George Munro (1832-1894)

Founded the wholesale business of George Munro & Co.                     Born 26 Mar 1832 Evelix, Dornoch, Sutherland

Died 30 Apr 1894 Bolton

Lived at Greenbank, on Chorley New Road, Heaton.

His son John Munro (1874 Bolton-1897 London) drowned in the Thames on 18 Aug 1897

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Squadron Leader Francis (Spud) Murphy(1917-1997)                                WWII Fighter Pilot                                                                               Born 19 January 1917 Bolton                                                              Died  May 1997                                                                               Family emigrated to New Zealand when he was 5 years old. Joined RNZAF March 1941. Posted to UK March 1942. Served with 486 Squadron RNZAF.                                                                                             Credited with shooting down five enemy aircraft. Awarded DFC. Later worked as test pilot for Hawker Aircraft Co Ltd.

 

John Musgrave (1784-1864)                                                               Industrialist                                                                                        Born 10 October 1784 Seacroft, Nr Leeds, Yorkshire                                Died 19 December 1864  Sunny Bank, Chorley Old Road, Bolton           Iron founder. Manufacturer of mill engines.                                               Came to Bolton in 1804 to work at the Union Foundry, Blackhorse Street and eventually became head of the engineering firm of Musgrave & Sons.

 

Joseph Musgrave (1812-1891)                                                             Industrialist, Engineer and Politician                                                  Born 10 March 1812 Bolton                                                             Died 12 January 1891 Western House, Chorley New Road, Bolton    Mayor of Bolton 1880 (Conservative)                                            Resident engineer for North Union (Parkside to Preston) Railway. Musgrave & Sons made ironwork for 710 metre long Tsar Nicholas I suspension bridge across the Dnepr at Kiev in the Ukraine.                                             First President of Bolton Chamber of Commerce 1887.

 

William Henry (Bill) Myerscough (1930-1977)                                      Professional Footballer                                                                         Born 22 June 1930 Bolton                                                              Died 16 March 1977 Tameside, Lancashire                                    Inside forward - played for Walsall, Aston Villa, Rotherham, Coventry City, Chester, Wrexham and Macclesfield.                                                  Played in Aston Villa's 1957 Cup Final defeat of Manchester United.

 

Clive Myrie (1964-)                                                                           BBC News Correspondent                                                                   Born 25 August 1964 Bolton                                                    Educated Hayward Grammar School; University of Sussex                         Won Golden Nymph award at the Monte Carlo Television Festival (2003) for coverage of Iraq war and Screen Nations Award for Services to Broadcast Journalism (2003).

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Biographies N

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Carlo Nash (1973-)                                                                            Professional Footballer                                                                       Born 26 September 1973 Bolton                                                           Manchester City and Middlesbrough Goalkeeper - also played for Wolves, Stockport, Crystal Palace and Clitheroe.

 

William John Francis (Bill) Naughton (1910-1992)                                    Author and Playwright                                                                          Born 12 June 1910 Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, Ireland                                  Died 9 January 1992 Ballasalla, Isle of Man                                          Ss Peter and Paul's School, Bolton                                                         Writer of 'Alfie', 'Spring and Port Wine', 'The Family Way' etc.                   Wrote Bernard Miles egg commercials on TV - "Look out for the Little Lion because he looks out for you".                                                               Pacifist and conscientious objector in WW2 - drove an ambulance.

 

Robert Neary (1908-1991)                                                      Politician                                                                                          Born 22 March 1908 Kearsley, Bolton                                             Died 19 October 1991 Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Blackpool, Lancashire   Mayor of Farnworth 1954.                                                                  JP.                                                                                                   Engineering fitter. Buying clerk at De Havilland Propellers, Gladstone Road, Farnworth.

 

Johnny Nelson (1911-1980)                                                                 Wrestler                                                                                            Born 1911 Bolton                                                                        Died 1980                                                                                    Lancashire Lightweight Champion 1932.                                               Silver and Bronze Medals in the 1934 Empire Games in Cardiff.

