From www.bolton.org.uk: "The name of Horwich is thought to come from the Old English words of "har" and "wice", meaning the grey wych-elms. According to the oldest records, wild boar used to be hunted in the forest during the 13th Century...Early industry was concerned with the cotton trade, most homes had some form of weaving equipment, and a major bleachworks as well as a few mills when mechanisation arrived, powered by waterwheels. A few coal mines and and a sandstone quarry also supported the economy."