DESCENDANTS of the first Mayor of Bolton took a trip back in time to learn about their famous ancestor during a guided tour of the Town Hall.

William and Jean Haycock took their grandchildren, Liam, aged six, Helen, aged 15, and Andrew Haycock, aged ten, along to the Mayor of Bolton's Parlour to meet the current Mayor, Cllr Frank White, and his Mayoress, Eileen White.

William is a direct descendant from the first Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Charles Darbishire, who was appointed to the position in 1838.

Mr Darbishire lived at Vale Bank in Rivington when he died, and was a merchant and manufacturer in the town.

He had earlier lived in an area of Bolton then referred to as the Folds, and spent time as a Sunday School teacher and a leader of the Bank Street Unitarian Choir.

In addition to being the town's first mayor, Mr Darbishire became Bolton's first magistrate in 1839.

He left a lasting legacy after his death Darbishire Recreation Ground, which was presented to the town council in November 1868. An open-air swimming pool was later opened at the park, and was eventually filled in during 1921.

Mr Haycock, a retired builder, aged 68, of Winsford Grove, Ladybridge, said: "I'm related to Charles Darbishire on my mother's side and he's my grandchildren's great grandfather times seven.

"You could say we're the family that never left Bolton. The mayor took us on a tour around the town hall and into the mayor's parlour, and showed us the portrait of Charles Darbishire which hangs in one of the corridors.

"He is very well versed in the history of the town and made it a really interesting day out for the children."