1903: THERE appears to be some abatement in the number of smallpox cases in Bolton. Mr George Davies, vaccination officer, reports that three cases were removed to hospital during the week. The ages ranged from 19 to 23 years, and each patient had been vaccinated in infancy.

In Pump-st., where one case had occurred, a house to house visitation was made, and all contacts, except three who refused, were re-vaccinated. A similar visitation was made in Bolton-st., and two persons were found unvaccinated. Subsequently, though, they submitted to the operation.

The total number of re-vaccinations during the week was 266, as follows: - Great Bolton 169, Little Bolton 70, Farnworth 2, Hulton 13, Harwood 8, and Turton 4.

1953: SIX years after the Bolton Moor Act divided up that district for the improvement of the town, an Act of 1798 was passed through Parliament for "dividing, allotting and enclosing certain commons and waste lands within the manors and lordships of Farnworth and Kearsley". These lands were called Halshaw Moor, Kearsley Moor, Dixon Green and Blackhurst Green.

Landowners were Mr William Hulton, the Duke of Bridgewater, the Earl of Derby, Lord Bradford, Sir John Moseley, Mr Le Gendre Starkie, the Rev. W. Bagot, and Mr Peter Rasbotham.

B.T. Barton, who recorded these facts in 1875, does not tell as much about the result of this litigation which was probably as farseeing as Bolton's.

1978: A 10-YEAR plan to improve the "quality of life" in Horwich was unveiled yesterday. It aims to halt the decline of the town centre, preserve the moorland surroundings, improve houses and spark new life into the older parts of the town. The Council also wants to halve the rate of house building, pedestrianise part of Lee Lane, and build the long-awaited western link road. The area involved covers about three square miles and has a population of 18,000.

1993: ANTI-terrorist police were today hunting a dangerous armed fugitive after an officer from Leigh was shot twice, a car was hi-jacked at gunpoint, and a bomb blast destroyed a gasworks in Warrington. The shot policeman - 24-year-old Mark Toker, who was born and brought up in Leigh - had stopped a white van in Warrington town centre for a routine check when one of the three men inside got out and shot him in the leg. Three other shots apparently missed. Later, two men were arrested when police swooped after a motorway chase during which shots were fired, but a third escaped.