This is a list of cotton spinning mills, weaving sheds, bleachers and dyers and other textile mills in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Astley, Atherton, Bedford, Leigh, Golborne, Haigh Hindley Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell, Pennington, Leigh, Standish, Tyldesley, Westleigh, Leigh and Wigan which existed historically in Lancashire that, after its creation by the Local Government Act 1972, are part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The textile industry in the Wigan and Leigh areas grew out of a domestic putting-out system particularly fustians. Cotton, imported through the Port of Liverpool became more important in the late 18th century and more so after the advent of the Bridgewater Canal and Leeds and Liverpool Canal and after that the first railways, the Bolton and Leigh and Liverpool and Manchester Railway.