This company was formed in December 1865 and was made up of the –  Haigh, Aspull and Holland collieries of the Earl of Crawford & Balcarres Standish & Shevington Coal & Cannel Co. Broomfield and Langtree collieries of Alfred Hewlett Collieries and ironworks of the Kirkless Hall Coal & Iron Company. In January 1866 John Taylor’s collieries at Standish were absorbed into the company which made the Wigan Coal & Iron Co. Ltd the largest joint stock company in Britain