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James Newsome (1842 – 1912)                                                            James Newsome, or genius of the Ring, was born in 1824 in Newcastle upon Tyne and then raised in Astley’s Amphitheatre in London. His brother Timothy was a famous lion tamer who worked with many menageries. When he was 12 his father apprenticed him to William Batty to become an equestrian because he had always been good with horses since a very young age  He became a horse-breaker and trainer and soon ran his own circus with is wife Pauline Hinne (a ballerina at Astley’s). They performed all over Europe and were in Paris during the 1848 revolution where they were forbidden to show the Union Jack! He was inspired by his brother who, despite the scratches and cuts of lion training, continued to do it well.

 

Paul Gerald Nicholls  (1979-)                                                               Actor                                                                                               Born 12 April 1979 Bolton                                                                   Educated Church Road Primary School, Bolton; Smithills School            Played Joe Wicks in 'Eastenders'. Real name Paul Greenhalgh.

 

William Nicholson (1825-1915)                                                Politician                                                                                          Born 3 February 1825 Blackburn Street, Bolton                                        Died 29 November 1915 Bolton                                                         John Wright's School, Bolton; Bolton Grammar School; Seminary of William Farrand, Bolton                                                                           Mayor of Bolton 1891, 1892, 1893, 1898*, 1898, 1901*. (*replaced sitting Mayors who died in office.)                                                         Silk mercer and draper, Market Street, Bolton from 1850 until his retirement in 1891. Made Freeman of County Borough of Bolton September 6th, 1899. Alderman. JP.

 

Huw Nightingale (2001-)

British snowboarder.

Born 12 Nov 2001 in  Bolton                                                               Competed in the snowboard cross discipline for Great Britain's 2022 Winter Olympics team.

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Kevin Anthony Jance Nolan (1982-)                                                       Professional Footballer                                                                    Born 24 June 1982                                                                                                                                                               

 

Phillip Norfield (1924-1986)                                                      Politician                                                                                     Born 13 September 1924 Bolton

Died 1986   

Mayor of Farnworth 1963.                                                               He was a buyer for the Fairway group of companies, Fairway Engineering Co Ltd, Little Hulton and was previously employed by the De Havilland Co at Farnworth and Lostock in the Purchasing Department.

 

Edith Norris (1907-1984)                                                                  Stained Glass Artist                                                                       Born 3 December 1907 Bolton                                                       Died 1984 Bolton                                                                             Educated Tonge Fold School; Bolton College of Art  Stained Glass Artist.

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Philip Novelli (1781-1852)                                                                Born abt 1781 in Chiere, Turin Italy.

Died 25 Sep 1852 Lambeth, England                                                  In the early 1820s he met George Bodmer (1786-1864) a Zurich born engineer and they partnered to build a mill at Egerton near Bolton.             Novelli also had Egerton Hall built for his family home.                            Rothwell, Hick and Rothwell of Bolton were employed to build a waterwheel 60 feet in diameter, capable of supplying 120 HP and causing the spindles in the mill to turn at 6,000 rpm. The wheel required an estimated 4,320,000 gallons of water a day to power it.                                   The partnership was dissolved in 1827, and the mill and house sold off.

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Tadeusz Zdzisław Nowak (1948-)                                                    Polish  footballer                                                                                Born 28 Nov 1948 Trzcińsko, Poland.

The first foreign player to play for Bolton Wanderers.

1979-1980 1 goal in 24 appearances for Bolton Wanderers.

 

Amy Nuttall (1982- )                                                                           Actress and singer                                                                               Born 7 June 1982 Bolton                                                          Educated Bury Grammar School; Arts Educational School, Hertfordshire  Played Chloe Atkinson in 'Emmerdale'. Released debut CD 'Best Days' in November 2005.

 

Henry (Harry) Nuttall (1897-1969)                                                        Professional Footballer                                                                          Born 9 November 1897 Bolton                                                          Died April 1969                                                                           Half-Back - played for Bolton Wanderers 1921-1932, Rochdale and England.

