All Saints, Bishopgate, Wigan, Church of England

All Saints was the family church of the Ball family in the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. Although it was not the church nearest to the family homes in most cases, it was the place they came to marry and baptize their children. For example, from 1806 Henry Ball (b. 1779) and Elizabeth Ormishaw baptized all of their children at All Saints even though St. Winifrid in Standish was much closer to home. All Saints, the parish church for Wigan and by far the oldest church in the area, clearly had special status for the Ball family.

Our earliest record of a ball wedding at All Saints was the marriage of Henry Ball (b. 1715) and Jane Winnard in 1739. The following table lists the known family events at the church, and there were certainly many family baptisms here after 1837 that we have not traced, as well as baptisms and marriages of family members who are still living.

Nov 1739 Marriage Henry Ball and Jane Winnard
Nov 1773 Marriage Edward Ball and Ellen Hewet
Jul 1800 Marriage Henry Ball and Elizabeth Ormishaw
Aug 1806 Baptism John Ball
Jun 1808 Baptism James Ball
Jun 1811 Baptism Henry Ball
Jul 1813 Baptism Daniel Ball
Jun 1815 Baptism Elizabeth Ball
Feb 1818 Baptism Margaret Ball
May 1820 Baptism Mary Ball
Jul 1827 Marriage John Ball and Margaret Harrison
May 1833 Baptism Ellen Ball (daughter of John and Margaret)
Sep 1837 Baptism Peter and Hannah Ball
Sep 1837 Baptism Dorothy Ball (daughter of John and Margaret)
Feb 1841 Marriage Daniel Ball and Ann Yates
Sep 1846 Marriage Elizabeth Ball and John Jones
Jun 1934 Marriage Ellen Whitfield and Lancelot Britnell

All Saints sits atop a hill in the centre of Wigan on New Market Street behind Market Square. Although it once contained a cemetery there are no graves present today.

To learn more about the history, records, and location of the church you can visit the websites at Genuki. The Wigan Parish Church website has a wealth of contemporary and historical information about the church as well as photographs, plans and the weekly church schedule. The Lancashire Online Parish Clerks site contains further information on All Saints.