a municipal and parliamentary borough of England, in the hundred of Salford, Lancashire, 12 miles N.W. of Manchester. The small stream Croal, which falls into the Jewell, divides it into Great and Little Bolton; the former being on the south side of that stream. This town has latterly been much improved by the formation of wide and well-paved streets and squares, but it has still several narrow and crooked streets and lanes. In the vicinity are some handsome villas, particularly on the south side of the town. Bolton is well supplied with water, a company having been formed for that purpose in 1824. It is brought from springs about four miles N.E. of the town. The corporation has lately purchased the water-works from the company. Bolton has an ancient parish church, six other churches, and a chapel of ease, two Roman Catholic chapels, three Independent, six Methodist, and nine other dissenting chapels; a free grammar-school, two charity schools, and numerous others. Among its public buildings are the town-hall, cloth-hall, public baths, exchange, theatre, barracks, &c. It has also a mechanics' institute, savings-bank, several libraries and reading-rooms, and numerous charities. The woollen manufacture was introduced here by the Flemings in the fourteenth century, but it is only since the introduction of spinning machinery that Bolton has become one of the principal seats of the cotton manufacture in England. In 1849 there were 53 cotton mills within the borough, giving employment to 9759 persons. It has also a number of large foundries and iron works, bleach works, a paper mill, &c. There are numerous coal mines in the vicinity. Bolton is connected by canal as well as by railway with Manchester and Bury; and by railway with Liverpool, Preston, Leigh, and Blackburn. Since the Reform Act it returns two members to parliament. Population (1851) 61,171. Arkwright and Crompton, inventors of the spinning-frame and mule-jenny, were both natives of the parish.