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Merlyn Nuttall

Wrote -It Could Have Been You - a survivors account of a harrowing rape and its aftermath.

 

BIOGRAPHIES O

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Rt Hon Gordon James Oakes (1931-2005)                                             Born 22 June 1931 Liverpool                                                                Died 14 August 2005 Runcorn, Cheshire                                    Educated Wade Deacon Grammar School, Widnes; Liverpool University.     MP Bolton West 1964-1970 (Labour).                                           Mayor of Widnes 1964-65. MP for Widnes 1971-83, MP for Halton 1983-97

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 George William Oghani (1960-)                                                  English  footballer                                                                          Born 12 Sep 1960  Manchester, England                                               He became the first black person to play for the Bolton Wanderers first team.

 

Thomas Ogden (1846- )                                                                   Footballer and Schoolteacher                                                          Born 1846 Farnworth, Bolton.                                                              Headmaster at Christ Church School, Bolton. First Captain of Christ Church football team.                                                                           Founder, with the Rev. Joseph Farrell Wright qv, of Christ Church Sunday School football team in 1874. After disagreeing with Rev Wright over the use of Church premises the team broke away from Christ Church to become Bolton Wanderers in 1877.

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John Ogle, Son and Co

Hope Foundry, Preston

Did the iron castings for the Croal viaduct.

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John Okey (-1684)

Died 29th April 1684.

Buried in the Parish Church of Bolton

 

Andrew S Oldcorn (1960-)                                                                   Professional Golfer                                                                        Born 31 March 1960 Bolton.                                                               Won the Volvo PGA Championship in 2001.                                     Born in Bolton but raised in Edinburgh.

 

Peter Olinyk  (1953-)                                                                           Professional Footballer                                                                          Born 4 October 1953 Bolton.                                                               Midfielder - played for Bolton Wanderers 1971-1975 and Stockport County.

 

Robert Openshaw (1891-1962)                                                   Trades Union leader                                                                           Born 1891 Bolton                                                                               Died 1962 Bolton                                                                               Educated St Bartholemew's School, Bolton; Municipal Secondary School.  Served apprenticeship at Dobson and Barlow - joined amalgamated Engineering Union 1911 - moved to Crewe 1914.                                   Executive Council AEU 1930, Labour Party National Executive 1940-48 - General Council TUC from 1948.                                                         President of AEU 1954-56.

 

Peter Ormrod (1795-1875)                                                      Industrialist and Banker                                                                    Born 1795 Bolton.                                                                              Died 17 May 1875 Wyersdale Park, Garstang, Lancashire.                      Provided money (£45000) to build Bolton Parish Church - opened 29 June 1871.                                                                                         Lived at Halliwell Hall - later owned the village of Scorton near Garstang - run on paternalistic lines - no pub, no beer shop, no policeman.                Known as 'Ready Money Peter' - never did business on credit.

 

John Orton (1803-1870)                                                                      Politician                                                                                           Born 13 October 1803 Gunnerside, Yorkshire                                   Died 13 February 1870 189 Chorley New Road, Bolton.                         Mayor of Bolton 1859 (Liberal).                                                     Linen and woollen draper.

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Os-Ke-Non-Ton  (c.1888-c.1955)                                                          (also written Oskenonton, meaning deer in the Mohawk language, also known as “Running Deer”)                                                          baritone, actor, spiritual leader                                                              Born c. 1888 in Caughnawaga [now Kahnawá:ke], QC né Louie Deer.    Died c. 1955 in Lily Dale, NY

 

Glyn Griffeth Owen (1928-2004)                                                        Actor                                                                                          Born 6 March 1928 Bolton                                                            Died 10 September 2004 Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales.                       Distinguished career as a stage actor but better known for prolific list of TV appearances - from 'Emergency Ward 10' to 'The Brothers' and 'Howard's Way'.                                                                                          Son of a Welsh slate miner who moved to Bolton to find work. Worked as a Wartime telegram 'boy messenger' for the GPO and after National Service in the Intelligence Corps spent 5 years as a PC with the Metropolitan Police.

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