Ye Olde Man & Scythe

The present form of the name, prefixed with "Ye Olde", is a pseudoarchaism derived from the Man and Scythe Inn; it derives from the crest of the Pilkington family, which consists of a reaper using a scythe, alluding to a tradition about one of the early members of the family.

[2] It is not known exactly when Ye Olde Man & Scythe was originally built, but a charter of 1251 permitting the market mentions it by name.

[3][4] In 1651 the Earl of Derby was executed outside the Man & Scythe – owned at the time by his family – for his part in the Bolton Massacre.

The pub contains a chair that the Earl of Derby supposedly sat on before being taken outside to be beheaded; its inscription reads "15th October 1651 In this chair James 7th Earl of Derby sat at the Man and Scythe Inn, Churchgate, Bolton immediately prior to his execution".

The two-storey public house occupies the central range and the right-hand gable, which has canted bay windows on each floor.