WHEN William Holden talks about Chew Moor he is speaking from experience — more than 90 years of experience of living in the Westhoughton and Chew Moor areas.

For 92-year-old William has lived in this area all his life and has stories to tell of his family's association with, in particular, Chew Moor.

It was William's great grandfather who was sentenced to six months hard labour for manslaughter following a man's death outside a pub in Chew Moor.

William's great grandfather Peter Holden had been involved in an altercation outside the Black Horse pub in the 19th century.

"The man who died had been very drunk and I think he was drunk when he went into the pub.

"He was thrown out by the landlady, who was a Mrs Ainscough, and got into a fight with my great grandfather. From what I understand the man was looking for a fight and my great grandfather gave him one.

"The man fell over but then went home. But he was later taken to hospital where he died," explains William.

He says his great grandfather's punishment would have been exactly as the name suggests "extremely hard labour"

The story will be a familiar one to Looking Back readers as we have featured it in the supplement recently but we did not know then William's relationship to the man who was charged.

William has also discovered that his great grandfather's brother was the great grandfather of Westhoughton local history expert Pam Clarke.

According to William the brother changed his name from Holden to Howcroft for a while and he believed it was in order to distance himself from his brother, although he did change his name back again eventually, he says.

William was not aware of his family connection to Pam until fairly recently but is delighted to have discovered a "cousin" with whom to share family stories.

William was born in Wigan Road, Westhoughton in 1922 to Walter Holden and Georgina (whose maiden name was Hulme).

They moved to the White Horse area of Westhoughton, living at number 336 Manchester Road — near to the White Horse pub — and William attended White Horse C of E School. "It's a children's nursery now," says William.

The family moved to Chew Moor — to 23 St John's Road —and William went to St Thomas' School in Lostock.

Nearby was the Industrial School which had pupils — boys and girls — who could not be cared for by their families. William's "oldest uncle" also named William "we called him Uncle Bill" worked as the main wood work master at the school.

The school later became Lostock Open Air School caring for children with medical problems.

William's father was born in Chulsey Gate Lane in 1900 and his mother lived in Nook Gate. His grandfather lived "on the other side of the railway". He says: "There was a level crossing and they put a bridge over it. My grandmother was the gate keeper on the crossing." They lived in a house called Fulwood House.

At that time there was no electricity or gas and sadly one of William's uncles, when he was a young boy, knocked an oil lamp over and "set the place on fire".

William's wife, Annie May Lowe, died in 1979. He has two daughters, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren.