Bolton by Bowland was first recorded in the Domesday Book in 1087. The village was recorded then as Bodeton, meaning bow in the river. 

There are two village greens, one of which houses the remains of the 13th century market cross and stocks and is bordered by the beautifully maintained Memorial Garden.

There is documentary evidence of a Church in the village in 1190. St Peter and St Pauls attracts many visitors and is an always-open sanctuary for those wishing to find peace and tranquillity. The church has many ornamental carvings and a font dating from 1500, which bears the arms of the Pudsay, Percy, Tempest, Hammerton and other families. The famous Pudsay tomb has an engraved figure of Sir Ralph Pudsay in full armour with the figures of his three wives and 25 children.

In medieval times, it was known as Bolton-in-Bowland, reflecting the shifting boundaries of the ancient Forest of Bowland on whose south east flank the village sits. The manor of Bolton-by-Bowland, however, was not included within the Lordship of Bowland, being a part of the Percy family fee from earliest times.

 

The village is on Skirden Beck, near its confluence with the River Rib

Bolton Hall was the family seat of the Pudsay family from the fourteenth century until the family became extinct in 1771, when the last of the family, Bridget Pudsay, died without heirs.

Bolton by Bowland During the Wars of the Roses, a turbulent time in the history of England, Henry VI, the last monarch of the House of Lancaster, hid at Bolton Hall. He stayed as the guest of Ralph Pudsey after fleeing from defeat at the hands of the rival Yorkist dynasty after the battle of Hexham in 1464. Legend states that during the year the king stayed at the hall, he discovered a natural spring by dowsing, the well is still remains on the Bolton Estate. On his departure Henry left behind a pair of boots, a pair of gloves and a spoon. The king was later sheltered by the Tempest family at Waddington Hall but was betrayed and captured by the Yorkists. Bolton Hall was demolished in the 1950s, the site is now occupied by a private development, called King Henry’s Mews, which is not open to the public, but the well can be seen from a public footpath near by.

Bolton by BowlandThe village church of St Peter and St Paul lies between the two greens, some of the fabric dates to the thirteenth century fabric, although most of the the building dates from the middle of the fifteenth century. A church has occupied the site from as early as 1190. The present church was built by Sir Ralph Pudsay, the Lord of the Manor of Bolton, it is claimed that Henry VI, then staying at Bolton Hall, influenced the design of the building. Ralph Pudsey's grandson, Henry Pudsay, added the chapel to the south of the chancel early in the sixteenth century.

The monument to Sir Ralph Pudsay (left), who died in 1468, is situated in the arch between the chancel and chapel. It is carved with the figures of Sir Ralph wearing full armour, along with his three wives, and his 25 children, with their names. The octagonal shaped sandstone font is early sixteenth century. Its bowl is carved with the coats of arms of prominent local families.including those of the Pudsay, Percy, Tempest and Hammerton

ble. The village has a car park, toilet facilities and a tourist information centre, is the starting point for many of the area's walks.

 

 

Bolton-by-Bowland is a tranquil and charming little village, with two village greens. The smaller green contains the remains of a 13th Century stone cross and old stocks.



Overlooking the River Ribble is Rainsber Scar, which is a beautiful spot - known locally as Pudsay’s leap where William Pudsay is said to have made the leap on horseback when being chased by soldiers for illegally minting his own coins.