Ye Olde Man & Scythe

It is not known exactly when Ye Olde Man & Scythe was originally built, but a charter from 1251 permitting the market mentions it by name. The pub has been rebuilt at least once (1636 according to the datestone inside), and only the vaulted cellar remains from the original structure, although some internal beams date back to 1636. The building's frontage is an early 20th-century remodelling. It is a Grade II listed building. In 1651 the Earl of Derby was executed outside the Man & Scythe—owned at the time by his family—for his role in the Bolton Massacre. A cross now stands on the site, accompanied by a plaque that recounts the story of Bolton through the ages. Inside the pub is a chair that the Earl of Derby is said to have 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". ==Architecture==

The inn has a timber frame and a slate roof. The building, which houses both a public house and a shop, features a four-window range with gables at each end. The two-storey public house occupies the central range and the right-hand gable, which includes canted bay windows on both floors. A round-arched doorway leads into the public house, with a three-light window to its left. On the first floor are two casement windows. The ground floor window frames and leaded windows date from the early 20th century, while the doorway is older. An entry to the yard separates the pub from the shop. The shop front in the left-hand gable has a doorway beside a canted oriel window, with a two-light mullioned and transomed window above. The shop front appears to date from the early 19th century. ==See also==