General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Hi Christine. The first cemetery burials in Wigan, as you say were in 1856. Before the concept of non denomination burial grounds, people were buried in church graveyards, in the church grounds of their own faith. I believe it was mostly on public health grounds that there was a move to "out of town" sites, as churches were normally sited within communities. Also the churchyards were running out of space. The first cemetery in Liverpool was in 1825 and Manchester in 1821, which is consistent with Wigan in 1856. So if you are looking for earlier burials than 1856 in Wigan you need to search graveyards, rather than cemeteries.

During the 19th century amenities in Wigan improved. From 1823 Wigan had gas light. From 1848 Wigan was connected to Manchester and Liverpool by railway. In 1856 a cemetery opened and in 1873 Wigan Infirmary opened.

A new Town Hall was built in 1867 and a Market Hall was built in 1877. Mesnes Park opened in 1878. The same year a public library opened in Wigan.

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