915-575: Was created on 1 April 1974, with the transfer of functions from the County Borough of Bury and the boroughs of Prestwich and Radcliffe, along with the urban districts of Tottington and Whitefield, and part of the urban district of Ramsbottom, all previously in Lancashire. The Metropolitan Borough of Bury was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 as one of the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester. Prior to this,
13038-474: Was deregistered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council , a quango that was disbanded in 2011, transferring some of its duties to Arts Council England . In July 2008 the borough was the first in Greater Manchester to hold a referendum on whether to install a directly-elected mayor . This was the result of a campaign against congestion charge plans that raised a petition with 9,460 names, well above
13161-625: Was dissolved in June 1802, another election saw Coke again returned, although in a contested election that cost the candidates £35,000. With the death of William Pitt in 1806, the two Whig groups agreed to an alliance, which took the form of the Ministry of All the Talents ; Fox was confirmed as Foreign Secretary, and Windham as Secretary for War and the Colonies. The government reportedly offered Coke
13284-403: Was estimated at 670. Rooden Lane which became part of Bury Old Road was a centre for hand loom weaving and at Simister and neighbouring Bowlee , silk weaving was established. During the 19th century another settlement grew around the junction of Fairfax Road and Bury New Road along with another village centre on Bury Old Road. The area between these centres remained rural, however, the arrival of
13407-576: Was first constructed by a turnpike trust in 1826. Bury New Road also intersects the M60 motorway at Junction 17, the Whitefield Interchange, a short distance north of the centre of Prestwich. Richard Buxton (1786–1865), a shoemaker born at Sedgley Hall Farm published a botanical guide to the plants found around the Manchester area in 1849. In the early 20th century James Cosmo Melvill wrote that Kersal Moor , Prestwich Clough, Mere Clough,
13530-474: Was formed in April 1782, with Lord Rockingham as Prime Minister and Fox and Lord Shelburne as Secretaries of State. Rockingham and Shelburne disagreed constantly, particularly over the situation in North America, and with Rockingham's death on 1 July Shelburne was made Prime Minister. At this the rest of the government resigned, and after a period of political chaos, the short-lived Fox-North Coalition
13653-505: Was formed in April 1783. Coke was disgusted by this arrangement, describing it as a "revolting compact". An East India Bill, which created 7 commissioners to oversee India, brought chaos to the coalition. Controversially, the commissioners would be appointed by the government, not by the crown, which challenged what the King saw as his constitutional right. Defeated in the House of Lords , the bill
13776-622: Was his duty as a British subject, and saw no conflict between his position as a supporter of the colonists and his patriotism. Following the Battles of Saratoga , it became clear that any victory in America would be long and expensive, and in an attempt to raise funds King George III asked subjects to donate. In Norwich, a meeting was held in January 1778 for this purpose; it raised £4,500 in less than an hour. Windham and Coke attended this meeting, Windham making an impassioned speech pointing out that
13899-490: Was hosted in the Woodthorpe pub in 2023. In the Sedgley Park area, there are a number of kosher restaurants and delis. Prestwich is now considered to be an affluent area and has been called the " Didsbury of North Manchester". Public transport in Prestwich is coordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester . It has good transport links to Manchester city centre , Bury and other parts of Greater Manchester. Prestwich
14022-624: Was kept by parish constables assisted by the church wardens. The local justices sat in the "Star Chamber" in the Ostrich Inn, now the Church Inn, close to the parish church where the justices' seat can still be seen. The village had stocks which remained in use until 1800. The settlement grew to serve the parish church making Church Lane the historic centre. In the late 18th century the area was mainly rural with scattered farms and small settlements grew at Great and Little Heaton. The population
14145-528: Was not particularly enthusiastic about this, and withdrew when his opponent discovered he was under 21, the requisite age to stand for Parliament. With his father elected, Coke travelled with him to London, meeting members of the British high society. His sister Elizabeth and her husband James Dutton were also visiting, with Dutton's sister Jane, and Coke fell in love with her. Wenman was not impressed when Coke asked him to let them be married, as he had picked out
14268-471: Was not particularly interested in his academic studies, but by the time he left Eton in 1771 Coke had developed a close circle of friends and connections from the landowning class, and practical skills to deal with his future estates. After leaving school he undertook a Grand Tour of Europe, financed by his father and his great-aunt (who offered him £500 not to go to a university, regarding them as dens of vice). Coke visited France and Italy, where he witnessed
14391-516: Was notably absent from any preparations for defence, feeling that the risks of invasion were exaggerated, but was eventually persuaded by public opinion to reform the Yeoman Cavalry in 1803; it was again dissolved in 1805. The French Revolution had split the Whigs into two factions, but as it progressed Fox's group in support of the revolutionaries began to dwindle. Coke stuck by Fox, and with
14514-721: Was originally based in a building designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1864 and was joined by a school, also by Waterhouse, in 1865. In 2006, the Waterhouse church was redeveloped as flats and a new church (by Z Architecture and Design) was built on an adjacent site. The migration of Jewish families, mainly from the nearby Cheetham area of Manchester and Broughton Park in Salford , and the later arrival of Muslims into this urban area, resulted in synagogues, such as Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation , and mosques being constructed alongside Christian places of worship. There are Jewish cemeteries at Philips Park Cemetery, Prestwich Village Cemetery
14637-407: Was run through an open field system , which were commonly overstocked and made trying experimental methods very difficult; enclosed farms, on the other hand, were higher quality and useful for experimentation, with the result that they commanded a rent almost double a similarly sized open field. Compounding this problem, many of the enclosures were split up into strips, with the result that ownership
14760-547: Was unclear. Between 1776 and 1816, Coke rapidly bought strips of land near his estates and had them enclosed. Much of this came during the Napoleonic Wars when grain prices (and therefore farming profits) peaked. Coke was influenced by "Turnip" Townshend , who had owned a nearby estate and promoted crop rotation and farm improvement. Along with enclosure, marling and improved grasses, Townshend's improvements resulted in "a course of husbandry utterly unlike that practised
14883-473: Was undertaken, with 40 acres and 11,000 trees, and between 1785 and 1789 396,750 trees were planted on a further 179 acres. He retired in 1805 and was replaced a year later by James Loose, but continued to advise Coke on forestry matters. The library was also expanded, through the work of William Roscoe , who bought books including the Mainz Psalter for Coke between 1814 and 1842. Coke also expanded
15006-517: Was used by George III to overturn Fox's government and install a government led by William Pitt the Younger . Parliament was eventually dissolved on 25 March 1784, and thanks to Coke's long-standing support of Fox and his actions, the ensuing general election led to Coke losing his seat. In between his Parliamentary work, Coke and his wife had been maintaining and improving his estates since they took possession of it in April 1776. The cornerstone
15129-655: Was used from 1841 to 1951, and Rainsough Cemetery from 1923. According to Pevsner , the 1934 Holy Law Synagogue was the first "purpose-built" synagogue in Prestwich. The most successful Association football team representing Prestwich is Prestwich Heys A.F.C. , who play in the North West Counties Football League , level nine in the English football league system . Other local teams include Prestwich F.C., Prestwich Marauders F.C., and Bury Amateurs. Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club
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