A LARGE oil painting depicting one of the most infamous episodes in Bolton's history has been unveiled at a town centre pub.

The picture shows the massacre of nearly 500 Parliamentarian soldiers and Bolton citizens during the English Civil War when King Charles's son, Prince Rupert, and the Earl of Derby attacked the town.

The massacre happened outside the historic Ye Olde Man and Scythe in Churchgate on May 28, 1644, and the painting will be hung in the pub's museum room.

Artist Steven Hemsley, who lives in Bolton, spent a year researching and painting the picture. He has even included a cameo of pub landlord John Jewitt.

It is hoped that prints, postcards and a jigsaw version will soon be available.

Mr Hemsley, who works from home, said: "I really enjoyed both painting and exploring the history behind the picture.

Although it accurately captures the events of Bolton's last stand in the English Civil War, I have painted it in my own style. I think it's unlikely that anyone will ever paint another picture to depict this battle, so I have really done it for the people of Bolton."

Mr Jewitt, who has been landlord at the pub for six years, held an historical tour before unveiling the painting. He has held guided tours for the past four years which include visits to the vaulted cellars with many gruesome stories of death and execution.

Mr Jewitt said: "Every time I look at the picture I see something different in it. It was Steven's idea to paint the scene and to include my face in amongst the crowd. I think it is a wonderfully busy painting."

The pub has recently joined together with Bolton Parish Church and the Blue Badge Guides to form the Bolton Town Centre Tourist Attractions Forum.

The Bolton massacre happened when Prince Rupert and the Earl of Derby led the Royalist forces to moors near the town centre in what is now Lever Edge Lane. They demanded a surrender and were met with a refusal.

The first assault was beaten off but a second attempt was successful. It is thought that a traitor may have let them in to an area called Private Akers, probably where Crompton Place shopping centre now stands.

After the Parliamentarians won the war, the Earl was executed at the spot where Market Cross now stands after Cromwell demanded the death penalty.

A plaque outside Ye Olde Man and Scythe records that the Earl of Derby spent his last few hours at the pub before his execution on October 15, 1651.

The massacre was one of the worst in English history, According to one writer: "Nothing so bad has ever been perpetrated on an English town by Englishmen."