Lowton

Lowton is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is around 2mi from Leigh, 7mi south of Wigan and 11.0mi west of Manchester city centre. The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road.Historically a part of Lancashire, Lowton's history is closely connected with Byrom Manor, ancestral home of the Byroms, a family which included poet John Byrom; the inventor of a system of shorthand.Lowton was associated with coal mining and manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution, given its proximity to several nearby collieries and factories.HistoryLowton has an unclear toponymy: it is from Old English tun "farm, village" with an uncertain first element (The first element is from lhe old English for high point IE Wornoth Low near Stockport is the highest hill in the area, and Lowton is the highest point locally.) A record of the name as Liewetune in 1176 suggests Old English hleowe "lee", although this is not a certain etymology.