Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. It is on the north bank of the River Tame. It became an important mill town during the Industrial Revolution, sitting at the convergence of new canals and railways, and the industries of cotton spinning, weaving, and coal mining flourished here. Due to the Reform Act in 1832, Ashton-under-Lyne gained a seat in Parliament, and cotton mill-owner Charles Hindley (1796–1857) sat as its MP from 1835 to his death in 1857. Despite being a mill-owner, Hindley was a supporter of Lord Ashley’s proposed factory reforms and an advocate for restricting labor hours in mills.