Abram, Greater Manchester

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Abram
latitude = 53.508
longitude = -2.588
population=
metropolitan_borough= Wigan
metropolitan_county= Greater Manchester
region = North West England
constituency_westminster= Makerfield
post_town= WIGAN
postcode_district = WN2
postcode_area= WN
dial_code= 01942
os_grid_reference= SD609015

Abram is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. With a population of around 6,000,Fact|date=November 2007 Abram is convert|3|mi|km|1 south-southeast of Wigan.

History

The name of the village derives from Abraham, the surname of the historical lords of the manor. [cite web|url=http://www.wigan.gov.uk/WiganCouncilCMS/Templates/GeneralTwoColumn.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b26151065-50FC-44EB-BC3D-138265E749A9%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fServices%2fCommunityLiving%2fAboutBorough%2f&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest#abram|title=About the Borough; Abram|publisher=wigan.gov.uk|format=http|date=2007|accessdate=2007-11-13] The village's name was, however recorded as Eadburgham meaning "village of a man called Eādburh" as long ago as 1212 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41389]

Mining disaster

Just after 17:00 on the 18 August, 1908 there was an explosion at the No 1, Cannell Mine of the Maypole Coal Pit, 78 people died in the disaster [ [http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/Mining.html Maypole Pit Disaster ] ] , although it wasn't until November the following year that all the bodies where recovered. The inquest ruled that the explosion was caused by a combination of a build up of coal dust and gas, and the use of explosives to bring down coal from the ceiling. [ [http://www.communigate.co.uk/lancs/acl/page3.phtml | CommuniGate | Maypole Colliery Disaster 1908 ] ]

Geography

To the south of the village lies Abram Flashes a 39.6 hectare (98.0 acre) site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The site lies adjacent to the Leigh Branch Canal and is part of Wigan Flashes an area of wetland stretching for convert|10|km|mi|1 between Wigan and Leigh. The flashes are shallow bodies of water which originate from flooding due to subsidence caused by shallow-mining. Abram flashes was designated an SSSI in 1990 due to its biological interest which includes various different habitats such as open water, swamp, tall herb fen and wet marshy grassland. [cite web | title=Abram Flashes citation sheet| work=English Nature | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1005699.pdf | accessdate=2006-10-27] [cite web | title=Map of Abram Flashes| work=Nature on the Map | url=http://www.natureonthemap.org.uk/map.aspx?
]

References