The metropolitan borough was created from a highly industrialised area of Lancashire that was part of the Lancashire Coalfield and also had an important textile industry.
Wigan borough covers an area of 77 square miles (200 km2) and is the 9th largest metropolitan borough, out of 36, in England. The borough is the most northwestern in Greater Manchester. Within Greater Manchester, it borders the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton to the northeast and east, and the City of Salford to the east. Outwith Greater Manchester, in the south it borders Warrington (a unitary authority now in Cheshire); to the southwest it borders the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside. To the west it borders the West Lancashire borough, and to the north it borders the Chorley borough, both in Lancashire.
GENUKI references for Wigan and its envirions. This includes a separate page on the local Poor Law Records which are available at Wigan Archives (also known as Wigan Heritage Centre). It is wise to check the internet for current addresses.
